Cover Songs
This is a list of songs covered by Nine Inch Nails, or Trent Reznor in another capacity.
Studio Covers
| Track | Original Artist | Appearances | Release year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Get Down, Make Love | Queen | Sin, Pretty Hate Machine (Remaster) | 1990 | |
| Suck | Pigface | Broken | 1992 | Reznor performed and co-wrote the Pigface version |
| Physical | Adam And The Ants | Broken | 1992 | Song is also known as "Physical (You're So)" on the Adam And The Ants version |
| Memorabilia | Soft Cell | Closer To God, The Downward Spiral Deluxe | 1994 | |
| Dead Souls | Joy Division | The Crow Soundtrack, The Downward Spiral Deluxe, The Downward Spiral (Japanese Edition) | 1994 | |
| Metal | Gary Numan | Things Falling Apart | 2000 | The extended instrumental outro uses elements from other Numan tracks, "M.E." and "Remember I Was Vapour" |
| Zoo Station | U2 | AHK-toong BAY-bi Covered | 2011 | The only NIN cover not available on a NIN release |
Live Covers
| Track | Original Artist | Year first performed | Performed with original artist? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex Dwarf | Soft Cell | 1989 | No | A studio version was being worked on, but never released |
| Red Scab | Adam Ant | 1995 | Yes | |
| Beat My Guest | Adam And The Ants | 1995 | Yes | |
| Hallo Spaceboy | David Bowie | 1995 | Yes | |
| Scary Monsters | David Bowie | 1995 | Yes | |
| Subterraneans | David Bowie | 1995 | Yes | When performed on the Cold And Black And Infinite Tour, lyrics from "God Break Down The Door" and "Over And Out" were interspersed with the song |
| Animal | Prick | 1996 | Partially, Kevin McMahon plays guitar | |
| Tough | Prick | 1996 | Partially, Kevin McMahon plays guitar | |
| R.S.V.P. | Pop Will Eat Itself | 1996 | Partially, Clint Mansell on guest vocals | |
| Wise Up! Sucker | Pop Will Eat Itself | 1996 | Partially, Clint Mansell on guest vocals | |
| The Beautiful People | Marilyn Manson | 2000 | Yes | Reznor produced Antichrist Superstar, which this track originally appears on |
| African Student Movement | Saul Williams | 2005 | Yes | |
| List Of Demands | Saul Williams | 2005 | Yes | |
| Sanity Assassin | Bauhaus | 2006 | Partially, Peter Murphy on guest vocals | Part of With Teeth: Summer Tour 2006 Radio Collaboration |
| Dreams | TV On The Radio | 2006 | Yes | Part of With Teeth: Summer Tour 2006 Radio Collaboration |
| Final Solution | Pere Ubu | 2006 | No | Part of With Teeth: Summer Tour 2006 Radio Collaboration |
| Bela Lugosi's Dead | Bauhaus | 2006 | Partially, Peter Murphy on guest vocals | Part of With Teeth: Summer Tour 2006 Radio Collaboration |
| Warm Leatherette | The Normal | 2006 | No | Part of With Teeth: Summer Tour 2006 Radio Collaboration |
| A Strange Kind Of Love | Peter Murphy | 2006 | Yes | Part of With Teeth: Summer Tour 2006 Radio Collaboration |
| Nightclubbing | Iggy Pop | 2006 | No | Part of With Teeth: Summer Tour 2006 Radio Collaboration. NIN sampled the original of this song for "Closer". |
| Twenty Four Hours | Joy Division | 2006 | No | Part of With Teeth: Summer Tour 2006 Radio Collaboration |
| Warsaw | Joy Division | 2006 | No | Part of With Teeth: Summer Tour 2006 Radio Collaboration |
| Atmosphere | Joy Division | 2006 | No | Part of With Teeth: Summer Tour 2006 Radio Collaboration |
| I'm Afraid Of Americans | David Bowie | 2009 | No | Reznor features in the music video and multiple remixes and versions |
| Banged And Blown Through | Saul Williams | 2009 | Yes | Reznor produced and appeared on The Inevitable Rise And Liberation Of NiggyTardust!, which this track originally appears on |
| Cars | Gary Numan | 2009 | Yes | |
| Kick In The Eye | Bauhaus | 2009 | Partially, Peter Murphy on guest vocals | |
| I Die: You Die | Gary Numan | 2009 | Yes | |
| Love Like Anthrax | Gang Of Four | 2009 | No | |
| Down In The Park | Tubeway Army | 2009 | Yes | Reznor also produced Marilyn Manson's cover of the song in 1995, featured on the single for "Lunchbox" |
| What If We Could? | Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross | 2013 | Yes | |
| We Take Mystery (To Bed) | Gary Numan | 2013 | Yes | Pino Palladino, who was NIN's bassist for this tour, played on the original version of this track |
| Hand Covers Bruise | Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross | 2014 | Yes | |
