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Hurt (Nine Inch Nails song)

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"Hurt"
Song

"Hurt" is a song written by Trent Reznor, first released on Nine Inch Nails' 1994 album The Downward Spiral. In 2002, "Hurt" was covered by Johnny Cash to critical acclaim; it was one of Cash's final hit releases before his death. Its accompanying video, featuring images from Cash's life and directed by Mark Romanek, was named the best video of the year by the Grammy Awards and CMA Awards, and the best video of all time by NME in July 2011.

Song

The meaning of "Hurt" is disputed; some listeners say the song acts like a suicide note with notes on depression, while other may find it to describe someone finding a reason to live.[1] Officially, the song talks about differences between society and self-harm. The title track to The Downward Spiral, somewhat like "Hurt," has the protagonist committing suicide with a gun aimed at "his face" (the unreleased "Just Do It" deals with a similar fate, while the gun violence-laden "Big Man with a Gun" might be heard sometimes as an alternative ending to the album – the latter with the main character killing a different person instead of himself), followed by changes of the character's environment.

Single

Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt" was never produced as a commercial single for the public. However, a promotional single was distributed in April 1995, containing censored and uncensored mixes. The disc, Interscope Records PRCD 6179, is labeled "Halo Ten," like the earlier "Piggy" promotional disc. Neither is considered an official Halo, Further Down the Spiral being the official Halo Ten.

Track listing

  1. "Hurt" (Quiet version) Clean – 5:04
  2. "Hurt" (Live version) Clean – 5:15
  3. "Hurt" (Album version) Clean – 6:20
  4. "Hurt" (Quiet version) Soiled – 5:21
  5. "Hurt" (Live version) Soiled – 5:15
  6. "Hurt" (Album version) Soiled – 6:14

Chart performance

Chart (1995) Peak
position
Canada RPM Alternative Songs 8
U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks 8
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Airplay 54

Music video

The music video for "Hurt" is a live performance that appears on Closure and the DualDisc re-release of The Downward Spiral. The audio portion appears on the UK version of Further Down the Spiral.

A scrim had been dropped in front of the band on stage, onto which various images, such as war atrocities, a nuclear bomb test, survivors of the Battle of Stalingrad, a snake staring at the camera, and a time-lapse film of a fox decomposing in reverse, were projected to add visual symbolism (depicting various images of death, destruction and loss) to the song's subject matter. A spotlight was cast on Reznor so he could be seen through the images. Compared to the live renditions performed on future tours, this version most resembles the studio recording with its use of the song's original samples.

There are also official live recordings on the later releases And All that Could Have Been and Beside You in Time. Each version features distinct instrumentation by the varying members of the band in the respective eras.

Live performance

During the Dissonance tour in 1995, when Nine Inch Nails opened for David Bowie, Bowie sang "Hurt" in a duet with Reznor, backed by an original melody and beat. This served as the conclusion to the dual act that began each Bowie set.

During the Fragility tours, the progression was performed by Robin Finck on acoustic guitar rather than on piano.

Since the 2005–06 Live: With Teeth tour, Nine Inch Nails has been playing "Hurt" in a more toned-down style, featuring only Reznor on keyboard and vocals until the final chorus, when the rest of the band joins in.

The song was brought back to its original form during the Lights In The Sky tour in 2008, before returning to the toned down style on the 2009 Wave Goodbye Tour.

Johnny Cash's Cover

"Hurt"
Song

Johnny Cash's cover of "Hurt" was released on his 2002 album, American IV: The Man Comes Around. The line "crown of shit" was changed to "crown of thorns", like Reznor's censored-for-radio version, not only removing profanity from the lyrics, but also more directly referencing Christ and Cash's devout Christianity. The cover was released on a single with the B-side "Personal Jesus", a cover of the Depeche Mode single. Rick Rubin later claimed in an interview with Q Magazine that he could not bring himself to listen to the recording for months after Cash died.[citation needed] The song was played during the ending credits of the film Colombiana.

Music video

The music video was directed by former NIN-collaborator Mark Romanek[2] who sought to capture the essence of Cash, both in his youth and in his older years. In a montage of shots of Cash's early years, twisted imagery of fruit and flowers in various states of decay, seem to capture both his past and the stark reality of the present.

