Nine Inch Nails (music)
Nine Inch Nails (NIN) is an influential American rock band known for its pivotal role in popularizing industrial rock. Founded by Trent Reznor, who serves as the primary creative force, the band gained prominence in the 1990s with critically acclaimed albums like *Pretty Hate Machine* (1989) and *The Downward Spiral* (1994). The latter featured the hit single "Closer," which blended provocative themes with catchy melodies, propelling the band into mainstream success. NIN's sound combines electronic beats and hard rock elements, characterized by introspective and often controversial lyrics.
Initially, Reznor was the sole permanent member, but Atticus Ross officially joined as a full-time member in 2016. Over the years, Nine Inch Nails has released several albums, including *The Fragile* (1999) and *With Teeth* (2005), each showcasing the band’s evolving sound and thematic depth. The group is also recognized for its innovative approach to music distribution, notably the free release of *Ghosts I–IV* (2008) under a Creative Commons license. NIN's impact on music culture is significant, as they have been celebrated for their immersive live performances and have earned multiple Grammy nominations, culminating in an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.
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Subject Terms
Nine Inch Nails (music)
Identification Industrial rock band
Date Founded in 1988
Nine Inch Nails influenced and popularized industrial rock in the 1990s.
Nine Inch Nails (often abbreviated as NIN) is an American rock band, known for popularizing the genre of industrial rock. Trent Reznor is the main creative force behind the group, acting as singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, and producer. He was long the only permanent member, until longtime collaborator Atticus Ross was officially given that status in 2016.
Nine Inch Nails garnered recognition and acclaim in the 1990s through the continued popularity of 1989's Pretty Hate Machine and the subsequent release of Broken (1992) and the groundbreaking The Downward Spiral (1994). Broken, influenced by Reznor's touring in 1991, was harder and more raw than the pop- and New Wave-influenced Pretty Hate Machine, though it still featured existential and personal lyrics. Songs from Broken earned Reznor his first Grammy Awards, but his work would receive more nominations.
Nine Inch Nails' second full-length album, The Downward Spiral, was much anticipated and entered the Billboard 200 at number two following its release in 1994. Following a central character's mental path toward collapse, The Downward Spiral featured more textures of sound than any previous Nine Inch Nails album while maintaining the electronic beat-driven hallmarks of Reznor's previous work. “Closer” was the album's most popular single in spite of (perhaps because of) the explicit sexual refrain and launched Nine Inch Nails fully into mainstream radio play as it blended pop sensibility and taboo subject matter. Reznor's Self-Destruct Tour supporting the album included a stop at Woodstock '94, where the Grammy-winning performance of “Happiness in Slavery” was filmed as well as beamed into twenty-four million homes. However, Reznor would not release another album with new material for five years, a delay due to his admitted difficulties with perfectionism, substance abuse, and writer's block.
When the much-anticipated double-CD The Fragile arrived in 1999, it debuted at number one on Billboard's 200. The epic album was thematically similar to The Downward Spiral, featuring layered soundscapes and a continuous narrative; however, The Fragile was hailed as a more mature and subtle effort, a richer evolution of Reznor's distinctive sound. The album received positive reviews but fell off the charts quickly. It was nominated for a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Performance in 1999. Along with each of the band's three previous albums, it would eventually receive multi-platinum certification.
Reznor also worked as a producer for movie soundtracks, including on the controversial Natural Born Killers (1994), and collaborated other artists, notably Marilyn Manson, whom he helped introduce to the mainstream. In addition, Nine Inch Nails became well known for its remix material, issuing many different versions of earlier works.
After a hiatus in the early 2000s, Nine Inch Nails resumed its touring schedule in 2005, with shows often incorporating many special effects and other visuals. That year saw the release of the album With Teeth, which went to number one on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold. It was followed by the similarly acclaimed Year Zero in 2007. Two more studio albums appeared in 2008, the all-instrumental Ghosts I–IV and the more mainstream The Slip. Both were well-received by critics and noted for their unusual release under a Creative Commons license, with versions ranging from a free download to limited editions.
The band then had another five-year hiatus (during which Reznor and Atticus Ross collaborated on various other projects) before the album Hesitation Marks was released in 2013. Once again critical reception was positive, with many reviewers noting the cleaner, less brutal sound. It received a Grammy nomination for best alternative music album, marking Nine Inch Nails' thirteenth nomination.
In late 2016, at the same time that Ross was announced as the band's second full-time member, Nine Inch Nails released the EP Not the Actual Events. It was considered the first part of a trilogy that continued with the EP Add Violence (2017) and the full album Bad Witch (2018). All earned strong reviews, with Not the Actual Events returning to the band's original harder sound, Add Violence exploring their soundscape-oriented style, and Bad Witch pushing into new territory such as jazz.
In 2019 Nine Inch Nails earned attention when a sample from their song "34 Ghosts IV" was included in the hit single "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X. Reznor and Ross were credited as songwriters and producers for the country-rap hybrid smash hit, which broke records with nineteen consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Impact
Nine Inch Nails combined techno beats and hard rock guitar and brought this sound to mainstream acceptance, while connecting with fans through introspective and risqué lyrics. Trent Reznor proved to be an intriguing front man: tortured, withdrawn, and explosive on stage. The band earned consistent critical praise and became highly influential, leading many music critics to dub them one of the most important acts of their day. Nine Inch Nails have frequently been included on critical lists such as Rolling Stone's rankings of the hundred greatest artists all time and the five hundred greatest albums of all time (for The Downward Spiral). The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020, after previously being nominated in 2014 and 2015.
Bibliography
Greene, Andy. "Nine Inch Nails, Notorious BIG, Whitney Houston Lead Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2020 Class." Rolling Stone, 15 Jan. 2020,www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/nine-inch-nails-notorious-big-whitney-houston-rock-hall-of-fame-937737/. Accessed 14 Feb. 2020.
Huxley, Martin. Nine Inch Nails. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997.
Udo, Tommy. Nine Inch Nails. London: Sanctuary Records, 2002.
Yeung, Neil Z. "Nine Inch Nails: Biography." AllMusic, 2020, www.allmusic.com/artist/nine-inch-nails-mn0000351733/biography. Accessed 14 Feb. 2020.