| BBB | How To Destroy Angels | 2014 | Yes | Reznor is also a member of HTDA |
| Ice Age | How To Destroy Angels | 2014 | Yes | Reznor is also a member of HTDA |
| On The Wing | How To Destroy Angels | 2014 | Yes | Reznor is also a member of HTDA |
| Parasite | How To Destroy Angels | 2014 | Yes | Reznor is also a member of HTDA |
| I Can't Give Everything Away | David Bowie | 2017 | No | NIN performed the "Farwell Mix" of the song, a remix made by Reznor and Atticus Ross |
| The Loop Closes | How To Destroy Angels | 2017 | No | Reznor and Ross are also members of HTDA |
| Digital | Joy Division | 2018 | No | |
| Welcome Oblivion | How To Destroy Angels | 2018 | Yes | Reznor and Ross are also members of HTDA |
| A Drowning | How To Destroy Angels | 2018 | Yes | Reznor and Ross are also members of HTDA |
| Greensleeves | Unknown, attributed to King Henry VIII of England | 2018 | No | This was performed instrumentally by Mike Garson, and flowed directly into "Just Like You Imagined" |
| Fashion | David Bowie | 2022 | No |
Covers outside of NIN
| Track | Original Artist | Performing Artist | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Der Kommissar | Falco | Option 30 | 1983 | Covered in English |
| Eyes Without A Face | Billy Idol | The Urge | Mid-1980s | Live performance [1] |
| Supernaut | Black Sabbath | 1000 Homo DJs | 1989 | Reznor on guest vocals, there are also versions of this song by the band without Reznor |
| Sunday Bloody Sunday | U2 | Saul Williams | 2007 | Reznor and Ross credited musically and for production |
| Kick Out The Jams | MC5 | Street Sweeper Social Club | 2009 | Reznor guests live on vocals |
| In The Hall Of The Mountain King | Edvard Grieg | Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross | 2010 | Recorded for The Social Network Soundtrack |
| Immigrant Song | Led Zeppelin | Karen O with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross | 2011 | Recorded for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Soundtrack |
| Is Your Love Strong Enough? | Bryan Ferry | How To Destroy Angels | 2011 | Recorded for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Soundtrack |
| John Carpenter's Halloween | John Carpenter | Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross | 2017 | |
| Life On Mars? | David Bowie | Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross | 2019 | Recorded for Watchmen (Music From The HBO Series) |
| Fantastic Voyage | David Bowie | Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross w/ The Alumni Band | 2021 | Performed for A Bowie Celebration: Just For One Day! |
| Fashion | David Bowie | Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Mariqueen Maandig w/ The Alumni Band | 2021 | Performed for A Bowie Celebration: Just For One Day! |
Notes
- NIN has covered How To Destroy Angels seven times thus far. Considering that Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are both studio members of the band, and Alessandro Cortini is a live member of both bands, this is not surprising.
- NIN/Reznor has covered David Bowie seven times, the most for any non-related artist.
- "Suck" is frequently debated as a cover song, as Reznor both co-wrote and appeared on the original release.
- Contrary to popular belief, NIN has never covered "Supernaut".
- And All That Could Have Been's DVD release comes with bonus footage of NIN covering "The Beautiful People" with Marilyn Manson.
- Closure's digital download comes with footage of the unreleased "Sex Dwarf" studio sessions.
- The version of "Reptile" performed by Peter Murphy and NIN during the 2006 Radio Collaboration incorporates elements of Love And Rockets' "Haunted When The Minutes Drag".
External Links
- NINlive fan recording hub, with recordings of all live covers available
Official live recordings
- "A Strange Kind of Love" live 6.23.06. Trent Reznor, Peter Murphy, Atticus Ross, Jeordie White
- "Nightclubbing" live 6.23.06. Trent Reznor, Peter Murphy, Atticus Ross, Jeordie White
- "Warm Leatherette" live 6.23.06. Trent Reznor, Peter Murphy, Atticus Ross, Jeordie White
- NIN: "I'm Afraid of Americans" live from on stage in Toronto, 6.02.09
- Street Sweeper SC w/Trent Reznor - "Kick Out The Jams" live
- NIN: "Banged & Blown Through" live w/Saul Williams 5.10.09
- NIN: "Cars" with Gary Numan, London 7.15.09
- NIN: "Metal" with Gary Numan, London 7.15.09
- Nine Inch Nails with Gary Numan - "Metal" Live 6.16.18