Download multitracks here: www.nindestruct.com/. I'll be analyzing the differences in the Still version later this week and I'll combine what I learn from both analyses to record my piano interpretation(s) before the next series video! I've got ideas...Thanks for watching and I hope you enjoyed the video as much as I enjoyed making it!
@@ChiefSmackahoLLC I always think of STILL as being angry angsty teenage goth Tent up in his bedroom..."grandma doesn't understand me" as his eyes tear up while applying his liquid eyeliner.....I mean this in the best possible way.
The screams actually REALLY bothered me as a teen too. I had to skip this song too a LOT, but just as you said… my skin got thicker and the older I got I realized how much of a great song it is. It sure did make me ill listening to it at first though. It’s painful. Trent is just a genius though. He knows exactly what he’s doing. He’s just amazing and one of the best composers of our time. He never ceases to amaze me.
@skrapyard444 More than it needs and deserves, but also enough to maybe find something of musical merit in it? It's pretty much the only NIN song I actively find unnecessary. Trent himself acknowledged it didn't do what it was supposed to do (satire), and a segment of fans have taken it on as an anthem of aggression. I think "burn" does the job much better and with actual artfulness and complexity.
@@iximusic Yes, I was. It's weird that I don't see the context here. TH-cam commenting gets more confusing by the visit. Did skrapyard444 delete their comment, or is mine posted in the wrong subthread?
When that high pitched whiny voice comes in at the end during "it won't give up it wants me dead.." It always made me think that it was the other voice (ruiner, mr. self destruct etc.) mocking him.
There are musical breakdown videos and then there's "breaking down the pitch of the woman's scream in a sample from Robot Jox" videos. This is incredible, and I hope Trent sees these videos, because he seems like the kind of guy who would really be able to appreciate this level of analysis.
So cool if he does-Rock On Trent I have been pleading for them to tour this year & am so grateful they are but please come closer to NY or to NY around city or or Long Island- Please- I have no car & suffering but this music has been my refuge & discover new ones every day & I love it all
The song is so utterly mechanical and inhuman until the acoustic guitar breaks in and he admits he is hiding backwards inside of himself and he's slipping away. He asks to be held tighter and, in a common theme, this is an internal dialogue that doesn't actually get heard by others around him. The Becoming and I Do Not Want this were two songs I always coupled together.. The Becoming has the heavy verses and the soft chorus, I Do Not Want This has the soft verses and the heavy chorus. To me they feel like the two most conflicting and uncertain songs in terms of how the music plays out and the lyrics therein. In my own depression this song spoke to me and pained me, the idea that it's something I can't control and it's a cry for help. This is generally where my 'level' or 'zero' is in depression, not the leadup or the ensuing suicidal ideation that the album shows aside from these two songs. It's the confusion and darkness battling with the desire to reach out.
3 levels of “it won’t give up it wants me dead god damn this noise inside my head” 1) whispered when he first notices “it” 2) normal screaming when he acknowledges “it” is not gonna have a happy ending but he’s still able to cope 3) loud/distorted screaming when “it” has taken control and is dragging him away
@@iximusic It honestly is a very trying but cathartic experience to listen to this song. I love that you dug down to find the source of the screams. Thanks for going so DEEP DEEP DEEP DEEP DEEP DEEP DEEP DEEP.
I think the screaming throughout the album (piggy, the becoming, the downward spiral) symbolizes the protagonist’s literal downward spiral. In “piggy,” the screams are like being on a carnival ride. An adrenaline rush or excitement, but knowing the danger isn’t real. In “the becoming,” they are agonized and indicative of pain and horror. The danger is no longer implied, and the suffering is real. Yet, the protagonist is still not at the bottom or end of this self-loathing abyss. That said, in “the becoming,” he has breached the point of no return. This is the event horizon. In “the downward spiral,” the screams are from a singular voice, and it’s the protagonist’s at his very end. There is nowhere further to fall, and only one way to exit.
This is an old video, so I am not sure if you already know about the effect on Trent's "Won't give up, it wants me dead" mantra, but here it is.... it is ring modulation. It uses an unheard oscillator to control the volume, but it actually crosses the zero point, so rather than just turning it up and down it is actually affecting both the positive and negative portions of the wave. The pitch of oscillator can be set to more harmonic relationships with the effected signal, but in the 90's it was often used more destructively. It is actually a more subdued use of the same effect on that delightfully destroyed, screaming synth lead.
This song means so much to me. The lyrics "It wont give up, it wants me dead, and god damn this noise inside my head" resonates with me infinitely more than I want it to.
I always pictured the screaming as a sample of people on a roller coaster. Endlessly going around and around, making something fun turn into a form of torture.
This is the most industrial NIN track really - it feels as with this track they have reached the top industrial form, with those hissing snares and other dirty sounds. The lyrics are smashing, I can relate to them now more than ever before. It strikes me how precisely Trent describes certain processes and common psychological themes which are not exclusive to his life. This is one of my favourite NIN tracks ever, and definitely one of the best examples of the truly industrial style.
This is my favorite song on TDS, and yes, probably my all time nin favorite song. But it is a hard one to listen to, because I know exactly what it's like wanting not to feel anything, of not having the energy to confront your life, and even though you know you'll still feel like dying at least won't be in so much pain, you know this will eventually kill you, but at the same time you're not sure you'll be able to continue if you don't submit to it. Nothing describes it better than "Hiding backwards inside of me I feel... so unafraid". I am better now, and I came to a little realization, that it's not only a downward spiral but also a feedback loop, a vicious cycle. As Mr. Self Destruct says "I take you where you want to go, I give you all you need to know, I drag you down I use you up", this is what's causing all the pain, suffering and hate. It's a distorted, confirmation biased, reality that justifies itself and takes you deeper and deeper, and it's harder to get out of. So The Becoming feels like a natural conclusion when you just can't take it anymore. I've been there, I do not want it anymore. This ties so well into "I Do Not Want This": "I'm losing ground. Well you know how this world can beat you down. And I'm made of clay. I fear I'm the only one who thinks this way", this four lines go back and forth, the feeling and the justification. And how you snap when someone tells you to cheer up or thinks they understand. But I digress into another song. Aaanyway. It's fascinating to hear your analysis, it is spot on. Also to see how he can paint an image in your head for you to feel what he wants without even getting to the lyrics, how nothing about Trent's music is left to chance. I always felt this was the case, but your breakdowns confirm this. I absolutely love your content!
Yes! I still remember when the fragile first released and sitting down to listen to the album in a very focused ritualistic manner lol and right off the bat it was like...hooolyy F!
If you want an amazing artistic experience of the actual Dante's Inferno, check out Radio Inferno from F.M. Einheit (of Einsturzende Neubauten.) th-cam.com/play/OLAK5uy_mgQgFhS9vfr1NnZkZhWuBYVhn9QgeVWd0.html
Thank you! When I first heard this that is exactly what I thought. The beginning of the song sounds like a slow descent into hell for me (I guess the literal downward spiral). It sounds like circling a drain. Then on top of that the screaming noises all come together to sound like a descent into hell.
I always skipped this one too. But then I got diagnosed with Cushing's Disease. You don't need to know anything about Cushing's to understand what it's like. It's EXACTLY like this. The abrasive music and lyrics work 100%
Weird note: When I heard that tortured but somehow elated animal scream during the bridge, I always pictured the distorted picture of Chris Cornell from the cover of Superunknown. Another group masterful at folding soothing blues notes into off-time, screeching, chromatic nightmares.
