March of the Pigs
Encyclopedia
"March of the Pigs" is a song written by Trent Reznor
of American industrial rock
act Nine Inch Nails
. It was released in 1994 as the first single
from The Downward Spiral
(1994), the second album by Nine Inch Nails.
"), segued by two piano
breakdowns, has made it a staple of NIN's live concert performances. It is also one of the band's shortest hit songs, clocking in at just under three minutes.
After abandoning a more elaborate version before filming could be completed, Reznor and the live band
assembled for the then-impending Self Destruct Tour
(featuring drummer Chris Vrenna, keyboard player James Woolley
, guitarist Robin Finck
and bassist/guitarist/keyboardist Danny Lohner
) regrouped with director Peter Christopherson
to film a stripped-down, minimalist music video
for the song. The video, released in March 1994, features the band performing the song live in front of a white wall backdrop, with Reznor moving around aggressively, pushing the other bandmembers and their instruments, and repeatedly tossing his microphone away. Throughout the video, stagehands visibly move into the frame to reset the equipment he knocks over, handing Reznor a microphone each time he needs to start singing again after an instrumental section. The bulk of the video appears to be filmed in one long take
, with the camera zooming and panning continuously. The video uses the live performance version of the song recorded at the video shoot, rather than synchronising the footage to the studio-recorded version from the album as most music videos do. This version of the song is also included on the "Closer" cassette single.
Portions of the earlier, uncompleted video are included on the Closure DVD disc image file that appeared on file-sharing network The Pirate Bay
in December 2006; this file is believed to be a leak of a completed but (so far) officially unreleased deluxe DVD reissue of the band's 1997 VHS
/laserdisc
long form music video Closure. In this version of the video, the band performs the song in a red cave-like set with water at their feet, and a midget
appears.
Live performance videos of "March of the Pigs" are included on each of the band's live releases: Closure, And All that Could Have Been
, and Beside You in Time
.
"March of the Pigs" CD single contains two mixes of the title track, two remixes of its fellow The Downward Spiral track "Reptile," and "A Violet Fluid," a non-album instrumental track. In the UK
, the single was released as a two-disc (each sold separately) CD single, adding a censored radio edit of "March of the Pigs" and "Big Man With a Gun" from The Downward Spiral
. The disc art for this single features a curled-up millipede
, an image that was later used on the cover of the single "Closer".
A limited edition of "March of the Pigs" was released in the vinyl
platform. In an unusual move, each of the copies are measured to 9 inches (22.9 cm), a homage to the name of Nine Inch Nails. The two tracks are heard in Side A, whereas an etching can be seen in Side B. (see Unusual types of gramophone records
)
The album on which the song is featured, The Downward Spiral
, debuted in March 1994 at number two on the US Billboard 200
chart Thirteen years after its release, it debuted at #9 and peaked at #6 on the Canadian Singles Chart
.
for the 2006 compilation Punk Goes 90's
.
and on February 28 for PlayStation 3
. It was available as a standalone download or as part of the 'Nine Inch Nails' song pack (also including "The Perfect Drug
" and "The Collector").
It was also featured on Rock Band Track Pack Vol. 1 for PlayStation 2
and Wii
.
Trent Reznor
Michael Trent Reznor is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, record producer, and leader of industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. Reznor is also a member of How to Destroy Angels alongside his wife, Mariqueen Maandig, and Atticus Ross. He was previously associated with bands Option 30,...
of American industrial rock
Industrial rock
Industrial rock is a musical genre that fuses industrial music and specific rock subgenres. Industrial rock spawned industrial metal, with which it is often confused...
act Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
. It was released in 1994 as the first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from The Downward Spiral
The Downward Spiral
The Downward Spiral is the second studio album by American industrial rock act Nine Inch Nails, released March 8, 1994, on Interscope Records. It is a concept album detailing the destruction of a man, from the beginning of his "downward spiral" to his climactic attempt at suicide...
(1994), the second album by Nine Inch Nails.
The song
According to the liner notes, the song has a BPM rate of 269. The song's high energy (analogous to a previous NIN track, "WishWish (song)
"Wish" is the second promotional single from Nine Inch Nails' Broken. The most successful song from the EP, "Wish" cemented Trent Reznor's image as a rage-fueled star to the public. "Wish" won the Best Metal Performance in the 1993 Grammy Awards. Reznor later joked that his epitaph should read:...
"), segued by two piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
breakdowns, has made it a staple of NIN's live concert performances. It is also one of the band's shortest hit songs, clocking in at just under three minutes.
Music videos
Nine Inch Nails live performances
Nine Inch Nails, an industrial rock band fronted by Trent Reznor, did various live performances throughout the world, including tours in North America, South America, Europe, Australia, Japan, and China. While Reznor controls the creative and musical direction of Nine Inch Nails in-studio, the...
assembled for the then-impending Self Destruct Tour
Self Destruct Tour
Self-Destruct Tour was a concert tour in support of industrial rock act Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral album, which took place in early 1994, running until mid-1996, and was broken into 8 legs....
