The Perfect Drug (song)
The Perfect Drug (Meat Beat Manifesto)
The Perfect Drug (Plug)
The Perfect Drug (Nine Inch Nails)
The Perfect Drug (Spacetime Continuum)
The Perfect Drug (The Orb)
The Perfect Drug (Aphrodite)
"The Perfect Drug" was written and recorded for the Lost Highway Soundtrack in 1997.
Song Credits
- Writing and performance: Nine Inch Nails
- ©1996 Leaving Hope Music Inc/TVT Music (ASCAP) administered by Leaving Hope Music Inc., D. Lohner/Wish It Away (ASCAP), C. Clouser/Hypercube Music/Warner Tamerlane Music (BMI), C. Vrenna
- Production: Trent Reznor
- Mix: Alan Moulder
- Engineering: Dave “Rave” Ogilvie
- Assistance: Brian Pollack
Appearances
Versions
The Perfect Drug
This is the original version that can be found on the Lost Highway soundtrack as well as some versions of The Perfect Drug Versions and the We're In This Together single. The version on the We're In This Together single is several seconds longer than the previous release, without the abrupt ending.
The Perfect Drug (Meat Beat Manifesto)
Coming soon.
The Perfect Drug (Plug)
Coming soon.
The Perfect Drug (Nine Inch Nails)
Coming soon.
The Perfect Drug (Spacetime Continuum)
Coming soon.
The Perfect Drug (The Orb)
Coming soon
The Perfect Drug (Aphrodite)
This remix is exclusive to the vinyl edition of The Perfect Drug Versions. It's set in a defferent key than the other remixes and has a fast, techno beat. As with most of the other remixes, it's light on lyrics, consisting only of "can't keep control/can't keep track," "taking me," and "you are perfect."
Live
"The Perfect Drug" has never been played live.
Music Video
Mark Romanek, who also directed "Closer," directed "The Perfect Drug" in 1997. It was one of the most expensive videos at the time as the costs of building a refrigerated set, renting period costumes, and securing use of Gustav Klimt's The Kiss painting were all factors in the almost $1 million cost.
The concept of the video is widely interpreted as Trent Reznor portraying a man mourning the death of a child and detaching himself from reality through absinthe. Charlie Clouser, Danny Lohner, and Chris Vrenna appear in the video, most notably playing string instruments at the beginning of the video. The aesthetics were heavily influenced by the illustrations of 20th-century artist Edward Gorey (1925–2000), the most obvious reference coming from the boy sitting on the cushion in front of the painting.
The entire video was filmed with a blue tint with the exception of the drum breakdown, which uses flashing green light instead, representing Reznor losing himself in the absinthe.
Lyrics
I got my head, but my head is unraveling
Can't keep control, can't keep track of where it's traveling
I got my heart but my heart's no good
And you're the only one that's understood
I come along but I don't know where you're taking me
I shouldn't go but you're wrenching, dragging, shaking me
Turn off the sun, pull the stars from the sky
The more I give to you, the more I die
And I want you
You are the perfect drug
The perfect drug
The perfect drug
You make me hard when I'm all soft inside
I see the truth when I'm all stupid-eyed
The arrow goes straight through my heart
Without you everything just falls apart
My blood wants to say hello to you
My fears want to get inside of you
My soul is so afraid to realize
How very little there is left of me
And I want you
You are the perfect drug
The perfect drug
The perfect drug
Take me, with you
Without you
Without you everything falls apart
Without you it's not as much fun to pick up the pieces
The last line of the second verse has been the subject of some arguments over what is being said. Among the other possibilities:
how very little good is left of me
how every little word is lack of me
how every little bit is left of me