“Closer”
Single by Nine Inch Nails from the album The Downward Spiral
Released	May 30, 1994
Format	CD, 12", Cassete
Recorded	1993
Genre	Industrial rock
Length	6:13
Label	Nothing Records
Producer	Trent Reznor
Nine Inch Nails singles chronology
"March of the Pigs" (1994) "Closer" (1994) "Burn" (1994)
UK disc 1 cover
UK disc 2 cover

"Closer to God" (also known as Halo 9) is a single by Nine Inch Nails released in 1994 for the song "Closer" from the album The Downward Spiral. http://www. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... Nine Inch Nails (abbreviated as NIN) is an American industrial rock band, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. ... Alternate cover Deluxe Edition cover art Singles from The Downward Spiral Released: February 25, 1994 Released: May 30, 1994 The Downward Spiral (also known as Halo 8) is an LP by Nine Inch Nails (NIN), released in 1994. ... is the 150th day of the year (151st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... CD redirects here. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Industrial Rock is a musical genre which is a fusion between Industrial Music and specific Rock n Roll subgenres such as Punk, Oi!, Hardcore and later on Hard Rock. ... In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... Nothing Records was an American record label, specializing in industrial rock and electronic music, founded by Trent Reznor (of Nine Inch Nails) and John Malm, Jr. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Michael Trent Reznor (born May 17, 1965), is an American musician, singer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. ... Nine Inch Nails (abbreviated as NIN) is an American industrial rock band, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. ... March of the Pigs (also known as Halo 7) a single by Nine Inch Nails for the song of the same name released in 1994. ... Burn is a promotional single from Nine Inch Nails for the Natural Born Killers soundtrack. ... http://www. ... http://www. ... This is the discography of the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... Nine Inch Nails (abbreviated as NIN) is an American industrial rock band, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. ... See also: 1994 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 1994 Record labels established in 1994 // January 29 - The Supremes Mary Wilson is injured when her jeep hits a freeway median and flips over just outside of Los Angeles, California. ... For other uses, see Song (disambiguation). ... Alternate cover Deluxe Edition cover art Singles from The Downward Spiral Released: February 25, 1994 Released: May 30, 1994 The Downward Spiral (also known as Halo 8) is an LP by Nine Inch Nails (NIN), released in 1994. ...

"Closer to God" is a rare example in music of a single's title differing from its name on the A-Side. “B-Sides” redirects here. ...

Vh1 named it the 93^rd best song of the 'past 25 years' in 2003. VH1 (VH-1: Video Hits One until 1994 and VH1: Music First until 2003) is an American digital television channel that was created in January 1985 by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Communications and owners of MTV. VH1 and sister channel MTV are currently...

The song

"Closer" is arguably Nine Inch Nails' most well-known song. The chorus features the line "I want to fuck you like an animal," with the profanity censored for radio airplay despite its prominent placement in the song. For other uses, see Censor. ...

The beat is a heavily modified sample of a kick drum from the song "Nightclubbing" off Iggy Pop's The Idiot.^[1] The snare sound heard throughout the song is actually randomly sampled white noise with which Trent Reznor put a noise gate on and triggered with a MIDI controller. This article is about reusing existing sound recordings in creating new works. ... A bass drum in a drum kit A bass drum is a large, heavy drum that produces a thump of low but indefinite pitch. ... James Newell Osterberg, Jr. ... The Idiot is a 1977 album by Iggy Pop, his debut as a solo artist. ... A kind of trap used in trapping. ... Calculated spectrum of a generated approximation of white noise White noise is a random signal (or process) with a flat power spectral density. ... A noise gate is an electronic device or software logic that is used to control the volume of an audio signal. ... MIDI redirects here. ...

The single

The version of "Closer" on the single is longer than the album version by 13 seconds. On the album, the ending piano tune is abruptly cut to segue into the next track, "Ruiner". On the single, the piano and background sounds are played out.

