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==Inspiration==
The release of ''Broken'' followed on from a major disagreement between [[Trent Reznor]] and his record label at the time, TVT Records, and the influence of the conflict is evident in multiple aspects of the record. After the credits in the packaging, a line reads "no thanks: you know who you fucking are" followed by "the slave thinks he is released from bondage only to find a stronger set of chains." This is most likely directed towards TVT Records' s Steve Gottlieb, who refused to allow Reznor out of his contract, resulting in a legal battle between the two parties. A direct reference to Gottlieb appears in one of the music videos for "Gave Up", where the words "FUCK YOU STEVEFuck you steve" can be spotted on a computer screen. The words "Eat your heart out, Steve" can also be heard in the beginning of "Physical".
Reznor has also stated that during the [[Pretty Hate Machine Tour]], the songs grew more aggressive when played by a live band compared to their studio counterparts. Violence on-stage also became a common feature at their shows as a result of the band venting pent-up frustration and anger on their instruments. Consequently, ''Broken'' sounds much more abrasive and harsher with the increased prominence of distorted guitars, amongst other things.
In an interview with ''Keyboard Magazine'' in 1994[http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/manager/display_article.php?id=548], Reznor elaborated on the EP's unique guitar textures:
<blockquote>''Broken'', for example, had a lot of that super-thick chunk sound. Almost every guitar sound on that record was me playing through an old Zoom pedal, direct, and then going into Turbosynth. Then I used a couple of key ingredients to make it sound unlike any real sound in the world, and layered about four of them together. By then, it wasn't a guitar anymore. It's an awesome sound.</blockquote>
In an interview with ''Alternative Press'' in 1993[http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/manager/display_article.php?id=546], Reznor discussed the writing and instrumentation:
*Management: [[John A. Malm, Jr.]] for Conservative
*Assistants: [[Brian Liesegang]], [[Sean Beavan]], [[Chris Vrenna]]
*Additional engineers, etc. along the way: Paul Kendall, the Bill Kennedy, [[Leo Herrera]], John (Genghis) Aguto, Mike Baumgartner, Martin Brumbach, Trevor Bum-Cleaver Sadler
*Extra real drums on 2 and 6: [[Martin Atkins]], Chris Vrenna