Difference between revisions of "Reptile"

Latest revision as of 04:01, 16 June 2024

Album:The Downward Spiral

Length:6:52

Versions:Reptile
Reptile (Instrumental)
Reptilian
Underneath The Skin
Reptile (And All That Could Have Been) DVD
Liar (Reptile Demo)

Live:Self Destruct Touring Cycle through present

"Reptile" is the twelfth track on 1994's The Downward Spiral. At 6:52, it is the longest track on the album. In an interview, Trent Reznor stated that he would have liked the song to have been released as a single.

In 2021, a fake cassette single of "Reptile" was put up for sale on the nin.com store as a joke. The track "She's Gone Away" makes references to this song in its extra lyrics and in the Not The Actual Events physical component.

Appearances

Halos

March Of The Pigs
The Downward Spiral
And All That Could Have Been (DVD)

Seeds

Versions

Reptile

This is the original album version. Characteristic of the band's mid-90s industrial rock sound, it opens with an eerie and quiet machine-like sound collage sampled from the film Leviathan, which transitions into an imitative musical composition. The structure, repetitive in nature, contains three distinct but similar sections, all driven by machine-like percussion loops and undulating rhythm guitar and synthesized bass. Two looped mechanical sounds that run through the song are sampled from the film Aliens: a metallic thud from the opening scene immediately after the chamber is cut open, and a pitched-up mechanical sound from the first power loader scene. The choruses reflect a brighter mood with prominent melodic synthesizers and glimpses of guitar. The three sections are joined by two quiet instrumental breaks, a technique used later on "Even Deeper." The ascending synth melody from 5:13 to 5:20 could potentially be a reference to or an interpolation of "Laura Palmer's Theme" from the television show Twin Peaks. During this same section, there is a looped sample of a woman saying, "Kirk, help?" from the film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The "gong" sound that appears midway through the track and after the bridge is also used near the end of "Hurt", but the pitch is changed.

The drums used are the same as on "Fell From Heaven" by Lead Into Gold (a Paul Barker side-project, and one whose music video for "Faster Than Light" features a cameo from Reznor.) This may be strictly coincidence, given that some of the same or similar instruments may have been used, or it could be an actual sample.

A reversed version of the track is hidden on side B of the Not The Actual Events vinyl.

Reptile (Instrumental)

Released by Reznor via his remix.nin.com account, this unmastered instrumental version is identical to the album version, save the lack of vocals and transitions to or from other songs.

Reptilian

Running Time: 8:40

This version has more loop layering, no intro, and instrumental choruses after the regular choruses. "Reptilian" appeared as a bonus track on the Japanese release of Further Down The Spiral and as a March Of The Pigs b-side.

Song Credits

Re-construction: Dave Ogilvie

Underneath The Skin

Running Time: 7:13

This version is a mostly instrumental mix that manipulates many of the rhythmic elements and synthesizers, also adding other layers of loops.

Song Credits

Re-construction: Dave Ogilvie

Liar (Reptile Demo)

Running Time: 6:57

This demo is relatively the same as the version that found its way onto The Downward Spiral throughout the intro and verses, but the chorus features a more danceable beat and different vocals layered over.

Reptile (And All That Could Have Been)

This live version is an Easter Egg on the DVD version of And All That Could Have Been and is generally more guitar-heavy than the studio version. Reznor is barely audibly whispering "pig" as the intro fades in, showing that the song's place in the tracklist is between "March of the Pigs" and "Piggy." He also adds lyrics during the quiet breaks. It and other hidden content can be found via the "Beneath The Surface" menu hidden on disc two, accessed during "Head Like A Hole" at the 11:20 mark by pressing 7 (or 6 for some copies) on the remote, then Enter.

Live

The song has always been performed with the beep melody as an introduction, though sometimes without the machine loop collage. During the second quiet bridge, Reznor often sings "please don't hurt me," followed by a desperate cry. Reznor sometimes alters the final line of the first verse to say "a thousand lovers" instead of "a thousand others." During the Self Destruct tours, the band would be bathed in green light and reptilian "scales" would be projected onto them. On the Year Zero Warm-Up Tour, the intro was further extended with a more articulate sound and Reznor whispering over it.

This song was also reworked and featured in the Boston, Massachusetts radio performance (Peter Murphy, Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Jeordie White) on June 23, 2006, with its ending transitioning into a cover of "Haunted When the Minutes Drag" by Love and Rockets. The drum loops used in this iteration seem to use the same sound set and a similar beat as those in "The Good Soldier."

