1,203
edits
Changes
added instrumental, described things, fixed stuff for accuracy
| album = ''[[The Downward Spiral (halo)|The Downward Spiral]]''
| length = 2:58
| versions = March Of The Pigs<br>March Of The Pigs (Instrumental)<br>March Of The Pigs (Clean version)<br>All The Pigs, All Lined Up<br>March Of The Pigs (''[[And All That Could Have Been (halo)|And All That Could Have Been]]'')<br>March Of The Pigs (''[[Beside You In Time (halo)|Beside You In Time]]'')
| live = [[Self Destruct Warm-up]] through present
}} '''"March of the Pigs"''' is the fourth track on 1994's ''[[The Downward Spiral (halo)|The Downward Spiral]].'' It has one of the most unique metres of any song to enjoy popular radio play, alternating three measures of 7/8 time with one measure of 4/4 time in the verses (in effect, a 29/8 time signature). The chorus is in the common 4/4 time signature. As a result, with eighth notes getting the count, the song has a BPM rate of 269.
Lyrically, the song could be about society or NIN's fans, but [[Trent Reznor]] has stated in the interview titled Disturbed that the "pigs" in this song refer mainly to "anywhere from the media to people he thought were friends around him." Furthermore, he said, "The issue I was addressing was... when we attained a certain level of success, it was surprising to see the legion of people starting to fuck with you, can't wait to see you fail, hoping that you'll fuck up, ripping you off, trying to use you... The fact that American media, in 'underground world,' you go from being the darling to 'well, we accidentally started selling some records,' so they have to turn their backs on us."
==Versions==
===March Of The Pigs===
This Is is the original album version. Like much of the album, this song is structured around contrast: the loud and fast, oddly-metered and screamed verses are juxtaposed with the moodier, quieter bridge and piano-led chorus.
===March Of The Pigs (cleanClean)===
The radio edit deletes the word "fuck," making it safe to air on American radio stations.
===March Of The Pigs (Instrumental)===
Released by Reznor through his remix.nin.com account, this is an unmastered and vocalless version of the album cut.
===All The Pigs, All Lined Up===
===March Of The Pigs (''And All That Could Have Been'')===
===March Of The Pigs (''Beside You In Time'')===
Like the version that appears on ''And All That Could Have Been,'' this live version incorporates the ending of "All The Pigs, All Lined Up." The major differences are that However, the introduction in this version is shorter arranged differently, and Reznor changes some of features different vocal improvisation during the vocal stylingsending.
==Music Video==
A music video was made for this song, directed by [[Peter Christopherson]] ("[[Wish (song)|Wish]]" and the ''[[Broken Movie]]'') and released in March of 1994. The video features the band performing the song live in front of a white wall backdrop. Reportedly, around a dozen takes were done, and the final video take was the one that "did not suck." It's filmed in one shot, a rare occurrence for music videos. This video was the last video to be played on MTV2's ''Increase the Beat'', on Memorial Day weekend 2002. At 269 BPM, it had the fastest tempo of the 400+ videos that were played that weekend.
A previous version of the video was partially shot but abandoned, and is included in glimpses on the ''[[Closure]]'' DVD. The band performs the song in a red , cave-like set with water at their feet (some speculate that it could have been a stomach), and with a troll-like midget appearsin costume running in and out of the set.
==Live==
Being a staple NIN song with its high energy segued by two piano breakdowns, there is a live performance video of "March of the Pigs" on each of their live releases: ''Closure,'' ''And All That Could Have Been,'' and ''Beside You in Time.'' In the live set, the band extends the song by including an amped up version of "All The Pigs, All Lined Up" at the end of almost every performance. In most performances in the pre-''[[With Teeth (halo)|With Teeth]]'' eras, the songs starts with the same similar high pitched squeal squeals as it does in the performance music video for the song. Since the start of the The [[Live: With Teeth|With Teeth Tour]], the song now starts arrangement started with a synth line that matches Alessandro Cortini playing the one played behind the second set synthesized bassline twice, stopping for Josh Freese to play eight bars of measures for the song originally. (This section now completely omitted from drum pattern before the song, the guitars coming in completely along with they synth after band launched directly into the first drum run throughverse.) Trent Reznor typically starts the song with the spoken lyrics "C'mon you pigs... march!".
==Lyrics==