If it's possible for a song to be virtuousic, in terms of showing off mastery of songwriting itself, this one has it. No lesser songwriter could come close to imitating it.
As a non musician this is AMAZING!! My two favorite songs are the becoming and we’re in this together! Sadly you don’t have an analysis for we’re in this together! Would love if you did it ! But this is so amazing THANK YOU
ive never heard anyone as tuned in to how i always visualized this song, how untouched it seemed to be left - yet how fucking inspiring this track was to me at this time in my life. i graduated high school in 94, then made a rediculous sculpture inspired by this track in 1995. if i have and can find the polaroid i have somewhere of it ill send it your way. absolutely i always felt this was one of Trent’s crowning creative expressions, probably the “best nin track ever” i think i just heard you refer to it as.
The acoustic guitar bridge sounds like the character dissociating. The anxiety, pain and fear becomes so overbearing the character has no other choice that stare into the infinite as his thoughts shut off. He also remembers fondly but kind of mocks Annie in the last verse, whoever she is.
The becoming for me was very important in time when my whole life fall apart, because of my excessive life I lost everything and my self on the end, and that was the point I had nothing to lose so I have to become someone/ something new because past was smoking ashes, so I start becoming...
I remember going finding a copy of Robot Jox in the library and taking it out just for this sample. Got into a lot of great horror flicks tracking down Skinny Puppy samples, too.
The Becoming is absolutely my favourite NIN song. I have Dissociative Identity Disorder and this song feels like the perfect embodiment of so many experiences I've had. Thank you for breaking it down, I'm going to be listening to this on repeat for the next few days now
Had to pause to go out and be social, was just casually repeating "It won't give up, it wants me dead, god damn this noise inside my head" on the way into the bar. Luckily no one was around...
I remember this was a song I'd always skip when I was first getting into this album, the screams were disturbing. But over time, like a lot of different music, you begin to hear other parts of it and it grew on me. The mixing of this song in the album is on a whole other level as well. It's quite amazing to hear those looped screams just slowly get buried and become almost unrecognizable in the soundscape under his vocals. I can see why this is many people's favorite track, it is definitely unique, and the beats hit hard. And no wonder it took the #1 spot for Scariest Song of All Time (2019) according to Pandora's alogrithm 😂
Your videos have really made me look at the musical contrast between Downward Spiral and the later albums compared to Pretty Hate Machine and Broken. The maturity of Reznor's ability in Downward is amazing, it makes PHM sound elementary. I love Broken, it's so dark and ugly, plus the film they made for it was nuts, you can hear the beginnings of Downward in the songs. Love everything you do, thanks! ❤
This has been my favorite song on TDS since the very beginning. The background screaming, the mechanistic clanging, the weird time signature (I always counted it in 13/8, but alternating 7 and 6 works as well), the lyrics, it just floored me right from the start.
I’ve always thought this was the greatest love song ever made. Granted, it’s not “I love you so much, and we’re going to great”… it’s closer to “the world is destroying me and I’m scared, but you (Annie) bring me a little bit of peace”. To my knowledge this is the only song where he mentions another human by name, and he’s afraid of what he’s become, but this Annie can maybe help. She is his life-line to whatever humanity he has left. To me, there’s no greater love. Especially when you consider that most of the song is just him describing his dissociation. Then, we hit the bridge, and he’s suddenly whispering about a tiny piece of himself “hiding, backwards inside of me, I feel so far away”. And in spite of everything until there being about his internal experience, he says, “Annie hold a little tighter, I might just slip away”. It’s not a romantic love, it’s a cry for help… but her help is to hold him tighter and keep him attached to the world. And then he switches back to the original music, screams, lots of chaos… his struggle not to fade away. There’s an RPG called Shadowrun. Like Dungeons and Dragons, but both magic and cyber-tech exist. The more cyber you get, the less soul you have left. There’s a piece of cyber that breaks that limit, basically it’s constantly calling your soul back to your body. When I was running a game of that, I based a character there on this song. He had so much cyber that he had a negative soul, but this machine called him back to life. But he wasn’t “all there” because he was constantly fighting not to fade away. And since the song even mentions that as he disappears, he’s being replaced with wires. So it fit the song perfectly. Annie was a person he knew before the procedure was done to him. And while there isn’t a “winning” condition in RPGs, my hope for what my players would do is to put the cyborg out of its misery. But of course, in spite of being nearly a vegetable, he still had a crapload of combat-focused cyber installed in him, so when he was under attack, he was not easy to kill. Much later in life, I discovered autism, and that I was autistic. When my grandmother and uncle died, I felt nothing. (That was two unrelated events.). I had always worried I was some kind of sociopathic serial killer, just waiting for a trigger to make me go crazy and start rampaging. Because, before I learned about autism, my only exposure to people who felt nothing when they should feel something was the TV show Dexter, where the main character was always pretending to do “human” things, so nobody would suspect him of killing people. So I resonated with a song about someone who doesn’t feel things he should feel, and is afraid of losing what little humanity he has left. These days I know about autistic masking. My therapist used to say that while I do have emotions, my color palette for them is limited. So, at least I know I won’t lose any more of my humanity. Though, most of the time I feel like I’m just pretending to be human anyway. Doing so (masking) takes a fair bit of emotional energy, though. So I do have periods where I hang out with people, and then just… runout of energy and shut down. Too mentally exhausted to feel anything. After that point, I just act very robotic, until I can be by myself to recharge.
I know the lyric is "I can try to scratch away the sound in my ears" but for the life of me I only hear "I can try to nudge away..." in the studio recording. Literally every time.
The noise solo in this song is probably Adrian Belew's other contribution to TDS besides the end of Mr. Self Destruct; he's credited with "ring mod guitar" on this song, and ring modulation can produce very weird noisy-but-tuned sounds. OTOH it's possible that the ring mod guitar is just the tonic-seventh sound you call out a little later in the song.
This is the only TH-cam where I'll watch a 45 min video. Brilliant stuff. I hope before long you get to speak with Trent Reznor. This song is in my top 10 NIN. The screaming never bothered me because NIN was dangerous music. I found is fascinating that the "It won't give up, it wants me dead..." part is in the bassline! I always hear, "get lower" in the begining of March Of The Pigs. Always a great watch, you're a true NIN fan who can break what we love down into it's beautiful parts and let us share in the joy of admiring them, and give us the language to express why it'sso good.
Good to hear that it wasn't just me who got taken back by the agony of the screaming in the track. I recall feeling absolutely disgusted when I first heard it, and that makes me appreciate the Becoming so much, despite not being my favourite track from TDS.
I heard that Trent Reznor is a fan of Rush even as far back as when he was working on The Downward Spiral. Chances are he took some cues from their use of odd time signatures and incorporated it into this album.
This song is cyclic, like the machine he's *becoming*. His mind is stuck in a loop, a downward spiral. This is it, we've reached the point of no return. I imagine Trent becoming one with his synths, an amalgamation of circuitry and whatever's left of his humanity.
It's my favorite NIN song. I've listened to this since I was a teenager. This song exemplifies my internal mental struggles from my childhood traumas. The lyrics and the chaos of the music are an exact fit.
