Head Like a Hole
780592
224966273
2008-07-11T06:06:24Z
Drewcifer3000
2070340
/* Critical reception */
{{Single infobox
| Name = Head Like a Hole
| Artist = [[Nine Inch Nails]]
| from Album = [[Pretty Hate Machine]]
| Cover = Head_like_a_hole_US.jpg
| Released = [[March 22]], [[1990]]
| Format = [[Compact disc|CD]], [[Gramophone record|12"]]
| Recorded = 1989
| Genre = [[Industrial rock]]
| Length = 56:43 (US)<br>16:16 (UK)
| Label = [[TVT Records]]
| Producer = [[Trent Reznor]], [[Flood (producer)|Flood]], [[Adrian Sherwood]], [[Keith LeBlanc]]
| Reviews = *[[All Music Guide]] {{rating-5|3}} [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:dbfqxqlgldfe~T00 link] |
| Last single = "[[Down in It]]"<br>(1989)
| This single = '''"Head Like a Hole"'''<br>(1990)
| Next single = "[[Sin (Nine Inch Nails song)|Sin]]" <br>(1990)
| Misc =
{{extra album cover 2
| Upper caption = Alternate cover
| Type = [[Single]]
| Cover = Head like a hole-UK.jpg
| Lower caption = UK release
}}
}}
{{otheruses4|the Nine Inch Nails single|the band|HLAH}}
"'''Head Like a Hole'''" (also known as '''''[[Halo numbers|halo]] three''''') is the second [[single (music)|single]] by [[Nine Inch Nails]] for the 1989 album ''[[Pretty Hate Machine]]''.
"Head Like a Hole" was Nine Inch Nails' first single to chart on [[Hot 100 Singles Sales]] and enjoyed heavy rotation on the radio at the time.
==Live performances==
The song has been the set closer for most NIN shows, or the last song before the encore if an encore took place. There are live videos of "Head Like a Hole" on the DVDs ''[[And All That Could Have Been]]'' and ''[[Beside You in Time]]''.
During [[Lollapalooza]] '91 [[Dave Navarro]], [[Eric Avery]], [[Gibby Haynes]] and [[Ice-T]] joined Nine Inch Nails onstage as additional guitarists for "Head Like a Hole".<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.6767.com/archives/2006/10/index.html
| title = Nine Inch Nails - Head Like a Hole (Lollapalooza 1991)
| author = [[Dave Navarro]]
| publisher = 6767.com
| date = [[2006-10-04]]
| accessdate = 2007-02-10
}}</ref>
For the ''[[Nine Inch Nails: Live#1996 Nights of Nothing showcase|Nights of Nothing]]'' mini-tour in 1996, [[Richard Patrick]] made a brief return to the band to perform guitar and vocals on "Head Like a Hole" at the [[Irving Plaza]] show in New York.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xreview6.shtml
| title = Nailed! Trent's Posse Pound New York
| author = Don Kaye
| work = [[Kerrang!]]
| publisher = The NIN Hotline (archive)
| date = September 1996
| accessdate = 2007-02-10
| format = [[transcription (linguistics)|transcription]]
}}</ref>
In the [[June 7]], [[2006]] radio performance at [[Atlanta, Georgia]], Trent Reznor and Peter Murphy played a reworked version of "Head Like a Hole".<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.nin.com/current/radioshows/index.html
| title = Live Radio Performances
| publisher = nin.com
| accessdate = 2007-02-10
}}</ref>
[[Lisa Kennedy Montgomery]] once sang the song loudly to Reznor to win a $20 bet.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://9inchnails.com/articles/articles.php?id=13
| title = The Art of Darkness
| author = [[Chris Heath]]
| work = [[Details (magazine)|Details]]
| publisher = Painful Convictions (archive)
| date = April 1995
| accessdate = 2007-06-04
| format = [[transcription (linguistics)|transcription]]
| quote = Rumours that have circulated about him... that he dated Kennedy ("She's just a friend"- they met at the Whiskey in L.A., after Kennedy humiliated him by singing "Head Like a Hole" loudly to his face to win a twenty-dollar bet with a buddy.)
}}</ref> To express the evolving state of his values, Reznor said in 1997 that "I don't want to be singing "Head Like a Hole" at age 50."<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.9inchnails.com/articles/ninechnails.php
| title = Ninechnails
| author = Mark Blackwell
| work = [[Ray Gun (magazine)|Ray Gun]]
| publisher = Painful Convictions (archive)
| date = February 1997
| accessdate = 2007-06-04
| format = [[transcription (linguistics)|transcription]]
}}</ref>
==Music video==
[[Image:Head Like a Hole music video.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Trent Reznor and the band in the "Head Like a Hole" music video.]]