In addition, the single contains five remixes of "Closer", a remix of "Heresy", an instrumental ("March of the Fuckheads"), and a Soft Cell cover ("Memorabilia", originally released on Non-stop Ecstatic Dancing). The UK version contains the same songs split into two discs. Soft Cell is a Synth-Pop duo formed during the early 1980s. ... Non-stop Ecstatic Dancing is a short album released in 1981 by Soft Cell, a pioneering synthpop/new wave duo which featured Marc Almond singing and David Ball playing synthesizers. ...

Releases

• TVT Records / Interscope Records / Atlantic Records 95905–2 – U.S. CD
• TVT Records / Interscope Records 0694959052 – U.S. CD Re–release
• Island Records CID 596 854 059–2 – UK CD 1
• Island Records CIDX 596 854 061–2 – UK CD 2
• Island Records 12IS 596 854 059–1 – UK 12" Vinyl 1
• Island Records 12ISX 596 854 061–1 – UK 12" Vinyl 2

TVT Records is an independent record label founded in 1985 by Steve Gottlieb. ... Interscope Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as one third of UMGs Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group. ... Atlantic Records (Atlantic Recording Corporation) is an American record label, and operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Music Group. ... TVT Records is an independent record label founded in 1985 by Steve Gottlieb. ... Interscope Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as one third of UMGs Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group. ... Island Records is a record label that was founded by British record producers in Jamaica. ... Island Records is a record label that was founded by British record producers in Jamaica. ... Island Records is a record label that was founded by British record producers in Jamaica. ... Island Records is a record label that was founded by British record producers in Jamaica. ...

Track listing

U.S. version

1. "Closer to God" (Remixed by Trent Reznor, Sean Beavan, Brian Pollack) – 5:05
2. "Closer (Precursor)" (Remixed by Coil, Danny Hyde) – 7:16
3. "Closer (Deviation)" (Remixed by Jack Dangers, Craig Silvey) – 6:15
4. "Heresy (Blind)" (Remixed by Dave Ogilvie, Anthony Valcic, Joe Bisara) – 5:32
5. "Memorabilia" – 7:21
6. "Closer (Internal)" (Remixed by Bill Kennedy, Scott Humphrey, John "Geetus" Aguto, Paul Decarli, Eric Claudiex) – 4:15
7. "March of the Fuckheads" (Remixed by Adrian Sherwood) – 4:43
8. "Closer (Further Away)" (Remixed by Kennedy, Humphrey, Aguto, Decarli, Claudiex) – 5:45
9. "Closer" – 6:26
   

Michael Trent Reznor (born May 17, 1965), is an American musician, singer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. ... Sean Beavan is a record producer/ mixer best known for his work with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Nine Inch Nails. ... Coil was an English cross-genre, experimental music group formed in 1982 by John Balance—later credited as Jhonn Balance—and his lover Peter Christopherson, aka Sleazy.[1] The duo worked together on a series of releases before Balance chose the name Coil, which he claimed to be inspired by... Danny Hyde is an experimental musician and renown remix artist. ... Jack Dangers (born John Corrigan, 1965, in Swindon) is an electronic musician, DJ, producer, and remixer best known for his work as the primary member of Meat Beat Manifesto. ... Skinny Puppy is a prominent industrial band, formed in Vancouver, BC, Canada in 1982. ... William P. Bill Kennedy is the former editor-in-chief of A+ Publishing, including MacComputing, A+ and PC Games magazines. ... Scott Humphrey is a producer/ mix engineer who has worked with many artists, such as The Cult, Dwight Yokam, Motley Crue and Tommy Lee, NIN, NSYNC, Panic Channel, Powerman 5000 and Linda Strawberry. ... Adrian Sherwood Adrian Sherwood (born 1958) is a British record producer best known for his work with dub music as well as for remixing a number of popular acts such as Coldcut, Depeche Mode, Primal Scream, Pop Will Eat Itself, and Sinéad OConnor. ...