My favorite track from DS...I was lead to this channel after listening to the DS instrumental album here on TH-cam, after listening to that album (like many of us) countless times it eas like listening to that album for the first time again. Hearing every sonic detail was refreshing without the vocal tracks. In any case, brilliant breakdown for anyone who truly appreciates NIN and Trent's impact on music PERIOD
Echoing others, this is a turning point in the album. It's literally in the middle (song 7 of 14) and thematically, it marks where he begins merging with the evil that's been stalking him the whole album. Also for me, the jarring, seemingly out-of-place serene outro is similar to the ending of 1984, where Winston Smith internally, surprisingly loves Big Brother, right before he is shot in the head. Both that scene in 1984 and this song's outro do something incredible: create a moment that, if removed from its surrounding context, might be joyful. Placed back in context, however, they are completely wrong and horrifying. Both protagonists are given a futile, paradoxical moment of peace before they are unceremoniously ground up and consumed by the machine.
Noise solos are a good idea. He chooses such unorthodox melodies. Resolving to a 4, using the 6 instead of flat 6. He jumped in a robot suit and desecrated Fux's grave. Take that Mozart! Super cool analysis as always, looking forward to the interpretation!
I feel like this analysis just made me clue in that like...lol i think I'm traumatized?? So many people have commented about the screaming and how hard it is to handle. And i never paid it much mind. Like..as i scrolled the comments and realized how painful it is for others to listen to that, I realized that it doesnt bother me and never has, and got chills as i gradually understood why. I was already used to tuning it out. Like, the distorted, endlessly repeating loop in mr. self destruct, THAT, i had to skip for years. But the Becoming has always felt so natural to me. the time signature was definitely interesting and uncommon, but it didnt strike me as upsetting or unnatural (not like mr. self destruct, where even after you broke it down i still dont "feel" it). Somehow the whole song feels...dare I say, comfortable? And someone commented how the bridge reminds them of mazzy star, and the "floating", and thats when I clued in about...idk. im disturbed by the fact that I'm not disturbed. And I have this specific memory of being 16 years old and listening to mazzy star-esque, floaty, ethereal, numb, apathetic stuff, walking along a ledge. I was in this abusive home situation, and I LIVED in the bridge. I literally remember the screaming the screaming the screaming the endless screaming the crying the screaming the screaming and then I just...literally couldn't take it or it woulda killed me. But i couldn't get awAYYYYY (hahahah) so i just. Nope. Click. Turned it off. I "became". I was also like, super anorexic, like heart shutting down kinda thing, and at that "click" moment, I was having this ...really pleasant out of body experience as I realized I was literally dying. And I felt like I was like...so close, so close I could taste it. And it felt just like the bridge sounds. It was so ethereal and so disturbingly...nice. And then I don't remember anything at all until the following year. Ahah. 😅 geez what an insight. It's crazy how much the human mind can forget that it has forgotten. Fucking amazing song.
I have a strong hunch that Trent took inspiration from Stephen King’s “The Tommyknockers” when he was creating this masterpiece of a song. The basic plot of the book revolves around Bobbi, an author, who “stumbles upon a metal object that turns out to be a protrusion of a long-buried alien spacecraft. Once exposed, the spacecraft begins to release an invisible gas into the atmosphere that gradually transforms people into beings similar to the aliens who populated the ship. The transformation, or "becoming," provides them with a limited form of genius which makes them very inventive but does not provide any philosophical or ethical insight into their inventions. The spacecraft also prevents those affected by it from leaving town, (and) provokes psychotic violence in some people... As Bobbi is almost totally overcome by the euphoria of "becoming" one with the spacecraft, (she) increasingly sees her health worsen and her sanity disappear. ...King wrote The Tommyknockers at a time when substance abuse was a significant part of his life. Metaphors for the stranglehold of addiction can be found throughout the book.” (Quotes taken from Wikipedia)
on my first listening of the downward spiral, I had only heard Mr. Self Destruct and Closer beforehand. During the song, I had this feeling that'd be listening an interesting concept album about a dark topic but that it'd be like anything you'd expect from an edgy 90s rock/metal album. Specially for the first 4 songs, I still had that impression but with the feeling in the back of my head of "well this is surprising" or "this feels odd". Between Closer and Ruiner I was already not feeling so well and getting creeped out by the story, and when The Becoming hit right after the sudden end of Ruiner, I finally realized what I was getting into. This album is very personal for me and I don't think I could go for every reason of why, but focusing on this song in particular, it's one that I really couldn't listen for a year and would get me borderline dizzy. Now it's one of my favourites of all NIN repertory. This song was already confusing to me after multiple listenings, and from your analysis I mainly took away that this is as unstable of a song as it gets lol.
The part at the end where his vocals go high up in the "It won't give up" vocal, it seems like it's mocking him, like in past songs on the album. Agree?
The younger me was in a state of mind that just wanting to be a robot. I didn't want to feel anything. Because of this I feel the Universe decided "ok, wish granted" and it began changing me. It put me on a path to get rid of what made me human. I grew up and realize that I didn't want this but the universe wasn't changing it's mind. This song perfectly encompasses my thoughts. The final lines "it won't give up it wants me dead, God damn this noise inside my head." Always made me feel this constant dread that I'm no longer in control. I am "becoming" this thing weather I like it or not.
I used to have a very visual mind when I listened to music and lyrics. When you describe the robot man thing as if it’s breaking down in the ending bridge before the “it wants me dead” and now I listen to this song and have a crystal clear picture in my head. It can feel the hairs on my neck lifting and I get choked up at this imagery because it’s grotesque and deeply sad at the same time. Thank you so much for this video series!
The way that you describe the bridge as "neutral" reminds me a lot of how I'd describe the song Into Dust by Mazzy Star. Kind of doesn't have a strong minor or major sound, almost like it's floating.
My God, you are a genius, I did not want this video to end, the effort you did to break all this down is just pure genius, you are so talented, I have no words. PD: those screams at the end 40:25 gave goosebumps, I did not notice them at all
Dude this song has always been my favorite on this album. the 90's... this just came at the right time. I think everyone at the time who was into NIN felt comfort that he was showing us musically something that we were all feeling. This heavy stuff is so soothing that way. I've always been frustrating counting the beats, thanks for being so thorough. almost 30 years I've been wondering... a piece of me feels at piece :) digging the digital filters on the video, it suits this one really well. god what a FREEEEAKIN' AWESOME SONG! it must have been so much fun to create and produce. Thanks for this one ixi. great job. nailed it.
The unusual meter reminds me of how Stravinsky described how he composed The Rite of Spring, which also had ever shifting meters: he compose how he felt it should be. Similarly, Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana is full of changing meters and that was done to emphasise the natural rhythm of the text. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was Reznor’s thought process. As I recall from the liner notes, Flood used the ARP2600 on this one. I think this was what was used for the vocal processing.
I love Stravinsky. Rite of Spring is one of my top favorite pieces of music do this reference is 💯! I agree with you that Trent always did what felt right, what served the song. Not all melodies need 4 or 8 beats.
These videos are like having an elite martial artist give me a play by play a of a ninja doing brain surgery. Incredible! This is my favorite NIN track of all time. I always knew it was strange, but you have shown me so much more. Thank you!
