Head Like A Hole (song)

Album:Pretty Hate Machine

Length:4:59

Tempo:115 BPM

Versions:Head Like A Hole
Head Like A Hole (Clay)
Head Like A Hole (Copper)
Head Like A Hole (Opal)
Head Like A Hole (Slate)
Head Like A Hole (Soil)
Head Like A Hole (NMS 10 Sampler version)
You Know Who You Are
Head Like A Hole (And All That Could Have Been)
Head Like A Hole (Beside You In Time)

Live:"Pretty Hate Machine" Promotional Tour through present

"Head Like A Hole" is the first track on the 1989 release Pretty Hate Machine. It was the first commercial success Trent Reznor had and received wide radio rotation at the time. Though Reznor doesn't dislike the song, he was quite surprised it became as big as it did, especially due to its relatively easy writing process compared to some of the lesser recognized tracks on Pretty Hate Machine ("That's What I Get" and "Kinda I Want To" most notably.)

Song Credits

• Production: Flood, Trent Reznor
• Engineering: Flood, Kennan Keating, Keith LeBlanc, Doug de Angelis, Ken Quartarone
• Additional remix production: Keith LeBlanc
• Mix: Keith LeBlanc
• Studio(s) mixed at Soundtrack Studios Studio A NYC (21st location) on Neve VR60
• 2nd Engineer(s) Scott Canto

Appearances

Halos

• Pretty Hate Machine
• Head Like A Hole
• Closure (music video)
• And All That Could Have Been
• Beside You In Time

Seeds

• Collected
• The Definitive NIN - The Singles
• The Definitive NIN - Heavy Tracks

Video Games

• Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
• Rock Band 3 (available for download)

Other

• Demos and Remixes

Versions

Head Like A Hole

The version that appears as the first track on Pretty Hate Machine, it's perhaps one of the most well known Nine Inch Nails songs. Its pounding synth bassline, tribal rhythms and chants, layered guitar and catchy double chorus are all signature aspects of the song. The stereo wipe at the end fades into the beginning of "Terrible Lie." The tribal chants are sampled from "Samburu Warriors' Initiation (Kenya)" taken from field recordings under the title East Africa Ceremonial & Folk Music (performed by the Samburu Tribe of Kenya and recorded by David Fanshawe.)[1] There is a sample from 3:12 to 3:19, first appearing in the right channel and then the left, that may be a saxophone.

Head Like A Hole (Slate)

Running Time: 4:13

The first track on the Head Like A Hole single, this version contains more treble than its cousins and a somewhat dancier beat than most, along with higher pitched synths playing the bassline as a lead instead. Its intro is similar to the "(Clay)" remix. The instrumental melody of the original has been replaced and there is no guitar part in the chorus. It also lacks the stereo wipe outro and instead simply loops as it fades out. As indicated on the credits of the Head Like A Hole 12" vinyl single, this remix was completed in July 1989.

Song Credits

• Production and mix: Flood, Trent Reznor

Head Like A Hole (Clay)

Running Time: 4:30

The second track on the Head Like A Hole single, this is the version that was used in the video for "Head Like A Hole." The only major differences are a different intro (one that features the second half of the chorus and some rhythmic chanting), a shorter pre-chorus in the second verse, and an unadulterated and extended version of the outro stereo wipe.

Song Credits

• Production: Flood, Trent Reznor
• Mix: Keith LeBlanc

Head Like A Hole (Copper)

Running Time: 6:26

Present on the Head Like A Hole single, the "(Copper)" remix seems to be a cut and paste of the various remixes above, containing bits and pieces, loops and interruptions of the other songs. It contains the dance beat of "(Slate)" but has the layered guitar of the original version as well as a slightly modified instrumental intro. Its outro, unique to this mix, is the "Bow down before the one you serve/you're going to get what you deserve" lyric over a swinging drum-machine loop sampled from "Body Language" by Queen; the drum loop includes part of a scream by Freddie Mercury. The section sampled (from the cymbal crash to when Freddie shouts "Yeah!") is heard from 3:04 to 3:08 in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqLyjg-klhE. As indicated on the credits of the Head Like A Hole 12" vinyl single, this remix was completed in January 1990.

Song Credits

• Production and mix: Flood, Trent Reznor

You Know Who You Are

Running Time: 5:50

The fifth track on the Head Like A Hole single, this song is an instrumental composed of the background synths and various tribal rhythms and chants that compose the song. It's more or less a wordless "dub" version of the song and is notable for being the first instrumental piece appearing on an official Nine Inch Nails release. The outro of the song is the actual intro to the original version of "Head Like A Hole." (This song is not to be confused with "You Know What You Are?," the second track off of the album With Teeth.)

