Head Like a Hole
"Head Like a Hole" | ||||
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Single by Nine Inch Nails | ||||
from the album Pretty Hate Machine | ||||
Released | March 22, 1990 | |||
Recorded | 1989 | |||
Genre |
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Length | 5:00 | |||
Label | TVT | |||
Songwriter(s) | Trent Reznor | |||
Producer(s) |
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Nine Inch Nails singles chronology | ||||
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Halo numbers chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
![]() International cover | ||||
Music video | ||||
"Head Like a Hole" on YouTube |
"Head Like a Hole" is a song by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released as the second single from the group's debut album, Pretty Hate Machine. It enjoyed heavy rotation on the radio at the time of its release, eventually reaching number 9 on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.
It has been covered by several artists, including Devo, AFI, Buckcherry and Korn. The song was rewritten as "On a Roll" (performed by Miley Cyrus in character as Ashley O) for the Black Mirror episode "Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too".
Recording
Music and lyrics
"Head Like a Hole" has been classified as an
Although one of the more rock-oriented tracks on the album, many elements of electronic and dance music are still featured. The lyrical contents deal with themes of betrayal and angst, consistent with the rest of the album.The chords of this song are similar to the project's debut single, "Down in It". In contrast to "Down in It", "Head Like a Hole" has a longer intro, lasts roughly one minute longer (the song is five minutes long in its aggregate length), is heavy metal music-oriented, and has no rapping.[3] "Head Like a Hole" is also the opening track on Nine Inch Nails' 1989 debut album, and is one of the two Nine Inch Nails songs produced by Flood to appear on Pretty Hate Machine.[8]
Release and reception
Labeled as "
A three-track version of this single was released in the UK containing "Head Like a Hole (Opal)" which is not included on the US release. This version begins with a sample of "Tamborine" by Prince, taken from his 1985 album Around the World in a Day and incorporates a drum loop sampled from "Release It" taken from another Prince record, the soundtrack to the Prince-directed movie Graffiti Bridge (1990).[citation needed] The saxophone in "Release It" can be heard before the drum loop begins. "Head Like a Hole (Copper)" samples the looping drum beat from "Body Language", a track off of the Hot Space (1982) album by Queen.[citation needed] The first track is mistakenly listed as "Head Like a Hole (Slate)" on the CD.[1] "Down in It (Shred)" and "Down in It (Singe)" were previously released on the "Down in It" single; the latter track is extended by 18 seconds. The unlisted eleventh track is host Heather Day yelling "Let's hear it for Nine Inch Nails! Woo! They're good!" This is a sample from Dance Party USA during an appearance by the band on the show.
"Head Like a Hole" was re-issued as a single in Australia in 1995, where it peaked at #57 on the ARIA singles chart and spent 7 weeks in the top 100.[10]
The 11-track United States version of "Head Like a Hole" has recently been repackaged and re-released. This version was also released in the United Kingdom, where it failed to reach the Top 40[11] Finally, in Germany, the single was released as "You Get What You Deserve". This release includes four tracks.
In a retrospective review of the song,
The single was included in the 2015 Record Store Day–Black Friday exclusive box set, Halo I–IV.[14][15]
In 2020, Kerrang and Billboard ranked the song number eight and number two, respectively, on their lists of the greatest Nine Inch Nails songs.[16][17]
Music video
A
The video was filmed at the original location of Exit nightclub which was located at 1653 North Wells Street in Chicago.[19]
The video begins with
Reznor's guitar in the video is a
There are images that are shown for a few frames like "
Live performances
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Trent_Reznor_Lollapalooza_1991.jpg/220px-Trent_Reznor_Lollapalooza_1991.jpg)
The song has been the encore for most NIN shows (especially the
During Lollapalooza '91, Dave Navarro, Eric Avery, Gibby Haynes and Ice-T joined Nine Inch Nails live performances on-stage as additional guitarists for "Head Like a Hole;" except for the first show in Phoenix, AZ when NIN walked off stage after the first song in frustration.[21]
For the
Legacy
Since its commercial maxi-single release, "Head Like a Hole" continues to generate an impact on other musicians and bands. PopMatters ranked the track 37th on their list of "The 100 Greatest Alternative Singles of the ‘80s".[6]
Cover versions
"Head Like a Hole" is the most widely covered Nine Inch Nails song.[
In popular culture
The song was featured on the soundtrack of the 1990 film Class of 1999.
