Nine Inch Nails: The Downward Spiral

My favorite album, The Downward Spiral was released 20 years ago today. This album not only redefined the industrial rock sound, but it made Nine Inch Nails a well known band. After the infamous Woodstock performance, front man Trent Reznor soon discovered the nasty side of fame. He did not like it at all.

Now in interviews, Reznor reflects on "The Downward Spiral Era" of his life. He feels bad for the man he used to be, but he does not miss him. Who was Reznor back in 1994? Tracks like "Heresy" and "March of the Pigs" describe the old Reznor. "March of the Pigs" describes Reznor's frustration with the press, and in "Heresy" Reznor yells out his frustrations about God.

When one listens to the album in full (as it is meant to be listened to), the listener is taken on a journey as a man's (speculated by fans to be Reznor himself) downward spiral. The album starts out with "Mr. Self Destruct", which is the introduction of the character's frustrations with his life, and then ends with "Hurt". "Hurt" has been covered by Johnny Cash and is mistakenly referred to as a Cash song. Many fans believe that in the title track, (the track before "Hurt") "The Downward Spiral" the character kills himself to relieve his pain. Then "Hurt" is the character's suicide note.

Reznor still performs "Hurt" at Nine Inch Nails' live shows. He usually ends the encore with the song, but gives it a whole new meaning instead of being a suicide note. Nowadays, with Reznor's positive outlook on life, "Hurt" can be looked at as hope for anybody struggling with suicidal thoughts and pain.