I remember hearing this on CD in my car, and it was fine, but later, when I listened to it with headphones on, I had to stop listening because those screams were SO disturbing. To me, I pictured souls in hell in constant torment, which, I guess is similar to war in a way. I was just at the beginning of my religious deconstruction journey (like, so early that I wasn't even sure that I was deconstructing - I just thought I was questioning things), so I still held to some really strong beliefs about hell. As always, I love your breakdowns and can't wait to dig into more. Thanks!
"The time signature tells you how many beats in a measure, but doesn't necessarily tell you how a song FEELS" Yes!! I've never been able to put that into words. I love that you know your theory very well but also know what groove is hahah! The whole section you spent on the time signature reminds me of a time my old bad wrote this cool beat/riff for a song, played it live many times but when it came to recording to a click we spent like a hour arguing over what time signature it was in! As for the screaming, 15 year old me always found them comforting, I'll shut up now and finish watching your BRILLIANT VIDEO!
As a drummer of 35 years and a prog fan for 30, there are some critical percussive elements to help the listener hang on to the 7/4 6/4 alternations... exaggerated downbeat (kick and vocal), repetition without deviations/rolls, and one thing that is straight (the hi hat). The pattern will stick with these guides in place. It's so cool that the screams came from that scene of Robot Jox... wow. This is the darkest point for this drummer analyst, socially inept, intensely passionate robot wrapped in flesh and muscle. When I am at a socially isolated low point where even being human is difficult, it is imperative that I listen to this in my Sennheiser headphones at top volume and emote it out until I come back. Thank you for this one.
Thanks for making this video. This song is one of my favorites and has been for a long time. I feel like Trent has made it pretty clear in his interviews that he prefers that the listener is the one to interpret his work and that a song means whatever it means to you. It's not his place to give it that meaning. That said, he puts so much work into what lives under the skin of his music.. It is fantastic to hear you pick it apart in detail and learn things that I would have never picked up on or details that I've missed for decades.
Man, after watching your video I am now convinced the becoming may well be his best work. As for the screams, while I was a kid when this was released I already knew a bit about his unique artistic character and macabre recording studio choices from hit parader and a few other mags we got in our little town in canada, so I was sure it was someone being tortured to death or a police brutality audio caught somehow... it was very real, that's relieving somehow haha, for the SONG, I wasn't able to process how much awesome there is at once, thank you.... I honestly underappreciated the becoming,
@@iximusic I learn so much from you about theory and how trent manipulates it, never studied music but I bashed on my guitar for so long I think I hit actual notes once in a while, thanks again for posting these! Something to look forward to, and nope, I'm right beside you on that :)
Lol the scream loop has always been one of my favorite aspects of "The Becoming". It was so arythmic and rhythmic at the same time and absolutely possessed of a musicality.
Yay Robot Jox!. This song always reminds me of the end of Superman 3 when the scientist lady gets transformed by the computer. It's pretty brutal and scared the crap out of me as a little kid. In fact I've always wanted to see that scene cut to this song since the lyrics are appropriate.
For me it's the rock solid tic tic tic of the hi hat that keeps me grounded amidst the push/pull swing of the odd beat. I love everything about this song...not even gonna get into how great the vocals are.
The mouthy part of the bass line is probably a common synth patch where you use an envelope to open and close a low pass filter everytime you hit a note. 2 years ago i would've had no idea what that meant but since my modular synth journey and watching videos like yours I've learned so much and hear things I've never heard before.
Trent can do some damn art! I can see how the album pictures match up with the songs. It's almost spiritual. Teeth bleeding out rust stains. Where are we again?
The way I interpret it is somewhat literal. I think his conscious is being absorbed by his bad side but he’s fighting back but i think he’s also literally transforming into a cybernetic being.
I know there is a concept to the album, but I always thought this song was about Darth Vader. Ani being Anakin Skywalker. I remember a while back asking if it was about Darth on the old Spiral forums on the official NIN website and a user under the name Trent answerd: "F&$# No!" I always wondered if it was actually Trent himself.
@@iximusic It’s easily my favorite track on the album, and the album is easily in my top five albums of all time. Regardless of personal ranking (which gets messy in the top of the list), it’s almost definitely the best rock album recorded in my lifetime.
Download multitracks here: www.nindestruct.com/. I'll be analyzing the differences in the Still version later this week and I'll combine what I learn from both analyses to record my piano interpretation(s) before the next series video! I've got ideas...Thanks for watching and I hope you enjoyed the video as much as I enjoyed making it!
Dumb moment when I realized still is the last word in the sentence, “and all that could have been still”
I think of the Still version as completely separate from the album track. Especially in artistic intent.
@@ChiefSmackahoLLC I always think of STILL as being angry angsty teenage goth Tent up in his bedroom..."grandma doesn't understand me" as his eyes tear up while applying his liquid eyeliner.....I mean this in the best possible way.
Please analyze songs from *Fiona Apple!*
The screams actually REALLY bothered me as a teen too. I had to skip this song too a LOT, but just as you said… my skin got thicker and the older I got I realized how much of a great song it is. It sure did make me ill listening to it at first though. It’s painful.
Trent is just a genius though. He knows exactly what he’s doing. He’s just amazing and one of the best composers of our time. He never ceases to amaze me.
I just love that these videos have become little epic 45 minute mini documentaries.
Yup.
yes i love it
She's incredible. I can't wait to hear her thoughts on Reptile. :) The whole thing really.
@@daniellachance173 i cant wait to hear her analysis of the peter murphy version of reptile that's been posted.
Same here! It's beautiful!
Flood: "So, what time signature is this in?"
Reznor: "No. "
🤣
First in 7/4 then something else
She said the time signature after I wrote the comment so edit: 7:4 6:4
@@BusinessZeus No shit, Sherlock. You must be really fun at parties.
"I kept this in even though it's super dorky" she said, in a 45 minute video of musical analysis of NIN songs. I think you've found your people.
@skrapyard444 More than it needs and deserves, but also enough to maybe find something of musical merit in it? It's pretty much the only NIN song I actively find unnecessary. Trent himself acknowledged it didn't do what it was supposed to do (satire), and a segment of fans have taken it on as an anthem of aggression. I think "burn" does the job much better and with actual artfulness and complexity.
@@dysamoria Are you talking about Big Man With A Gun by chance?
@@iximusic Yes, I was. It's weird that I don't see the context here. TH-cam commenting gets more confusing by the visit. Did skrapyard444 delete their comment, or is mine posted in the wrong subthread?
@@dysamoria 👎
THIS WAS THE ONE WE’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR
Yes!
Agreed.
True that.
literally have been waiting for weeks to get to ruiner and the becoming. So insanely hyped
Indeed
In the simplest way to put it, Nine Inch Nails has made me realize I love structured chaos.
that is both simple and very accurate. bravo.
Same
When that high pitched whiny voice comes in at the end during "it won't give up it wants me dead.." It always made me think that it was the other voice (ruiner, mr. self destruct etc.) mocking him.
There are musical breakdown videos and then there's "breaking down the pitch of the woman's scream in a sample from Robot Jox" videos. This is incredible, and I hope Trent sees these videos, because he seems like the kind of guy who would really be able to appreciate this level of analysis.
