Controversial Nine Inch Nails opinions

[Shadaloo]

Ugh:

Sunspots
Letting You
Not So Pretty Now
My Violent Heart
Running

Fucking utterly outstanding WTF hard disagree:

I’m Looking Forward To Joining You, Finally
Lights In The Sky

I'm quite partial to those last two largely because of how perfectly the lyrics encapsulate feelings of losing a loved one or watching someone slowly degrade, which I've gone through. Not saying anyone's objectively wrong for not liking them, but...yeah. I dig when Trent's ruminating on loss.

Underrated:

Deep
Where Is Everybody?

[BRoswell]

I'll say it again: any list of "terrible" NIN songs that doesn't include anything from Pretty Hate Machine is a sham.

[eachpassingphase]

Somebody needs to fetch me my smelling salts so I can retire to my fainting couch. The hot takes are too much for me.

I wonder how much of our reaction to certain songs has to do with how we connect to a song emotionally. "Lights in the Sky" gives me chills because of how much I projected my own emotions onto the song (I had a close friend who had serious depression that eventually lost their fight with that illness) and so it sort of pulls those big emotions up for me.

Same with ILFTJYF. That "could I please come with you?" line just sends me into instant tears. There's something about the phrasing of it, reminds me of a little kid begging their mom not to leave them with the babysitter or something.

[Swykk]

Same with ILFTJYF. That "could I please come with you?" line just sends me into instant tears. There's something about the phrasing of it, reminds me of a little kid begging their mom not to leave them with the babysitter or something.

It isn’t problematic lyrically. I like the words. There’s just nothing going on musically. The repetitive drums. The faint synth. It feels like an unfinished song.

[BRoswell]

There’s just nothing going on musically.

What should be going on musically in a track like that?

[Swykk]

“This Isn’t The Place” is a good example I thought of right away. It’s more interesting sonically but also has a slower sadder loss vibe not unlike ILFTJYF.

[mfte]

I remember first hearing ILFTJYF and hating the garbageman percussion but now it is one of my favourite things about the track.

Underneath It All is a pretty useless song.

[joplinpicasso]

I remember first hearing ILFTJYF and hating the garbageman percussion but now it is one of my favourite things about the track.

Underneath It All is a pretty useless song.

Sure, the percussion can be unnecessarily loud, especially in the beginning of the song, but you'll have to pry ILTJYF and UIA from my cold, dead, lifeless hands.

On another note, I virtually never go back to Year Zero or The Slip unless I'm feeling 'nostalgic' for the albums but not necessarily about desiring the quality of the albums themselves. Everything else, I sometimes have a hankering for.

[Swykk]

Oh man, I listen to YZ a lot. It’s a top 3 NIN album for me.

[allegate]

ditto. it's the one I most hope gets the deviations treatment.

[ryanmcfly]

YZ is my favorite record of all time.

Scrolled through the last couple pages and i'm disappointed to see the Sunspots slander. Sunspots has Trent's best vocal performance imho.

[kel]

i was so excited about dre and trent collaborating, but i was totally disappointed in the result. it's too minimal for me -- that slow, syncopated beat. and that odd horn-like sound seriously bums me out (not in a good way). it makes me feel cold, which i know sounds odd. i just don't like it.

[tony.parente]

YZ is my favorite record of all time.

Scrolled through the last couple pages and i'm disappointed to see the Sunspots slander. Sunspots has Trent's best vocal performance imho.

I'm calling the fucking police on half of these roody poos for slandering that song in such a terrible way.

[katara]

it makes me feel cold

Isn't that the point?

Although I get why any Dre fan might be disappointed. It's not very hip hop.

[Krazy]

i'm disappointed to see the Sunspots slander. Sunspots has Trent's best vocal performance imho.

What part? He sounds like Paul Stanley for half of it lol. Which would be cool if it was a KISS song but, well, it’s not.

Which reminds me- I wish he would’ve done that cover of Love Gun back in 94 or whatever year it was.

[ryanmcfly]

What part? He sounds like Paul Stanley for half of it lol. Which would be cool if it was a KISS song but, well, it’s not.

The second half of the song is what I am referring to. "Starting with the Nothing can stop me now" line through the end.

[Krazy]

The second half of the song is what I am referring to. "Starting with the Nothing can stop me now" line through the end.

WT was when one can hear his voice aging a bit. Not entirely is fault obviously, getting older catches up with the best of them. I do wonder if bulking up had any effect on it however. Listening to TF era live stuff compared to WT live stuff sounds more than five years apart to me. And he wasn’t in the best of places physically/mentally during TF.

[Halo Infinity]

I always think of Meathead's animation of Trent vacuuming during that song.

Sunspots also puts Meathead's A Bad Apple in mind when I listen to it as well. (As if I didn't already have more than enough random NIN thoughts connected to Apple and iPods.)



https://www.theninhotline.com/meatpe...cartoon019.htm

what the fuck

[clutches pearls] Oh my... I disagree completely. Especially live versions of Vessel.

I've always thought that Sunsposts and Vessel were among the best songs from With Teeth and Year Zero.

I'll say it again: any list of "terrible" NIN songs that doesn't include anything from Pretty Hate Machine is a sham.

