Hi y'all. The TDS project is nearing its end, but we're just getting started. Kind of like this song. Thanks for being on this ride with me. The TDS title track is one of the most emotional and raw songs I've ever heard. I cry every time I hear it, just like the first time 20ish years ago. I'm not sure how personal I should get here but I have been through dark times too and if that version of me could see me now...I'm just saying that there is always hope. If you're struggling, you're not alone. I put some links in the description compiled from Melissa with @NIN MY NOTHING if you need support, because life can be hard to handle sometimes. 💜
If it's not too personal, how did you find happiness for yourself? I'm struggling with personal stuff too lately and it feels like there's nothing to be happy about (other than your videos, genuinely) so how do you go about building that happiness for yourself? And before anyone worries too much, I'm fine. Just going through a lot of big changes that I feel I have little control over. I'm not in any danger from others or myself. If you do feel that way, it's ok. You aren't broken or bad or unworthy of life or love. It's just how you're feeling NOW. It will pass. Just like feeling like shit from not sleeping one day. It's easy to get so sucked into that feeling like the day will never end because it sucks so much, but after a day or so, you feel better again, and maybe that happened again, or very frequently. But it's just something that's coming and going. When you can detach yourself from that feeling, and see it as something that's just passing and isn't permanent, and most importantly, isn't you. Then you can find yourself being able to tolerate those bad moments more. It takes time. Anyway, that's my fucking blog post. See ya later, love you all except, Chris brown.
Including those links was very thoughtful of you, really appreciate that. My friend and I have been watching your videos for the last few months and they have helped us a lot in writing our own music. Your explanations of sound design, harmony and song structure are really insightful and easy to learn from. I'm excited for the Hurt video and wherever you decide to take the channel : )
All darkness of life can be overcome. Surrendering to it is the absolute failure. We as a species have overcome it, that power is in you too. It's why you are here. Never give up. You are not alone.
One thing I just noticed about the lyrics now. He starts in the _third_ person - *he* couldn't believe how easy it was - moves on to the _second_ person - problems do have solutions, *you* know? - and ends at the _first_ person - spilling out of *my* head. Kind of like the third-person depersonalization giving way to first-person realization.
The lowest point of the album, to me. I can never get over the disparity between those despairing screams and that calm, cold, almost mocking voice inside your head. There's a pinching kind of pain that settles deep in my soul every time I hear it. It's so deep, it feels numb. To me this the end of the spiral. The end of the protagonist. Hurt feels more like an epilogue.
I 100% agree. I know that Trent has stated that part of “Hurt” is that it’s supposed to kinda let you know that everything is gonna be okay, but I think what he means by that is this entire album is a warning to the listener. In other words, while it is left ambiguous, I personally think the protag is basically dead by “Hurt”, and that he’s probably going to Hell, which is why the final notes are so chaotic.
the darkest song on the album, the fact that this was released in the same year of kurt cobains death, and just a month before he died is so errie and foreshadowing "So much blood for such a tiny little hole problems do have solutions, you know a lifetime of fucking things up fixed in one determined flash"
When I first discovered this album and NIN as a whole, I was sitting in my classroom listening to music as I did work, I had never really listened to heavy music before so this was a big wake up for me. I almost couldn't take it, coming from a Christian family, Heresy was a rough one, but the music was so well written and I had enjoyed every single song so far, I had to keep going. The arpeggio in Ruiner's chorus was one of the reasons I kept listening, it was the coolest sounding thing I'd ever heard. The Becoming gave me the feeling that this may be going somewhere I'm not emotionally or mentally capable to handling, the screaming was so disturbing. I Do Not Want This floored me, love that track. Big Man With A Gun was a strange one, nearly went deaf. A Warm Place started and I had to listen to it twice because it was so moving, I started crying by the second listen, eventually, I moved on to Eraser. I have never heard anything this disturbing in my life and loved every second of it. The intro was hair raising and the ending melody is absolutely stunning. Stunning it was because I could barely interpret Reptile during it's entire 7 minute runtime, just flew right by without me really noticing. Then this track played, Eraser killed me and this one was gonna do it again. I love the ambiance in the way this track opens, it really feels like a movie. As the arrangement builds and builds, the strings and the background swell creating these beautiful harmonies. Then it hits, the ending to this track may be my favorite moment in the entire album, the crushing sound, the distorted piano playing the motif, Trent screaming notes that actually harmonize with the song, and the talking. It fades to hurt and I thought I was ready for anything. Hurt was about to get really loud so obviously I thought: "Is it getting quieter? Better turn it up!" Foolish me... The whole class turned to me as the gunshot went off. My ears rang for the next 45 minutes. One of the best experiences in my life, so glad to have heard it completely blind!
wow I had the same experience listening to TDS. I come from a very religious catholic family too so yeah hearing heresy the first time was like so intense but i love the whole vibes of the song. The whole album overall has changed my life and listening to it is a whole emotional roller coaster which of course would make sense for the album name.
I honestly believe Reznor wrote the most important album of self realization ever. Took me years to digest it. Took me more years and my own pain to understand it.
A theory I have about that line: mushrooms are often grey and many of them quickly turn blue where they become broken/bruised (forgotten sore-- sorry) and I interpret this as a metaphor for the grey matter and blue blood vessels of the human brain "spilling out of my head."
I always interpreted the scream as the voice inside of him that was begging himself to stop, and the the spoken quiet voice as the one moving his arm and the gun. It’s almost muffled and ignored like it’s not even being heard outside of his body. Definitely a dark song, but one that helped me through some things as well.
My mother sounds hi-pitched nasally when she yells. That scream sounds so so much like how she would sound if she screamed. In my death-fantasies I used to imagine that’s how she would sound if she opened the door to my room and found me gone. She’s a great woman. As a somewhat-single-parent, she provided me a living better than most kids that surrounded me ever had. The method of death speaks for itself in the song.
Cobain died less than a month after the release date. Black Hole Sun topped the charts later in the year. Vampire was the most popular role playing game. Just 1994 things. That was probably the year with the darkest mainstream music in recent history. Later on, the rise of britpop (ostensibly as a retreat from the very bleak early 90s material) and the demise/retreat of the biggest grunge acts marked a tendency shift towards lighter material. Of course, darkness was alive and well in the alt-rock/metal spheres, but it gradually lost the mainstream spotlight. The acts that did impact the late 90s mainstream were more theatrical - such as Marilyn Manson - and/or less adult-oriented compared to the rawer early 90s stuff.
How cool would it be if without warning, Trent walked into frame around 18:56, sat down and answered the question and walked away, and Ixi would just "Thank you" without blinking an eye and continued as if nothing happened. :-) And thank you, I just learned how to play this motif, finally! :-)
This is the song that speaks to me the most on a personal level and by far my favorite song of the album. Thanks for covering this often overseen track. It can only be followed by Hurt, they go hand in hand, like the ending of a movie and the end credits.
The downward spiral is like the steepest part of the mountain, the part that wears you down the most, chipping away at whatever's left of you, but if you can just make it over, just hold out a little longer, you find yourself at Hurt, the summit that takes you in cool branchlike arms and tells you it will be okay, if you made it through, you can keep going, you can relax. Things aren't so bad now that the worst is behind you.