Song Credits

• Production and mix: Flood, Trent Reznor

Head Like A Hole (Opal)

Running Time: 5:18

Exclusive to the UK version of the Head Like A Hole single, the mix is notable for its "realistic" drums and strange instrumentation, much of which isn't present on any of the other remixes. It is perhaps the most unique remix, having a different vocal take with a few lyrical differences from the original version of the song (in particular, the verses clearly say "God of money" rather than "God Money"), as well as using an inverted version of the bassline rather than the bassline itself and a totally different drumbeat. The only element that found its way over from the other mixes is the wood percussion intro from the original version of the song, which the drum beat follows exactly. The song ends by fading away while Reznor whispers "You know... you know who you are" repeatedly. This line is found only on this version, though it does appear in the printed lyrics on the Pretty Hate Machine album. It has been billed as "Head Like A Hole (Demo)" and "Head Like A Hole (Go-Go Mix)" on various bootlegs. As indicated on the credits of the Head Like A Hole 12" vinyl single, this remix was completed in November 1990. It was produced in London with Flood, during a short trip by Reznor and John Malm to prepare for the upcoming UK releases and tour through Island Records. [2]

It features a sample in the choruses that also forms the main rhythm of "The Wrong Name and the Wrong Number" by Mark Stewart. Adrian Sherwood was involved in the production of the Stewart song, and he and Keith LeBlanc were both members of Mark Stewart And The Maffia at the time they worked on Pretty Hate Machine, though whether they had direct involvement with the "Opal" mix is unknown. LeBlanc and Sherwood aren't credited on any of the "Head Like A Hole" versions except Keith's mixing of "Slate". The remix also samples "Tamborine" by Prince and "Release It" by The Time (which also samples "Squib Cakes" by Tower Of Power.)

Song Credits

• Production and mix: Flood, Trent Reznor

Head Like A Hole (Soil)

Running Time: 6:38

The longest remix of the group, it starts off with a distorted version of the "(Clay/Slate)" remix intro. It has the original drumbeat, but lacks the synth bassline which actually comes in during the middle of the song to lead as a bridge with some odd sounding synths. There are also some odd steel drum sounding synths which stereo wipe back and forth at various points in the song.

Song Credits

• Production and mix: Flood, Trent Reznor

Head Like A Hole (NMS 10 Sampler version)

Running Time: 5:50

This mix was exclusive to a TVT Records cassette sampler released for the 1989 New Music Seminar. It is an early, pre-album release mix and features several differences: the main snare sound is different, the breakdown after the second chorus is longer and has a more prominent synth percussion part panning left and right, and the last chorus and "Bow down before the one you serve" outro are both longer.

Song Credits

• Production: Flood, Trent Reznor
• Mix: John Fryer

Head Like A Hole (And All That Could Have Been)

The 13th song on the CD (16th on the DVD/VHS versions), it falls directly after "Closer" and is the end of the regular set. The lights are bright and the LCD displays behind them show mostly interference snow in time with the music. At the end of the song, the band completely destroys all the instruments and the music melts into dissonance, hanging for a bit while the strobes increase in intensity (almost to the point where it's impossible to see) before the lights shut off completely. This minute delay or so gives the band time to prepare for the encore.

Head Like A Hole (Beside You In Time)

Like the And All That Could Have Been version, this version is performed very closely to the album version, though it is much more aggressive (especially Reznor's vocals), and features a hard drumming solo by Josh Freese. At one point, Alessandro Cortini and Aaron North jump on Cortini's keyboard. At the end, North jams his guitar in an amplifier, and then throws it at the crowd. The song concludes the concert.

Live

"Head Like A Hole" has been played at nearly every Nine Inch Nails concert and is a staple of the live set. Often it closes out the concert.

During the Lollapalooza Tour, various guitarists from other bands (such as Ice-T of Body Count) would come out onstage to perform with the band. YouTube video

"Head Like A Hole" is usually the last song of the show (With Teeth era) or last song before the encore (Self Destruct, Fragility, and Lights in the Sky eras). At the end, the band usually destroy their instruments.

Since the With Teeth era, Trent has left singing of the chorus to the other members of the band. This is possibly due to vocal strain.

Music Video

Screenshot from the "Head Like A Hole" video

The music video for "Head Like A Hole" was directed by Eric Zimmerman, who also co-directed "Down In It." The Clay remix is used in place of the album version.

The video contains three different sequences, used at different intervals of the song. During the verses, footage of tribal dancers is undercut with rotating cybernetic heads, creating a strobe effect. For the main chorus and instrumental interludes, the band is seen playing in a large cage with wires and magnetic tape at their feet. The sub-chorus features black-and-white footage of Reznor lowering his head into a tub filled with water and bringing it back up. At the end of the video, Reznor's feet have become entangled in the tape and wires as he is lifted off the ground, hung upside-down and writhes in mid-air. The video features two drummers, one being Chris Vrenna and the other being Martin Atkins.