UK version

Disc 1: Further Away

1. "Closer" – 6:26
2. "Closer (Deviation)" (Remixed by Dangers, Silvey) – 6:15
3. "Closer (Further Away)" (Remixed by Kennedy, Humphrey, Aguto, Decarli, Claudiex) – 5:45
4. "Closer (Precursor)" (Remixed by Coil, Hyde) – 7:16
5. "Closer (Internal)" (Remixed by Kennedy, Humphrey, Aguto, Decarli, Claudiex) – 4:15

Disc 2: Closer to God

1. "Closer to God" (Remixed by Reznor, Beavan, Pollack) – 5:05
2. "Heresy (Blind)" (Remixed by Ogilvie, Valcic, Bisara) – 5:32
3. "Memorabilia" – 7:21
4. "March of the Fuckheads" (Remixed by Sherwood) – 4:43

Cassette version (Australia)

1. "Closer" – 6:25
2. "March of the Pigs (Live)" – 3:12, appears to be the audio track from the music video

Other versions in other formats and countries have the track listing of the U.S. release.

The video

One of the many objectionable images from the "Closer" music video.

The music video was directed by Mark Romanek and first aired on May 12, 1994. It was cut down from its original length to 4:36. The video was popular and helped bolster the success of the band. The video shows events that deal with religion, animal cruelty, politics, and terror. It was somewhat controversial due to its imagery, which included a nude woman with a crucifix mask, a monkey tied to a cross, diagrams of vulvas, and Reznor wearing an S/M mask while swinging in shackles. These images seem to be inspired by the art of Joel-Peter Witkin. For the television version, certain removed scenes were replaced with a title card that read "Scene Missing," and the instances of the word "fuck" being edited out were accompanied by a stop in the video motion, making it appear as if the stop was a result of defective film (this was done to make sure the flow of the song was not affected). The video has a stylized, old-film look. It is also one of two videos directed by Romanek that the Museum of Modern Art has added to its permanent collection. The other is Madonna's "Bedtime Story". Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a song. ... Mark Romanek (born September 18, 1959) is an award-winning American music video director who has also moved into directing theatrical films. ... is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... The Crucifix, a cross with corpus, a symbol used in Catholicism in contrast with some other Christian communions, which use only a cross. ... Also known as the Latin cross or crux ordinaria. ... The external genital organs of the female are collectively known as the vulva (plural vulvae or vulvas)[1]. In common speech, the term vagina is often used improperly to refer to the vulva or female genitals generally, even though, strictly speaking, the vagina is a specific internal structure, whereas the... Flogging demonstration at Folsom Street Fair 2004. ... Joel-Peter Witkin Joel-Peter Witkin (born September 13, 1939, in Brooklyn, New York City) is an American photographer. ... This article is about the museum in New York City. ... This article is about the American entertainer. ... Bedtime Stories track listing Sanctuary (9) Bedtime Story (10) Take a Bow (11) GHV2 track listing Dont Cry for Me Argentina (radio edit) (5) Bedtime Story (edit) (6) The Power of Good-Bye (album version) (7) For the 1964 comedy film, see Bedtime Story (film). ...

The unedited version of this video was shown on Playboy TV's uncensored music video show Hot Rocks in 1994. In mid-2002, the unedited version of this video was aired on MTV2 as part of a special countdown showcasing the most controversial videos ever to air on MTV. This countdown was only shown late at night due to the graphic imagery of "Closer" and several other videos. Playboy TV is a Pay-per-view cable/satellite channel available in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Ireland. ... MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to basic cable lineups across the nation. ...

In 2006, "Closer" was number one in a poll held by VH1 Classic for the twenty greatest videos of all time. Categories: Possible copyright violations ...

The unedited video is included in Closure, The Downward Spiral (DualDisc) and Directors Label Volume 4: The Work Of Director Mark Romanek, and it is even available for download from iTunes under the band's page. Behind-the-scenes footage with commentary by Romanek is included in Closure (DVD) and Directors Label. Closure (also known as Halo 12) is a double VHS set by Nine Inch Nails released in 1997. ... Alternate cover Deluxe Edition cover art Singles from The Downward Spiral Released: February 25, 1994 Released: May 30, 1994 The Downward Spiral (also known as Halo 8) is an LP by Nine Inch Nails (NIN), released in 1994. ... The Directors Label is a series of DVDs devoted to notable music video directors. ...