"He couldnt believe how easy it was, he put the gun to his head... Bang.. So much blood for such a tiny hole".. This song is about the protagonist hitting the bottom of the spiral so to speak.. He finally killed himself. Hurt is the reflection of it all, and having regret. "If I could start again, a million miles away, I would keep myself.. I would find a way"
Honestly, it really fascinates me how the eerie watery noise in the beginning and the horror nightmareish sounding wah wuh" noise that plays in the song from 1:05-1:54 is literally just a second or two clip of the opening credits scene of a movie edited and distorted along with a guitar plucking single notes which turns it into actual creepy music. Really shows a lot what you can do with small, little things like this. Nine Inch Nails and Ministry have inspired me so much to record clips of movies and edit them in a way that I think would be used in these types of songs
The downwards spiral is one of if not the best audio experiences you can have. The first time listening and I mean really listening to it is a journey. Also the motif at the end of closer is in almost every song. Even the chord progression in heresy, the chorus is the spiral motif, you can actually sing "you god is dead and no one cares" along with the motif at the end of closer if you.. nail.. the timings.
Wow ixi, that final description you gave about the duality of his acceptance of his choice and the muffled distant screams of his pain gave me shivers. Thank you for your beautiful insights.
This song "(the bottom)" version always fucked me up so much because thats exactly how my voices used to sound, overlapping, incomprehensible, loud whispers. Haven't heard them in a long time but Trent really did nail it here.
To be honest ... your NIN series, deep analysis of the whole album, all the flavors, samples and examples is the best thing I've watched on YT recently. You have incredible charisma and the ability to focus your attention on what you say and show. A beautiful thing. Thank you very much.
Even before I knew this was a concept album, this did feel like the end, and that Hurt was a coda of some sort. This has always been one of the more difficult tracks for me to listen to, moreso after losing a friend to suicide in my early 20s. Actually, you could probably count on the fingers of a blind butcher's hand the number of times I've actually listened to it since. I've made my peace though, and might start listening more now that you've taken us through it, because it is something to be appreciated. Just not comfortably. But, first impressions. From what I can remember, the title really clicked with the descending theme when I heard this, in a "so that's why I've been hearing this throughout the album" way. I remember wondering where this song was going, listening to the slow build, and being blown away once the screaming kicked in. Huge subversion of expectations there. The lyrics/narration struck me as disturbing, however your point about empathy really hit me. I think this song does allow someone to get into that headspace, even if it's just for a moment. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing I suppose depends on the listener and how susceptible they are. Circling back to the coda thing I mentioned earlier, I just had a thought. I wonder if the album to this point was all in the narrator/protagonist's head, and Hurt is the only 'real' song. I'd have to think more about this to flesh out the argument, but it kind of makes sense in my head. Like, he's at a low point, having engaged in a lot of self-destructive behavior (which maybe sparks the whole album off; mr. self destruct, indeed.) and now having followed that daydream to its logical conclusion in this song, is left with the realization in Hurt that his life is empty, that he's driven people away, and that maybe he feels like he's beyond hope, wondering how he got here. I don't know if I'm coming across properly, but my ADHD brain just kinda ran with this as I was typing. Anyway, those are my thoughts, for what they're worth.
I feel the same conclusion... all the songs are the story of the protagonist, from his and his demons' perspective, and Hurt is indeed the epilogue from the *author's* perspective.
The repeated motif in this album is mimicking the aria Dido's Lament by Purcell. The melody is first heard as a vocal line(ornamented), then heard in the bass later on. If you listen to tge version by Annie Lennox, you'll hear it immediately at the start of the song.and this song (dido's lament) and TDS are the same stories. They share the same grief and regret.
You know, I always thought Trent was a genius and your videos kind of confirm that for me. However, it makes me wonder if he thinks the way you are explaining it or if it's just intuitive creation for him. Reminds me of the genius deep in thought and someone presuming some deep thought where they were really thinking about what they wanted for lunch....
It's a great question! I would say that most composers are creating intuitively, and sometimes there is theory knowledge or other technical expertise operating Underneath It All, unconsciously informing our choices and movements. Musicians develop a vocabulary and a set of skills that allow you to tap into something greater without involving the analytical mind too much. Think of this more as the dissection of the creation, after the fact. Thanks for asking!
This song is the end. It's when you hit rock bottom. (wow the ult song is called the bottom) And hurt is when you're at the bottom. To me the start gives me the feeling of catatonic-ness. 9:22 You think you're stepping on ground but your foot goes into he ground. The old "at least it can't get worse" before it does. 12:17 Is when all the feelings you've been suppressing though drugs and distraction then... 16:54 come to a boiling point. 20:28 I think you're right. Maybe it's the mental disorder/disillusion. 23:15 like a animal in a cage.... right where it belongs (or so the man who think he's a monster believes) 25:02 like he's traped inside himself crying for help. 25:59 to me it's like the cop who would find his body if he went all the way down the sprial. like he's talking about a case. Or maybe the main character is looking at other people like him who chose that way out and is almost envious of the will to do it because he's too weak. As for your pinned comment, I'm glad you're are out of those dark times. They suck. I wish i could one day but... it's been so long it's like breathing. Two decades is a long time.
As someone who experienced emotional neglect as a kid (I had clothes, schoolbooks, food, you know, but I couldn't really /talk/ to my parents or my brother in any meaningful way and be understood, accepted, safe), when I discovered NIN it offered so much in the way of emotion for me. Finally I had an outlet for my hopes, disappointments, anger, or despondency. I had no way of understanding, incorporating or even practicing these emotions. NIN gave that to me, in their entire discography, the ability to feel deeply. To process. To make room for all the emotions. And this song in particular, with the voice close to the microphone staying calm and analytical (even critical), and yet all this deep screaming in the background, signified exactly what I was going through in my teens. Gorgeous analysis of this song, loved every bit of it!
Oh and PS, you said at the start that you are not a lyric analyzer, and yet you sneak in a couple of gems! I do not want this Now I know, this is what it feels like Underneath it all Sneaky sneaky! Or perhaps unconscious slips of someone who has listened to this body of work for decades? :'D
I was working a bad call center job an hour away for $10 an hour, 110 mile daily commute. This was the first song I listened to on the way to work and the song I would listen to after I pulled into the driveway. I'm glad those times are over. Love you everyone.
Dang, you probably could have worked at any place down the street from you for ten bucks an hour. That's a helluva commute for chicken feed. Glad those times are over as well for you my friend. 👍🙏🏼💯
@@MayorGoldieWilson825Sadly in Alabama, full time work that pays over minimum wage was hard to come by. I live in the pacific northwest now and make double that at an entry level position. Crazy. Thank you for your kind words.
I am in a dark place now, in my life. When I am inspired to re-listen to NIN then it is a red flag to me that I should get help for my feelings. This song especially is a trigger. When I NEED that motif then I know that I should seek help. Hearing you speak so passionately, and seeing your pinned comment, tells me I am not alone - that feeling out of control is not abnormal. I am encouraged that others have also felt this, and been able to continue...
I absolutely love this track, it, the anticipation for the big scream, or the release, it feels like the a teapot boiling over, writhing in pain, angsting over the big decision, or even looking back at every mistake with a sense of self scorn or disgust, the protagonist, cringing faced with their own actions, and finally, the release, screaming, self hatred, self destruction, termination, suicide. It's a beautiful emotional illustration of the feeling of suicide, and even if you haven't been in that far or deep a dark place yourself, you feel it in this song. The quiet intensity of it, making you even feel anxious in anticipation, and then... Bang... drowned out and heavy guitars carry you through to the end, the piano playing above it all, with trent's narration of the last thoughts going through the character's head, some brilliant and deep, dark feeling synths highlighting the last few riffs, and before you expect it, it ends, as if it were snuffed out.
