“Head Like a Hole” by Nine Inch Nails

It has DEFINITELY been one of those weeks.

“Head Like a Hole” by Nine Inch Nails

(Words/Music: Trent Reznor, Album: Pretty Hate Machine, TVT Records 1990)

A few times on this blog I’ve discussed the bands or songs which essentially bridged my interest from heavy metal to alternative. Some of the bands like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Cracker eased me in because they had a guitar-oriented sound and were pretty heavy. Nine Inch Nails grabbed my by the throat, dragged me in, and wouldn’t let me leave until I had been properly re-branded. Looking back, I am actually surprised it hadn’t happened earlier than it did. All of the elements were there – a catchy bridge and chorus section, socially conscious lyrics, and a pounding rhythm. What wasn’t there for me were the guitar solos and the guitar riffs. What was new to me were the sundry of odd sounds which made up the musical background of the song.

The other odd part of the NIN experience was the look. I know that sounds odd, but I had always associated cool and tough with a certain image. Simply, it was long hair and black leather and/or denim. Somewhere in there I managed to accept a glammier image, but at the core the ideal was leather and denim. So I had no idea what to do with Trent Reznor. He was wearing black mascara and some sort of S&M outfit that just looked, well, strange to me. I had seen the NIN bumper stickers and t-shirts long before I had heard the music and they always belonged to the same type of fans: the great pierced and tattooed masses that sort of scared me. Eventually, it became about the music and I had misconceptions. I knew they weren’t a “standard” rock band and used synthesizers, drum machines, and other various studio effects. And how cool could a bunch of synthesizers and sounds effects be? For some reason I was still thinking Flock of Seagulls when I should have been thinking Black Sabbath up for three days on a Benzedrine bender and really pissed off.

While listening to a random mix of songs, none of which I knew, “Head Like a Hole” stood out from the rest. The ideas presented in the song were certainly intriguing to me: the fact that religion and greed were not only related but combined into some entity called “godmoney.” After listening to the batch of songs provided for me a few times, I remember coming back to this one and listening to it repeatedly and with each re-listen the volume would creep up (just like it is now as I write this). It seems to be one of those songs that you just can’t listen at the same volume as other songs. It demands attention and special treatment. Just like the Trent Reznor, Nine Inch Nails, and the entire Industrial Music genre itself.

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