Romanek had this to say about his decision to focus on the House of Cash museum in Nashville.

It had been closed for a long time; the place was in such a state of dereliction. That's when I got the idea that maybe we could be extremely candid about the state of Johnny's health, as candid as Johnny has always been in his songs.

71 years of age at the time of filming (in February 2003), Cash had serious health problems and his frailty is starkly evident in the video. He died seven months later (September 12)[3]; his wife, June Carter Cash, who participated in the video, died three months after filming (May 15), closely preceding him in death. "Hurt" is considered by many to be Cash's epitaph.[4]

When Rick Rubin asked if Cash could cover his song, Reznor said he was "flattered" but worried that "the idea sounded a bit gimmicky." He became a fan of Cash's version, however, once he saw the music video.

I pop the video in, and wow... Tears welling, silence, goose-bumps... Wow. [I felt like] I just lost my girlfriend, because that song isn't mine anymore... It really made me think about how powerful music is as a medium and art form. I wrote some words and music in my bedroom as a way of staying sane, about a bleak and desperate place I was in, totally isolated and alone. [Somehow] that winds up reinterpreted by a music legend from a radically different era/genre and still retains sincerity and meaning — different, but every bit as pure.[5]

In July 2011, the music video was named one of "The 30 All-TIME Best Music Videos" by Time.[6]

The house where Cash's music video for "Hurt" was shot, which was Cash's home for nearly 30 years, was destroyed in a fire on April 10, 2007.[7]

Awards

  • The Johnny Cash cover was given the Country Music Association award for "Single of the Year" in 2003. It ranked as CMT's top video for 2003, #1 on CMT's 100 Greatest Country Music Videos the following year, and #1 on the Top 40 Most Memorable Music Videos on MuchMoreMusic's Listed in October 2007. As of January 2011, the single occupies the number one spot on Rate Your Music's Top Singles of the 2000s.[8] The song is also Cash's sole chart entry on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, where it hit #33 in 2003.[9] In June 2009, the song was voted #1 in UpVenue's Top 10 Best Music Covers.[10]
  • Rolling Stone ranked Johnny Cash's "Hurt" as number 15 of the 50 best songs of the decade (RS 1094/1095).
  • In May 2010, "Hurt" was voted the fifth most influential video of all time by MySpace.[11]
  • CMT had it ranked as the number 2 song of the decade on their Nov. 13 show "Songs of the Decade".
  • In October 2011, NME placed it at number 35 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".[12]

Track listing

  1. "Hurt" – 3:38
  2. "Personal Jesus" – 3:21
  3. "Wichita Lineman" – 3:06

Chart performance

Chart (2003) Peak
position
Norway (VG-lista)[13] 8
UK Singles (OCC)[14] 39
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[15] 33
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[16] 56

References

  1. ^ Huxley (1997), p. 104
  2. ^ "Director Mark Romanek Tackles 'Never Let Me Go'". Fresh Air. 2010-09-23. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
  3. ^ http://www.stagepassnews.com/articles/vox/johnnycash_hurt.html
  4. ^ Webb, Robert (2008-10-10). "Story of the song: 'Hurt', Johnny Cash (2002)". The Independent. London.
  5. ^ Alternative Press #194. September 2004.
  6. ^ Levy, Glen (2011-07-28). "The 30 All-TIME Best Music Videos - Johnny Cash, Hurt". Time. Retrieved 2011-08-19.
  7. ^ "Fire destroys Johnny Cash home". BBC News. 2007-04-11. Retrieved 2009-08-23.
  8. ^ "Top Singles of the 2000s". Rate Your Music. Retrieved 2009-09-17.
  9. ^ Billboard - Artist Chart History - Johnny Cash
  10. ^ "UpVenue's Top 10 Best Music Covers". Retrieved 2009-08-23.
  11. ^ http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Showbiz-News/Michael-Jacksons-Thriller-Tops-Online-Groundbreaking-Music-Video-Poll-For-MySpace-UK/Article/201005115624057?f=rss Sky News 03/05/2010
  12. ^ http://www.nme.com/list/150-best-tracks-of-the-past-15-years/248648/page/12
  13. ^ "Johnny Cash – Hurt". VG-lista. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
  14. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
  15. ^ "Johnny Cash Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
  16. ^ "Johnny Cash Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2011.

Further reading

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