Changes

| live = [[With Teeth Fall Arena Tour]] through Present

}}'''"Only"''' is the eighth track on the 2005 album ''[[With Teeth (halo)|With Teeth]].'' It was released as a [[Only (halo)|single]] in summer 2005, receiving the designation [[Halo numbers|Halo 20]] (see ''[[Only (halo)]]''). It is known for its upbeat and synthesizer-driven instrumentation, and casual lyric delivery, reminiscent of 1989's "[[Down In It (song)|Down In It]]." It was censored on radio, though it was obvious that the word "fucking" was being cut out.

"Only" was the last song finished for ''With Teeth.''[http://www.nin.com/access/2_26_05/questions10.gif] It was the second song that saw the release of its master tracks for fan remixes.

===Meaning===

Like most NIN songs, the true inspiration for the lyrics has never been revealed. The lyrics suggest that this song is about internal identity struggles, possibly relating to split personalities. Themes in this song are similar to the film ''Fight Club,'' which was directed by [[David Fincher]], who directed the music video for this song.

==="Down In It"===

"Only" contains a verse that is very similar to a verse in the song "Down In It." Both mention a small dot that caught the attention of the singer, who couldn't let go of it.

'''"Down in It":'''

''Just then a tiny little dot caught my eye it was just about too small to see/But I watched it way too long it was pulling me down''

'''"Only":'''

''Well the tiniest little dot caught my eye/And it turned out to be a scab/And I had this funny feeling/Like I just knew it's something bad''

===Song Credits===

*Writing and performance: [[Trent Reznor]]

*Programming and additional production: [[Atticus Ross]]

*Mix: Alan Moulder

==Appearances==

===Halos===

*''[[Every Day Is Exactly The Same (halo)|Every Day Is Exactly The Same]]''

*''[[Beside You In Time (halo)|Beside You In Time]]''

===Seeds===

*''[[The Definitive NIN - The Singles]]''

==Versions==

===Only===

This is the original album version.

===Only (Richard X Remix)===

Coming soon

====Song Credits====

*Remix and additional production: [[Richard X]] for blackmelody.com

*Mix: Pete Hofmann for Miloco Management

===Only (El-P Remix)===

The dance-oriented beat is gone, replaced by a heavier beat and finger-snap percussion.

====Song Credits====

*Production: [[El-P]]

*Mix: Joey Raia, NASA

===Only (Richard X Dub)===

Coming soon

===Only (Richard X Edit)===

Coming soon

===Only (El-P Instrumental)===

Coming soon

===Only (''Beside You In Time'')===

This live version is found on the ''Beside You In Time'' DVD. It contains a guitar riff intro which also appears in the chorus, not featured on the album version.

==Music Video==

The video for "Only" was directed by Fincher and was largly created using advanced CGI by visual effects company Digital Domain. It features a desk with a laptop (A 17" Mac PowerBook), speakers, a cup of coffee, a [[wp:Newton's cradle|Newton's cradle]] and a [[wp:Pin Art|Pin Art]] desk toy being brought to life and animated by the music.

The video starts with a hand pressing the space bar on the computer, which starts its music program (iTunes with the Visualizer turned on). The Newton's cradle begins to sway to the beat as ripples appear in a cup of coffee. Reznor appears in the Pin Art, singing the song. As it gets to the second verse, the songs builds and the vibrations get more intense. Reznor seems to almost break out of the Pin Art as the balls on the cradle sway almost uncontrollably. The ripples in the coffee also have greater frequency. The climax of the song dislodges the top-most apple in a nearby bowl, after which Reznor's impression walks off and the scene dies down. At the very end, a blurry image of a car can be seen driving away.

The video was almost entirely computer-animated, with Reznor filmed live in front of a green screen and then mapped onto the Pin Art. It is reported that the only parts that were live-action were the hand at the very beginning (that of Fincher) and the bowl of apples at the end.

=== Credits ===

* Director: David Fincher

** Jay Barton

** Jim Gaczkowski

=== Awards ===

<!-- note: Digital Domain's page claims it won a D&AD aware for special effects but there is no mention of it on D&AD's site -->

* [[wp:Visual Effects Society|Visual Effects Society]] [http://www.vesawards.com/history/4.html 4th Annual VES Awards (2005)]: Outstanding Visual Effects in a Music Video

==Lyrics==

I'm becoming less defined

There is only me

Only

Is this really all there is?

Is this really all there is?

==External Links==

*[http://www.nin.com/halo/20/index.html "Only" on nin.com]

*[http://www.nin.com/visuals/index.html Video link on nin.com]

*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Only_%28Nine_Inch_Nails_song%29 "Only" on Wikipedia]