And POLL That Could Have Been: ILM Artist Poll #119 - Nine Inch Nails - RESULTS

Starfuckers Inc. better not be anywhere near the top ten. I'd almost prefer Deep.

Regarding the rundown:

Shout out to Terrible Lie's vestigial twin, Now I'm Nothing.

SICNH was my number one. I'm particularly fond of the Natural Born Killers version - first verse and chorus with a new long piano outro.

I didn't vote because I only really know 2 albums and 1 EP well enough, but I've made playlists for this:

Remixes

Songs

Loads of really great stuff here that I'd never heard before

Tim: Running was #56

:-(

Thanks for that Nate ! I'm in the exact same position.

there's so many obvious "top 10" contenders that have already placed and the fact "just like you imagined" placed #11 has me excited for the final rollout.

20. Something I Can Never Have

My second highest off PHM, my poll was quite heavy with the sappier tracks. That steam engine is still incredible.

17. Eraser

A stunning instrumental first half, the vocals in the second half are powerful but also the worst example of trent's worst lyrical technique - trying to make you sympathise or even identify with an abuser because they feel bad about themselves.

Very interesting 20-11, I've never had any awareness of what the consensus Fragile picks are beyond a couple of songs (in general I mean, not just on ILM...).

Heresy was my number 2, and really could have easily been my number 1. I really love the way his voice sounds in the verses, wish he did that kind of thing more often.

https://i.imgur.com/w6xll3r.jpeg
10. Piggy
Released on The Downward Spiral, 1994
426 points, 12 voters
Studio version
Live 2008, Ghosts version
Live 2013

the outro on "piggy" is one of their very best moments

https://i.imgur.com/Mh6s68F.jpeg
9. Head Like A Hole
Released on Pretty Hate Machine, 1989
452 points, 13 voters, 1 #1 vote
Studio version
Music video
Live 2008
Live 2013

the outro on "piggy" is one of their very best moments

agreed!

no one has ever made drums sound cooler than trent reznor

Heresy has my fav sounding drums

https://i.imgur.com/vUxwqMW.jpeg
8. The Perfect Drug
Released on Lost Highway soundtrack, 1997
454 points, 11 voters, 3 #1 votes
Studio version
Music video
Live 2022

i was surprised this wasn't higher, it's so great

it's also quite odd structurally, very poppy first half but then spends the second half on that jungle-inspired breakdown and atmospheric outro

speaking of drums sounding cool

hearing the extremely glitchfucked amen break/drum solo in the middle of this is probably the thing that made me want to be a drummer, which is hilarious because it's practically unplayable (ilan rubin has somehow done it)

I love this poll thank you ufo

I wish there’d been a sidebar for “fave lyric”, I always get “shove it up inside / surprise! / lies!” in my head

fave lyric: the clouds will part and the sky cracks open and god himself will reach his fucking arm through!!! just to push you down, j-j-just to hold you down

other fave, obv: stale incense, old sweat, and lies! lies! lies!

The “inside!” / “surprise!” / “lies!” section of “March of The Pigs” is so great - a performative bow on the top of the time signature decision (which I was mentioning somewhere upthread), but also at that point Trent declaiming vaguely about “lies” was already self-parody, so it feels like one of the best examples of Trent winking at the listener and saying “yes, I really am completely ridiculous”.

https://i.imgur.com/LeYpGc3.jpeg
7. We're In This Together
Released on The Fragile, 1999
500 points, 12 voters, 1 #1 vote
Studio version
Music video

i didn't expect this to be so high, it's decent but kinda just chugs along, unusually uninteresting for a fragile track

I’m generally indifferent to the Fragile, but I like the chorus

https://i.imgur.com/1d0viVd.jpeg
6. Wish
Released on Broken, 1992
516 points, 14 voters
Studio version
Music video
Live 1995
Live 2006
Live 2008
Live 2022

Video is Sleazy at the top of his powers as a director

iirc they pretty much never play "we're in this together" live because reznor can't sing it

"the perfect drug" was also never played until 2018, though not because the drum solo was impossible but apparently because reznor didn't like how the outro felt when they rehearsed it? something about it killing the momentum

HEY PIG

other fave, obv: stale incense, old sweat, and lies! lies! lies!

― ivy., Tuesday, April 30, 2024 4:41 PM (thirty-five minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

IT COMES DOWN TO

THIS

I wouldn’t have imagined those songs placing at 7/8, will have to revisit them.

Very, very glad to see “Wish” here even as I wish (heh) it was higher

https://i.imgur.com/Hkd9duY.jpeg
5. The Becoming
Released on The Downward Spiral, 1994
518 points, 11 voters, 4 #1 votes
Studio version
Still version
Live 2009

My number one - just a really precise and concentrated encapsulation of basically everything I love about NIN

Was very surprised how high this was.

i think my favorite thing about “we’re in this together” is the…. drums

https://i.imgur.com/JDbmDGm.jpeg
4. March Of The Pigs
Released on The Downward Spiral, 1994
562 points, 13 voters, 3 #1 votes
Studio version
Music video
Live 2006
Live 2008
Live 2013
Live 2014

https://i.imgur.com/pTJKWlA.jpeg
3. Sin
Released on Pretty Hate Machine, 1989
616 points, 17 voters
Studio version

Correct

your fist

Kind of shocked Mr. Self Destruct isn’t going to place at all

i am dying to know what #1 is! i have been casually following along (did not vote) and i am so curious

You can have it all
My empire of derp
I will let you down
I will give you herp

https://i.imgur.com/Z3Q3jOd.jpeg
2. Mr. Self Destruct
Released on The Downward Spiral, 1994
626 points, 13 voters, 2 #1 votes
Studio version

Uh I meant Down In It

https://i.imgur.com/UKC8Xhd.jpeg
1. Starfuckers, Inc.
Released on The Fragile, 1999
840 points, 42 voters
Music video

lol

Glad 42 of us could get past the taste

more seriously:

https://i.imgur.com/Dx69Kq1.jpeg
1. Closer
Released on The Downward Spiral, 1994
760 points, 18 voters
Studio version
Music video
Live 2006
Live 2008

phew - good one

but it was nobody's #1?