At 16:30 when you start almost conducting with your arms I had to smile. This is such a powerful song. It's like they say about musicals. When you feel too much to speak, you sing, and when you feel too much to sing, you dance. Or in this case, conduct :)
11:03 it makes me think of some kind of ambulance siren, or the sound equivalent of it's rotating light as these notes are on a loop ... that came to pick up somebody who fell on the ground and is dying or losing consciousness.
This was a wonderful breakdown, brought so much more texture to what my 28 years of listening to this record had already ascribed. The discord is so telling. I always thought the muffled screams were of the demon inside, Mr. Self Destruct himself, finally realizing that he no longer ruled and was going to die. A parasite clinging on to life in the most disingenuous way, begging its host to live so that it may feed until nothing is left. That 'A Warm Place' precedes this is telling, where the character has distanced himself from the demon, just enough to come to some haunting peace with what he has decided was the best solution available to him. This album is such a sad, sensitive and obsessively detailed masterpiece. I'm glad to be able to rediscover it through your perspective.
interesting fact on TDS song: drums are by Andy Kubiszewski, Stabbing Westward's drummer and songwriter. Trent was in Andy's band the Exotic Birds before NIN.
I don’t mean to get too deep but this track has always felt a little comforting, like “A Warm Place”. Almost like someone finally gets it, like someone else understands what it’s like to live within the spiral like I do; and that it’s ok to feel this way. This track has and still does help me get through the dark times. So thank you Trent and love and wellness to all who hurt from time to time.
To me, that's where the journey ends. He kills himself. Screams of pain and regret, lack of hearing from one side, shot from a bullet. Mr Self Destruct is pleased with the whole thing. Then Hurt is a lament while he dies. Or maybe, he survived the attempt. What if he did? Does it make you feel better?
He definitely kills himself. 1. There is a missing Track called “Just do it”, and 2. In Hurt “If I could keep myself, I would find a way.” Also in Hurt everything in the left side is garbled from the gunshot.
Alternatively, you could argue that Hurt is his final reflections as he bleeds out, leaving the fate of the protagonist ambiguous. But if you consider The Fragile a loose sequel, I think he survives the attempt, but only barely.
@@mxx720 And then The Fragile doesn't have a happy end too. But seems like Trent got his happy ending in real life,so these albums ended up being just masterful narratives.
You know, I wrote a really long comment explaining why I don't think it is suicide, but maybe I just need to write it in the form of a blog post... Ultimately, I just see it as him surviving, regardless if he still hates himself. And I don't mean surviving as in he attempted suicide, but that he decided not to do it.
Oh, your tribute piece right at the end was so beautiful. Right towards the end, the ascending bass lines, first single notes, then chords, then right at the end, those last eight bars, leaving us hanging, then letting us go. I felt that. Mmmmmm.
There is SO much I want to say about how much your vidoes mean to me - it would take many paragraphs. The first thing I'll say, though, is that you make me want to learn to play the piano.
The ambient sounds in this always reminded me of playing Myst. I don't think anything was sampled from it since the game came out pretty shortly before the album, but it has that same sort of weird "place you're not supposed to be" feeling.
ixi, there's so much I want to say about this journey I have personally experienced with you down the spiral so to speak. First with Nine Inch Nails way back in the day and then now with your poignant musical analysis (using this word feels somewhat wrong and clinical but oh well) You have taken us all on the journey again with a more in-depth look at the theory and possible mind-set of Trent Reznor during this I'm sure troubled time in his writing career, and made it even more interesting than before. You are an amazing person to be able to share your thoughts and feelings about this dark and personal trip of Trent's (and by association many listeners) and still keep it accessible to a variety of followers. This must be pretty arduous for you, so know that there's a lot of us that support what you're doing. Your content is a blessing! Thank you! No matter when, we will always be ready for more from you!
It’s so sad you’ve not heard this album in surround! It’s like an entirely new album. If I were closer, I’d invite you over and leave the house so you could experience it unfettered. Sort of like a Downward Spiral Airbnb thing. Hope you get to experience it sometime soon!
The Downward Spiral theme improv at the end was awesome! I could listen this theme all day long it seems. Variations on this theme could be a musical piece. Thanks again for taking the time of doing these videos and unveil all the greatness behind this masterpiece of an album!
I actually went legitimately insane listening to this song. I was about to lose my apartment, my wife had completely pulled away from me and I was terrified of not having a home for my two year old son. I stayed up for three days in a row working overtime ours as an uber driver. I was listening to this album on repeat those three days. I was thinking about taking my own life and this album was actually helping ground me. When I was on my way home I thought I had turned off my stereo but I started hear the flies. Then I heard the notes. Then I heard the screams. I couldn’t shut it off. I just kept hearing the screams. Over and over and over again. Everything was blue. Then I started screaming. I thought I was in hell… I ended up in the hospital terrified that I had died. I finally came to my senses after a few nights of sleep. It might sound horrible but now I love listening to this song…. it made me want to live.
@@iximusic thank you ixi. i am actually fantastic now! it was a really important experience. i know that you mostly focus on just the music here but it felt really good to share what happened and through your deconstruction of this beautiful album you’ve helped me process the day i avoided the great below on an even deeper level so THANK YOU!
I've watched all your videos until now without comment, but now you've finished with The Downward Spiral I just wanted to say thank you. Trent Reznor's music got me through some tough times, and your videos have done the same.
All that I see in my head when I'm hearing this track, is Trent stuck in this small, confined, disgusting room, laying in a small ball, sighing and breathing to try to keep himself calm before starting to scream until his throat is hoarse. The reason why its all muffled is because us as the listener are his neighbour, but unable to reach out and help him.
I always found this mix of this track to be one of the best on the album. Every element that has a lot of energy like the electric guitars and the drums are brick wall limited and treated with a very aggressive low pass filter while the more intimate elements are allowed to pass. To me it signifies the death of the rage created in Mr. Self destruct as that rage is killed by the protagonist ending their own life. The rage is trying to scream like it did before but it’s losing power as the blood rushes out the wound. It’s the protagonists death.
As always, watching your amazing analysis of these incredibly songs which are so near and dear to my heart are easily the highlight of my week! Thank you for all that you do! I’m so happy you’ve found a community that appreciates it as much as I certainly do! I hope one day this gets the attention of Trent!
i never comment on any youtube video but i very much felt the want to here, i love every second of this video and how deeply in depth you go with it. i think ive watced it like 5 times now xD. i like to think that the string section from the deadringer's soundtrack represents everything the protagonist has been keeping underneath and holding in, finally unfolding and rising to the surface. the protagonist is being turned inside out by all of his emotions and thoughts and all the lies he has been trying to convince himself of, right before he falls even farther down the spiral. and he is falling very far down, and is falling very fast (after him doing what we assume happens in this song.) this song gives me so much goosebumps and i will never forget the first time listening to this, i could not stop crying and panicking from how hard it hit home. the imagery that this song gives me is very graphic, especially with the voice whispering. i dont think its been said here but its really cool the way he goes about the lyrics, the voice whispering (Mr Self Destruct) is explaining what just happened, but he is talking in the third person, showing the disconnection between the protagonist (HE couldnt believe how easy it was, HE put the gun into his face.) but right towards the end of the song, you can hear him say "spilling right out of MY head". this shows the disconnection between our protagonist and this supposed character that he has made, coming together and him finally realizing that him and Mr Self Destruct are one person, finally shattering the illusion or reality finally setting in, realizing he cannot come back from what he just did to himself, and has hit the very bottom of his spiral. *queue credits (Hurt)*
Your analysis of the emotional qualities expressed by the music compare with the poetry of the lyrics is so spot-on! I have never heard anyone show how well they understand Trent's artistry on such detail.
