Piggy (song)

Last updated
"Piggy"
Nine Inch Nails - Piggy cover.jpeg
Promotional single by Nine Inch Nails
from the album The Downward Spiral
ReleasedDecember 1994
Recorded Le Pig (Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles)
Genre
Length4:24
Label
Songwriter(s) Trent Reznor
Producer(s)
Nine Inch Nails singles chronology
"Burn"
(1994)		"Piggy"
(1994)		"Hurt"
(1995)

"Piggy" is a song by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails from their second studio album, The Downward Spiral (1994). It was written by Trent Reznor, co-produced by Flood, and recorded at Le Pig (10050 Cielo Drive). It was released in December 1994 as a promotional single from the album. The song is known for being Reznor's only live drumming performance.

Contents

Recording

Reznor wrote the song after the extended play Broken (1992) was completed. It was initially a poem which he expanded into a full song. On July 4, 1992, he later moved to a house—famous for its status as the site of the gruesome Tate murders—and created a studio space there, calling it Le Pig. [1] When asked about the building where production on the song was done, Reznor responded that he chose it merely for space considerations, claiming not to have been aware of the house's connection to the murders until after he chose it. "I looked at a lot of places", Reznor said. "And this just happened to be the one I liked most." [2]

The studio name, Le Pig, alludes to the word "PIG" written with Tate's blood on the front door by the murderers, itself a reference to The Beatles' song "Piggies". This incident introduced Reznor to their 1968 album, the White Album , which included "Piggies". [3]

The frantic drumming on the outro is Reznor's only attempt at performing drums on the record, and one of the few "live" drum performances on the album. He had stated that the recording was from him testing the microphone setup in studio, but he liked the sound too much not to include it. [4]

Music and lyrics

Former Nine Inch Nails guitarist Richard Patrick has claimed in various interviews that "Piggy" was Reznor's nickname for him and that the song was written in response to Patrick leaving the band. [5]

This is the first NIN song to use the line "nothing can stop me now", which concludes the track. The phrase appears often in Reznor's later writing, making appearances in the songs "Ruiner", "Big Man with a Gun", "La Mer", [6] "We're in This Together", and "Sunspots". [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

A leitmotif used throughout the album first appears on "Piggy". Pictured here is the pattern (transposed to A) on the album's title track The Downward Spiral motif.jpg
A leitmotif used throughout the album first appears on "Piggy". Pictured here is the pattern (transposed to A) on the album's title track

Quiet and slow overall, the song's tempo is 65 BPM, and played in the key of B. It is also the first track on the album to use "The Downward Spiral leitmotif", albeit on the organ. It also appears on "Closer" on piano, the title track on acoustic guitar, and "A Warm Place" with the acoustic guitar part reversed. [13] [ failed verification ]

Release and reception

"Piggy" was released as a promotional single on The Downward Spiral in December 1994. The single was not labeled as a halo number, and has no music video created in promotion of the song. It reached number 20 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, making the album fly upwards to number 62. [14] "Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now)," a remix of "Piggy" produced by Rick Rubin and featuring Dave Navarro on guitar, appears on The Downward Spiral's accompanying remix album, Further Down the Spiral (1995). [15] The subtitle is the "nothing can stop me now" lyric.

Personnel

Track listing

  1. "Piggy" (radio edit) – 4:28
  2. "Hurt" (radio edit) – 4:39
  3. "Piggy" (Rick Rubin Remix) – 4:02

Charts

Chart (1995)Peak
position
US Alternative Airplay ( Billboard ) [17] 20

Related Research Articles

<i>The Downward Spiral</i> 1994 studio album by Nine Inch Nails

The Downward Spiral is the second studio album by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released on March 8, 1994, by Nothing Records in the United States and Island Records in Europe. It is a concept album detailing the self-destruction of a man from the beginning of his misanthropic "downward spiral" to his suicidal breaking point. The album was a commercial success and established Nine Inch Nails as a reputable force in the 1990s music scene, with its sound being widely imitated, and the band receiving media attention and multiple honors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nine Inch Nails</span> American industrial rock band

Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the band until his frequent collaborator, Atticus Ross, joined in 2016. The band's debut album, Pretty Hate Machine (1989), was released via TVT Records. After disagreeing with TVT about how to promote the album, the band signed with Interscope Records and released the EP Broken (1992). The following albums, The Downward Spiral (1994) and The Fragile (1999), were released to critical acclaim and commercial success.