So cool if he does-Rock On Trent
I have been pleading for them to tour this year & am so grateful they are but please come closer to NY or to NY around city or or Long Island-
Please- I have no car & suffering but this music has been my refuge & discover new ones every day & I love it all
Without a doubt
The song is so utterly mechanical and inhuman until the acoustic guitar breaks in and he admits he is hiding backwards inside of himself and he's slipping away. He asks to be held tighter and, in a common theme, this is an internal dialogue that doesn't actually get heard by others around him. The Becoming and I Do Not Want this were two songs I always coupled together.. The Becoming has the heavy verses and the soft chorus, I Do Not Want This has the soft verses and the heavy chorus. To me they feel like the two most conflicting and uncertain songs in terms of how the music plays out and the lyrics therein. In my own depression this song spoke to me and pained me, the idea that it's something I can't control and it's a cry for help. This is generally where my 'level' or 'zero' is in depression, not the leadup or the ensuing suicidal ideation that the album shows aside from these two songs. It's the confusion and darkness battling with the desire to reach out.
F
As someone going through their episode who has been recently listening to The Downward Spiral on repeat, I couldn't have said it better.
This just popped up on my feed and I was like..."My stories....my stories are on!!" Ran down to the basement so I could use the better speakers!
Haha this is wonderful 😂 🙌
3 levels of “it won’t give up it wants me dead god damn this noise inside my head”
1) whispered when he first notices “it”
2) normal screaming when he acknowledges “it” is not gonna have a happy ending but he’s still able to cope
3) loud/distorted screaming when “it” has taken control and is dragging him away
The screams take me to a really dark place. They make me feel like...
I am at the DMV
*Shudders*
🤣
@@iximusic It honestly is a very trying but cathartic experience to listen to this song. I love that you dug down to find the source of the screams. Thanks for going so
DEEP DEEP DEEP DEEP DEEP DEEP DEEP DEEP.
I think the screaming throughout the album (piggy, the becoming, the downward spiral) symbolizes the protagonist’s literal downward spiral. In “piggy,” the screams are like being on a carnival ride. An adrenaline rush or excitement, but knowing the danger isn’t real. In “the becoming,” they are agonized and indicative of pain and horror. The danger is no longer implied, and the suffering is real. Yet, the protagonist is still not at the bottom or end of this self-loathing abyss. That said, in “the becoming,” he has breached the point of no return. This is the event horizon. In “the downward spiral,” the screams are from a singular voice, and it’s the protagonist’s at his very end. There is nowhere further to fall, and only one way to exit.
👏
I think it is his dark passenger
@Twisted Edge I feel like Trent would be a Dexter fan.
The screaming always drew me into the song more. A great way to show the chaotic transformation and mental struggle of the protagonist.
This is an old video, so I am not sure if you already know about the effect on Trent's "Won't give up, it wants me dead" mantra, but here it is.... it is ring modulation. It uses an unheard oscillator to control the volume, but it actually crosses the zero point, so rather than just turning it up and down it is actually affecting both the positive and negative portions of the wave. The pitch of oscillator can be set to more harmonic relationships with the effected signal, but in the 90's it was often used more destructively. It is actually a more subdued use of the same effect on that delightfully destroyed, screaming synth lead.
This song means so much to me. The lyrics "It wont give up, it wants me dead, and god damn this noise inside my head" resonates with me infinitely more than I want it to.
"there is a song coming up on this album in 6/4"
kILL ME
I always pictured the screaming as a sample of people on a roller coaster. Endlessly going around and around, making something fun turn into a form of torture.
That was also my first inclination
This is the most industrial NIN track really - it feels as with this track they have reached the top industrial form, with those hissing snares and other dirty sounds. The lyrics are smashing, I can relate to them now more than ever before. It strikes me how precisely Trent describes certain processes and common psychological themes which are not exclusive to his life. This is one of my favourite NIN tracks ever, and definitely one of the best examples of the truly industrial style.
This is my favorite song on TDS, and yes, probably my all time nin favorite song. But it is a hard one to listen to, because I know exactly what it's like wanting not to feel anything, of not having the energy to confront your life, and even though you know you'll still feel like dying at least won't be in so much pain, you know this will eventually kill you, but at the same time you're not sure you'll be able to continue if you don't submit to it. Nothing describes it better than "Hiding backwards inside of me I feel... so unafraid".
I am better now, and I came to a little realization, that it's not only a downward spiral but also a feedback loop, a vicious cycle. As Mr. Self Destruct says "I take you where you want to go, I give you all you need to know, I drag you down I use you up", this is what's causing all the pain, suffering and hate. It's a distorted, confirmation biased, reality that justifies itself and takes you deeper and deeper, and it's harder to get out of. So The Becoming feels like a natural conclusion when you just can't take it anymore. I've been there, I do not want it anymore.
This ties so well into "I Do Not Want This": "I'm losing ground. Well you know how this world can beat you down. And I'm made of clay. I fear I'm the only one who thinks this way", this four lines go back and forth, the feeling and the justification. And how you snap when someone tells you to cheer up or thinks they understand. But I digress into another song.
Aaanyway. It's fascinating to hear your analysis, it is spot on. Also to see how he can paint an image in your head for you to feel what he wants without even getting to the lyrics, how nothing about Trent's music is left to chance. I always felt this was the case, but your breakdowns confirm this.
I absolutely love your content!
🖤
The Becoming And Somewhat Damaged are the 2 songs that I hold the closest to me.
Truly. Can't wait for the day when she does Somewhat Damaged. That's my personal favorite album opener.
Yes! I still remember when the fragile first released and sitting down to listen to the album in a very focused ritualistic manner lol and right off the bat it was like...hooolyy F!
This song... god I have such a history with this song.
For real
yep lol
I'd read it if you share
This is what I live for now. The screaming always reminded me of Dante's Inferno.
It absolutely has always sounded like screaming in hell.
If you want an amazing artistic experience of the actual Dante's Inferno, check out Radio Inferno from F.M. Einheit (of Einsturzende Neubauten.)
th-cam.com/play/OLAK5uy_mgQgFhS9vfr1NnZkZhWuBYVhn9QgeVWd0.html
@@zalafinari shoot, that is creepy.
Thank you! When I first heard this that is exactly what I thought. The beginning of the song sounds like a slow descent into hell for me (I guess the literal downward spiral). It sounds like circling a drain. Then on top of that the screaming noises all come together to sound like a descent into hell.
If the elevator to hell had music, this would be it.
I always skipped this one too. But then I got diagnosed with Cushing's Disease. You don't need to know anything about Cushing's to understand what it's like. It's EXACTLY like this. The abrasive music and lyrics work 100%
Weird note: When I heard that tortured but somehow elated animal scream during the bridge, I always pictured the distorted picture of Chris Cornell from the cover of Superunknown. Another group masterful at folding soothing blues notes into off-time, screeching, chromatic nightmares.
My favorite song, next to reptile. There's so much stuff going on in this song... Can't wait for you to break it down!
If it's possible for a song to be virtuousic, in terms of showing off mastery of songwriting itself, this one has it. No lesser songwriter could come close to imitating it.
