Head Like a Hole

"Head Like a Hole"
Single by Nine Inch Nails
from the album Pretty Hate Machine
Released1990
Genre
Length4:59
LabelTVT
SongwriterTrent Reznor
Producers
  • Trent Reznor
  • Flood
  • Keith LeBlanc (remix)
Nine Inch Nails singles chronology
"Down in It"
(1989) 		"Head Like a Hole"
(1990) 		"Sin"
(1990)
Halo numbers chronology
Halo 2
(1989) 		Halo 3
(1990) 		Halo 4
(1990)
Alternative cover
International cover
Music video
"Head Like a Hole" on YouTube

"Head Like a Hole" is a song by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released as the second single from the band's debut studio album, Pretty Hate Machine (1989). It enjoyed heavy rotation on the radio at the time of its release, eventually reaching number 9 on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.

The song has been covered by several artists, including Devo, AFI, Buckcherry and Korn. The song was rewritten as "On a Roll" (performed by Miley Cyrus in character as Ashley O) for the Black Mirror episode "Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too".

Background

Trent Reznor wrote "Head Like a Hole" after having toured in late 1988 as the support act for Skinny Puppy. The song was produced by Reznor, Flood and Keith LeBlanc. "Head Like a Hole" was the last song written for the album and came together quickly in Reznor's bedroom, with his accounts of the process in retrospective interviews varying from it taking "about 15 minutes" to one day.[1][2][3][note 1]

Reznor said that the song emerged from the feel that "I needed something to kind of break the guitars out and be a bit more aggressive", with the aggression turned up further by producer Keith LeBlanc after Reznor learned that label executives had not liked the early version of his album. The many revisions meant that, despite being one of the first songs Reznor took to Flood, it was finalized later than the rest of the album.[3]

"Head Like a Hole" became the opening track on Nine Inch Nails' debut studio album, and is one of the two Nine Inch Nails songs produced by Flood to appear on Pretty Hate Machine (1989).[5]

Composition

"Head Like a Hole" has been classified as an industrial rock,[6] electronic rock,[7] and industrial dance song.[8] The tempo is 115 BPM, and it is played in the key of E minor.[9]

Release and reception

Labeled as "Halo 3", "Head Like a Hole" is the third official Nine Inch Nails release, containing remixes of three different songs from Pretty Hate Machine. The single release is longer in duration than the album itself. The single peaked at no. 28 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart.[10]

A three-track version of this single was released in the UK containing "Head Like a Hole (Opal)" which is not included on the US release. The saxophone on "Release It" can be heard before the drum loop begins. The first track is mistakenly listed as "Head Like a Hole (Slate)" on the sleeve but is actually "Head Like a Hole (Clay)".[9] NME called it "utter crap",[11] while Melody Maker made "Head Like a Hole" their "Single of the Week", with Simon Price describing it as both subversive and unexpectedly commercial as he compared the poppier "radio edit" to Depeche Mode and the 12-inch ("Opal") mix to Revolting Cocks - an "evil" record ending in a "veiled threat".[12]

"Down in It (Shred)" and "Down in It (Singe)" were previously released on the "Down in It" vinyl single; the latter track is extended by 18 seconds. Reznor appended them to the USA version of the "Head Like A Hole" single as "Down In It" had not received a CD release, but after the record label subsequently released "Down In It" on CD, Reznor expressed concerns fans would feel "ripped off" paying for the same tracks twice, saying the three-track UK version with a coloured cover was the way he had intended "Head Like A Hole" to be released.[13] The 11-track US version of "Head Like a Hole" was repackaged and re-released in 2007. This version was also released in the UK, where it failed to reach the Top 40[14]

In Germany, the single was released as "You Get What You Deserve". This release includes four tracks.

"Head Like a Hole" was re-issued as a single in Australia in 1995, where it peaked at No. 57 on the ARIA singles chart and spent seven weeks in the top 100.[15]

The single was included in the 2015 Record Store Day–Black Friday exclusive box set, Halo I–IV.[16][17]

In a retrospective review of the song for AllMusic, Steve Huey described "Head Like a Hole" as "grand theater", elaborating further by commenting the "backing music was immaculately crafted and produced".[18] In a review of the 11-track single, David Reamer 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". He was less positive about the other tracks, adding, "This is one case where quality definitely would have sufficed without the quantity".[19]

In 2020, Kerrang! and Billboard ranked the song at nos. 8 and 2, respectively, on their lists of the greatest Nine Inch Nails songs.[20][21]