Nothing Records was an American record label specializing in industrial rock and electronic music, founded by John Malm Jr. and Trent Reznor in 1992. It is considered an example of a vanity label, where an artist is able to run a label with some small degree of independence within a larger parent company, in this case the larger company being Interscope Records.

<i>Pretty Hate Machine</i> 1989 studio album by Nine Inch Nails

Pretty Hate Machine is the debut studio album by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released by TVT Records on October 20, 1989. Production of the record was handled by NIN frontman Trent Reznor and English producer Flood, among other contributors.

<i>The Fragile</i> 1999 album by Nine Inch Nails

The Fragile is the third studio album by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released as a double album by Nothing Records and Interscope Records on September 21, 1999. It was produced by Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor and English producer Alan Moulder, a longtime Reznor collaborator. It was recorded throughout 1997 to 1999 in New Orleans.

<i>Broken</i> (Nine Inch Nails EP) 1992 EP by Nine Inch Nails

Broken is the first extended play (EP) and second major release by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. It was released on September 22, 1992, by Nothing, TVT, and Interscope Records. The EP was produced by frontman Trent Reznor and Flood.

<i>Fixed</i> (EP) 1992 EP by Nine Inch Nails

Fixed is the second extended play (EP) by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. It was released on December 7, 1992, by Nothing, TVT, and Interscope Records. It serves as a companion release to Broken (1992), and includes remixes by Coil, Danny Hyde, JG Thirlwell, and Butch Vig, as well as then-live band member Chris Vrenna.

<i>Further Down the Spiral</i> 1995 remix album by Nine Inch Nails

Further Down the Spiral is a remix album by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. It is the companion remix disc to the band’s second studio album, The Downward Spiral, and was released on June 1, 1995, in two editions, one denoted as Halo 10, and the other as Halo 10 V2, each containing a different set of tracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">March of the Pigs</span> Nine Inch Nails song

"March of the Pigs" is a song by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails from their second studio album, The Downward Spiral (1994). It was released on February 25, 1994 as the album's lead single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Head Like a Hole</span> 1990 song by Nine Inch Nails

"Head Like a Hole" is a song by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released as the second single from the group's debut album, Pretty Hate Machine.

<i>With Teeth</i> 2005 studio album by Nine Inch Nails

With Teeth is the fourth studio album by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released by Nothing Records and Interscope Records on May 3, 2005. The album was produced by Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor and long-time collaborator Alan Moulder. It also features contributions from musician Dave Grohl and future band member Atticus Ross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Closer (Nine Inch Nails song)</span> Song by Nine Inch Nails

"Closer" is a song by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released as the second single on their second studio album, The Downward Spiral (1994). Released on May 30, 1994, it is considered one of Nine Inch Nails' signature songs and remains their most popular song. Most versions of the single are titled "Closer to God", a rare example in music of a single's title differing from the title of its A-side. The single is the ninth official Nine Inch Nails release, making it "Halo 9" in the band's official Halo numbering system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Happiness in Slavery</span> 1992 song by Nine Inch Nails

"Happiness in Slavery" is a song by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails from their extended play, Broken (1992). It was released in November 1992 as a promotional single from the EP. The song takes its title and refrain from Jean Paulhan's preface to Pauline Réage's 1954 erotic novel Story of O. "Happiness in Slavery" peaked at number 13 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nine Inch Nails discography</span>

American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails have released 11 studio albums, one live album, three remix albums, two compilation albums, six extended plays, 20 singles, 10 promotional singles, four video albums and 31 music videos. Nine Inch Nails has also contributed to numerous film soundtracks as well as the soundtrack to the video game Quake.

Prick was an American industrial rock band, founded in 1992 in Los Angeles by guitarist and songwriter Kevin McMahon, after his first project Lucky Pierre disbanded. The first line-up of the band featured McMahon on vocals and guitar, Chris Schleyer on guitar and Andy Kubiszewski on drums. The band was known for its glam rock and new wave influences.

