The New Flesh

Album:The Fragile (Vinyl)

Length:3:40

Tempo:107 BPM

Versions:The New Flesh
The New Flesh (Instrumental)
The New Flesh (thingsfallingapart.com version)
Complications Of The Flesh
The New Flesh (And All That Could Have Been)

Live:Unperformed in full

"The New Flesh" is a song exclusive to the vinyl version of The Fragile, disc 2 of the European and Japanese We're In This Together single, and the Australian Into The Void single. On the vinyl edition of The Fragile, "The New Flesh" comes immediately after "Complication," ending that side. The song title is likely a reference to the David Cronenberg film Videodrome and the line "long live the new flesh."

Appearances

Halos

• Into The Void
• The Fragile (Vinyl)
• The Fragile: Deviations 1
• We're In This Together (Part 1)
• We're In This Together (Part 3)

Versions

The New Flesh

This is the original version. Fading in with a synthesizer whine and various manipulations and reversed effects, Trent Reznor's spoken vocals are accompanied by clocks ticking, a synthesized bass loop and chromatic piano improvisation, the latter a feature shared with "The Way Out Is Through." The layers ebb and flow through the first half of the track, eventually crossfading with a distorted full band coda, similar in composition to the muffled ending of "The Downward Spiral." As the guitar, bassline and drums fade in, Reznor yells over top, eventually joined by loud crowd loops. The entirety of this 3/4 coda fades out and filters down the low and mid frequencies, the high pitches stopping suddenly.

The New Flesh (Instrumental)

Released on The Fragile: Deviations 1. Also known as "The New Flesh" (Alt) when it was originally released on Apple Music as part of The Fragile Instrumental. Both versions are musically identical.

The New Flesh (thingsfallingapart.com version)

Running Time: 1:19

Used as accompanying music for the official website for Things Falling Apart, this short remix was released officially through remix.nin.com as a high quality MP3 in 2007. Also released in this fashion was another, untitled piece of music. Those two tracks, prior to remix.nin.com, were ripped from thingsfallingapart.com and called "The New Flesh" (Version A) and "The New Flesh" (Version B). Compared to their officially-released 2007 counterparts, Version A and Version B are basically the same, with minor mastering and fade out variations.

Complications Of The Flesh

Running Time: 6:38

This remix, created by Danny Lohner, combines "The New Flesh" with "Complication". It also contains the line "make it stop", which comes from "Please". It appears exclusively on Part 3 of the We're In This Together single.

The New Flesh (And All That Could Have Been)

The song's most recognizable elements (the bassline, clock sounds, and synth whine) are used to form much of the menu music for the DVD version of And All That Could Have Been, in addition to those elements being combined with the guitar riff of "Pinion" to form the DVD introduction. It is not included on the audio CD release.

Live

Although the song has never been performed live in its entirety, instrumental portions were combined with "Pinion" to form the introduction for the Fragility tour. Reznor sang the lyrics "Give it to me, I can take it!" at least once over top of the introduction. This was done again on the NIN 2014 Europe/UK Tour, but it was combined with "The Downward Spiral" instead of "Pinion".

Lyrics

    1
    I can take it
    Sideways
    Sometimes
    Some things
    Feel like
    I'm on the other side
    Waves
    Of every feeling ever felt
    …screaming
    
    2     
    Hold it close
    (So) I can taste it
    
    3     
    I've watched this scene a thousand times
    And in my head
    This is how it all begins
    Yes, I am becoming
    And this is how it all begins
    What did you expect?
    This is not an exit
    This has begun
    
    4     
    I can almost see
    The blackest eyes
    The new flesh
    A new disguise
    …Welcoming…
    
    Please
    
    5     
    Give it to me
    I can take it
    Give it to me
     
    I can take it

While the above lyrics are printed in the vinyl booklet of The Fragile, the following lyrics are what is actually heard on the song:

    Sideways
    Sometimes
    Some things
    Feel like
    I'm on the other side
    Waves
    Of every feeling ever felt
    …screaming
    
    This is how it all begins
    This is how it all begins
    
    I can almost see (...how it all begins)
    The blackest eyes
    The new flesh
    
    This is how it all begins
    
    Give it to me
    I can take it
    Give it to me
    I can take it
    Give it to me
    I can take it
    Give it to me
    I can take it
    Give it to me
    I can take it
    Give it to me
    I can take it

Reznor also repeats an unprinted phrase through the coda of the song, which sounds like:

    I've become [alive]

External Links

• "The New Flesh" (thingsfallingapart.com version) at archive.org

Previous track - "Complication" Track 21 from The Fragile Side E (Vinyl only) Next track - "I'm Looking Forward To Joining You, Finally"