As a non musician this is AMAZING!! My two favorite songs are the becoming and we’re in this together! Sadly you don’t have an analysis for we’re in this together! Would love if you did it ! But this is so amazing THANK YOU
ive never heard anyone as tuned in to how i always visualized this song, how untouched it seemed to be left - yet how fucking inspiring this track was to me at this time in my life. i graduated high school in 94, then made a rediculous sculpture inspired by this track in 1995. if i have and can find the polaroid i have somewhere of it ill send it your way.
absolutely i always felt this was one of Trent’s crowning creative expressions, probably the “best nin track ever” i think i just heard you refer to it as.
The acoustic guitar bridge sounds like the character dissociating. The anxiety, pain and fear becomes so overbearing the character has no other choice that stare into the infinite as his thoughts shut off. He also remembers fondly but kind of mocks Annie in the last verse, whoever she is.
I always perceived the bridge as acceptance that this change is coming. Someone acquiescing to a fate they can no longer delay. Great stuff
The becoming for me was very important in time when my whole life fall apart, because of my excessive life I lost everything and my self on the end, and that was the point I had nothing to lose so I have to become someone/ something new because past was smoking ashes, so I start becoming...
🖤
I remember going finding a copy of Robot Jox in the library and taking it out just for this sample. Got into a lot of great horror flicks tracking down Skinny Puppy samples, too.
The Becoming is absolutely my favourite NIN song. I have Dissociative Identity Disorder and this song feels like the perfect embodiment of so many experiences I've had. Thank you for breaking it down, I'm going to be listening to this on repeat for the next few days now
This is my all time favorite song. Every version has something to offer. This is Trent at his best, and that's saying something.
Had to pause to go out and be social, was just casually repeating "It won't give up, it wants me dead, god damn this noise inside my head" on the way into the bar. Luckily no one was around...
wouldn't it be crazy if you ran into someone else repeating the same thing! NIN fans unite
This is the track I've most wanted to hear your analysis. It's one of my favourite tracks of any artist.
I remember this was a song I'd always skip when I was first getting into this album, the screams were disturbing. But over time, like a lot of different music, you begin to hear other parts of it and it grew on me.
The mixing of this song in the album is on a whole other level as well. It's quite amazing to hear those looped screams just slowly get buried and become almost unrecognizable in the soundscape under his vocals.
I can see why this is many people's favorite track, it is definitely unique, and the beats hit hard.
And no wonder it took the #1 spot for Scariest Song of All Time (2019) according to Pandora's alogrithm 😂
Your videos have really made me look at the musical contrast between Downward Spiral and the later albums compared to Pretty Hate Machine and Broken. The maturity of Reznor's ability in Downward is amazing, it makes PHM sound elementary. I love Broken, it's so dark and ugly, plus the film they made for it was nuts, you can hear the beginnings of Downward in the songs. Love everything you do, thanks! ❤
great comment. he dove deeply here. on many levels and never (for very good reason) went back.
This has been my favorite song on TDS since the very beginning. The background screaming, the mechanistic clanging, the weird time signature (I always counted it in 13/8, but alternating 7 and 6 works as well), the lyrics, it just floored me right from the start.
I’ve always thought this was the greatest love song ever made. Granted, it’s not “I love you so much, and we’re going to great”… it’s closer to “the world is destroying me and I’m scared, but you (Annie) bring me a little bit of peace”. To my knowledge this is the only song where he mentions another human by name, and he’s afraid of what he’s become, but this Annie can maybe help. She is his life-line to whatever humanity he has left. To me, there’s no greater love.
Especially when you consider that most of the song is just him describing his dissociation. Then, we hit the bridge, and he’s suddenly whispering about a tiny piece of himself “hiding, backwards inside of me, I feel so far away”. And in spite of everything until there being about his internal experience, he says, “Annie hold a little tighter, I might just slip away”. It’s not a romantic love, it’s a cry for help… but her help is to hold him tighter and keep him attached to the world. And then he switches back to the original music, screams, lots of chaos… his struggle not to fade away.
There’s an RPG called Shadowrun. Like Dungeons and Dragons, but both magic and cyber-tech exist. The more cyber you get, the less soul you have left. There’s a piece of cyber that breaks that limit, basically it’s constantly calling your soul back to your body. When I was running a game of that, I based a character there on this song. He had so much cyber that he had a negative soul, but this machine called him back to life. But he wasn’t “all there” because he was constantly fighting not to fade away.
And since the song even mentions that as he disappears, he’s being replaced with wires. So it fit the song perfectly. Annie was a person he knew before the procedure was done to him. And while there isn’t a “winning” condition in RPGs, my hope for what my players would do is to put the cyborg out of its misery. But of course, in spite of being nearly a vegetable, he still had a crapload of combat-focused cyber installed in him, so when he was under attack, he was not easy to kill.
Much later in life, I discovered autism, and that I was autistic. When my grandmother and uncle died, I felt nothing. (That was two unrelated events.). I had always worried I was some kind of sociopathic serial killer, just waiting for a trigger to make me go crazy and start rampaging. Because, before I learned about autism, my only exposure to people who felt nothing when they should feel something was the TV show Dexter, where the main character was always pretending to do “human” things, so nobody would suspect him of killing people. So I resonated with a song about someone who doesn’t feel things he should feel, and is afraid of losing what little humanity he has left.
These days I know about autistic masking. My therapist used to say that while I do have emotions, my color palette for them is limited. So, at least I know I won’t lose any more of my humanity. Though, most of the time I feel like I’m just pretending to be human anyway. Doing so (masking) takes a fair bit of emotional energy, though. So I do have periods where I hang out with people, and then just… runout of energy and shut down. Too mentally exhausted to feel anything. After that point, I just act very robotic, until I can be by myself to recharge.
How about a tl;dr? "Annie, hold alittle tighter" is a reference to a song by The Band.
My 2nd favourite NIN track after The Wretched.
Great job on the breakdown as usual. So informative.
Thank You
I know the lyric is "I can try to scratch away the sound in my ears" but for the life of me I only hear "I can try to nudge away..." in the studio recording. Literally every time.
The noise solo in this song is probably Adrian Belew's other contribution to TDS besides the end of Mr. Self Destruct; he's credited with "ring mod guitar" on this song, and ring modulation can produce very weird noisy-but-tuned sounds. OTOH it's possible that the ring mod guitar is just the tonic-seventh sound you call out a little later in the song.
This is the only TH-cam where I'll watch a 45 min video. Brilliant stuff. I hope before long you get to speak with Trent Reznor.
This song is in my top 10 NIN. The screaming never bothered me because NIN was dangerous music. I found is fascinating that the "It won't give up, it wants me dead..." part is in the bassline! I always hear, "get lower" in the begining of March Of The Pigs.
Always a great watch, you're a true NIN fan who can break what we love down into it's beautiful parts and let us share in the joy of admiring them, and give us the language to express why it'sso good.
Good to hear that it wasn't just me who got taken back by the agony of the screaming in the track. I recall feeling absolutely disgusted when I first heard it, and that makes me appreciate the Becoming so much, despite not being my favourite track from TDS.
This song is my favorite song of all time. Nobody can change my mind
I heard that Trent Reznor is a fan of Rush even as far back as when he was working on The Downward Spiral. Chances are he took some cues from their use of odd time signatures and incorporated it into this album.
This song is cyclic, like the machine he's *becoming*. His mind is stuck in a loop, a downward spiral. This is it, we've reached the point of no return. I imagine Trent becoming one with his synths, an amalgamation of circuitry and whatever's left of his humanity.