Music video

A music video was made for the "Clay" remix of the song. Directed by Eric Zimmerman, it was released in 1990 and again later in 1997 on the Closure VHS. A slightly different edit of the video was also released for Flood's remix of the song, which is 17 seconds shorter than the "Clay" remix. The video features band members Trent Reznor, Richard Patrick, and Chris Vrenna, as well as guest drummer Martin Atkins performing in a cage, with shots of a spinning model head.[22]

The video was filmed at the original location of Exit nightclub which was located at 1653 North Wells Street in Chicago.[23]

Reznor's guitar in the video is a Jackson Dinky, first seen during the first chorus, when Reznor, appearing to be dirty like the other band members (he had long hair and wore gritty clothing during production), bangs his head while singing the chorus. He does not use the guitar in the video's climax, where wires tied to his ankles slowly pull him up, leaving him spinning upside down from the ceiling. In the same scene, Vrenna destroys his drum kit by throwing a bass drum of Atkins' kit towards it. During several shots earlier in the video, broken Zildjian cymbals and a drum machine can be seen as parts of Vrenna's kit.

Live performances

"Head Like a Hole" was one of the most notable moments of Nine Inch Nails' Lollapalooza festival performances.

The song has been the encore for most Nine Inch Nails shows (especially the Pretty Hate Machine Tour Series), 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.[24]

During Lollapalooza '91, Dave Navarro, Eric Avery, Gibby Haynes and Ice-T joined Nine Inch Nails live performances on-stage as additional guitarists for "Head Like a Hole;" except for the first show in Phoenix, AZ when the band walked off stage after the first song in frustration.[25] For the 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 along with Clint Mansell, who joined Nine Inch Nails on this song at all three shows of the tour.[26] In the June 7, 2006 radio performance at Atlanta, Georgia, Trent Reznor and Peter Murphy played a reworked version of "Head Like a Hole".[27]

Lisa Kennedy Montgomery once sang the song loudly to Reznor to win a $20 bet.[28] 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."[29]

Legacy

Since its commercial maxi-single release, "Head Like a Hole" continues to generate an impact on other musicians and bands. New Zealand-based rock band Head Like a Hole is named after the song.[30] The song was ranked at No. 37 on PopMatters' list of "The 100 Greatest Alternative Singles of the ‘80s".[7]

Cover versions

Honest Bob & the Factory-to-Dealer Incentives released a cover of the song on their 2004 album Second & Eighteen. In 2005, Vitamin String Quartet released a cover album of reworked versions of Pretty Hate Machine songs, including "Head Like a Hole".[31] Other bands who covered the track include American rock band AFI,[32] Ryan Star,[33] new wave band Devo,[34] nu metal band Korn,[35] and hard rock band Buckcherry.[36] American deathcore act Carnifex did a cover of the song on their EP, Bury Me In Blasphemy (2018).[37]

The song was remixed and rewritten by Charlie Brooker with Reznor's approval as the dance-pop song "On a Roll" for the fifth series episode "Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too" of Black Mirror.[38][39] The song was released as a promotional single on June 14, 2019. At the end of the episode, American singer Miley Cyrus, in character as Ashley O, performed a cover version of "Head Like a Hole". During her live set at Glastonbury Festival 2019 in Pilton, Somerset on June 30, 2019, Cyrus performed a medley of "On a Roll" and "Head Like a Hole".[40]

Controversy

"Head Like a Hole" was banned from airplay after the September 11 attacks, when Clear Channel Communications placed it on a 2001 list of "Songs with Questionable Lyrics" deemed unsuitable for radio airplay.[41]

Track listing

US version

No.TitleRemixerLength
1."Head Like a Hole" (Slate)Trent Reznor, Flood4:19
2."Head Like a Hole" (Clay)Keith LeBlanc4:32
3."Terrible Lie" (Sympathetic Mix)Reznor, Flood4:27
4."Head Like a Hole" (Copper)Reznor, Flood6:27
5."You Know Who You Are" (Instrumental Dub mix of "Head Like a Hole")Reznor, Flood5:39
6."Head Like a Hole" (Soil)Reznor, Flood6:39
7."Terrible Lie" (Empathetic Mix)Reznor, Flood6:09
8."Down in It" (Shred)Adrian Sherwood, LeBlanc6:52
9."Down in It" (Singe)Sherwood, LeBlanc7:20
10."Down in It" (Demo)Reznor3:56
11."Untitled" (hidden track) 0:03
Total length:55:14