Oh my! This is one of the best things that I’ve come across recently. I love this album! To hear this theory breakdown, and analysis of the song is amazing! Kudos for the sample searching. Incredible! New follower.
My friend loves movies from the 80s, so a group of us were watching Aliens one Halloween, some years back now. I remembered reading something, and mentioned, oh yeah Trent derived from this movie onto TDS, a song that he heard, but not altogether familiar w the etymology. Which is surprising coming from him. So Eggplant said, "Damn man, title track to, I guess I have to listen to Nine Inch Nails." I mean, I've known him since the late eighties and because of the eeriness relatively, he would finally listen and it felt good to know that he would be researching musicology so in his chamber. He's more weirdo punk technically, he liked it. It gave me presence to weirdo out some more, Dead Milkmen, JFA, The Descendants, The Mr. T Experience, etc. Gotta have that balance. I love sci-fi, and think it wouldn't be unusual for Klingons to listen to something like the Downward Spiral orchestrated. We know Trent's a fucking genius and we aren't too bad ourselves frankly. Live Long and Prosper Blue Person ixi!
I have met people that also like NIN. They even say they love it. Before your analysis, I have never heard someone put into words the same feelings I have when I listen. Your breakdown of this song makes me feel vindicated for the powerful emotions that Trent's music inspires in me. Thank you
Just... Thank you. You've brought so much more weight to this album... and it had a lot of weight in my life before you. You've made it heavier still. Thank you.
Freakin FANTASTIC video, thank you so much, and you’re totally right that learning about music theory through your favorite music is the BEZT way to go about it.
After you do Hurt, I'd love it if you revisited some of the maxi-singles that came out around this time. I'd especially like to hear your take on the title track of 'Closer to God', because it's a complete rework of the album version and even has an alternate vocal take. It's practically a whole different song, hence the slightly different name.
This video is so cool holy- - .. ALSO I believe that sound you were talking about is in fact a Mellotron. It sounds almost identical to the flute-like tones played at 0:50 of Strawberry Fields Forever by The Beatles (which I believe was a Mellotron). Tbh I always thought was a sample lol
I remember when I first got this album. My perents was on holiday and I was looking after the pets for them, it was like 3 in the morning and I was checking out NIN for the first time and this track came on and it scared the living hell out of me 🤣 imagine laying in a dark house and this amazing track playing IT WAS SO CREEPY
I'm pretty sure the beginning sample is from the same movie Mr Self Destruct's intro is taken from, someone posted a clip on the NIN reddit and it's extremely similar.
Thank you for presenting this the way you have with a niche that you have given a much needed boost in appreciation to. Glad I joined early and have caught this ride from the beginning.
The feeling I get when listening to this song when the guitars kick in is like descending into Hell with Trent as his character finally departs from this world. I see what you mean with the flies. The image I get in my head is a trashed apartment where food is rotting, the walls have been written on with frentic writing and it's just a full-out mess as flies (and possibly other insects.) are around him just as he's about to make that choice.
It took me a while to find the right space to watch this one, @ixi, because I knew it would unearth some heavy emotions. I could never listen to this on its own without hurt to follow it. It is just so dark and leaves a knot in my gut which needs unravelling. That siren noise I always thought sounded like some of the background ambience in the original blade runner - maybe another film for you to hit up! As for your beautiful rendition at the end, it's taken me quite a few minutes of silence to recover from it. Plunging us into a black screen with your playing was like being in a sensory deprivation tank and I can't thank you enough for sharing it with us.
I think this is a good time as any to get personal. I remember when I first heard this album in high school, I could imagine an entire theatre play/performance art work based on this album. I would work out how to visualise the music/lyrics and its underlining narrative within the limits of a theatre production. At this point, the Narrator would coldly describe what is happening. But then when he says “everything’s blue”, the lights flash and has a bit of concern or regret through the rest of it. One tweak I would do is add a timpani/percussion solo bridging between TDS and Hurt but everything else would be based on the album. And this production would have been called “The Deepest Shade of Mushroom Blue”. I even imagined a companion film/epilogue using “TDS (The Bottom)” as a basis. It was quite elaborate in my mind and it even ended up having shots that would be unintended nods to other films/shots. The case for the Mellotron flutes being actually from a Mellotron (and apparently the same one John Lennon had) is those flute sounds are quite signature. Also the way the notes are played works with the limitation of the instrument, which only gave you about twelve seconds of continuous sound before the tape stopped. The “vocal” delivery now reminds me a lot of Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver. I know TR has said that watched Taxi Driver way too many times … I think it was during the making of The Fragile but I wouldn’t be surprised if he did it during TDS. The scream also reminds me of what was used for Quake.
Hi y'all. The TDS project is nearing its end, but we're just getting started. Kind of like this song. Thanks for being on this ride with me. The TDS title track is one of the most emotional and raw songs I've ever heard. I cry every time I hear it, just like the first time 20ish years ago. I'm not sure how personal I should get here but I have been through dark times too and if that version of me could see me now...I'm just saying that there is always hope. If you're struggling, you're not alone. I put some links in the description compiled from Melissa with @NIN MY NOTHING if you need support, because life can be hard to handle sometimes. 💜
If it's not too personal, how did you find happiness for yourself? I'm struggling with personal stuff too lately and it feels like there's nothing to be happy about (other than your videos, genuinely) so how do you go about building that happiness for yourself?
And before anyone worries too much, I'm fine. Just going through a lot of big changes that I feel I have little control over. I'm not in any danger from others or myself. If you do feel that way, it's ok. You aren't broken or bad or unworthy of life or love. It's just how you're feeling NOW. It will pass. Just like feeling like shit from not sleeping one day. It's easy to get so sucked into that feeling like the day will never end because it sucks so much, but after a day or so, you feel better again, and maybe that happened again, or very frequently. But it's just something that's coming and going. When you can detach yourself from that feeling, and see it as something that's just passing and isn't permanent, and most importantly, isn't you. Then you can find yourself being able to tolerate those bad moments more. It takes time.
Anyway, that's my fucking blog post. See ya later, love you all except, Chris brown.
Including those links was very thoughtful of you, really appreciate that. My friend and I have been watching your videos for the last few months and they have helped us a lot in writing our own music. Your explanations of sound design, harmony and song structure are really insightful and easy to learn from. I'm excited for the Hurt video and wherever you decide to take the channel : )
We’ve all been there. Like I said in another vid, I thought of self deleting and having eraser on repeat at full volume.
thanks
All darkness of life can be overcome. Surrendering to it is the absolute failure. We as a species have overcome it, that power is in you too. It's why you are here.
Never give up. You are not alone.
One thing I just noticed about the lyrics now. He starts in the _third_ person - *he* couldn't believe how easy it was - moves on to the _second_ person - problems do have solutions, *you* know? - and ends at the _first_ person - spilling out of *my* head.
Kind of like the third-person depersonalization giving way to first-person realization.
The lowest point of the album, to me. I can never get over the disparity between those despairing screams and that calm, cold, almost mocking voice inside your head. There's a pinching kind of pain that settles deep in my soul every time I hear it. It's so deep, it feels numb.
