Down In It (song)
Down In It (Skin)
Down In It (Shred)
Down In It (Single)
Uncommon
About
Down In It was the first single for the album Pretty Hate Machine and the third track on the disc. It is said to be the first song that Trent ever wrote under the name Nine Inch Nails and is a rare treat to hear live. Following the Down In It single release, a music video was made.
In a 1994 radio broadcast biography of Trent Reznor, it was said that Down In It was inspired by a relationship that had then recently ended for Reznor with a woman named Krissy.
Reznor has openly admited that this song is basically his version of Skinny Puppy's "Dig It"
Reznor has said in recent interviews that this song has lost its meaning and it is unlikely to be played during any upcoming live shows.
Appearances
Down In It appears in various versions on the follwing releases:
- Purest Feeling - non-official
- Purest Feeling II - non-official
- Down In It
- Pretty Hate Machine
- Head Like a Hole
Versions
- Down In It - appears on Purest Feeling as the last track, differing from its offical counterparts as that it has an extended intro with strange screams and odd static. It also includes about 1 minute and 8 seconds of distorted clippings of the song at the end as a finish to the album. Musically it's extremely close to the (Demo) version from the Head Like A Hole US single.
- Down In It (Demo) - appears on Head Like A Hole (US) as the last track, it's extremely similar to the Purest Feeling version, except that it lacks the long intro and all the extra layering of it's Purest Feeling counterpart as well as the distorted outro. Most likely it's the definitive "original version" of Trent Reznor's very first song as Nine Inch Nails.
- Down In It (Demo II) - appears on the Purest Feeling II bootleg. It's simply the (Skin) version from Pretty Hate Machine with an unadulterated version of the Terrible Lie intro tacked onto the end which fades out.
- Down In It (Demo III) - appears on the Purest Feeling II bootleg. Almost exactly the same as the Purest Feeling version, simply lacking the extra layering and sound effects as well as the distorted outtro, though it does retain the extended drumbeat intro and is probably the version the Purest Feeling version was based upon
- Down In It (Demo IV) - appears on the Purest Feeling II bootleg. It's an odd version with Trent whispering a good portion of his vocals an odd beat set compared to the others. It also includes faux-Oriental sounding synths which are noticably absent in any of the other versions of the song
- Down In It (Skin) - the mix from the Down In It single and later chosen to be the mix that appeared on Pretty Hate Machine
- Down In It (Shred) - a mix that appears on both the Down In It and Head Like A Hole singles. It's basically retains the original song with an extended intro and a long instrumental area that makes up the entire latter half of the song, considered the "extended single version" of the song by some.
- Down In It (Singe) - a mix that appears on both the Down In It and Head Like A Hole singles. It's a mostly instrumental "dub" mix of the song with minimal vocals and strange warping and mixing of the beats with heavy bass emphasis. It should be noted that this mix is actually 18 seconds longer on the Head Like A Hole (US) single than it was on the Down In It single. The reason for this is unknown, though it's probably due to the time constraints imposed on Vinyl singles compared to a full sized LP Maxi Single.
Performed Live
As of Fragility 2.0, Reznor had stated that he didn't like the song as much as he used to, but during the later legs of the With Teeth Tour, it seemed as if he's changed his mind song, playing it more as the tour progressed.
The Video
"Down In It" was the first Nine Inch Nails video. It was directed by Eric Zimmerman and Benjamin Stokes, who also directed "Head Like A Hole." The video depicts Reznor running through downtown Cleveland and climbing to the roof of a building, where he falls to his death. Bandmates Richard Patrick and Chris Vrenna discover the body days later.
This was the first video to be met with controversy. To film the shots of lifeless Reznor, he was covered with cornstarch to create the illusion of decay and cameras were tied to heavy-duty ballons that were tied down. During the filming of these scenes, one of the balloons broke free and took the camera with it, drifting some 200 miles before being found by a farmer. The camera was turned over to local police who, upon seeing the raw video footage, assumed it was a snuff film and the FBI was called in to investigate. The incident was even reported on "Hard Copy" and recalled in an interview for SPIN magazine. Because MTV and its US affiliates were uncomfortable with the video's subject matter, all scenes that depict Reznor's body lying on the ground behind the building were deleted.
Lyrics
Kinda like a could I was up way up in the sky and I was feeling some feelings you wouldn’t believe
Sometimes I can’t believe them myself and I decided I was never coming down
Just then a tiny little dot caught my eye it was just about too small to see
But I watched it way too long and that dot was pulling me down
I was up above it
Now I’m down in it
Well shut up so what what does it matter now
I was swimming in the haze now I crawl on the ground
And everything I never liked about you is kind of seeping into me
Try to laugh about it now but isn’t it funny how everything works out
(“I guess the joke’s on me,” she said)
I was up above it
Now I’m down in it
I used to be so big and strong
I used to know my right from wrong
I used to never be afraid
I used to be somebody
I used to have something inside
Now just this hole that’s open wide
I used to want it all
I used to be somebody
I’ll cross my heart and hope to die but the needle’s already in my eye
And all the world’s weight is on my back and I don’t even know why
And what I used to think was me is just a fading memory
I looked him right in the eye and said “goodbye”
I was up above it
Now I’m down in it