Into The Void (song)
Slipping Away
"Into The Void" is the second track on the Right side of the double album The Fragile. The track "Slipping Away" is an extended form of an earlier version of this song, and is included on the remix album Things Falling Apart.
Contents
Musical Themes
"Into The Void" is one of several songs on The Fragile that shares a melody with one or more other songs. "Into the Void" is a sister-track to "La Mer," also from The Fragile; both songs grew out of the same initial track and feature the same bass line and melody. "Into the Void" starts with a short gamelan-based intro. Lyrically, Trent Reznor laments over his failed attempts of self-preservation as he is sucked into a void of depravity, illustrated by the chorus, "tried to save myself, but myself keeps slipping away."
Song Credits
- Backing Vocals: Kim Prevost
- Drum Programming: Charlie Clouser
Appearances
Halos
- The Fragile
- Things Falling Apart
Soundtracks
- Final Destination
The song appeared on the soundtrack to the horror film Final Destination; the second line of the song ("Pictures in my head of the final destination") mirroring the title of the movie.
Versions
Into The Void
This is the original album version.
Into The Void (Edit)
Radio edit released on the Into The Void 2-track promo.
Slipping Away
This remix, on Things Falling Apart, contains many musical and rhythmic elements from "Into The Void," but the lyrics consist solely of the lines "I keep slipping away" and "Tried to save myself."
Song Credits
- Manipulation: Trent Reznor, Alan Moulder
Music Video
A music video was made for this song. Released on January 14, 2000, it was directed by Walter Stern and Jeff Richter. It features macrophotography, offering extreme close-up shots of Reznor until zooming out and revealing the entire band performing the song in a red room, with Reznor on keyboards. The band destroys the set at the end of the video.
An alternate version of this video has recently surfaced, directed entirely by Stern. The scenes of the band in the red room are gone and have been replaced by scenes of the band performing the song in an all-white room, with a woman seen in some of the shots of the band. This woman can also be seen in extreme close-up in some of the scenes in the first 2/3 of the video. There are also some extreme close-up shots used that didn't make it into the Stern/Richter version of the video. Intercut with the band scenes at the end are more extreme close-ups of Reznor.
Live
"Into The Void" was performed live several times on the Fragility tours, and began seeing regular rotation starting with the With Teeth: Summer Amphitheater Tour.
Lyrics
Tried to save myself but myself keeps slipping away
Talking to myself all the way to the station
Pictures in my head of the final destination
All lined up
(All the ones that aren’t allowed to stay)
Tried to save myself but myself keeps slipping away
Tried to save a place from the cuts and the scratches
Tried to overcome the complications and the catches
Nothing ever grows and the sun doesn’t shine all day
Tried to save myself but myself keeps slipping away
Tried to save myself but myself keeps slipping away