“The last” Nine Inch Nails song Trent Reznor would play if you asked him: “Not like a major work”
Once seen as just one of a host of experimental musicians operating in some of the furthest reaches of alternative music, Trent Reznor has now left the comparative shackles of alt-rock behind for the wide open spaces of Hollywood’s mainstream.
It was probably not a dream for the young creative as he set out on his musical journey, but it certainly feels fitting that he should be a composer in the grandest sense. Working alongside Atticus Ross, Reznor has delivered some of modern cinema’s finest scores with a blend of furious creativity and meticulous dedication.
Of course, this is nothing new. As the chief creator and singer for Nine Inch Nails, perhaps the 1990s’ most inspiring rock heroes, Reznor was never far away from moments of masterful musicianship. While their industrial sound may not be the winning ticket for every listener, the group’s impact is simply undeniable.
By 1997, the band were in high demand, and Reznor’s movie-adjacent music was already becoming apparent as he and the group were invited to contribute to the Lost Highway soundtrack. A David Lynch movie was always likely to encourage an odd contribution from Reznor and the band. However, their song ‘The Perfect Drug’ would leave the singer full of regrets.
Infused with drum and bass alongside the group’s notorious experimental sound, the track was widely revered by critics and audiences alike. However, Reznor was more disappointed by the song than the rest of his catalogue. “At that time, I was listening to a lot of drum ‘n’ bass and Jungle and stuff,” noted the singer when speaking with VIVA2.
“I think that’s the most I’ve ever seen external influence come out in my own music. And it was a transition period; that’s what I want to stress, it was a time when I was feeling out what I wanted to do artistically and given the liberation of working within the context of a soundtrack, it’s not like a major work.”
“I always treated that as an area to be freer and try things,” noted Reznor, opening up about his process, with Resnor often allowing himself to kick off the shackles and begin to unleash his creativity. “I’m glad it was in that context. There was never any consideration to include that on [The Fragile]. It really was an area where I was feeling out the landscape to see what I wanted to do.”
In 2005, when asked by BBC Radio 1 to select a piece of work he wasn’t happy with, Reznor had a response already in the chamber: “The only thing I think I really don’t like that much is ‘The Perfect Drug’ song.” Considering the plethora of songs he’s written and produced over the years, there was always bound to be one track that sticks out.
For Reznor, the reason was the timing. A man who likes to luxuriate in his performances and creation, he felt confined by the process. “It was one of those things where you have a week to do a track for a movie,” Reznor reflected, “The mindset that you kind of adapt in that situation, or I did, was ‘let’s go in and experiment and see what happens, and it’s not, y’know, whatever comes out of it, it’s not the end of the world.'”
That lack of urgency or accountability meant that Reznor and the band didn’t deliver their best work, as Reznor continued: “I think what came out of it, married with a bloated, over-budget video, feels like … the last thing that I would play to somebody if they said ‘play me, y’know, the top hundred songs you’ve written,’ that probably wouldn’t be in the top hundred. I’m not cringing about it, but it’s not my favourite piece.”
Listen to Nine Inch Nails song ‘The Perfect Drug’ below.