To me this the end of the spiral. The end of the protagonist. Hurt feels more like an epilogue.
Exactly!
I 100% agree. I know that Trent has stated that part of “Hurt” is that it’s supposed to kinda let you know that everything is gonna be okay, but I think what he means by that is this entire album is a warning to the listener.
In other words, while it is left ambiguous, I personally think the protag is basically dead by “Hurt”, and that he’s probably going to Hell, which is why the final notes are so chaotic.
Wow, good point.@@sauerkrautandonions
Watching old films in search of sample sources is a NIN fan rite of passage.
💯
Yeah. And them samoling your own.
Im still convinced that the machine sounds in reptile are from robocop...ED209
Plus Alien is a pretty good movie, so really a win-win.
Or pretty much any 90s industrial.
the darkest song on the album, the fact that this was released in the same year of kurt cobains death, and just a month before he died is so errie and foreshadowing "So much blood for such a tiny little hole problems do have solutions, you know a lifetime of fucking things up fixed in one determined flash"
When I first discovered this album and NIN as a whole, I was sitting in my classroom listening to music as I did work, I had never really listened to heavy music before so this was a big wake up for me. I almost couldn't take it, coming from a Christian family, Heresy was a rough one, but the music was so well written and I had enjoyed every single song so far, I had to keep going. The arpeggio in Ruiner's chorus was one of the reasons I kept listening, it was the coolest sounding thing I'd ever heard. The Becoming gave me the feeling that this may be going somewhere I'm not emotionally or mentally capable to handling, the screaming was so disturbing. I Do Not Want This floored me, love that track. Big Man With A Gun was a strange one, nearly went deaf. A Warm Place started and I had to listen to it twice because it was so moving, I started crying by the second listen, eventually, I moved on to Eraser. I have never heard anything this disturbing in my life and loved every second of it. The intro was hair raising and the ending melody is absolutely stunning. Stunning it was because I could barely interpret Reptile during it's entire 7 minute runtime, just flew right by without me really noticing. Then this track played, Eraser killed me and this one was gonna do it again. I love the ambiance in the way this track opens, it really feels like a movie. As the arrangement builds and builds, the strings and the background swell creating these beautiful harmonies. Then it hits, the ending to this track may be my favorite moment in the entire album, the crushing sound, the distorted piano playing the motif, Trent screaming notes that actually harmonize with the song, and the talking. It fades to hurt and I thought I was ready for anything. Hurt was about to get really loud so obviously I thought: "Is it getting quieter? Better turn it up!" Foolish me... The whole class turned to me as the gunshot went off. My ears rang for the next 45 minutes. One of the best experiences in my life, so glad to have heard it completely blind!
wow I had the same experience listening to TDS. I come from a very religious catholic family too so yeah hearing heresy the first time was like so intense but i love the whole vibes of the song. The whole album overall has changed my life and listening to it is a whole emotional roller coaster which of course would make sense for the album name.
I honestly believe Reznor wrote the most important album of self realization ever. Took me years to digest it. Took me more years and my own pain to understand it.
Nice deep shade of mushroom blue lipstick.
I wonder if she wore that on purpose, if so, props ixi. 💙
@@Len_M. Of course she did. She's the best.
I'm a fan of that lamp in the background.
@@menolikey_ IKEA!
I like that you wore blue with a song that references mushroom blue.
A theory I have about that line: mushrooms are often grey and many of them quickly turn blue where they become broken/bruised (forgotten sore-- sorry) and I interpret this as a metaphor for the grey matter and blue blood vessels of the human brain "spilling out of my head."
@@ontheflyguy I also think of it as the color the lips turn when someone dies. Grayish blue
I always interpreted the scream as the voice inside of him that was begging himself to stop, and the the spoken quiet voice as the one moving his arm and the gun. It’s almost muffled and ignored like it’s not even being heard outside of his body. Definitely a dark song, but one that helped me through some things as well.
i wish i could have known about the view from halfway down
When I studied studio engineering, they used to tell us "compress the world." This song's rock section compresses the whole universe.
My mother sounds hi-pitched nasally when she yells. That scream sounds so so much like how she would sound if she screamed. In my death-fantasies I used to imagine that’s how she would sound if she opened the door to my room and found me gone. She’s a great woman. As a somewhat-single-parent, she provided me a living better than most kids that surrounded me ever had. The method of death speaks for itself in the song.
The fact that this album was as successful as it was and resonated with so many people tells an interesting story about the world in 1994
Cobain died less than a month after the release date. Black Hole Sun topped the charts later in the year. Vampire was the most popular role playing game. Just 1994 things.
That was probably the year with the darkest mainstream music in recent history.
Later on, the rise of britpop (ostensibly as a retreat from the very bleak early 90s material) and the demise/retreat of the biggest grunge acts marked a tendency shift towards lighter material.
Of course, darkness was alive and well in the alt-rock/metal spheres, but it gradually lost the mainstream spotlight. The acts that did impact the late 90s mainstream were more theatrical - such as Marilyn Manson - and/or less adult-oriented compared to the rawer early 90s stuff.
90s kids raised by their parents who partied in the 70s and 80s had a lot to deal with.
The breathing for me has always been the single most unsettling sound on the album. It makes me think of an iron lung.
How cool would it be if without warning, Trent walked into frame around 18:56, sat down and answered the question and walked away, and Ixi would just "Thank you" without blinking an eye and continued as if nothing happened. :-) And thank you, I just learned how to play this motif, finally! :-)
This is the song that speaks to me the most on a personal level and by far my favorite song of the album. Thanks for covering this often overseen track. It can only be followed by Hurt, they go hand in hand, like the ending of a movie and the end credits.
The downward spiral is like the steepest part of the mountain, the part that wears you down the most, chipping away at whatever's left of you, but if you can just make it over, just hold out a little longer, you find yourself at Hurt, the summit that takes you in cool branchlike arms and tells you it will be okay, if you made it through, you can keep going, you can relax. Things aren't so bad now that the worst is behind you.
"He couldnt believe how easy it was, he put the gun to his head... Bang.. So much blood for such a tiny hole".. This song is about the protagonist hitting the bottom of the spiral so to speak.. He finally killed himself. Hurt is the reflection of it all, and having regret. "If I could start again, a million miles away, I would keep myself.. I would find a way"
Honestly, it really fascinates me how the eerie watery noise in the beginning and the horror nightmareish sounding wah wuh" noise that plays in the song from 1:05-1:54 is literally just a second or two clip of the opening credits scene of a movie edited and distorted along with a guitar plucking single notes which turns it into actual creepy music. Really shows a lot what you can do with small, little things like this. Nine Inch Nails and Ministry have inspired me so much to record clips of movies and edit them in a way that I think would be used in these types of songs
Extraordinary album, extraordinary work dissecting it. 5 star review.
Antichrist Superstar would be the perfect companion project, they infect each other.
The downwards spiral is one of if not the best audio experiences you can have. The first time listening and I mean really listening to it is a journey.
Also the motif at the end of closer is in almost every song. Even the chord progression in heresy, the chorus is the spiral motif, you can actually sing "you god is dead and no one cares" along with the motif at the end of closer if you.. nail.. the timings.
Wow ixi, that final description you gave about the duality of his acceptance of his choice and the muffled distant screams of his pain gave me shivers.
Thank you for your beautiful insights.
