http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Downward_Spiral
This brilliant concept album and poster child for 90's industrial music came to our ears directly from the twisted (but oh-so-interesting!) mind of Trent Reznor. I find it impressive that he managed to produce such a mature and well-developed ensemble with very little artistic support from anyone else, and only on his second attempt. I find it difficult to view the album through any lens but an enraged and suicidal one. Ever impressive is Reznor's ability to pull this off without seeming whiny, petty, or trite. The most affecting lines in the album (for me) come in the 6th track, which is essentially a battle within the “character” of the album's deteriorating psyche. The words repeated at the end of the song, I suggest, come not from the protagonist, but from the voice inside his head urging him to kill himself: “You didn't hurt me. Nothing can hurt me. Nothing can stop me now.” It gives me chills every time. This album is more than worth a listen, and the story of its creation is equally fascinating.
Highlights: The album was filmed at the site of Sharon Tate's murder at the hands of the Manson family; creepy!
Interesting that you consider those lines to be suicidal. I always found them to be empowering. The message i always got was, "The hurt you've created has made me grow into something indominable." But I guess that's personal perspective for you! I feel that the lyrics in "I Do Not Want This" have many more suicidal undertones and also house my favorite lyrics, " I wanna know everything/ I wanna be everywhere/ I wanna fuck everyone in the world/ I wanna do something that matters." These also tie into my suggestion that this album shows a struggle within the character to become untouchable.
ReplyDeleteI think of the similar lines in "Piggy" as empowering: "Nothing can stop me now, 'cause I just don't care anymore." But this is earlier in the deterioration process. In "Ruiner", the "main" voice asking "how did you get so big/strong?" seems to me like the character feeling overwhelmed by the despair. The whispering at the end is almost like the devil right in his ear. Or I could be manufacturing all this for myself haha...the character's frustration about his insignificance is certainly evince in "I Do Not Want This".
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