UK version

No.TitleRemixerLength
1."Head Like a Hole" (Clay)LeBlanc4:32
2."Head Like a Hole" (Copper)Reznor, Flood6:27
3."Head Like a Hole" (Opal)Reznor, Flood5:17
Total length:16:14

Australian version

No.TitleLength
1."Head Like a Hole" (Slate)4:19
2."Terrible Lie" (Sympathetic Mix)4:30
3."Head Like a Hole" (Opal)5:21
Total length:14:05

"You Get What You Deserve" German promo

No.TitleRemixerLength
1."Head Like a Hole" (Copper)Reznor, Flood6:27
2."Down in It" (Shred)Sherwood, LeBlanc6:52
3."Terrible Lie" (Sympathetic Mix)Reznor, Flood4:27
4."Head Like a Hole" (Clay)LeBlanc4:32
Total length:22:22

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
  • Island Records 663 875 – German promo CD

Charts

Notes

  1. ^ However, all the claims the song was written in a single day date from decades after the fact. In 1991, much closer to the time period "Head Like A Hole" was written in, Reznor actually said that "Suck" was "the quickest I've ever written lyrics, in four days."[4]

References

  1. ^ Milas, Alexander (July 16, 2005). "King of Pain". Kerrang!. No. #1065. I wrote it at the last minute as a throwaway. The rest of 'Pretty Hate Machine' was already written, and we'd revised everything else about nine times. Up until then song-writing had been a meticulous and agonising process, but this took me 15 minutes in my bedroom. The fact that it produced this huge reaction really pissed me off because I hadn't agonised over it.
  2. ^ Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross (NIN) Break Down Their Most Iconic Tracks (video). GQ. Condé Nast. May 4, 2024. 15:15 minutes in. Retrieved April 7, 2026. In what seemed like two hours, "Head Like A Hole" came together. It was irritating because I'd worked real hard on other songs that had been on their 100th iteration and "Head Like A Hole" just kind of fell out of me one day. Transcript at link.
  3. ^ a b Grow, Kory (November 5, 2019). "Trent Reznor on 'Watchmen' Soundtrack, Nine Inch Nails' 'Pretty Hate Machine' Turning 30". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 23, 2019. I remember "Head Like a Hole" was quick. Some songs feel like months of tinkering, and other ones seem like an afternoon and it's done, and that was one of those songs that just kind of fell out.
  4. ^ Alden, Grant (July 1, 1991). "NINE INCH NAILS interview: Trent Reznor Reveals the Secrets of his Success". The Rocket. Baltimore, MD. p. 14. I wrote this all-purpose set of lyrics, that could be any tempo, fit any structure, but would lend itself my mark. And did that, the quickest I've ever written lyrics, in four days.
  5. ^ Pretty Hate Machine (TVT Records, October 23, 1989) booklet; liner notes
  6. ^ Hogan, Mark (March 5, 2013). "Nine Inch Nails Meet Carly Rae Jepsen in Insane Mashup 'Call Me a Hole'". Spin. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
  7. ^ a b Gerard, Chris (October 1, 2015). "The 100 Greatest Alternative Singles of the '80s". PopMatters. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  8. ^ Gold, Jonathan and David Kendrick (April 19, 1992). "POP MUSIC : It's the Industrial Evolution : Is it the most fundamental change since punk rock? The wail of a doomed generation? Some call it death disco, or just noise music. But after 15 years, it's an overnight success". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  9. ^ a b Head Like a Hole (Maxi) (TVT Records) liner notes and artwork
  10. ^ Billboard.com "Artist History"
  11. ^ McCann, Ian (August 31, 1991). "SINGLES: NINE INCH NAILS: Head Like A Hole (Island)". NME. London: IPC Media Ltd. p. 23. Spoilt brats on electronics desperately short of personal freshness. Utter crap.
  12. ^ Price, Simon (September 14, 1991). "SINGLES: NINE INCH NAILS: Head Like A Hole". Melody Maker. London. p. 31. I was going to describe them as Depeche Mode at their edgiest ("Black Celebration" LP/"Never Let Me Down" single) fronted by the sinister grace of Michael Hutchence on "Devil Inside", but that scoundrel Mueller beat me to it. This is the NIN paradox: the radio edit is pure 'Peche pop, the 12-inch kicks like Revolting Cocks.
  13. ^ "Trent Reznor's Posts on Prodigy November 8, 1991". Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  14. ^ "The Official Charts Company - Nine Inch Nails". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 28, 2007.
  15. ^ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 09 Jul 1995". ARIA. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  16. ^ Kaye, Ben (October 28, 2015). "Nine Inch Nails releasing Halo I-IV vinyl box set for Record Store Day Black Friday". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  17. ^ Grebey, James (October 28, 2015). "Nine Inch Nails to Release Vinyl Box Set, 'Halo I-IV,' for Record Store Day Black Friday". Spin. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  18. ^ Huey, Steve. Song Review: Head Like A Hole at AllMusic