Lyrics

    She spreads herself wide open to let the insects in
    She leaves a trail of honey to show me where she’s been
    She has the blood of reptile just underneath her skin
    Seeds from a thousand others drip down from within
    
    Oh my beautiful liar
    Oh my precious whore
    My disease my infection
    I am so impure
    
    Devils speak of the ways in which she'll manifest
    Angels bleed from the tainted touch of my caress
    Need to contaminate to alleviate this loneliness
    I now know the depths I reach are limitless
    
    Oh my beautiful liar
    Oh my precious whore
    My disease my infection
    I am so impure

After the first chorus, extra words not in the lyrics are spoken. Reznor appears to be saying:

   Give it.

   Oh, please don't hurt me.

External Links

Previous track - "Eraser"

Track 12 from The Downward Spiral

Next track - "The Downward Spiral"

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 | title =Reptile
 | album =''[[The Downward Spiral (halo)|The Downward Spiral]]''
-| length =6:51
+| length =6:52
-| versions =Reptile<br>Reptilian<br>Underneath The Skin<br>Reptile (''[[And All That Could Have Been (halo)|And All That Could Have Been]]'') DVD<br>Liar (Reptile Demo)
+| BPM = 64
-| live =[[Self-Destruct Tour]] through present
+| versions =Reptile<br>Reptile (Instrumental)<br>Reptilian<br>Underneath The Skin<br>Reptile (''[[And All That Could Have Been (halo)|And All That Could Have Been]]'') DVD<br>Liar (Reptile Demo)
-}}'''"Reptile"''' is the twelfth track on 1994's ''[[The Downward Spiral (halo)|The Downward Spiral]].'' This song is characteristic of the band's early 90s "industrial" sound, as it opens with an eerie, quiet machine-like sound collage that transitions into a nearly identical-sounding musical composition. Allegedly, it is a sample of a machine that slaughters pigs, though no sources have been found that indicate this.
+| live =[[Self Destruct Touring Cycle]] through present
+}}'''"Reptile"''' is the twelfth track on 1994's ''[[The Downward Spiral (halo)|The Downward Spiral]].'' At 6:52, it is the longest track on the album. In an [http://thetentosaga.com/theninwebpit/axcess.html interview], [[Trent Reznor]] stated that he would have liked the song to have been released as a single.
-The lyrics seem to be directed towards an old cohort of [[Trent Reznor]]'s, possibly a woman with whom he had some sort of relation.
+In 2021, a [[Hoaxes_and_jokes#nin.com_Memorial_Day_sale|fake cassette single]] of "Reptile" was put up for sale on the [[nin.com]] store as a joke. The track "[[She's Gone Away]]" makes references to this song in its extra lyrics and in the ''[[Not The Actual Events]]'' physical component.
 ===Song Credits===
@@ Line 18: / Line 19: @@
 *''The Downward Spiral''
 *''[[And All That Could Have Been (halo)|And All That Could Have Been]]'' (DVD)
+===Seeds===
+*''[[Collected]]''
+*''[[The Definitive NIN - Deep Cuts]]''
 ==Versions==
 ===Reptile===
-This is the original album version.
+This is the original album version. Characteristic of the band's mid-90s industrial rock sound, it opens with an eerie and quiet machine-like sound collage [[samples|sampled]] from the film ''Leviathan'', which transitions into an imitative musical composition. The structure, repetitive in nature, contains three distinct but similar sections, all driven by machine-like percussion loops and undulating rhythm guitar and synthesized bass. Two looped mechanical sounds that run through the song are sampled from the film ''Aliens'': a metallic thud from the opening scene immediately after the chamber is cut open, and a pitched-up mechanical sound from the first power loader scene. The choruses reflect a brighter mood with prominent melodic synthesizers and glimpses of guitar. The three sections are joined by two quiet instrumental breaks, a technique used later on "[[Even Deeper]]." The ascending synth melody from 5:13 to 5:20 could potentially be a reference to or an interpolation of "Laura Palmer's Theme" from the television show ''Twin Peaks''. During this same section, there is a looped sample of a woman saying, "Kirk, help?" from the film ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre''. The "gong" sound that appears midway through the track and after the bridge is also used near the end of "[[Hurt (song)|Hurt]]", but the pitch is changed.
+The drums used are the same as on "Fell From Heaven" by Lead Into Gold (a Paul Barker side-project, and one whose music video for "Faster Than Light" features a cameo from Reznor.) This may be strictly coincidence, given that some of the same or similar instruments may have been used, or it could be an actual sample.
+A reversed version of the track is hidden on side B of the ''[[Not The Actual Events]]'' vinyl.
+===Reptile (Instrumental)===