<i>Year Zero</i> (album) 2007 studio album by Nine Inch Nails

Year Zero is the fifth studio album by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released by Interscope Records on April 17, 2007. Conceived while touring in support of the band's previous album, With Teeth (2005), the album was recorded in late 2006. It was produced by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and was the band's first studio album since 1994's The Downward Spiral that was not co-produced by long-time collaborator Alan Moulder. It was the band's last album for Interscope, following Reznor's departure the same year due to a dispute regarding overseas pricing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capital G</span> Nine Inch Nails song

"Capital G" is a song by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails from their fifth studio album, Year Zero (2007). It was released on June 11, 2007 as a limited-edition nine-inch vinyl in the United Kingdom, serving as the album's second and final single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Self Destruct Tour</span> 1994–1996 concert tour by Nine Inch Nails

The Self Destruct Tour was a concert tour in support of industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails' album The Downward Spiral, which took place in early 1994, running until mid-1996, and was broken into eight legs.

"Mr. Self Destruct" is a song by American industrial rock act Nine Inch Nails. It was released on March 8, 1994. Written by frontman Trent Reznor, co-produced by Flood and recorded at Le Pig in 1993, it is the opening track of The Downward Spiral (1994), and predicts the album's "ugly" aesthetic and mostly "angry" tone. The song also gives a lyrical background of the album's protagonist. Its title is a reference to the eponymous opening track from British new wave duo Soft Cell's 1984 album This Last Night in Sodom.

<i>Prick</i> (Prick album) 1995 studio album by Prick

Prick is the debut album by American industrial rock band, Prick, fronted by Kevin McMahon. It was released on January 25, 1995 via Nothing Records, Nine Inch Nails founder Trent Reznor's vanity label and a subdivision of Interscope Records. The album was produced by Warne Livesey and Reznor, who also engineered on four tracks.

References

  1. ↑ Huxley (1997), p. 99.
  2. ↑ "Making Records: Where Manson Murdered Helter Shelter". Entertainment Weekly . No. 214. 1994-03-18. Retrieved 2007-11-01.
  3. ↑ Mark Blackwell (February 1997). "Ninechnails" (transcription). Ray Gun . Retrieved 2007-06-04.
  4. ↑ Greg Rule (April 1994). "Trent Reznor". Keyboard. Retrieved 2007-04-25.
  5. ↑ "Q&A with Richard Patrick". Sacramento Press. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  6. ↑ Friskics-Warren, Bill (2005). I'll Take You There: Pop Music and the Urge for Transcendence . New York, London: Continuum. pp.  103–104. ISBN   0-8264-1921-6. OCLC   1035615192 – via the Internet Archive.
  7. ↑ The Downward Spiral (Interscope Records/nothing/TVT, March 8, 1994) booklet; "Piggy" lyrics.
  8. ↑ The Downward Spiral (Interscope Records/nothing/TVT, March 8, 1994) booklet; "Ruiner" lyrics.
  9. ↑ The Downward Spiral (Interscope Records/nothing/TVT, March 8, 1994) booklet; "Big Man with a Gun" lyrics.
  10. ↑ The Fragile (Interscope Records/nothing, September 21, 1999) booklet; "La Mer" lyrics (when translated from French language).
  11. ↑ The Fragile (Interscope Records/nothing, September 21, 1999) booklet; "We're in This Together" lyrics.
  12. ↑ With Teeth (Interscope Records/nothing, May 3, 2005) PDF poster; "Sunspots" lyrics.
  13. ↑ Schiller, Mike (May 18, 2005). "Nine Inch Nails: With Teeth". PopMatters . Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  14. ↑ Billboard 200: Charts for week of December 25-31, 1994. Billboard . Nielsen Company. Retrieved 05-23-2011.
  15. ↑ McGill, Sean Eric (July 1995). "Further Down The Spiral" (transcription). West Net. Retrieved April 24, 2018– via The NIN Hotline.
  16. ↑ "Piggy" (US promotional CD single). Nine Inch Nails. Interscope Records. 1994. PRCD 5923.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. ↑ "Nine Inch Nails Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved December 26, 2016.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.