The song was remixed and rewritten by Charlie Brooker with Reznor's approval as the pop song "On a Roll" for the fifth series episode "Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too" of Black Mirror.[32][33] The song was released as a single on June 14, 2019. At the end of the episode, Cyrus performed a cover version of "Head Like a Hole".
The video appears in the first episode of
The song was used in the television advertising campaign for the action video game Gears of War 5.[citation needed]
It was remixed for the trailer for the film The Beekeeper. [citation needed]
Controversy
"Head Like a Hole" was part of a
Track listing
US version
No. | Title | Remixer | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Head Like a Hole" (Slate) | Flood | 4:19 |
2. | "Head Like a Hole" (Clay) | Keith LeBlanc | 4:32 |
3. | "Terrible Lie" (Sympathetic Mix) | Reznor, Flood | 4:27 |
4. | "Head Like a Hole" (Copper) | Reznor, Flood | 6:27 |
5. | "You Know Who You Are" (Instrumental Dub mix of "Head Like a Hole") | Reznor, Flood | 5:39 |
6. | "Head Like a Hole" (Soil) | Reznor, Flood | 6:39 |
7. | "Terrible Lie" (Empathetic Mix) | Reznor, Flood | 6:09 |
8. | "Down in It" (Shred) | Adrian Sherwood, LeBlanc | 6:52 |
9. | "Down in It" (Singe) | Sherwood, LeBlanc | 7:20 |
10. | "Down in It" (Demo) | Reznor | 3:56 |
11. | "Untitled" (hidden track) | 0:03 | |
Total length: | 55:14 |
UK version
No. | Title | Remixer | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Head Like a Hole" (Clay) | LeBlanc | 4:32 |
2. | "Head Like a Hole" (Copper) | Reznor, Flood | 6:27 |
3. | "Head Like a Hole" (Opal) | Reznor, Flood | 5:17 |
Total length: | 16:14 |
Australian version
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Head Like a Hole" (Slate) | 4:19 |
2. | "Terrible Lie" (Sympathetic Mix) | 4:30 |
3. | "Head Like a Hole" (Opal) | 5:21 |
Total length: | 14:05 |
"You Get What You Deserve" German promo
No. | Title | Remixer | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Head Like a Hole" (Copper) | Reznor, Flood | 6:27 |
2. | "Down in It" (Shred) | Sherwood, LeBlanc | 6:52 |
3. | "Terrible Lie" (Sympathetic Mix) | Reznor, Flood | 4:27 |
4. | "Head Like a Hole" (Clay) | LeBlanc | 4:32 |
Total length: | 22:22 |
Releases
- TVT Records TVT 2614 – US 12" Vinyl
- TVT Records TVT 2615-2 – US CD
- Island Records 12 IS 484 878 893-1 – UK 12" Vinyl
- Island Records CID 482 878 893-2 – UK CD
- Island Records 663 875 – German promo CD
Rock Band 3
It was made available to download on March 1, 2011, for use in the Rock Band 3 music gaming platform in both Basic rhythm, and PRO mode which utilizes real guitar / bass guitar, and MIDI compatible electronic drum kits / keyboards in addition to vocals.
Charts
Weekly charts
Chart (1990–1991) | Peak position |
---|---|
45 | |
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[36] | 28 |
Chart (1995) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[37] | 57 |
Year-end charts
Chart (2001) | Position |
---|---|
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[38] | 169 |
References
- ^ a b c Head Like a Hole (Maxi) (TVT Records, March 22, 1990) liner notes and artwork
- ^ Grow, Kory (2019-10-20). "Why Nine Inch Nails' 'Head Like a Hole' Is Still the Anti-Anthem for Our Times". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
- ^ a b "Getting Down in It". Alternative Press. No. 27. March 1990.