(As in giving you a "Like", hell you're one of my favorite posters to follow.) This isn't just because it's you saying it, but with all the crap The Slip and Hesitation Marks get, even outside of ETS from time to time, I can appreciate that, even if I love Pretty Hate Machine. (And even then, I could see why songs like Kinda I Want To and That's What I Get are often targets. Even some parts of Down In It and Something I Can Never Have weren't safe either.)

However, I'm still seriously convinced that any truly controversial NIN opinion would be anything against Broken, The Downward Spiral and The Fragile as entire albums. Although that's bound to happen if it were done to any of the most respected, popular, adored and lauded works with in any discography.

Oh man, I listen to YZ a lot. It’s a top 3 NIN album for me.

Dare I say, even if I still listen to With Teeth more, I've always felt like Year Zero was the best NIN album of the 2000s, right up there alongside With Teeth.

YZ is my favorite record of all time.

Scrolled through the last couple pages and i'm disappointed to see the Sunspots slander. Sunspots has Trent's best vocal performance imho.

I'm actually a bit surprised more than anything, but this is the controversial NIN opinions thread after all. Aside from that, I totally share your appreciate for Year Zero and Sunspots.

ditto. it's the one I most hope gets the deviations treatment.

I've also been thinking about this for quite some time. Year Zero is certainly more than ideal for the Deviations treatment.

What part? He sounds like Paul Stanley for half of it lol. Which would be cool if it was a KISS song but, well, it’s not.

Which reminds me- I wish he would’ve done that cover of Love Gun back in 94 or whatever year it was.

It's funny that you say that because I was thinking about that as I was listening to The Great Destroyer.

As I was also listening to KISS and also checking out the movie Detroit Rock City, I found it funny how the parts that had I Stole Your Love and Strutter could've worked with Mr Self Destruct and Head Like A Hole. (As always I like to imagine my interests doing/being all sorts of things, so I was imagining a NIN equivalent of the KISS movie. TDS era would've fit in so well with that type of film.)

Ah, but this is more of random NIN thoughts territory, but I figured it's still fun to imagine, and I was just adding to my agreement with you.

Speaking of which, damn. If only the Love Gun cover saw the light of day (I can't get that movie reference out of mind either, apparently.), among another things. Just imagining some KISS songs in the Broken/TDS style is blowing my mind right now.

[botley]

It isn’t problematic lyrically. I like the words. There’s just nothing going on musically. The repetitive drums. The faint synth. It feels like an unfinished song.

It's more "finished" in terms of songwriting than a lot of instrumental tracks are. But it stands toe-to-toe musically with many other NIN tracks in terms of evocative use of sound design weirdness (particularly the drum programming on that track, all sampled from TR hitting random junk in a big empty room, which prefigures Ghosts I–IV).

[BRoswell]

(As in giving you a "Like", hell you're one of my favorite posters to follow.) This isn't just because it's you saying it, but with all the crap The Slip and Hesitation Marks get, even outside of ETS from time to time, I can appreciate that, even if I love Pretty Hate Machine. (And even then, I could see why songs like Kinda I Want To and That's What I Get are often targets. Even some parts of Down In It and Something I Can Never Have weren't safe either.)

I certainly don't hate Pretty Hate Machine, but I'm always baffled that tracks from it rarely appear on these "worst of" lists. It's like its some untouchable album just because it was the first. There's some seriously corny and dated shit on that album, but yeah, Even Deeper and Vessel and Sunspots and Lights In The Sky are the tracks Trent REALLY should be ashamed of.

i was so excited about dre and trent collaborating...

Collaborating is kind of a stretch though. He's credited as a "mixing assistant" on the track, which probably meant the song was mostly finished and Dre came in and gave some input. It could hardly be called a proper collaboration.

[katara]

Even Deeper and Vessel and Sunspots and Lights In The Sky are the tracks Trent REALLY should be ashamed of.

Hard disagree.

I like The Slip, it just only starts getting good after Discipline, in my opinion.

As for PHM, I do like the album. It was my first NIN purchase, so it holds a special place in my heart. However, it's dated as fuck. The songs are so much better live. For me, Nine Inch Nails starts at Broken.

[BRoswell]

Hard disagree.

I was being sarcastic.

[Jon]

I always think of Meathead's animation of Trent vacuuming during that song.

That vacuum noise always reminded me of a blender or can opener. I like to imagine Trent was blending a smoothie while making this song.

[tap3worm]

Wait, what's wrong with Sunspots? That song bangs.

[Jon]

Wait, what's wrong with Sunspots? That song bangs.

Agree to disagree y'all. The lyrics are cringe white guy rhyming.

[katara]

Agree to disagree y'all. The lyrics are cringe white guy rhyming.

Why exactly is race important here?

[wight rabbit]

Agree to disagree y'all. The lyrics are cringe white guy rhyming.

You must love "Down in It".

[Krazy]

I <3 Down In It. It’s what got me into NIN, specifically the hard hitting bass and bass drops. I was around 14 at the time and started getting into audio equipment (HUGE SUBWOOFERS!!!) and was cool to hear something like that rather than all the rap I was listening to.

[Failure]

Sunspots is a quintessential WT era song. It takes a while to prove it’s worth. But the...I think I could have been someone part more than speaks for itself...

[BenAkenobi]

Sunspots is nice because one can sing it along start to finish and not look like a complete weirdo, contrary to majority of nin songs revered among the hardcore fanbase such as Ruiner or Somewhat Damaged