The keyboard Reznor is seen playing toward the end of the video is a piece of Reznor's own Mellotron^{[citation needed]}, which was once owned by John Lennon, and it is believed that it may have been used on The Beatles' song "Strawberry Fields Forever." The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. ... John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980), (born John Winston Lennon, known as John Ono Lennon) was an iconic English 20th century rock and roll songwriter and singer, best known as the founding member of The Beatles. ... The White Album, see The Beatles (album). ... Music sample Strawberry Fields Forever Problems? See media help. ...

Live performance

During the Woodstock 1994 performance of "Closer", bassist Danny Lohner and guitarist Robin Finck joined Reznor on keyboards for the song, with Reznor performing an extended synth solo. Woodstock 94 was a rock concert that celebrated the 25th anniversary of the original Woodstock concert of 1969. ... Daniel Patrick Lohner (born December 13, 1970 in Corpus Christi, Texas) , most commonly known as Danny Lohner is an industrial musician who plays bass guitar, guitar and keyboards. ... Robin Finck (born November 7, 1971) is the current lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N Roses. ... Piano, a well-known instance of keyboard instruments A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. ...

There are performance videos of "Closer" on And All that Could Have Been and Beside You in Time. Alternate releases Live packaged separately Still packaged separately DVD And All That Could Have Been (also known as Halo 17) is a live album set and double DVD released by Nine Inch Nails in 2002. ... Beside You in Time (also known as Halo 22) is a live video release by Nine Inch Nails which was issued in Europe on February 26, 2007, and the US on February 27, 2007. ...

In the tours following the release of With Teeth, Nine Inch Nails has been performing "Closer" with a new breakdown that cuts the track length by about a minute and a half. Instead of playing a prerecorded clip of Trent Reznor saying "all through every forest, above the trees / within my stomach, scraped off my knees / I drink the honey, inside your hive / you are the reason, I stay alive", Reznor screams these lyrics live to the backdrop of "The Only Time", a track from Pretty Hate Machine. Two versions of this appear on Beside You in Time. This article refers to the album by Nine Inch Nails. ... Pretty Hate Machine (also known as Halo 02) is an album by Nine Inch Nails released in 1989. ... Beside You in Time (also known as Halo 22) is a live video release by Nine Inch Nails which was issued in Europe on February 26, 2007, and the US on February 27, 2007. ...

Another new feature is the keyboard solo that follows the chorus is now a guitar solo, with it being played using heavy distortion effects. This is seen on Beside You in Time. Beside You in Time (also known as Halo 22) is a live video release by Nine Inch Nails which was issued in Europe on February 26, 2007, and the US on February 27, 2007. ...

Cover versions

• "Closer" has been covered by many musical acts, including Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine, Eric Gorfain, Maroon 5, Maxwell, and Rosetta Stone.
• Weird Al Yankovic's song "Germs" from his album Running with Scissors parodies the style of "Closer", and more so, "Terrible Lie" from the Pretty Hate Machine album.^[2][3] It is also included in the medley "The Alternative Polka" from Bad Hair Day, in which the word "fuck" is censored with a squeaky sound effect.
• The Asylum Street Spankers occasionally perform a bluegrass version, available at the Live Music Archive.^[4]
• Maroon 5 perform a live cover, a recording of which appears on The Limited Set EP.

Richard Cheese & Lounge Against the Machine are a cover band and comedy act based in Los Angeles, California, playing popular rap, rock, metal, and pop songs in a swanky lounge music style. ... Eric Gorfain is an American violinist and leader of the Section quartet. ... Maroon 5 is a soul-influenced American band originating from Los Angeles, California. ... Maxwell, on the cover of his 2001 Now album. ... Porl King is currently operating a poll on the official myspace page http://www. ... This article is about the musician. ... Singles from Running with Scissors Released: June 24, 1999 Released: August 4, 1999 Running With Scissors is the tenth album by Weird Al Yankovic, released on June 29, 1999. ... Pretty Hate Machine (also known as Halo 02) is an album by Nine Inch Nails released in 1989. ... Singles from Bad Hair Day Released: March 12, 1996 Released: May 7, 1996 Released: November 26, 1996 Bad Hair Day is the ninth album by Weird Al Yankovic, released in 1996. ... Asylum Street Spankers The Asylum Street Spankers, formed in Austin, Texas in 1994, is an American swing, jazz, and dirty-blues band. ... Maroon 5 is a soul-influenced American band originating from Los Angeles, California. ...

