Reznor recorded the band's debut album, Pretty Hate Machine (1989), while working overnight as a janitor at a Cleveland recording studio. After feuding with the label TVT Records about promotion, Reznor signed with Interscope Records and released the EP Broken (1992). The following albums, The Downward Spiral (1994) and The Fragile (1999), were released to critical acclaim and commercial success.
Reznor chose the name "Nine Inch Nails" because it "abbreviated easily" rather than for "any literal meaning". Other rumored explanations have circulated, alleging that Reznor chose to reference Jesus' crucifixion with nine-inch spikes, or Freddy Krueger's nine-inch fingernails. The English letters NIN are also noted for their resemblance to the modern Hebrew characters of the Tetragrammaton. The Nine Inch Nails logo first appeared on the music video for their debut single, "Down in It". The logo was designed by Reznor and Gary Talpas, inspired by Tibor Kalman's typography on the Talking Heads album Remain in Light. Talpas, a native of Cleveland, continued to design Nine Inch Nails packaging until 1997.
Following a hiatus, Nine Inch Nails resumed touring in 2005 and released their fourth album, With Teeth (2005). Following the release of Year Zero (2007), Reznor left Interscope after a feud. Nine Inch Nails continued touring and independently released Ghosts I–IV (2008) and The Slip (2008) before a second hiatus. Their eighth album, Hesitation Marks (2013), was followed by a trilogy consisting of the EPs Not the Actual Events (2016) and Add Violence (2017) and their ninth album Bad Witch (2018). In 2020, Nine Inch Nails released two further installments in the Ghosts series, Ghosts V: Together and Ghosts VI: Locusts.
Reznor and Ross typically assemble a live band to perform with them. Not including sporadic band hiatuses, the band has varied over the decades, with the most recent lineup consisting of Robin Finck (initially joined in 1994), Alessandro Cortini (initially joined in 2005), and Ilan Rubin (initially joined in 2009). Nine Inch Nails concerts since 2005 often employ thematic visual elements, extensive use of special effects, and elaborate light shows; songs are often rearranged for performance, and elements of songs that are not scheduled to be performed in their entirety are occasionally assimilated into other songs.
Nine Inch Nails have sold over 20 million records and have been nominated for 13 Grammy Awards, winning for the songs "Wish" (1992) and "Happiness in Slavery" (1996). In 1997, Time named Reznor one of the most influential people, and Spin has described him as "the most vital artist in music". In 2004, Rolling Stone placed Nine Inch Nails at No. 94 on its list of the 100 greatest artists of all time. They were nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 (their first year of eligibility), nominated again in 2015, and were inducted in 2020.
Nine Inch Nails has issued eight major albums, which have generally received both critical and commercial acclaim. Historically, NIN releases have been assigned a "Halo" index number. For example, the album 'With Teeth' is also known as Halo 19. With the inclusion of the 'Broken' EP, the band's primary releases are:
1. 'Pretty Hate Machine' (1989)
2. 'Broken' EP (1992)
3. 'The Downward Spiral' (1994)
4. 'The Fragile (Left)' / ''The Fragile (Right)' (1999)
5. 'With Teeth' (2005)
6. 'Year Zero' (2007)
7. 'Ghosts I-IV' (2008)
8. 'The Slip' (2008)
9. 'Hesitation Marks' (2013)
10. 'Not the Actual Events' EP (2016)
11. 'Add Violence' EP (2017)
12. 'Bad Witch' (2018)
13. 'Ghosts V: Together' (2020)
14. 'Ghosts VI: Locusts' (2020)
Nine Inch Nails has also produced a number of EP's, remixes, and provided contributions to various movie soundtracks, including 'Lara Croft: Tomb Raider', 'The Crow', 'Natural Born Killers', 'Lost Highway', and 'Tetsuo: The Bullet Man'. Trent Reznor additionally provided the soundtrack for the massively popular id Software game Quake, a release inspired by ambient music. His team up with Atticus Ross resulted in the critically praised soundtrack to the film 'The Social Network', with the Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross duo winning an Oscar for Best Original Score at the 83rd Academy Awards
In 2002, a live album (their second live release, the first being the video 'Closure Documentary') entitled 'And All That Could Have Been' was released on DVD & CD. The Deluxe version of the CD came packaged with a mini album called 'Still'. That release featured several previously released songs in a stripped down, near-acoustic format along with several other new compositions.
Nine Inch Nails as a live band is generally understood to be a separate entity from its recording studio-based component. Occasionally, past band members are invited to participate in the process when not directly involved with recording new material, Nine Inch Nails' lineup tends to change drastically between major tours. Aside from Trent Reznor remaining on lead vocals, nothing about the live band has remained constant since its inception. Reznor cited the long gestation period between studio albums as part of the reason for these frequent personnel changes.