- ^ Trent Reznor on ‘Watchmen’ Soundtrack, Nine Inch Nails’ ‘Pretty Hate Machine’ Turning 30
- ^ Hogan, Mark (March 5, 2013). "Nine Inch Nails Meet Carly Rae Jepsen in Insane Mashup 'Call Me a Hole'". Spin. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
- ^ a b Gerard, Chris (October 1, 2015). "The 100 Greatest Alternative Singles of the '80s". PopMatters. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
- ^ Gold, Jonathan and David Kendrick (April 19, 1992). "POP MUSIC : It's the Industrial Evolution : Is it the most fundamental change since punk rock? The wail of a doomed generation? Some call it death disco, or just noise music. But after 15 years, it's an overnight success". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
- ^ Pretty Hate Machine (TVT Records, October 23, 1989) booklet; liner notes
- ^ Billboard.com "Artist History"
- ^ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 09 Jul 1995". ARIA. Retrieved 2016-03-04.
- ^ "The Official Charts Company - Nine Inch Nails". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2007-09-28.
- ^ allmusic
- ^ Reamer, David. "Head Like a Hole AllMusic Review". allmusic.com. AllMusic. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
- Consequence of Sound. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
- ^ Grebey, James (October 28, 2015). "Nine Inch Nails to Release Vinyl Box Set, 'Halo I-IV,' for Record Store Day Black Friday". Spin. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
- ^ Law, Sam (August 7, 2020). "The 20 greatest Nine Inch Nails songs – ranked". Kerrang. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ Unterberger, Andrew (November 5, 2020). "The 25 Best Nine Inch Nails Songs: Staff Picks". Billboard. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ a b c Head Like a Hole at Everything2.com
- ^ Ryan, Kyle (August 27, 2015). ""Head Like A Hole" captured the dangerous allure of Nine Inch Nails". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ^ Beside You in Time track listing Archived 2008-02-17 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Navarro, Dave (2006-10-04). "Nine Inch Nails — Head Like a Hole (Lollapalooza 1991)". 6767.com. Archived from the original on 2007-01-03. Retrieved 2007-02-10.
- ^ Kaye, Don (September 1996). "Nailed! Trent's Posse Pound New York". Kerrang!. The NIN Hotline (archive). Archived from the original (transcription) on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-02-10.
- ^ "Live Radio Performances". nin.com. Archived from the original on 2007-02-24. Retrieved 2007-02-10.
- ^ Heath, Chris (April 1995). "The Art of Darkness". Details. Painful Convictions (archive). Archived from the original (transcription) on 2007-03-27. Retrieved 2007-06-04.
Rumours that have circulated about him... that he dated Kennedy ("She's just a friend"- they met at the Whiskey in L.A., after Kennedy humiliated him by singing "Head Like a Hole" loudly to his face to win a twenty-dollar bet with a buddy.)
- ^ Blackwell, Mark (February 1997). "Ninechnails" (transcription). Ray Gun. Painful Convictions (archive). Retrieved 2007-06-04.
- YouTube. April 13, 2007. Retrieved May 20, 2011.
- ^ Gamboa, Glenn (Sep 7, 2006). "Since 'Supernova,' Star's rise is meteoric". Newsday.
- ^ Supercop (Interscope Records, July 30, 1996).
- ^ "Don't Touch the Flame" single
- ^ Billboard
- consequence.net.
- Pitchfork. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
- ^ Colburn, Randall (June 5, 2019). "Watch Miley Cyrus' Trent Reznor-approved 'Head Like A Hole' cover from Black Mirror". news.avclub.com.
- ^ Wishnia, Steven (2001-10-24). "Bad Transmission: Clear Channel's Hit List". LiP magazine. Archived from the original on 2008-04-16. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
- ^ "Nine Inch Nails: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
- ^ "Nine Inch Nails Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 203.
- ^ "Canada's Top 200 Singles of 2001". Jam!. Archived from the original on July 26, 2002. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
External links
- "Head Like a Hole" music video on YouTube
- halo three at nin.com, the official website
- Head Like a Hole at the NinWiki
- halo three at NIN Collector