Top Ten Songs by Nine Inch Nails

Among my circle of friends way back in my club stomping days, we had an event known as “Mandatory Nine Inch Nails”. Said event dictated that regardless of what you were doing or who you were talking to, if you heard the familiar “thumpa-thumpa” of a NIN song, you were to report to the dance floor immediately. As a result, I can’t tell you how many songs I shook my groove thing to during Trent Reznor’s heyday. Hence, I have comprised a selection of my top ten favorite songs in the NIN catalog

#10 – Head Like a Hole

Industrial music was really only heard in the darkest of Goth clubs before this single hit the scene. After NIN’s first single from their 1989 debut Pretty Hate Machine, the mainstream was introduced to a new sound that mixed hard rock with a danceable mechanical beat. Lead singer Trent Reznor growls out his ode to the evils of money hunger, then pounds you with a screaming chorus, then hits you with a catchy hook to solidify the song’s place in your brain. Bow down before the one you serve/Your going to get what you deserve. The resulting combination gives even the most Frat-worthy jock the urge to bang his head.

#9 – Terrible Lie

This protest against organized religion, (the second track from Pretty Hate Machine) lays off the guitars a little bit and leans more towards the dance club ambience. But what stands out about “Terrible Lie” is its irresistible beat that sounds more like Monday morning at the General Motors factory as opposed to a drum machine. Reznor uses all the instruments of the industrial sound, only he gives it a groove and makes it likable.

#8 – Happiness in Slavery

Happiness is NIN’s only Grammy nomination. From 1992’s Broken, it’s arguably one of the more notable selections. It spins like a top, whirling through what can be taken apart as three different songs if so desired. We’re dragged over sharp rocks with lyrics that screech Slave screams/he thinks he knows what he wants, then grooved through a catchy hook Don’t open your eyes/ you won’t like what you see/ the devils of truth steal the souls of the free, then back through the factory of beats and over the rocks again. The circle swings like a pendulum until we’re finally released with a whisper; HappinessâÂ?¦ It’s an instant classic.

#7 – Get Down, Make Love

How do you remake a Queen song? You strip it bare and give it a bone shaking beat. “Get Down, Make Love” was a B-side on the 1990’s Sin single, but it got plenty of play time in the clubs for its provocative beat. Originally done by Queen, the sound is pretty far from the originalâÂ?¦with exception to a lone Brian May guitar riff at the very end. This makes it do something that few remakes ever do; stand on its own. There’s no comparison to make with the original – that is to say, you never find yourself saying “Oh, I like this one better” or “The old one isn’t as good”. It is what it is on its own two feet, making it just as original as its counterpart was.

# 6 – Wish

The classic mosh pit song. If you weren’t ready before this, get on your steel-toed boots and get in a circle. Reznor starts it off with a statement: This is the first day of my last days and the next thing we know it’s on. Plug into the distorted guitars of this instant rage fest and hang on. The timing is amazing on Wish, dropping everything out at just the right moment. It plants the most memorable lyrics deep in your psyche; Gotta listen to your big time/ hard line/ bad luck/ Fist F*ck! Whether you’re in the pit or working out, I highly recommend turning this one up when you need a little boost.

#5 – All the Love in The World

The first track from NIN’s With Teeth has a sort of stoned-at-three-in-the-morning kind of feel. Most of it is a disjointed piano melody over a drum machine. Reznor practically whispers most of the lyrics, singing the majority of the tune with delicate, but precise intentions. His ferocity is still present, peeking out in between different musical changes. The idea of the song appears more like the thoughts inside of the mind of someone watching someone else in secret jealousy. All and all, it’s beautifully done.

#4 – Sanctified

No one does the tortured relationship through song quite like Reznor, as illustrated in this classic from Pretty Hate Machine. The driving baseline of Sanctified gives the song a sort of heartbeat. Along with the rest of the music, we get Reznor’s vision of becoming hopelessly lost in someone with eyes wide open. Like All the Love, it’s a three in the morning kind of song, but only if you’re with that special (or even not so special) someone.

#3 – Somewhat Damaged

The pure genius of Somewhat Damaged (from The Fragile)is the build up. It’s the kind of song that you can only really appreciate through headphones. The music grows piece by piece until it builds up to the point of explosion and then returns to near silence and builds back up again leaving us all with one question; Where the f*ck were you?

#2 – Last

The endless party is the message conveyed in Last, the third track on Broken. The strength in this song is the distinct sense of being at the head of the pack and at the end of the game. The chorus rants on that This isn’t meant to last/This is for right now and we believe it. The lyrics might be a tad cautionary, but the music takes us into the moment and keeps us there.

#1 – Closer

At the risk of sounding like a poseur, I, regrettably, have to state Closer at the top of my Top Ten List. Yes, it has seen the most radio play. Yes, it is very most likely, the most mainstream thing NIN has ever put out. Yes, even soccer moms know this song by heart, I’m sure. Despite all that, it still stands up on its own genius. It takes a funky bass line straight out of a seventies porn movie, mixes it up with the eerie violin strings of an old horror movie, throws around lines like; You let me desecrate you and I’ve torn apart my insides, and yet, still comes out sounding sexy.

Perhaps it’s the anguish in Reznor’s voice that makes it or the hoarse whisper of how he wants the object of his affection served up to him, you can’t help but buy it hook, line, and sinker. There’s a reason why Closer was the song to put Reznor and NIN’s on the map as a mainstream artist. It digs into the carnal without being obviously vulgar. It translates pure lust without insulting the intelligence of the audience. It’s a perfect reflection of an emotion that so many artist fail miserably at conveying.

These are my Top Ten list of NIN favorites. They are by no means all of my favorites, but if left with only ten, these are the ones that would rank the highest.