Beginning in late 2005, the live band featured Aaron North on guitar, Jeordie White on bass guitar, Alessandro Cortini on keyboards, and Josh Freese on drums, though all occasionally performed with different instruments. This lineup toured Europe, Asia, Australia, and America through 2007. Trent Reznor reported that he would disband the "rock band configuration" of his touring lineup after their concert in Honolulu, Hawaii on September 18, 2007, and would explore other means to perform Nine Inch Nails material on subsequent tours. Despite this claim he has regained the rock group lineup for the 'Lights In The Sky Over...' tours with Robin Finck returning on guitar and Justin Meldal-Johnsen of Beck and other projects accompanying Cortini and Freese.
Past live band members include (listed chronologically):
* Ron Musarra: Drums, Samplers
* Chris Vrenna: Keyboards, Samplers, Drums
* Richard Patrick: Guitar
* Jeff Ward: Drums
* David Haymes: Keyboards
* Nick Rushe: Keyboards
* Lee Mars: Keyboards
* James Woolley: Keyboards
* Robin Finck: Guitar, Synthesizer
* Danny Lohner: Bass, Guitar, Synthesizer
* Charlie Clouser: Synthesizer, Drums on 5 songs during the Dissonance side of David Bowie's Outside tour, Theremin
* Sean Beavan: Soundboard, Backing vocals on 5 songs
* Jerome Dillon: Drums
* Alex Carapetis: Drums
* Ilan Rubin: Drums
The September 14, 2007 edition of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported that the September 18 show in Honolulu, Hawaii would be the last performance of the current incarnation of the Nine Inch Nails live band. Trent Reznor was quoted as stating, "at this point, I want to switch things around a bit. Nine Inch Nails as a rock band configuration, we've done it and we've done it again. I see other ways I can present the material in concert, more challenging, something new. I don't want it to go stale."
A DVD/Blu-Ray/HD-DVD of live material from the 2006 With Teeth tour was released in late February 2007 entitled Nine Inch Nails Live: Beside You In Time. All three formats include 24 songs from the summer and winter 2006 tours, plus bonus material.
Information about Nine Inch Nails concerts can be found on the NIN website.
Ghosts I-IV was released on March 2, 2008. It contains 36 instrumental tracks and was recorded in ten weeks of fall 2007. Initially intended to be a five-track EP, the album is presented in the form of four nine-track EPs. The tracks do not have names, and are only identified by their track listing and position on the EPs. Ghosts I-IV also adds to the recent experimentation with digital distribution; the album is available in many different ways, including a digital download, for purchase or (partially) free, a CD set, and a deluxe edition set.
The eighth album called "The Slip" was officially released on May 5, 2008. The whole album can be downloaded for free from this website: Nine Inch Nails - The Slip
On February 16th 2009, Trent announced that he would begin his last tour. Nine Inch Nails would indefinitely end. However, it is not likely that this is the end of his music career. In his letter, he hinted that he may do something with Jane's Addiction. In addition, Reznor has said outright in an interview on the official website that he is not done making music as Nine Inch Nails, but that he is done touring.
Trivia:
* Trent Reznor has worked with several big names in musical collaboration outside of NIN in recent years, including time rocker artist David Bowie, Maynard James Keenan of Tool, Zach de La Rocha of Rage Against the Machine, Peter Murphy of Bauhaus, Josh Wink, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, slam poet Saul Williams, hip-hop producer Puff Daddy & The Family, Peter Gabriel, Henry Rollins and more recently, hip-hop producer El-P and Queens of the Stone Age.
* Contrary to popular belief, Suck is technically a cover and not an original. The song was originally performed by the band Pigface on the album Gub (1991), a band which Trent worked with in the past. Trent is given vocal and writing credits and the song was later re-recorded for the Broken EP (1992) as a hidden track .
* Legendary country star Johnny Cash covered Hurt on the album The Man Comes Around.
* NIN along with Marilyn Manson, Maynard James Keenan, Phil Anselmo and other artists worked together to produce the Tapeworm Project, a side project that existed from the mid-1990s through to 2004.
Please
Nine Inch Nails Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Push it away but it all comes back again
All the flesh, all the sin
There was a time when it used to mean just about everything
Just like now
Just like now
Time starts slowing down (time starts slowing down)
Sink until I drown (sink until)
Please, I don't ever want to make it stop
And it keeps repeating
Will you please complete me?
Never be enough
To fill me up
Never be enough
To fill me up
Never be enough
To fill me up
Never be enough
To fill me up
Watch the white turn to red
It fills up the hole but it grows somewhere else instead
All my life yeah yeah yeah yeah, but it just left me dead
The world is over and I realize it was all in my head
Now everything is clear (everything is clear)
I erase the fear (I erase the fear)
I can disappear (I can disappear)
Please, I don't ever want to make it stop
You can never leave me
Will you please complete me
Never be enough
To fill me up
Never be enough
To fill me up
Never be enough
To fill me up
Never be enough
To fill me up
Never be enough
To fill me up
Never be enough
To fill me up
Never be enough
To fill me up
Never be enough
To fill me up
In "Please," Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor sings about a desperation to be completed by someone else. The singer tries to push away their flesh and sin, but they keep coming back, as they realize that these things used to be the meaning of their life. However, they cannot get enough of it or find satisfaction in it, so they ask for someone to complete them. The chorus "Never be enough to fill me up" highlights the emptiness the singer feels inside, as they're searching for something to fill the void, but they can never find what they're looking for.
