In the mid- to late-'80s Chris moved to Chicago, quickly becoming a part of the Chicago industrial music scene and briefly becoming a member of Die Warzau and Stabbing Westward.
He later reconnected with Trent Reznor, whom he met in the early 1980s, when they both were in Cleveland, Ohio's local band the Exotic Birds. Chris also toured as a live drummer for KMFDM during the Money era tours in 1992. He is currently recording under the name Tweaker, and has released two albums under that name, The Attraction To All Things Uncertain and 2 A.M. Wakeup Call. Tweaker toured select North American dates with Skinny Puppy in 2004.
As a producer, remixer, or engineer, Vrenna has worked for Rammstein, The Rasmus, U2, Weezer, P.O.D., David Bowie, Cold, Underwater, Scarling., The Smashing Pumpkins, Hole, Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, Green Day, The Wallflowers and the J-rock band Dir en grey. He has also worked with the underground industrial group Pigface, and produced songs and albums for underground groups TCR, Jack Off Jill, and Rasputina.
Vrenna has also worked on music for several video games, including Doom 3 (as producer with Clint Walsh), Quake 4, American McGee's Alice, Enter The Matrix, Sonic The Hedgehog, Area 51, and Need for Speed Most Wanted. In 2004 he started soundtrack work on Tabula Rasa, a massive multiplayer online game. He also helped compose the theme song to the animated series Xiaolin Showdown.
He can be seen performing in the music videos for the songs Gave Up, Wish, and March of the Pigs on the Nine Inch Nails video compilation Closure, and also makes a brief appearance in The Perfect Drug.
Vrenna won a Grammy award as a member of Nine Inch Nails for "Best Metal Performance" for Happiness in Slavery in 1995.
Vrenna was Billy Corgan's programmer for four months in 1997. While he was on tour with the Smashing Pumpkins, Vrenna got a call from Axl Rose, who invited Vrenna to spend time with Guns N' Roses. "I did for a couple weeks, but then decided I didn't want to join the band", said Vrenna.
Vrenna was chosen to take over the drumming responsibilities for Marilyn Manson after Ginger Fish was injured in 2004. He is currently the live drummer for Gnarls Barkley.
Ruby
Chris Vrenna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For sometimes I am ailing
And yet in steaming night I smile
To downplay this my failing
And make a noise to bury all
Of your weeping and your wailing
And then in bed by little light
I must try and bring a conscious end to night
And hope that dreams begin to fall
The color of my dreams, they would be you...ruby
Oh if I could close my eyes and bring you to me
Push your head into
Make you not you not you not you but me
And then in dreams I wander free
And see some things I'm meant to see
And sometimes even I see thee
And would the night go on and on
And not tomorrow end at dawn
And whatever mat I lay upon
Dissolve
The color of my dreams, if I had dreams, they would be you...ruby
Everything I do is done to bring you closer to me
When you sleep your breath it blows right on through me
The color of my dreams, if I had dreams, they would be you...ruby
The color of my dreams, they would be you...ruby
And illness be or wellness thrive
My dream proves I am yet alive
The lyrics of Chris Vrenna's "Ruby" express a sense of inner turmoil and longing for someone, who seems to be represented by the titular jewel. The persona reveals that while they may appear to be doing well on the outside, there are times when they are not, and they try to mask their struggles by creating noise or distraction. However, in the quiet moments, they are confronted with their own thoughts and try to will themselves to sleep, hoping that their dreams will bring some solace. It is in those dreams that they find respite and see the person they desire most, represented again by the color ruby. The persona is so desperate for this person that they express a desire to consume them, to push their own identity onto them and merge into one.
The song is a poignant depiction of the internal struggles that people face, often hidden from those around them, and the longing for connection and intimacy. The use of the color ruby throughout the song adds a layer of symbolism and metaphor that enhances the emotional impact. Ruby is a precious, rare gemstone that can represent love, passion, and desire, but it can also signify the blood and pain that often accompanies those emotions. The repeated refrain of "the color of my dreams, they would be you...ruby" emphasizes the intensity of the persona's longing and the idea that their dreams are the only place where they can truly find the connection they seek.
Line by Line Meaning
It isn't always I am well
I am not always in good health
For sometimes I am ailing
Sometimes I am sick
And yet in steaming night I smile
Even in the midst of a hot and stuffy night, I smile
To downplay this my failing
To make light of my illness
And make a noise to bury all
And create a distraction to cover up the sound of your crying and wailing
Of your weeping and your wailing
Of the sound of you crying and wailing
And then in bed by little light
And then lying in bed with only a small amount of light
And closed off from it all
And isolated from the world around me
I must try and bring a conscious end to night
I must try to actively fall asleep and end the night
And hope that dreams begin to fall
And hope that I start dreaming
The color of my dreams, they would be you...ruby
You are the predominant subject of my dreams and your color would be ruby
Oh if I could close my eyes and bring you to me
If only I could physically bring you to me by closing my eyes
Push your head into
Press your head against mine
Make you not you not you not you but me
Merge ourselves together so that we are one and not separate individuals
And then in dreams I wander free
In my dreams, I am free to go wherever I please
And see some things I'm meant to see
And sometimes I see visions that are meant for me to see
And sometimes even I see thee
And sometimes I even see you in my dreams
And would the night go on and on
And if the night were to continue indefinitely
And not tomorrow end at dawn
And tomorrow never came and the night never turned to day
And whatever mat I lay upon
And no matter what I lay on
Dissolve
Everything around me would disappear and dissolve
Everything I do is done to bring you closer to me
Everything I do is an attempt to get closer to you
When you sleep your breath it blows right on through me
When you sleep, I feel your breath on me as if it's blowing through me
The color of my dreams, if I had dreams, they would be you...ruby
If I were to have dreams, you would be the subject and your color would be ruby
And illness be or wellness thrive
Whether I am sick or healthy
My dream proves I am yet alive
The fact that I am able to dream proves that I am still alive
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: HEINZ ROEMHELD, MITCHELL PARISH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sean S
Love this song.
SlAve2urPaiN
Ugh this song it does something to me that most music can't . . Can't shake it
Janice Scott
i do wish Vrenna would do something new, following on from 2am WakeUp Call and The Attraction To All Things Uncertain - the collaborations with people like Bonnie Prince Billy on this Ruby track (and also the Happy Child song) were particularly wonderful. Favourite was the David Sylvian "Linoleum" track of TATATU though :)
Emily Wilson
Perfection🔥🖤
Bella de Jac
Does anyone know where I could buy this version of the song (online)? I can't find it on iTunes at all.
GA R
Bonnie prince Billy has a version of this song on his album: no more workhorse blues. The version on that album is similar but much better than this one, in my opinion
Shatter Tail
awesome
pathogen b
and see some things I'm meant to be.
Alec Isely
Chris Vrenna fans check out my newest film called " Chris Vrenna: In the life" done only a few months ago. Check it out, he's got some GREAT stories.
religiousdad23
owie. i remember the first time i heard this as a kiddd