In popular culture

• An uncredited edit of the remix "Closer (precursor)" is featured in the opening credits of the movie Se7en.
• Limp Bizkit parodied "Closer" (as well "The Perfect Drug," and "Burn") in their song "Hot Dog". The chorus goes: "You wanna fuck me like an animal, You'd like to burn me on the inside, You like to think that I'm a perfect drug, Just know that nothing you do will bring you closer to me." Another line in the song is "Nine Inch Nail get knocked the fuck out!" This is a testament to the feud between Bizkit frontman Fred Durst and Trent Reznor. Reznor was given a writing credit for the song, and thus earns royalties whenever the song is played or copies of the album are sold.
• The Hitcher (2007 remake) uses the song in the background of a car chase scene.
• Santino Rice sang the song on Project Runway season 2 as Tim Gunn.
• The first few seconds were used as the intro to ECW Hardcore TV. The beats would match each of the letters to the word "Extreme", before the main music kicked in ("Thunderkiss '65" by White Zombie).
• The song was used in the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode "Lady Heather's Box".
• Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra have played it a number of times during The Late Show with David Letterman

For the singer, see Se7en (singer). ... Limp Bizkit (alternately written as limpbizkit) is a nu metal and rapcore band from Jacksonville, Florida. ... The Perfect Drug Versions (also known as Halo 11) is an EP by Nine Inch Nails of remixes for the song The Perfect Drug released in 1997. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... Burn is a promotional single from Nine Inch Nails for the Natural Born Killers soundtrack. ... Fred Durst (born William Frederick Durst August 20, 1970, Jacksonville, Florida) is an American nu metal vocalist, best known as the front man of nu- metal pioneers, Limp Bizkit. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Hitcher is a 2007 remake of a 1986 horror film of the same name. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Santino Q. Rice (born August 20, 1974), a St. ... This article is about the independent promotion from 1992-2001. ... Thunder Kiss 65 is the first and only official single off the album La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. ... White Zombie was an American band named after the 1932 film White Zombie, which starred Bela Lugosi. ... CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is a popular Alliance Atlantis/CBS police procedural television series, running since October 2000, about a team of forensic scientists. ... Lady Heathers Box is a special 90-minute episode of the popular American crime drama series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. ... Paul Allen Wood Shaffer (born November 28, 1949 in Fort William (now Thunder Bay), Ontario, Canada) is a Jewish-Canadian-American musician, actor, voice actor, author, comedian and composer currently seen as the bandleader on the Late Show with David Letterman. ... Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra The CBS Orchestra is the band that plays for David Lettermans CBS late-night talk show, The Late Show with David Letterman. ... Late Show with David Letterman is an hour-long weeknight comedy and talk show broadcast by CBS from the Ed Sullivan Theater on Broadway in New York City. ...

References

1. ^ Greg Rule (April 1994). Trent Reznor. Keyboard. Retrieved on 2007-04-25.
2. ^ http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,272456,00.html
3. ^ http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?albumid=878
4. ^ http://www.archive.org/details/ass2005-05-14.at4041.flac16

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 115th day of the year (116th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Closer to God at the NinWiki
• Halo 9 at NINCollector
• discogs.com: Closer to God (US CD5")
• discogs.com: Closer to God (US CD5" Re-release)
• discogs.com: Closer to God (US 2x12")
• discogs.com: Closer to God (disc 1) (UK CD5")
• discogs.com: Closer to God (disc 2) (UK CD5")
• discogs.com: Closer to God (disc 1) (UK 12")
• discogs.com: Closer to God (disc 2) (UK 12")
• discogs.com: Closer (UK 2x12")