The video was originally going to be directed by David Lynch[3], whom Reznor would later work with on the Lost Highway Soundtrack and the "Came Back Haunted" music video. An extended version of the video also exists, referred to as the "Flood Mix" version, which is set to the "Copper" mix. This version was used when the video was shown on Beavis And Butt-Head in 1993.

At least part of the music video was filmed on May 6, 1990, as indicated on the film clapperboard seen in the "Flood Mix"/"Copper" version of the video.

Credits

• Director: Eric Zimmerman
• Producer: Jim Deloye
• Cameraman: Eric Zimmerman, Benjamin Stokes, Eric Koziol & Eric Matthies
• Editor: Eric Zimmerman & Benjamin Stokes

Reznor on the songwriting

In a 2005 interview with Kerrang[4], Reznor gave the following insight:

I don't remember what I was thinking about at the time, but it was pretty much about yelling at a beast without putting a face to it. I wrote it at the last minute as a throwaway. The rest of Pretty Hate Machine was already written, and we'd revised everything else about nine times. Up until then song-writing had been a meticulous and agonising process, but this took me 15 minutes in my bedroom. The fact that it produced this huge reaction really pissed me off because I hadn't agonised over it. I was still back in Cleveland, and I had a job working at a studio where I'd spend time at night learning how to record and engineer things and I tried to work out how my voice sounded. I was playing everything myself but I had no confidence in playing guitar. I was convinced that if any real players heard it they'd laugh. Now I know that's bullshit but at the time I was very insecure.

Covers

"Head Like A Hole" has been covered by a variety of artists. More information can be found here.

On A Roll

Digital single artwork

Promotional T-Shirt

In June 2019, the anthology TV series Black Mirror aired the episode "Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too", which featured versions of "Head Like A Hole" and "Right Where It Belongs" with new lyrics written by Charlie Brooker and recorded by Miley Cyrus, entitled "On A Roll" and "Right Where I Belong" respectively. Cyrus also recorded direct covers of both songs, all of which were sanctioned and approved by Reznor - a rarity for any cover of Nine Inch Nails. The songs were recorded and released under the name "Ashley O", Cyrus's character name in the episode. The band also released a collaborative t-shirt on their website, featuring Brooker's new lyrics.

Lyrics

   Oh honey, I'll do anything for you
   Oh honey, just tell me what you want me to
   Oh honey, kiss me up against the wall
   Oh honey, don't think anything, just have it all
   
   Yeah, I can't take it, so don't you fake it
   I know your love's my destiny
   Yeah, I can't take it, please demonstrate it
   'Cause I'm going down in history
   
   Hey, yeah, whoa-ho, I'm on a roll
   Ridin' so high, achieving my goals
   Hey, yeah, whoa-ho, I'm on a roll
   Ridin' so high, achieving my goals
   
   I'm stoked on ambition and verve
   I'm gonna get what I deserve
   So full of ambition and verve
   I'm gonna get what I deserve
   
   Oh honey, let's get in through the door
   Oh honey, not concerned who sees us ripping up the floor
   Oh honey, we'll go dancing wherever you choose
   Oh honey, you know we just can't lose
   
   Yeah, I can't take it, so don't you fake it
   I know your love's my destiny
   Yeah, I can't take it, please demonstrate it
   'Cause I'm going down in history
   
   Hey, yeah, whoa-ho, I'm on a roll
   Ridin' so high, achieving my goals
   Hey, yeah, whoa-ho, I'm on a roll
   Ridin' so high, achieving my goals
   
   I'm stoked on ambition and verve
   I'm gonna get what I deserve
   So full of ambition and verve
   I'm gonna get what I deserve

Lyrics

    God Money I'll do anything for you
    God Money just tell me what you want me to
    God Money nail me up against the wall
    God Money don't want everything he wants it all
    No you can't take it
    No no you can't take it
    (You can't take that away from me)
    
    Head like a hole
    Black as your soul
    I'd rather die than give you control
    Head like a hole
    Black as your soul
    I'd rather die than give you control
    
    Bow down before the one you serve
    You're going to get what you deserve
    
    God Money's not looking for the cure
    God Money's not concerned about the sick among the pure
    God Money let's go dancing on the backs of the bruised
    God Money's not one to choose
    No you can't take it
    No no you can't take it
    No you can't take that away from me
    
    Head like a hole
    Black as your soul
    I'd rather die than give you control
    Head like a hole
    Black as your soul
    I'd rather die than give you control
    
    Bow down before the one you serve
    You're going to get what you deserve
    You know who you are

The final line appears only in the liner notes and in the Opal remix.

External Links

• "Head Like A Hole" music video (Remastered)
• "Head Like A Hole" (Copper) music video

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