(featuring drummer Chris Vrenna, keyboard player James Woolley
James Woolley
James J. Woolley is a former keyboard and synthesizer player for industrial metal group Nine Inch Nails for the 1991 Lollapalooza Tour and the beginning part of the 1994 Self Destruct Tour...
, guitarist Robin Finck
Robin Finck
Robin Finck is an American guitarist of Nine Inch Nails and former lead guitarist of Guns N' Roses. He is one of only a few artists who has played in two different bands listed on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock"; Nine Inch Nails and Guns N' Roses .-Career:Finck grew up in Marietta,...
and bassist/guitarist/keyboardist Danny Lohner
Danny Lohner
Daniel Patrick "Danny" Lohner , frequently known as Renholdër, is an American rock musician who plays bass guitar, electric guitar, and keyboards. He worked with Trent Reznor on numerous occasions, both with Nine Inch Nails and on the now defunct Tapeworm project...
) regrouped with director Peter Christopherson
Peter Christopherson
Peter Martin Christopherson, a.k.a. Sleazy was a musician, video director and designer, and former member of the influential British design agency Hipgnosis....
to film a stripped-down, minimalist music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the song. The video, released in March 1994, features the band performing the song live in front of a white wall backdrop, with Reznor moving around aggressively, pushing the other bandmembers and their instruments, and repeatedly tossing his microphone away. Throughout the video, stagehands visibly move into the frame to reset the equipment he knocks over, handing Reznor a microphone each time he needs to start singing again after an instrumental section. The bulk of the video appears to be filmed in one long take
Long take
A long take is an uninterrupted shot in a film which lasts much longer than the conventional editing pace either of the film itself or of films in general, usually lasting several minutes. It can be used for dramatic and narrative effect if done properly, and in moving shots is often accomplished...
, with the camera zooming and panning continuously. The video uses the live performance version of the song recorded at the video shoot, rather than synchronising the footage to the studio-recorded version from the album as most music videos do. This version of the song is also included on the "Closer" cassette single.
Portions of the earlier, uncompleted video are included on the Closure DVD disc image file that appeared on file-sharing network The Pirate Bay
The Pirate Bay
The Pirate Bay is a Swedish website which hosts magnet links and .torrent files, which allow users to share electronic files, including multimedia, computer games and software via BitTorrent...
in December 2006; this file is believed to be a leak of a completed but (so far) officially unreleased deluxe DVD reissue of the band's 1997 VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
/laserdisc
Laserdisc
LaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
long form music video Closure. In this version of the video, the band performs the song in a red cave-like set with water at their feet, and a midget
Midget
A midget is a short person with relatively average bodily proportions in comparison with other human beings. The term is often improperly used to describe a person with the medical condition dwarfism. The two terms are often used synonymously because both terms originate as words defining small...
appears.
Live performance videos of "March of the Pigs" are included on each of the band's live releases: Closure, And All that Could Have Been
And All that Could Have Been
And All That Could Have Been is a double album released by Nine Inch Nails in 2002. The live album contains music recorded during the Fragility v2.0 US tour in 2000; Disc 1 is a live album of their normal set list of the time, while disc B contains a studio album titled Still containing...
, and Beside You in Time
Beside You in Time
Beside You in Time is a live home video release by Nine Inch Nails, issued in Europe on February 26, 2007, and the United States on February 27, 2007. Beside You in Time is also the title of a track on the NIN album With Teeth. The video documents NIN's 2006 Live: With Teeth tour, and is available...
.
The single
The AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
"March of the Pigs" CD single contains two mixes of the title track, two remixes of its fellow The Downward Spiral track "Reptile," and "A Violet Fluid," a non-album instrumental track. In the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the single was released as a two-disc (each sold separately) CD single, adding a censored radio edit of "March of the Pigs" and "Big Man With a Gun" from The Downward Spiral
The Downward Spiral
The Downward Spiral is the second studio album by American industrial rock act Nine Inch Nails, released March 8, 1994, on Interscope Records. It is a concept album detailing the destruction of a man, from the beginning of his "downward spiral" to his climactic attempt at suicide...
. The disc art for this single features a curled-up millipede
Millipede
Millipedes are arthropods that have two pairs of legs per segment . Each segment that has two pairs of legs is a result of two single segments fused together as one...
, an image that was later used on the cover of the single "Closer".