I love Trent's screaming in this song
This song "(the bottom)" version always fucked me up so much because thats exactly how my voices used to sound, overlapping, incomprehensible, loud whispers.
Haven't heard them in a long time but Trent really did nail it here.
To be honest ... your NIN series, deep analysis of the whole album, all the flavors, samples and examples is the best thing I've watched on YT recently. You have incredible charisma and the ability to focus your attention on what you say and show. A beautiful thing. Thank you very much.
I really hope Trent sees her channel and gives her credit one day.
Even before I knew this was a concept album, this did feel like the end, and that Hurt was a coda of some sort.
This has always been one of the more difficult tracks for me to listen to, moreso after losing a friend to suicide in my early 20s. Actually, you could probably count on the fingers of a blind butcher's hand the number of times I've actually listened to it since. I've made my peace though, and might start listening more now that you've taken us through it, because it is something to be appreciated. Just not comfortably.
But, first impressions. From what I can remember, the title really clicked with the descending theme when I heard this, in a "so that's why I've been hearing this throughout the album" way. I remember wondering where this song was going, listening to the slow build, and being blown away once the screaming kicked in. Huge subversion of expectations there. The lyrics/narration struck me as disturbing, however your point about empathy really hit me. I think this song does allow someone to get into that headspace, even if it's just for a moment. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing I suppose depends on the listener and how susceptible they are.
Circling back to the coda thing I mentioned earlier, I just had a thought. I wonder if the album to this point was all in the narrator/protagonist's head, and Hurt is the only 'real' song.
I'd have to think more about this to flesh out the argument, but it kind of makes sense in my head. Like, he's at a low point, having engaged in a lot of self-destructive behavior (which maybe sparks the whole album off; mr. self destruct, indeed.) and now having followed that daydream to its logical conclusion in this song, is left with the realization in Hurt that his life is empty, that he's driven people away, and that maybe he feels like he's beyond hope, wondering how he got here.
I don't know if I'm coming across properly, but my ADHD brain just kinda ran with this as I was typing. Anyway, those are my thoughts, for what they're worth.
I feel the same conclusion... all the songs are the story of the protagonist, from his and his demons' perspective, and Hurt is indeed the epilogue from the *author's* perspective.
I always felt this song was the end of the narrators life. He made his decision and it was final. Hurt is the ghostly regret.
When you watch the Netflix song explorer documentary he say that Hurt is an aftermath...so yeah...this track is the end
I wish TH-cam could show "love" in an icon, instead of just "like".
I LOVE this song!
I LOVE your analysis.
Thank you for sharing!
The repeated motif in this album is mimicking the aria Dido's Lament by Purcell. The melody is first heard as a vocal line(ornamented), then heard in the bass later on. If you listen to tge version by Annie Lennox, you'll hear it immediately at the start of the song.and this song (dido's lament) and TDS are the same stories. They share the same grief and regret.
The way he breathes sounds like he's calming himself down enough to blow his brains out. Though that's probably obvious
You know, I always thought Trent was a genius and your videos kind of confirm that for me. However, it makes me wonder if he thinks the way you are explaining it or if it's just intuitive creation for him. Reminds me of the genius deep in thought and someone presuming some deep thought where they were really thinking about what they wanted for lunch....
It's a great question! I would say that most composers are creating intuitively, and sometimes there is theory knowledge or other technical expertise operating Underneath It All, unconsciously informing our choices and movements. Musicians develop a vocabulary and a set of skills that allow you to tap into something greater without involving the analytical mind too much. Think of this more as the dissection of the creation, after the fact. Thanks for asking!
@@iximusic Underneath It All…
This song is the end. It's when you hit rock bottom. (wow the ult song is called the bottom) And hurt is when you're at the bottom.
To me the start gives me the feeling of catatonic-ness. 9:22 You think you're stepping on ground but your foot goes into he ground. The old "at least it can't get worse" before it does. 12:17 Is when all the feelings you've been suppressing though drugs and distraction then... 16:54 come to a boiling point.
20:28 I think you're right. Maybe it's the mental disorder/disillusion. 23:15 like a animal in a cage.... right where it belongs (or so the man who think he's a monster believes)
25:02 like he's traped inside himself crying for help.
25:59 to me it's like the cop who would find his body if he went all the way down the sprial. like he's talking about a case. Or maybe the main character is looking at other people like him who chose that way out and is almost envious of the will to do it because he's too weak.
As for your pinned comment, I'm glad you're are out of those dark times. They suck. I wish i could one day but... it's been so long it's like breathing. Two decades is a long time.
As someone who experienced emotional neglect as a kid (I had clothes, schoolbooks, food, you know, but I couldn't really /talk/ to my parents or my brother in any meaningful way and be understood, accepted, safe), when I discovered NIN it offered so much in the way of emotion for me.
Finally I had an outlet for my hopes, disappointments, anger, or despondency. I had no way of understanding, incorporating or even practicing these emotions. NIN gave that to me, in their entire discography, the ability to feel deeply. To process. To make room for all the emotions. And this song in particular, with the voice close to the microphone staying calm and analytical (even critical), and yet all this deep screaming in the background, signified exactly what I was going through in my teens.
Gorgeous analysis of this song, loved every bit of it!
Oh and PS, you said at the start that you are not a lyric analyzer, and yet you sneak in a couple of gems!
I do not want this
Now I know, this is what it feels like
Underneath it all
Sneaky sneaky! Or perhaps unconscious slips of someone who has listened to this body of work for decades? :'D
Puns & wordplay are my favorite 😊
I was working a bad call center job an hour away for $10 an hour, 110 mile daily commute. This was the first song I listened to on the way to work and the song I would listen to after I pulled into the driveway. I'm glad those times are over. Love you everyone.
Dang, you probably could have worked at any place down the street from you for ten bucks an hour. That's a helluva commute for chicken feed. Glad those times are over as well for you my friend. 👍🙏🏼💯
@@MayorGoldieWilson825Sadly in Alabama, full time work that pays over minimum wage was hard to come by. I live in the pacific northwest now and make double that at an entry level position. Crazy. Thank you for your kind words.
I am in a dark place now, in my life.
When I am inspired to re-listen to NIN then it is a red flag to me that I should get help for my feelings. This song especially is a trigger. When I NEED that motif then I know that I should seek help.
Hearing you speak so passionately, and seeing your pinned comment, tells me I am not alone - that feeling out of control is not abnormal. I am encouraged that others have also felt this, and been able to continue...
Listen to Everything by NIN.
Happy Trent is also good 🙏🏆
I absolutely love this track, it, the anticipation for the big scream, or the release, it feels like the a teapot boiling over, writhing in pain, angsting over the big decision, or even looking back at every mistake with a sense of self scorn or disgust, the protagonist, cringing faced with their own actions, and finally, the release, screaming, self hatred, self destruction, termination, suicide. It's a beautiful emotional illustration of the feeling of suicide, and even if you haven't been in that far or deep a dark place yourself, you feel it in this song. The quiet intensity of it, making you even feel anxious in anticipation, and then... Bang...
drowned out and heavy guitars carry you through to the end, the piano playing above it all, with trent's narration of the last thoughts going through the character's head, some brilliant and deep, dark feeling synths highlighting the last few riffs, and before you expect it, it ends, as if it were snuffed out.
At 16:30 when you start almost conducting with your arms I had to smile. This is such a powerful song. It's like they say about musicals. When you feel too much to speak, you sing, and when you feel too much to sing, you dance. Or in this case, conduct :)
This song is so haunting from beginning to end and you've made it even moreso withis breakdown. Amazing. Your channel is so amazing.