+Released by Reznor via his [[remix.nin.com]] account, this unmastered instrumental version is identical to the album version, save the lack of vocals and transitions to or from other songs.
 ===Reptilian===
-Coming soon.
+'''''Running Time: 8:40'''''
+This version has more loop layering, no intro, and instrumental choruses after the regular choruses. "Reptilian" appeared as a bonus track on the Japanese release of ''[[Further Down The Spiral]]'' and as a ''March Of The Pigs'' b-side.
+====Song Credits====
+* Re-construction: [[Dave Ogilvie]]
 ===Underneath The Skin===
-Coming soon.
+'''''Running Time: 7:13'''''
+This version is a mostly instrumental mix that manipulates many of the rhythmic elements and synthesizers, also adding other layers of loops.
+====Song Credits====
+* Re-construction: Dave Ogilvie
 ===Liar (Reptile Demo)===
-Coming soon.
+'''''Running Time: 6:57'''''
+This demo is relatively the same as the version that found its way onto ''The Downward Spiral'' throughout the intro and verses, but the chorus features a more danceable beat and different vocals layered over.
 ===Reptile (''And All That Could Have Been'')===
-This live version is an Easter Egg on the DVD version of ''And All That Could Have Been.''
+This live version is an Easter Egg on the DVD version of ''And All That Could Have Been'' and is generally more guitar-heavy than the studio version. Reznor is barely audibly whispering "pig" as the intro fades in, showing that the song's place in the tracklist is between "[[March Of The Pigs (song)|March of the Pigs]]" and "[[Piggy]]." He also adds lyrics during the quiet breaks. It and other hidden content can be found via the "Beneath The Surface" menu hidden on disc two, accessed during "[[Head Like A Hole (song)|Head Like A Hole]]" at the 11:20 mark by pressing 7 (or 6 for some copies) on the remote, then Enter.
 ==Live==
-The song has always been performed with the beeps as an introduction. During the breakdown, Reznor sings "please don't hurt me" followed by a desperate cry. Recently on the [[Year Zero Warm-Up Tour]], the intro is further extended with a more articulate sound and Reznor whispering over it.
+The song has always been performed with the beep melody as an introduction, though sometimes without the machine loop collage. During the second quiet bridge, Reznor often sings "please don't hurt me," followed by a desperate cry. Reznor sometimes alters the final line of the first verse to say "a thousand lovers" instead of "a thousand others." During the [[Self Destruct Touring Cycle|Self Destruct tours]], the band would be bathed in green light and reptilian "scales" would be projected onto them. On the [[Year Zero Warm-Up Tour]], the intro was further extended with a more articulate sound and Reznor whispering over it.
-This song was also featured in the [http://www.nin.com/current/radioshows/index.html Boston, MA radio performance], ([[Peter Murphy]], Reznor, [[Atticus Ross]], and [[Jeordie White]]) on June 23, 2006.
+This song was also reworked and featured in the [http://www.nin.com/current/radioshows/index.html Boston, Massachusetts radio performance] ([[Peter Murphy]], Reznor, [[Atticus Ross]], and [[Jeordie White]]) on [[2006/06/23 Boston, MA (Radio show)|June 23, 2006]], with its ending transitioning into a cover of "Haunted When the Minutes Drag" by Love and Rockets. The drum loops used in this iteration seem to use the same sound set and a similar beat as those in "[[The Good Soldier]]."
 ==Lyrics==
@@ Line 51: / Line 74: @@
       I am so impure
-      Devils speak of the ways in which she’ll manifest
+      Devils speak of the ways in which she'll manifest
-      Angels bleed from the tainted touch of my
+      Angels bleed from the tainted touch of my caress
- caress
       Need to contaminate to alleviate this loneliness
       I now know the depths I reach are limitless
@@ Line 63: / Line 84: @@
       I am so impure
+After the first chorus, extra words not in the lyrics are spoken. Reznor appears to be saying:
+    Give it.
+    Oh, please don't hurt me.
+==External Links==
+*[http://vimeo.com/9055919 "Reptile" live in Boston, 6.23.06]
+*[https://archive.org/details/remix-nin-com-audio-02952 "Reptile" (Instrumental) at archive.org]
+{{Succession box
+| title=[[The Downward Spiral (halo)#Track Listing (original release and DVD-A release)|The Downward Spiral]]
+| before=[[Eraser]]
+| after=[[The Downward Spiral (song)|The Downward Spiral]]
+| track=12}}
 [[Category: NIN Songs]]

Difference between revisions of "Reptile"

Latest revision as of 04:01, 16 June 2024

Contents

Song Credits

Appearances

Halos

Seeds

Versions

Reptile

Reptile (Instrumental)

Reptilian

Song Credits

Underneath The Skin

Song Credits

Liar (Reptile Demo)

Reptile (And All That Could Have Been)

Live

Lyrics

External Links