The song continues with the singer watching "the white turn to red," which seems to be a metaphor for the changing emotions they're experiencing. They feel like they're filling a hole, but it's just growing somewhere else, and they're left feeling dead. However, towards the end of the song, the singer thinks they may have found a solution. They claim that everything is clear now, as they erase their fear and can disappear. They ask again for someone to complete them, so they won't have to make it stop and be alone.
The theme of the song sees Reznor addressing similar feelings about inadequacy and lack of fulfillment, as heard in many of his other songs. "Please" is raw and very vulnerable, with Trent's vocals showing the pain the singer is feeling. The powerful lyrics, combined with Reznor's haunting voice, create an emotional piece that resonates with listeners struggling in tough times.
Line by Line Meaning
This is how it begins
The song is about a cycle of addiction and the beginning of that cycle.
Push it away but it all comes back again
Even when trying to resist addiction, the temptation always returns.
All the flesh, all the sin
The addiction involves indulging in sinful behaviors like lust and gluttony.
There was a time when it used to mean just about everything
At one point, the addiction was the focus of the artist's life.
Just like now
Just like now
The addiction still holds great power over the artist's life.
Breathe, echoing the sound (echoing the sound)
The singer is trying to calm themselves down by focusing on their breathing.
Time starts slowing down (time starts slowing down)
The addiction slows down time and makes it feel like it is dragging on forever.
Sink until I drown (sink until)
The addiction is drowning the artist and taking over their life.
Please, I don't ever want to make it stop
The artist is begging for the addiction to continue, despite the harm it is causing.
And it keeps repeating
The addiction is a never-ending cycle.
Will you please complete me?
The singer is looking for the addiction to fill a void in their life.
Never be enough
To fill me up
The addiction will never satisfy the artist's cravings.
Watch the white turn to red
The singer is likely referring to drugs, as the white substance turns to red blood when injected or swallowed.
It fills up the hole but it grows somewhere else instead
The addiction may fill a void temporarily, but it creates new problems in other areas of the singer's life.
All my life yeah yeah yeah yeah, but it just left me dead
The addiction has been a long-standing problem in the singer's life and has left them feeling empty and lifeless.
The world is over and I realize it was all in my head
The addiction has consumed the artist's life to the point where they cannot see beyond it, but now they realize it was all in their mind.
Now everything is clear (everything is clear)
The artist has finally gained clarity about their addiction and the harm it has caused.
I erase the fear (I erase the fear)
The singer is overcoming their fear of life without the addiction.
I can disappear (I can disappear)
The singer is considering leaving their life behind, perhaps to start fresh without the addiction.
Please, I don't ever want to make it stop
The temptation of the addiction is still present and the artist is still begging for it to continue.
You can never leave me
The addiction feels like a constant companion that cannot be escaped.
Will you please complete me
The artist is still looking for the addiction to fill a void in their life.
Never be enough
To fill me up
Even though the singer now understands the harm the addiction has caused, they know it will never satisfy them.
Never be enough
To fill me up
The addiction will never be enough to fulfill the artist's desires and cravings.
Never be enough
To fill me up
The addiction will never be enough to give the singer a sense of fulfillment.
Never be enough
To fill me up
The addiction will never be enough to satisfy the singer's cravings for a fulfilling life.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Trent Reznor
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
SabrinaOnlineFan96
on Hurt
This is the most depressing song ever. I listened to this a lot back in November-December 2022.
SabrinaOnlineFan96
on Eraser
This song is so intense. It sounds like music from a horror movie. I love the Dissonance Tour version, but I don't like the Polite version, as it just sounds like one of those easy listening tracks. This song has gory vibes.
DrJKintobor
on Driver Down
I have a theory that this song is the instrumental for "Just Do It", the lost song from TDS that was scrapped for "promoting suicide".
DrJKintobor
on Heresy
I'm really resisting the urge to make a Warhammer 40k joke.
DrJKintobor
on Mr. Self Destruct
This song reminds me of Fleetway Super Sonic (if you don't know, the Fleetway Sonic Comics have Super Sonic as an evil split personality of Sonic)
Mohin Kann
on Closer
Moien
Antoinette Alvarez
on Something I Can Never Have
This song is sooo beautiful ♡
Antoinette Alvarez
on Sanctified
♡
Antoinette Alvarez
on Find My Way
OMG I ♡ THIS SONG