11:03 it makes me think of some kind of ambulance siren, or the sound equivalent of it's rotating light as these notes are on a loop ... that came to pick up somebody who fell on the ground and is dying or losing consciousness.
This was a wonderful breakdown, brought so much more texture to what my 28 years of listening to this record had already ascribed. The discord is so telling. I always thought the muffled screams were of the demon inside, Mr. Self Destruct himself, finally realizing that he no longer ruled and was going to die. A parasite clinging on to life in the most disingenuous way, begging its host to live so that it may feed until nothing is left. That 'A Warm Place' precedes this is telling, where the character has distanced himself from the demon, just enough to come to some haunting peace with what he has decided was the best solution available to him. This album is such a sad, sensitive and obsessively detailed masterpiece. I'm glad to be able to rediscover it through your perspective.
interesting fact on TDS song: drums are by Andy Kubiszewski, Stabbing Westward's drummer and songwriter. Trent was in Andy's band the Exotic Birds before NIN.
I don’t mean to get too deep but this track has always felt a little comforting, like “A Warm Place”. Almost like someone finally gets it, like someone else understands what it’s like to live within the spiral like I do; and that it’s ok to feel this way.
This track has and still does help me get through the dark times. So thank you Trent and love and wellness to all who hurt from time to time.
the titel track was always my favorit, there is so much feeling, yet almost none. i always get a gut wrenching feeling when the first scream comes.
Appreciate the dedication (even though watching Alien is never a waste of time 🙂)!
I love that that scream is the same sample as the quake 1 soundtrack
Oh man, quake is great
Wow I've never noticed the humming after the "he put the gun into his face" part, so cool to hear it isolated.
Anyoneone else picked up how ixi used phrases from other NIN songs in this narrative? 😊
To me, that's where the journey ends. He kills himself. Screams of pain and regret, lack of hearing from one side, shot from a bullet. Mr Self Destruct is pleased with the whole thing. Then Hurt is a lament while he dies. Or maybe, he survived the attempt. What if he did? Does it make you feel better?
I actually don't belive he kills himself in the end. I see a bittersweet (very bitter) hopefulness at the end of the album.
He definitely kills himself. 1. There is a missing Track called “Just do it”, and 2. In Hurt “If I could keep myself, I would find a way.” Also in Hurt everything in the left side is garbled from the gunshot.
Alternatively, you could argue that Hurt is his final reflections as he bleeds out, leaving the fate of the protagonist ambiguous. But if you consider The Fragile a loose sequel, I think he survives the attempt, but only barely.
@@mxx720 And then The Fragile doesn't have a happy end too. But seems like Trent got his happy ending in real life,so these albums ended up being just masterful narratives.
You know, I wrote a really long comment explaining why I don't think it is suicide, but maybe I just need to write it in the form of a blog post...
Ultimately, I just see it as him surviving, regardless if he still hates himself. And I don't mean surviving as in he attempted suicide, but that he decided not to do it.
Oh, your tribute piece right at the end was so beautiful. Right towards the end, the ascending bass lines, first single notes, then chords, then right at the end, those last eight bars, leaving us hanging, then letting us go. I felt that. Mmmmmm.
There is SO much I want to say about how much your vidoes mean to me - it would take many paragraphs.
The first thing I'll say, though, is that you make me want to learn to play the piano.
The alien sample is the alarm system at the end of the movie
Your take on the motif at the end is very nice.
The ambient sounds in this always reminded me of playing Myst. I don't think anything was sampled from it since the game came out pretty shortly before the album, but it has that same sort of weird "place you're not supposed to be" feeling.
That outro was fucking beatiful.
Thank you for making this series, Ixi 💜
One of the creepiest songs I've ever listened to, never could figure out what that twisted sample is. Perfect penultimate song!
ixi, there's so much I want to say about this journey I have personally experienced with you down the spiral so to speak. First with Nine Inch Nails way back in the day and then now with your poignant musical analysis (using this word feels somewhat wrong and clinical but oh well) You have taken us all on the journey again with a more in-depth look at the theory and possible mind-set of Trent Reznor during this I'm sure troubled time in his writing career, and made it even more interesting than before. You are an amazing person to be able to share your thoughts and feelings about this dark and personal trip of Trent's (and by association many listeners) and still keep it accessible to a variety of followers. This must be pretty arduous for you, so know that there's a lot of us that support what you're doing. Your content is a blessing! Thank you!
No matter when, we will always be ready for more from you!
It’s so sad you’ve not heard this album in surround! It’s like an entirely new album. If I were closer, I’d invite you over and leave the house so you could experience it unfettered. Sort of like a Downward Spiral Airbnb thing.
Hope you get to experience it sometime soon!
The Downward Spiral theme improv at the end was awesome! I could listen this theme all day long it seems. Variations on this theme could be a musical piece. Thanks again for taking the time of doing these videos and unveil all the greatness behind this masterpiece of an album!
I actually went legitimately insane listening to this song. I was about to lose my apartment, my wife had completely pulled away from me and I was terrified of not having a home for my two year old son. I stayed up for three days in a row working overtime ours as an uber driver. I was listening to this album on repeat those three days. I was thinking about taking my own life and this album was actually helping ground me. When I was on my way home I thought I had turned off my stereo but I started hear the flies. Then I heard the notes. Then I heard the screams. I couldn’t shut it off. I just kept hearing the screams. Over and over and over again. Everything was blue. Then I started screaming. I thought I was in hell…
I ended up in the hospital terrified that I had died. I finally came to my senses after a few nights of sleep. It might sound horrible but now I love listening to this song…. it made me want to live.
That's intense - I'm very glad you're ok.
@@iximusic thank you ixi. i am actually fantastic now! it was a really important experience. i know that you mostly focus on just the music here but it felt really good to share what happened and through your deconstruction of this beautiful album you’ve helped me process the day i avoided the great below on an even deeper level so THANK YOU!
Woah, I never noticed the similarity between the moaning and the sounds in Eraser! That’s a cool find!
It’s payday and there’s a new video by ixi, hell yes!
I've watched all your videos until now without comment, but now you've finished with The Downward Spiral I just wanted to say thank you. Trent Reznor's music got me through some tough times, and your videos have done the same.
Sublime work as always ixi - listening to these deconstructions is 100% therapy to me.
Especially love your improv on a black screen at the end. 🥰
Pretty cool that you got an excuse to watch Alien too.
All that I see in my head when I'm hearing this track, is Trent stuck in this small, confined, disgusting room, laying in a small ball, sighing and breathing to try to keep himself calm before starting to scream until his throat is hoarse.
The reason why its all muffled is because us as the listener are his neighbour, but unable to reach out and help him.
Also its nice to hear the spoken piece fully isolated for once. TASMR, Trent-Autonomous-Sensory-Meridian-Response 😝
I always found this mix of this track to be one of the best on the album. Every element that has a lot of energy like the electric guitars and the drums are brick wall limited and treated with a very aggressive low pass filter while the more intimate elements are allowed to pass. To me it signifies the death of the rage created in Mr. Self destruct as that rage is killed by the protagonist ending their own life. The rage is trying to scream like it did before but it’s losing power as the blood rushes out the wound. It’s the protagonists death.