A [[music video]] was made for the "Clay" remix of this song. It was directed by Eric Zimmerman, released in March 1990 and later in 1997 on the ''[[Closure (Nine Inch Nails VHS)|Closure]]'' VHS. The video became popular on [[MTV]] and helped fuel NIN's early success. A slightly different edit of the video was also released for [[Flood (producer)|Flood]]'s remix of the song. The video features band members [[Trent Reznor]], [[Richard Patrick]] and [[Chris Vrenna]] along with guest drummer [[Martin Atkins]] performing in a cage.
==Single==
''Head Like a Hole'' is the third official Nine Inch Nails release, containing remixes of three different songs from ''[[Pretty Hate Machine]]''. It is longer in duration than the album itself.
A three-track version of this single was released in the UK. This version contains "Head Like a Hole (Opal)", which is not included on the US release, and starts using the beginning of "Tamborine" by [[Prince]], taken from his album ''[[Around the World in a Day]]''; it continues using a drum loop sampled from "Release It" taken from another [[Prince]] record, ''[[Graffiti Bridge (album)|Graffiti Bridge]]''. The saxophone in "Release It" can be heard before the drum loop begins.
"Down in It (Shred)" and "Down in It (Singe)" were previously released on the ''[[Down in It]]'' single. The latter track has been extended by 18 seconds.
The unlisted eleventh track is [[Kelly Ripa]] yelling "Let's hear it for Nine Inch Nails! Woo! They're good!" This is a sample from ''[[Dance Party USA]]'' during a NIN appearance on the show.
The 11 track US version of the single has recently been re-packaged and re-released. This version was also finally released in the UK.
===Releases===
*[[TVT Records]] TVT 2614 – US 12" Vinyl
*[[TVT Records]] TVT 2615-2 – US CD
*[[Island Records]] 12 IS 484 878 893-1 – UK 12" Vinyl
*[[Island Records]] CID 482 878 893-2 – UK CD
===Track listing===
====US version====
#"Head Like a Hole (Slate)" (remixed by [[Trent Reznor]], [[Flood (producer)|Flood]]) – 4:13
#"Head Like a Hole (Clay)" (remixed by [[Keith LeBlanc]]) – 4:30
#"Terrible Lie (Sympathetic Mix)" (remixed by Reznor, Flood) – 4:26
#"Head Like a Hole (Copper)" (remixed by Reznor, Flood) – 6:26
#"You Know Who You Are" (remixed by Reznor, Flood) – 5:40
#"Head Like a Hole (Soil)" (remixed by Reznor, Flood) – 6:38
#"Terrible Lie (Empathetic Mix)" (remixed by Reznor, Flood) – 6:11
#"Down in It (Shred)" (remixed by [[Adrian Sherwood]], LeBlanc) – 6:51
#"Down in It (Singe)" (remixed by Sherwood, LeBlanc) – 7:21
#"Down in It (Demo)" (remixed by Reznor) – 3:55
#(unlisted track) – 0:04
====UK version====
#"Head Like a Hole (Clay)" (remixed by LeBlanc) – 4:30
#"Head Like a Hole (Copper)" (remixed by Reznor, Flood) – 6:26
#"Head Like a Hole (Opal)" (remixed by Reznor, Flood) – 5:18
* Track 1 is mistakenly listed as "Head Like a Hole (slate)" on the CD.
==Critical reception==
In its review of the song, [[Allmusic]] described "Head Like a Hole" as "grand theater", elaborating further by saying the "backing music was immaculately crafted and produced".<ref>http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=33:gbfoxze5ldte~T001</ref> In its review of the single, Allmusic was largely positive towards the song selection, even saying that the inclusion of "Head Like a Hole", "Terrible Lie", and "Down in It" "renders Pretty Hate Machine mostly unnecessary". As for the other tracks included on the single, Allmusic was less positive, saying "This is one case where quality definitely would have sufficed without the quantity."<ref>http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:dbfqxqlgldfe~T00</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*[http://nin.com/halo/03/index.html halo three] at nin.com, the official website
*[http://www.ninwiki.com/Head_Like_A_Hole_(halo) Head Like A Hole] at the NinWiki
*[http://www.nincollector.com/archive/releases/halo_03/halo03.htm halo three] at NIN Collector
*[http://www.discogs.com/release/3181 discogs.com: ''Head Like a Hole'' (US CD5")]
*[http://www.discogs.com/release/76344 discogs.com: ''Head Like a Hole'' (US 12")]
*[http://www.discogs.com/release/394434 discogs.com: ''Head Like a Hole'' (AU CD5")]
*[http://www.discogs.com/release/81236 discogs.com: ''Head Like a Hole'' (UK CD5")]
*[http://www.discogs.com/release/148442 discogs.com: ''Head Like a Hole'' (DE 7")]
*[http://www.discogs.com/release/189586 discogs.com: ''Head Like a Hole'' (UK 10")]
{{Nine Inch Nails}}
[[Category:Nine Inch Nails songs]]
[[Category:1989 songs]]
[[Category:1990 singles]]
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