  19. ^ Reamer, David. "AllMusic Review: Head Like a Hole". AllMusic. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021.
  20. ^ Law, Sam (August 7, 2020). "The 20 greatest Nine Inch Nails songs – ranked". Kerrang. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  21. ^ Unterberger, Andrew (November 5, 2020). "The 25 Best Nine Inch Nails Songs: Staff Picks". Billboard. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  22. ^ "Head Like a Hole". everything2.com. July 17, 2001. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  23. ^ Ryan, Kyle (August 27, 2015). ""Head Like A Hole" captured the dangerous allure of Nine Inch Nails". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  24. ^ Beside You in Time track listing Archived 2008-02-17 at the Wayback Machine
  25. ^ Navarro, Dave (October 4, 2006). "Nine Inch Nails — Head Like a Hole (Lollapalooza 1991)". 6767.com. Archived from the original on January 3, 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2007.
  26. ^ Kaye, Don (September 1996). "Nailed! Trent's Posse Pound New York". Kerrang!. The NIN Hotline (archive). Archived from the original (transcription) on September 27, 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2007.
  27. ^ "Live Radio Performances". nin.com. Archived from the original on February 24, 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2007.
  28. ^ Heath, Chris (April 1995). "The Art of Darkness". Details. Painful Convictions (archive). Archived from the original (transcription) on March 27, 2007. Retrieved June 4, 2007. 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.)
  29. ^ Blackwell, Mark (February 1997). "Ninechnails". Ray Gun. Painful Convictions (archive). Archived from the original (transcription) on September 27, 2007. Retrieved June 4, 2007.
  30. ^ Matthews, Philip (July 30, 2017). "Swagger of Thieves: Sex, drugs and Head Like A Hole's truth". Stuff. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  31. ^ Loftus, Johnny. "The String Quartet Tribute to Nine Inch Nails' Pretty Hate Machine – Vitamin String Quartet / Ya Baby! String Quartet". AllMusic. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  32. ^ Hill, Stephen (November 14, 2025). "Nine Inch Nails' Head Like A Hole: the story behind the song | Louder". Metal Hammer. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  33. ^ Gamboa, Glenn (September 7, 2006). "Since 'Supernova,' Star's rise is meteoric". Newsday.
  34. ^ Grow, Kory (October 20, 2019). "Why Nine Inch Nails' 'Head Like a Hole' Is Still the Anti-Anthem for Our Times". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 12, 2020. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  35. ^ Graff, Gary (July 19, 2007). "Music News: Korn Kicking Around Possible Covers Album". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 6, 2026. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
  36. ^ Erickson, Anne (November 2, 2018). "Buckcherry cover Nine Inch Nails' "Head Like a Hole": Stream | Consequence of Sound". consequence.net.
  37. ^ Hartmann, Graham (December 7, 2018). "Listen to Carnifex's Brutal Slipknot 'The Heretic Anthem' Cover". Loudwire. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  38. ^ Monroe, Jazz (June 5, 2019). "Miley Cyrus Sings Nine Inch Nails Songs in "Black Mirror" Season 5". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
  39. ^ Colburn, Randall (June 5, 2019). "Watch Miley Cyrus' Trent Reznor-approved 'Head Like A Hole' cover from Black Mirror". news.avclub.com.
  40. ^ Kreps, Daniel (June 30, 2019). "See Miley Cyrus Perform "On a Roll" and "Head Like a Hole" at Glastonbury". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 1, 2019. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
  41. ^ "Clear Channels [sic] List of Songs with Questionable Lyrics". Hits Daily Double. Archived from the original on February 1, 2006. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
  42. ^ "Nine Inch Nails Songs and Albums | Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 April, 2026.
  43. ^ "Nine Inch Nails Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  44. ^ "Nine Inch Nails Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  45. ^ "Nine Inch Nails Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 April, 2026.
  46. ^ "Nine Inch Nails Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 April, 2026.
  47. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 203.
  48. ^ "Canada's Top 200 Singles of 2001". Jam!. Archived from the original on July 26, 2002. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
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