As always, watching your amazing analysis of these incredibly songs which are so near and dear to my heart are easily the highlight of my week! Thank you for all that you do! I’m so happy you’ve found a community that appreciates it as much as I certainly do! I hope one day this gets the attention of Trent!
i never comment on any youtube video but i very much felt the want to here, i love every second of this video and how deeply in depth you go with it. i think ive watced it like 5 times now xD. i like to think that the string section from the deadringer's soundtrack represents everything the protagonist has been keeping underneath and holding in, finally unfolding and rising to the surface. the protagonist is being turned inside out by all of his emotions and thoughts and all the lies he has been trying to convince himself of, right before he falls even farther down the spiral. and he is falling very far down, and is falling very fast (after him doing what we assume happens in this song.) this song gives me so much goosebumps and i will never forget the first time listening to this, i could not stop crying and panicking from how hard it hit home. the imagery that this song gives me is very graphic, especially with the voice whispering. i dont think its been said here but its really cool the way he goes about the lyrics, the voice whispering (Mr Self Destruct) is explaining what just happened, but he is talking in the third person, showing the disconnection between the protagonist (HE couldnt believe how easy it was, HE put the gun into his face.) but right towards the end of the song, you can hear him say "spilling right out of MY head". this shows the disconnection between our protagonist and this supposed character that he has made, coming together and him finally realizing that him and Mr Self Destruct are one person, finally shattering the illusion or reality finally setting in, realizing he cannot come back from what he just did to himself, and has hit the very bottom of his spiral. *queue credits (Hurt)*
Your analysis of the emotional qualities expressed by the music compare with the poetry of the lyrics is so spot-on!
I have never heard anyone show how well they understand Trent's artistry on such detail.
Oh my! This is one of the best things that I’ve come across recently.
I love this album! To hear this theory breakdown, and analysis of the song is amazing!
Kudos for the sample searching. Incredible!
New follower.
This comes just in time. Definitly my mood right now.
My friend loves movies from the 80s, so a group of us were watching Aliens one Halloween, some years back now. I remembered reading something, and mentioned, oh yeah Trent derived from this movie onto TDS, a song that he heard, but not altogether familiar w the etymology. Which is surprising coming from him. So Eggplant said, "Damn man, title track to, I guess I have to listen to Nine Inch Nails." I mean, I've known him since the late eighties and because of the eeriness relatively, he would finally listen and it felt good to know that he would be researching musicology so in his chamber. He's more weirdo punk technically, he liked it. It gave me presence to weirdo out some more, Dead Milkmen, JFA, The Descendants, The Mr. T Experience, etc. Gotta have that balance. I love sci-fi, and think it wouldn't be unusual for Klingons to listen to something like the Downward Spiral orchestrated. We know Trent's a fucking genius and we aren't too bad ourselves frankly. Live Long and Prosper Blue Person ixi!
I definitely agree with you, this honestly seems like the end.
This was incredibly moving. Killer job once again.
I love that swarm of slightly out guitars
I think this is my favorite song of the album.
Flies In The Key Of E is a great name for a song or album or band.
I have met people that also like NIN. They even say they love it.
Before your analysis, I have never heard someone put into words the same feelings I have when I listen.
Your breakdown of this song makes me feel vindicated for the powerful emotions that Trent's music inspires in me.
Thank you
Nice one! Funny thing, i find this song really soothing and comforting. Despite all the tritones.
Outstanding skills on identifying the spot sampled from Alien! I agree 🙂
I love the blue lipstick!! Neon green is also awesome. Thanks for the videos.
Just... Thank you. You've brought so much more weight to this album... and it had a lot of weight in my life before you. You've made it heavier still. Thank you.
Your Chanel is Gold
Love this series, I keep coming back to it!
Trent once said in an interview that he recorded a bee hive for this album, pretty sure the "flies" was that
The colour co-ordination for this video is very deliberate and I enjoy this. 💙
"Everything is blue in this world." Even Ixi's lipstick and dress! Sorry I had to.
Freakin FANTASTIC video, thank you so much, and you’re totally right that learning about music theory through your favorite music is the BEZT way to go about it.
After you do Hurt, I'd love it if you revisited some of the maxi-singles that came out around this time. I'd especially like to hear your take on the title track of 'Closer to God', because it's a complete rework of the album version and even has an alternate vocal take. It's practically a whole different song, hence the slightly different name.
This is the first video i have seen from this channel. I immidietly started feeling strong attraction. Aa yes it's called becoming a fan :)
This video is so cool holy- - .. ALSO I believe that sound you were talking about is in fact a Mellotron. It sounds almost identical to the flute-like tones played at 0:50 of Strawberry Fields Forever by The Beatles (which I believe was a Mellotron). Tbh I always thought was a sample lol
I remember when I first got this album. My perents was on holiday and I was looking after the pets for them, it was like 3 in the morning and I was checking out NIN for the first time and this track came on and it scared the living hell out of me 🤣 imagine laying in a dark house and this amazing track playing IT WAS SO CREEPY
I'm pretty sure the beginning sample is from the same movie Mr Self Destruct's intro is taken from, someone posted a clip on the NIN reddit and it's extremely similar.
imgur.com/a/UsW6abN This is what is believed to be the sample, of course it could be Alien too.
@@HairyHog77 that sounds just like it
Interesting! The plot thickens...
Thank you for presenting this the way you have with a niche that you have given a much needed boost in appreciation to. Glad I joined early and have caught this ride from the beginning.
I can’t wait to watch and rewatch this after work!!! Love ya, ixi!!! 😁🐖🐽🐷
The feeling I get when listening to this song when the guitars kick in is like descending into Hell with Trent as his character finally departs from this world.
I see what you mean with the flies. The image I get in my head is a trashed apartment where food is rotting, the walls have been written on with frentic writing and it's just a full-out mess as flies (and possibly other insects.) are around him just as he's about to make that choice.
It took me a while to find the right space to watch this one, @ixi, because I knew it would unearth some heavy emotions. I could never listen to this on its own without hurt to follow it. It is just so dark and leaves a knot in my gut which needs unravelling. That siren noise I always thought sounded like some of the background ambience in the original blade runner - maybe another film for you to hit up! As for your beautiful rendition at the end, it's taken me quite a few minutes of silence to recover from it. Plunging us into a black screen with your playing was like being in a sensory deprivation tank and I can't thank you enough for sharing it with us.
I think this is a good time as any to get personal.
I remember when I first heard this album in high school, I could imagine an entire theatre play/performance art work based on this album. I would work out how to visualise the music/lyrics and its underlining narrative within the limits of a theatre production. At this point, the Narrator would coldly describe what is happening. But then when he says “everything’s blue”, the lights flash and has a bit of concern or regret through the rest of it. One tweak I would do is add a timpani/percussion solo bridging between TDS and Hurt but everything else would be based on the album. And this production would have been called “The Deepest Shade of Mushroom Blue”.
I even imagined a companion film/epilogue using “TDS (The Bottom)” as a basis. It was quite elaborate in my mind and it even ended up having shots that would be unintended nods to other films/shots.
The case for the Mellotron flutes being actually from a Mellotron (and apparently the same one John Lennon had) is those flute sounds are quite signature. Also the way the notes are played works with the limitation of the instrument, which only gave you about twelve seconds of continuous sound before the tape stopped.
The “vocal” delivery now reminds me a lot of Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver. I know TR has said that watched Taxi Driver way too many times … I think it was during the making of The Fragile but I wouldn’t be surprised if he did it during TDS.
The scream also reminds me of what was used for Quake.