"Dead Souls" is a cover of a Joy Division song, frequently played live. It appeared in the 1994 film The Crow and was released on its soundtrack. It was also the tenth track (before "A Warm Place") on the Japanese version of The Downward Spiral. In 2004, it was included as the fifth track on the second disc of the 10th anniversary The Downward Spiral Deluxe Edition. While this song appears on The Definitive NIN - The Singles, it was never released as a single or promo.
The Joy Division original was recorded in 1979 and released on their compilation album Still. In commentary for The Crow with producer and musical supervisor Jeff Most, it is revealed that Nine Inch Nails were originally supposed to perform in the film instead of My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult.
Contents
Meaning
"Dead Souls" is often considered to be about a schizophrenic man, as evidenced by the lyric "a duel of personalities" and the other lyric "they keep calling me".
Appearances
Halos
- The Downward Spiral (Japanese edition and 2-disc Deluxe Edition)
Seeds
- The Definitive NIN - The Singles
Soundtracks
- The Crow Soundtrack
Versions
Dead Souls
This version is on The Crow soundtrack and both the 2-disc Deluxe and Japanese editions of The Downward Spiral. It is reasonably faithful to the original, though it uses a slower tempo and has a much moodier feel.
Dead Souls (Instrumental)
This unmastered vocal-less mix was released by Trent Reznor through his remix.nin.com account.
Live
"Dead Souls" is a regular in setlists. In the With Teeth: Summer Amphitheater Tour, Peter Murphy joined NIN on stage to sing this song at the live radio show on July 1, 2006, and at the last show of the tour on July 8, 2006. On the Self Destruct Tour, Reznor would sing "The Becoming" lyric, "god damn this noise inside my head," after the end of this song. It would then transition with the sound of wind into a performance of "Help Me I Am In Hell."
Lyrics
Someone take these dreams away
That point me to another day
A duel of personalities
That stretch all true reality
They keep calling me
Keep on calling me
When figures from the past stand tall
And mocking voices ring the hall
Imperialistic house of prayer
Conquistadores who took their share
They keep calling me
Keep on calling me
Calling me