A limited edition of "March of the Pigs" was released in the vinyl
Vinyl
A vinyl compound is any organic compound that contains a vinyl group ,which are derivatives of ethene, CH2=CH2, with one hydrogen atom replaced with some other group...
platform. In an unusual move, each of the copies are measured to 9 inches (22.9 cm), a homage to the name of Nine Inch Nails. The two tracks are heard in Side A, whereas an etching can be seen in Side B. (see Unusual types of gramophone records
Unusual types of gramophone records
The overwhelming majority of records manufactured have been of certain sizes , playback speeds , and appearance...
)
The album on which the song is featured, The Downward Spiral
The Downward Spiral
The Downward Spiral is the second studio album by American industrial rock act Nine Inch Nails, released March 8, 1994, on Interscope Records. It is a concept album detailing the destruction of a man, from the beginning of his "downward spiral" to his climactic attempt at suicide...
, debuted in March 1994 at number two on the US Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart Thirteen years after its release, it debuted at #9 and peaked at #6 on the Canadian Singles Chart
Canadian Singles Chart
The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays....
.
US CD
- Nothing RecordsNothing RecordsNothing Records was an American record label, specializing in industrial rock and electronic music, founded by John Malm Jr. and Trent Reznor in 1992...
/ TVT RecordsTVT RecordsTVT Records was an independent US record label founded by Steve Gottlieb. Over the course of its 25 year history the label released some 25 Gold, Platinum and Multi-platinum releases. Its roster included Nine Inch Nails, Ja Rule, Lil Jon, Underworld, The KLF, Sevendust, Brian Jonestown Massacre and...
/ Interscope RecordsInterscope RecordsInterscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
/ Atlantic RecordsAtlantic RecordsAtlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
95938-2 - TVT RecordsTVT RecordsTVT Records was an independent US record label founded by Steve Gottlieb. Over the course of its 25 year history the label released some 25 Gold, Platinum and Multi-platinum releases. Its roster included Nine Inch Nails, Ja Rule, Lil Jon, Underworld, The KLF, Sevendust, Brian Jonestown Massacre and...
/ Interscope RecordsInterscope RecordsInterscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
INTDM-95938 (Reissue)
Track listing
- "March of the Pigs" – 2:58
- "Reptilian" ("Reptile" remixed by Dave OgilvieDave OgilvieDave "Rave" Ogilvie is a Canadian record producer and musician. He is a producer of industrial music and has been associated with bands such as Skinny Puppy , Doughboys, The Birthday Massacre , Marilyn Manson, Jakalope , Killing Joke, Queensrÿche, Alexz Johnson, Fake Shark...
) – 8:39 - "All the Pigs, All Lined Up" ("March of the Pigs" remix) – 7:25
- "A Violet Fluid" – 1:05
- "Underneath the Skin" ("Reptile" remixed by Dave OgilvieDave OgilvieDave "Rave" Ogilvie is a Canadian record producer and musician. He is a producer of industrial music and has been associated with bands such as Skinny Puppy , Doughboys, The Birthday Massacre , Marilyn Manson, Jakalope , Killing Joke, Queensrÿche, Alexz Johnson, Fake Shark...
) – 7:13
Track listing
- "March of the Pigs (clean version)" – 3:03
- "All the Pigs, All Lined Up" – 7:25
- "A Violet Fluid" – 1:03
- "Big Man With a Gun" – 1:36
Track listing
- "March of the Pigs (LP version)" – 2:58
- "Underneath the Skin" – 7:14
- "Reptilian" (remixed by Ogilvie) – 8:39
Cover versions
A cover version of "March of the Pigs" has been recorded by MaeMae
Mae was an American alternative/indie band that formed in Norfolk, Virginia in 2001. The band's name is an acronym for "Multi-sensory Aesthetic Experience," based on a course taken by drummer Jacob Marshall while a student at Old Dominion University....
for the 2006 compilation Punk Goes 90's
Punk Goes 90's
Punk Goes 90's is a compilation of the Punk Goes... series created by Fearless Records that features artists covering popular songs from the 1990s. The cover art references Nirvana's iconic Nevermind cover, on which "In Bloom" originally appeared....
.
Appearances in other media
The song was released as a track for the video game Rock Band on February 26, 2008 for Xbox 360Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and on February 28 for PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
. It was available as a standalone download or as part of the 'Nine Inch Nails' song pack (also including "The Perfect Drug
The Perfect Drug
"The Perfect Drug" or ' is a song by Nine Inch Nails. It was written for the David Lynch film Lost Highway and originally appeared on the Lost Highway soundtrack and as a single from the score in 1997...
" and "The Collector").
It was also featured on Rock Band Track Pack Vol. 1 for PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
.
External links
- March of the Pigs at nin.com, the official website
- March of the Pigs (halo) at the unofficial NinWiki
- Halo 7 at NIN Collector
- discogs.com: March of the Pigs (US CD5")
- discogs.com: March of the Pigs (US 10")
- discogs.com: March of the Pigs (UK 2xCD5")
- discogs.com: March of the Pigs (UK 7")