Reznor: the Industrial Man
@@Kotosuatz Frank Klepacki is the Mechanical Man!
Well, Trent Reznor worked on a Tetsuo: The Iron Man film, so...
Man, those plants are lucky. Sunlight, water, Nine Inch Nails music... must be heaven.
The trifecta!
Ixi’s channel is BECOMING epic 💛🌻
I see what you did there
It's my favorite NIN song. I've listened to this since I was a teenager. This song exemplifies my internal mental struggles from my childhood traumas. The lyrics and the chaos of the music are an exact fit.
You made me realise more what I already knew. Trent is a genius. Impressive.
I have always heard the "it won't give up" whispers buried in the synths too! Always thought I was just reading something into nothing.
Ahhh awesome! 🙌
Never even considered that there weren’t whispers!
My favourite song on this album, along with Reptile!
The last time I saw them live during Cold and Black and Infinite they played Reptile and I nearly lost my mind...
My favorite track from DS...I was lead to this channel after listening to the DS instrumental album here on TH-cam, after listening to that album (like many of us) countless times it eas like listening to that album for the first time again. Hearing every sonic detail was refreshing without the vocal tracks. In any case, brilliant breakdown for anyone who truly appreciates NIN and Trent's impact on music PERIOD
Echoing others, this is a turning point in the album. It's literally in the middle (song 7 of 14) and thematically, it marks where he begins merging with the evil that's been stalking him the whole album. Also for me, the jarring, seemingly out-of-place serene outro is similar to the ending of 1984, where Winston Smith internally, surprisingly loves Big Brother, right before he is shot in the head.
Both that scene in 1984 and this song's outro do something incredible: create a moment that, if removed from its surrounding context, might be joyful. Placed back in context, however, they are completely wrong and horrifying. Both protagonists are given a futile, paradoxical moment of peace before they are unceremoniously ground up and consumed by the machine.
And even when I'm right with you, I'm so far away... This song obsessed me since It was published, and still opens a crack in my head.
Noise solos are a good idea. He chooses such unorthodox melodies. Resolving to a 4, using the 6 instead of flat 6. He jumped in a robot suit and desecrated Fux's grave. Take that Mozart! Super cool analysis as always, looking forward to the interpretation!
The screaming is the music.
The music is the machine.
The machine is the man.
I love seeing all the love for this track. This album really introduced me to odd time signatures.
Always a favorite from an incredible album from start to finish
I feel like this analysis just made me clue in that like...lol i think I'm traumatized?? So many people have commented about the screaming and how hard it is to handle. And i never paid it much mind. Like..as i scrolled the comments and realized how painful it is for others to listen to that, I realized that it doesnt bother me and never has, and got chills as i gradually understood why. I was already used to tuning it out. Like, the distorted, endlessly repeating loop in mr. self destruct, THAT, i had to skip for years. But the Becoming has always felt so natural to me. the time signature was definitely interesting and uncommon, but it didnt strike me as upsetting or unnatural (not like mr. self destruct, where even after you broke it down i still dont "feel" it). Somehow the whole song feels...dare I say, comfortable?
And someone commented how the bridge reminds them of mazzy star, and the "floating", and thats when I clued in about...idk. im disturbed by the fact that I'm not disturbed.
And I have this specific memory of being 16 years old and listening to mazzy star-esque, floaty, ethereal, numb, apathetic stuff, walking along a ledge. I was in this abusive home situation, and I LIVED in the bridge. I literally remember the screaming the screaming the screaming the endless screaming the crying the screaming the screaming and then I just...literally couldn't take it or it woulda killed me. But i couldn't get awAYYYYY (hahahah) so i just. Nope. Click. Turned it off. I "became". I was also like, super anorexic, like heart shutting down kinda thing, and at that "click" moment, I was having this ...really pleasant out of body experience as I realized I was literally dying. And I felt like I was like...so close, so close I could taste it. And it felt just like the bridge sounds. It was so ethereal and so disturbingly...nice.
And then I don't remember anything at all until the following year.
Ahah. 😅 geez what an insight. It's crazy how much the human mind can forget that it has forgotten. Fucking amazing song.
I love hearing how the song made you feel on top of the technical .. my teenage experience with nin was different, but equally impactful
I have a strong hunch that Trent took inspiration from Stephen King’s “The Tommyknockers” when he was creating this masterpiece of a song. The basic plot of the book revolves around Bobbi, an author, who “stumbles upon a metal object that turns out to be a protrusion of a long-buried alien spacecraft. Once exposed, the spacecraft begins to release an invisible gas into the atmosphere that gradually transforms people into beings similar to the aliens who populated the ship. The transformation, or "becoming," provides them with a limited form of genius which makes them very inventive but does not provide any philosophical or ethical insight into their inventions. The spacecraft also prevents those affected by it from leaving town, (and) provokes psychotic violence in some people...
As Bobbi is almost totally overcome by the euphoria of "becoming" one with the spacecraft, (she) increasingly sees her health worsen and her sanity disappear.
...King wrote The Tommyknockers at a time when substance abuse was a significant part of his life. Metaphors for the stranglehold of addiction can be found throughout the book.” (Quotes taken from Wikipedia)
You don't clap to this song, you rock back and forth, slowly.
on my first listening of the downward spiral, I had only heard Mr. Self Destruct and Closer beforehand. During the song, I had this feeling that'd be listening an interesting concept album about a dark topic but that it'd be like anything you'd expect from an edgy 90s rock/metal album. Specially for the first 4 songs, I still had that impression but with the feeling in the back of my head of "well this is surprising" or "this feels odd". Between Closer and Ruiner I was already not feeling so well and getting creeped out by the story, and when The Becoming hit right after the sudden end of Ruiner, I finally realized what I was getting into. This album is very personal for me and I don't think I could go for every reason of why, but focusing on this song in particular, it's one that I really couldn't listen for a year and would get me borderline dizzy. Now it's one of my favourites of all NIN repertory. This song was already confusing to me after multiple listenings, and from your analysis I mainly took away that this is as unstable of a song as it gets lol.
The part at the end where his vocals go high up in the "It won't give up" vocal, it seems like it's mocking him, like in past songs on the album. Agree?
Love that interpretation...yeah.
I believe the hidden sound you mention at 39:51 is a ring modulated guitar played by Adrian Belew.
The younger me was in a state of mind that just wanting to be a robot. I didn't want to feel anything. Because of this I feel the Universe decided "ok, wish granted" and it began changing me. It put me on a path to get rid of what made me human.
I grew up and realize that I didn't want this but the universe wasn't changing it's mind. This song perfectly encompasses my thoughts.
The final lines "it won't give up it wants me dead, God damn this noise inside my head." Always made me feel this constant dread that I'm no longer in control. I am "becoming" this thing weather I like it or not.
I used to have a very visual mind when I listened to music and lyrics. When you describe the robot man thing as if it’s breaking down in the ending bridge before the “it wants me dead” and now I listen to this song and have a crystal clear picture in my head. It can feel the hairs on my neck lifting and I get choked up at this imagery because it’s grotesque and deeply sad at the same time. Thank you so much for this video series!
The way that you describe the bridge as "neutral" reminds me a lot of how I'd describe the song Into Dust by Mazzy Star. Kind of doesn't have a strong minor or major sound, almost like it's floating.
