Pinion
Pinion (And All That Could Have Been)
"Pinion" is a very simplistic track that begins the Broken EP.
A pinion is a gear with a small number of teeth, often engaging a larger gear. It's also a bird's wing or flight feathers. To pinion someone is to bind their hands and feet in such a manner that they cannot be used. An example of this last definition can be seen in the music video to the song.
Contents
Song Credits
- Production: Trent Reznor
Appearances
Halos
- Broken
- Closure
- And All That Could Have Been (DVD/VHS)
Seeds
Other
Versions
Pinion
This is the only version available, notable for being the shortest in length of all of Nine Inch Nails' catalog. It features a pulsing series of short, ascending, distorted power chords and a collage of atmospheric loops, including David Bowie samples, which eventually give way to the single guitar once more before leading into "Wish." These last chords are looped several times to lengthen the music video soundtrack.
Pinion (And All That Could Have Been)
The pre-recorded guitar loop is combined with many elements of "The New Flesh" to form the introduction of the DVD and VHS versions of And All That Could Have Been, frequently used to begin many dates of both the Fragility tours.
Music Video
The video for "Pinion," released in 1992, was directed by Eric Goode and Serge Becker, who also directed "Help Me I Am In Hell."
The video was filmed entirely in black-and-white and starts in a restroom. The camera focuses on a toilet containing a dark substance, typically assumed to be blood. The water and the substance are flushed down as the camera follows. As the viewer is led through the pipes to see where the water is going, the camera cuts between exterior views and interior views of the pipes. As the music crescendos, the water pressure increases. Finally the camera comes to a white room as water is pumped through a pressurized machine, which is forcing the water into the mouth of a figure that is blindfolded, bound completely in vinyl (or patent leather) and strapped to the wall.
Because of the disturbing nature of the video, MTV would only play it late at night before removing it altogether. However, part of the video's finale became an integral part of the opening sequence for the network's Alternative Nation.
The same video is featured both on Closure and the Broken Movie.
Live
Recordings of this song have been played as the introduction as the band takes the stage, sometimes with live vocals "FLUSH! FLUSH! FLUSH! FLUSH!" It was bent, distorted and combined with the opening beat of "Terrible Lie" to open Woodstock '94 and many other dates on the Self Destruct Tour. It was combined with "The New Flesh" to open Fragility shows. A very short version began KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas, presumably because they were behind schedule in setting up the stage.
External Links