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| versions = Mr. Self Destruct<br>Mr. Self Destruct (Instrumental)<br>The Art of Self Destruction, Part One<BR>Self Destruction, Part Two<br>Self Destruction, Part Three<br>Self Destruction, Final<br>The Beauty of Being Numb (Section A)
| live = [[Self Destruct Touring Cycle]]<br>[[With Teeth Fall Arena Tour]] through [[Wave Goodbye Tour]]
}} '''"Mr. Self Destruct"''' is the first track on the 1994 release ''[[The Downward Spiral (halo)|The Downward Spiral]].'' Its loud and abrasive verses and choruses as well as the contrast in the quiet bridge and use of samples combine to make a comprehensive introduction to the sonic characteristics of the entire album.
The song's title seems to be one of several references to Soft Cell, a cited influence for NIN, as a song of the same name opens their 1994 album ''This Last Night in Sodom.'' Other references may include the reference to their album ''The Art of Falling Apart'' in the remixes titled "The Art of Self Destruction" and NIN covering "[[Memorabilia]]" and "[[Sex Dwarf]]," though the latter remains unreleased and/or incomplete.
==Versions==
===Mr. Self Destruct===
This is the original album version. It begins with a restructured sample from the film ''THX 1138,'' and immediately picks up with very fast and aggressive verses and choruses, Reznor's casual vocal delivery contrasting with the noisy cacophony around it. The bridge is in stark contrast: quiet, subdued and atmospheric, it is the only section of the song to feature bass. A return to cacophony for the final verse and choruses gives way to manipulated and looped guitar noises made by Adrian Belew, which cuts off suddenly and leads into "[[Piggy]]".Its call-and-response style verses are later recalled by those of "[[While I'm Still Here]]".
In the April 1994 issue of ''Guitar World'', Reznor was asked about the circumstances behind the guest appearance of guitarist Belew:
==Live==
Often used to open shows during the later [[Self Destruct Touring Cycle|Self Destruct]] tours, it begins with a count-in rather than the sample intro on album version, and features heavy amounts of guitar feedback at various points in the song. During the 2006 [[Live: With_Teeth]] winter tour and the [[Year Zero Warm-Up Tour]], [[Alessandro Cortini]] joined the rest of the band at the front of the stage playing guitar. The 2009 [[Wave Goodbye Tour]] arrangement saw a synthesized ambient introduction surround manipulations of the ''THX 1138 '' sample before jumping into the first verse.
==Lyrics==