Head Like A Hole (halo)

Halo 3: Head Like A Hole

UK version artwork

Head Like A Hole (also known as Halo 3) is the second single by Nine Inch Nails, and the second single from debut album Pretty Hate Machine. It was released on March 22, 1990 by TVT Records in the US, and on September 2, 1991, by Island Records in the UK. The single also serves as a companion remix album of sorts to Pretty Hate Machine.

Track listings

US Version

CD

1. "Head Like A Hole" (Slate) (remixed by Trent Reznor, Flood) - 4:13
2. "Head Like A Hole" (Clay) (remixed by Keith LeBlanc) - 4:30
3. "Terrible Lie" (Sympathetic Mix) (remixed by Reznor, Flood) - 4:26
4. "Head Like A Hole" (Copper) (remixed by Reznor, Flood) - 6:26
5. "You Know Who You Are" (remixed by Reznor, Flood) - 5:50
6. "Head Like A Hole" (Soil) (remixed by Reznor, Flood) - 6:38
7. "Terrible Lie" (Empathetic Mix) (remixed by Reznor, Flood) - 6:11
8. "Down In It" (Shred) (remixed by Adrian Sherwood, LeBlanc) - 6:51
9. "Down In It" (Singe) (remixed by Sherwood, LeBlanc) - 7:21
10. "Down In It" (Demo) (remixed by Reznor) - 3:55
11. "(unlisted track)" - 0:04

Limited Edition 10" vinyl artwork

You Get What You Deserve

12" Vinyl

Also released as a 10" vinyl with fold-out poster of exclusive Mark Prent artwork, featuring Slate as the A-side and Copper on the B-side.
     A1  "Head Like A Hole" (Slate) - 4:13
     A2  "Head Like A Hole" (Clay) - 4:30
     A3  "Terrible Lie" (Sympathetic Mix) - 4:26
     A4  "(unlisted track)" - 0:04
     B1  "Head Like A Hole" (Copper)- 6:26
     B2  "You Know Who You Are" - 5:50
     B3  "Head Like A Hole" (Soil) - 6:38
     B4  "Terrible Lie" (Empathetic Mix) - 6:11

UK Version

Also released on 12" vinyl (1 & 2 on A-side, 3 on B-side) and 7" vinyl (Slate on A-side, Copper on B-side).

1. "Head Like A Hole" (Clay) - 4:30
2. "Head Like A Hole" (Copper) - 6:26
3. "Head Like A Hole" (Opal) - 5:18

Australia Version

1. "Head Like A Hole" (Slate) - 4:13
2. "Terrible Lie" (Sympathetic Mix) - 4:26
3. "Head Like A Hole" (Opal) - 5:18

You Get What You Deserve

This is a unique German CD promo with different artwork. It has no Halo designation.

1. "Head Like a Hole" (Copper) - 6:26
2. "Down In It" (Shred) - 6:51
3. "Terrible Lie" (Sympathetic Mix) - 4:26
4. "Head Like a Hole" (Clay) - 4:30

About

Head Like A Hole was released in maxi-single (US) and standard single (UK and Australia) formats. Despite the absence of the original album version on either release, the US Maxi version is longer than Pretty Hate Machine, thanks to inclusion of 5 tracks from the limited UK edition of the Down In It single (Halo 1): 2 versions of "Terrible Lie" and 3 of "Down In It", all of which had only been available on vinyl when this maxi-single was due for release; shortly thereafter, Halo 1 was released on CD by TVT as well.

In 1993, on the now defunct Prodigy message boards, Trent Reznor made the following comment about the circumstances of the maxi-single release:

Also in case anybody was wondering, the 'down in it' single was only going to be released on vinyl (because my old record label sucks) so i put most of it on the 'head like a hole' single (which obviously IS on CD) - then the greedy record label releases 'd.i.i.' on CD which is quite redundant. Sorry if you feel ripped off. [1]

The maxi-single's disc art reveals the tempo for "Head Like A Hole" (115 BPM) and "Terrible Lie" (88 BPM). On the US version, there's an unlisted bonus track featuring a clip of Heather "Princess" Day from Dance Party USA shouting "Let's hear it for Nine Inch Nails! Woooo! They're GOOD!" Also the first track on the UK single version is mislabeled: instead of Slate it should read Clay.

Artwork

Mockup of artwork by The Designers Republic

The UK version's artwork was originally intended to be the sole artwork, but was replaced for the wider release by TVT Records due to the colour printing costing too much.[2]

The Designers Republic, who did the artwork for the Sin single, wanted to do a similar design for the Head Like A Hole single, but it wasn't used. A mockup of the art was posted to Facebook in 2016.[3]

Credits

• Writing and performance: Trent Reznor
• (1–7) Production and mix: Flood, Trent Reznor
• (8–9) Production and mix: Adrian Sherwood, Keith LeBlanc
• (2) Production: Flood, Trent Reznor; Mix: Keith LeBlanc
• (10) Production and mix: Trent Reznor
• Original versions appear on the album Pretty Hate Machine
• All songs Trent Reznor ©1989 TVT Music/Leaving Hope
  

• Contact: J Artist Management
• Portrait: Max Hudson
• Sleeve: Gary Talpas for Föhn Design

Releases

• TVT Records TVT 2614 - US 12" Vinyl
• TVT Records TVT 2615-2 - US CD
• Island Records 12 IS 484 878 893-1 - UK 12" Vinyl
• Island Records CID 482 878 893-2 - UK CD
• Rykodisc RCD-10839 - US CD

Halo I-IV

Halo I-IV is a limited edition vinyl box set released by Concord/Bicycle Music for Record Store Day in November 2015. It contains the domestic versions of the 12" singles for Head Like A Hole, Sin and Down In It on 120 gram vinyl, as well as the original version of Pretty Hate Machine on 180 gram vinyl. None of the music in this set is remastered.

External Links

• Head Like A Hole at nincatalog.com
• Head Like A Hole at Amazon
• Head Like A Hole at eBay

Discography

Previous release - "Pretty Hate Machine" Halo number: 3 Next release - "Sin"