My God, you are a genius, I did not want this video to end, the effort you did to break all this down is just pure genius, you are so talented, I have no words. PD: those screams at the end 40:25 gave goosebumps, I did not notice them at all
Dude this song has always been my favorite on this album. the 90's... this just came at the right time. I think everyone at the time who was into NIN felt comfort that he was showing us musically something that we were all feeling. This heavy stuff is so soothing that way. I've always been frustrating counting the beats, thanks for being so thorough. almost 30 years I've been wondering... a piece of me feels at piece :) digging the digital filters on the video, it suits this one really well. god what a FREEEEAKIN' AWESOME SONG! it must have been so much fun to create and produce. Thanks for this one ixi. great job. nailed it.
whoa...I was just listening to Ruiner analysis again 10 min ago and thought 'Cant wait for the Becoming!'
The unusual meter reminds me of how Stravinsky described how he composed The Rite of Spring, which also had ever shifting meters: he compose how he felt it should be. Similarly, Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana is full of changing meters and that was done to emphasise the natural rhythm of the text. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was Reznor’s thought process.
As I recall from the liner notes, Flood used the ARP2600 on this one. I think this was what was used for the vocal processing.
I love Stravinsky. Rite of Spring is one of my top favorite pieces of music do this reference is 💯! I agree with you that Trent always did what felt right, what served the song. Not all melodies need 4 or 8 beats.
I think the ARP 2600 is what plays the demented solo after the bridge.
@@bobaector23 I think you are right.
These videos are like having an elite martial artist give me a play by play a of a ninja doing brain surgery. Incredible!
This is my favorite NIN track of all time. I always knew it was strange, but you have shown me so much more. Thank you!
I remember hearing this on CD in my car, and it was fine, but later, when I listened to it with headphones on, I had to stop listening because those screams were SO disturbing. To me, I pictured souls in hell in constant torment, which, I guess is similar to war in a way. I was just at the beginning of my religious deconstruction journey (like, so early that I wasn't even sure that I was deconstructing - I just thought I was questioning things), so I still held to some really strong beliefs about hell. As always, I love your breakdowns and can't wait to dig into more. Thanks!
I've loved NIN for the past 25 years, and now thanks to you I'm discovering it again. Your work is IMPRESSIVE.
I always imagined rats and mice clawing inside a wall with the clicks and the pops.
The most important, personal song in my life.
Thank you for doing it justice.
"The time signature tells you how many beats in a measure, but doesn't necessarily tell you how a song FEELS" Yes!! I've never been able to put that into words. I love that you know your theory very well but also know what groove is hahah! The whole section you spent on the time signature reminds me of a time my old bad wrote this cool beat/riff for a song, played it live many times but when it came to recording to a click we spent like a hour arguing over what time signature it was in! As for the screaming, 15 year old me always found them comforting, I'll shut up now and finish watching your BRILLIANT VIDEO!
32:56 that last "me" you did there was so Tori and it felt so good in my ear bones.
Aw. 🖤
i feel weird for starting to listen to nin at age 12 and not having a problem with any songs lol
Same except I don’t feel weird about it lol
As a drummer of 35 years and a prog fan for 30, there are some critical percussive elements to help the listener hang on to the 7/4 6/4 alternations... exaggerated downbeat (kick and vocal), repetition without deviations/rolls, and one thing that is straight (the hi hat). The pattern will stick with these guides in place.
It's so cool that the screams came from that scene of Robot Jox... wow.
This is the darkest point for this drummer analyst, socially inept, intensely passionate robot wrapped in flesh and muscle. When I am at a socially isolated low point where even being human is difficult, it is imperative that I listen to this in my Sennheiser headphones at top volume and emote it out until I come back. Thank you for this one.
37:07 It is a guitar! It's Adrian Belew playing a heavily ring-modulated solo.
Personal favorite from this album.
Thanks for making this video. This song is one of my favorites and has been for a long time. I feel like Trent has made it pretty clear in his interviews that he prefers that the listener is the one to interpret his work and that a song means whatever it means to you. It's not his place to give it that meaning. That said, he puts so much work into what lives under the skin of his music.. It is fantastic to hear you pick it apart in detail and learn things that I would have never picked up on or details that I've missed for decades.
🙌
This song is literally the song that taught my brain how to process unique and odd time signatures. Learning it on piano taught me so much.
I can't even explain how much I was hoping for this one
Man, after watching your video I am now convinced the becoming may well be his best work. As for the screams, while I was a kid when this was released I already knew a bit about his unique artistic character and macabre recording studio choices from hit parader and a few other mags we got in our little town in canada, so I was sure it was someone being tortured to death or a police brutality audio caught somehow... it was very real, that's relieving somehow haha, for the SONG, I wasn't able to process how much awesome there is at once, thank you.... I honestly underappreciated the becoming,
Same, I thought somehow they were real! Glad I'm not alone in that.
@@iximusic I learn so much from you about theory and how trent manipulates it, never studied music but I bashed on my guitar for so long I think I hit actual notes once in a while, thanks again for posting these! Something to look forward to, and nope, I'm right beside you on that :)
THE BECOMING was the TDS track I tried hardest to figure out but never really got anywhere. I think this is your best analysis yet!
Lol the scream loop has always been one of my favorite aspects of "The Becoming". It was so arythmic and rhythmic at the same time and absolutely possessed of a musicality.
Yay Robot Jox!. This song always reminds me of the end of Superman 3 when the scientist lady gets transformed by the computer. It's pretty brutal and scared the crap out of me as a little kid. In fact I've always wanted to see that scene cut to this song since the lyrics are appropriate.
Who's going to volunteer for that edit? I'll link to it in the video description! 👍
For me it's the rock solid tic tic tic of the hi hat that keeps me grounded amidst the push/pull swing of the odd beat. I love everything about this song...not even gonna get into how great the vocals are.
The mouthy part of the bass line is probably a common synth patch where you use an envelope to open and close a low pass filter everytime you hit a note. 2 years ago i would've had no idea what that meant but since my modular synth journey and watching videos like yours I've learned so much and hear things I've never heard before.
Trent can do some damn art! I can see how the album pictures match up with the songs. It's almost spiritual. Teeth bleeding out rust stains. Where are we again?
The way I interpret it is somewhat literal. I think his conscious is being absorbed by his bad side but he’s fighting back but i think he’s also literally transforming into a cybernetic being.
I think it's less literally becoming a cyborg and more sinking into overwhelming apathy to the point where life is mechanical.
The "run away" scream always reminds me of the sampled scream from the beginning
I know there is a concept to the album, but I always thought this song was about Darth Vader. Ani being Anakin Skywalker. I remember a while back asking if it was about Darth on the old Spiral forums on the official NIN website and a user under the name Trent answerd: "F&$# No!" I always wondered if it was actually Trent himself.
Trent Skywalker confirmed? 🤔
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck, this is the one I’ve been waiting for.
🙌
@@iximusic It’s easily my favorite track on the album, and the album is easily in my top five albums of all time. Regardless of personal ranking (which gets messy in the top of the list), it’s almost definitely the best rock album recorded in my lifetime.
My favorite song ever, from anyone. Can’t wait to watch this.
you're so enthusiastic about this breakdown that i couldn't help but smile when i realized how much fun you were having