Changes

| album = ''[[The Downward Spiral (halo)|The Downward Spiral]]''
| length = 6:13
| BPM = 80| versions = Hurt<br>Hurt (Album Version) Clean<br>Hurt (Instrumental)<br>Hurt (Quiet)<br>Hurt (Live)<br>Hurt (with David Bowie)<br>Hurt (''[[And All That Could Have Been (halo)|And All That Could Have Been]]''<br>Hurt (ReAct Now version)<br>Hurt (''[[Beside You In Time (halo)|Beside You In Time]]'')<br>Hurt ([[Bridge School Benefit]])
| live = [[Further Down The Spiral Tour]] through present
}}'''"Hurt"''' is the final track on ''[[The Downward Spiral (halo)|The Downward Spiral]].'' The idea of the narrator being or feeling "a million miles away," as sung at the end of this song, would be mentioned again in both "[[All The Love In The World]]" and "[[1,000,000]]." Whether the three songs are all specifically related beyond [[Recurring_lyrics#A_Million_Miles_Away|repetition of the phrase]] is publicly unverified.
In a 2024 article from ''Spin'"Hurt"''' is the final magazine, it was revealed that this track on ''[[The Downward Spiral (halo)|The Downward Spiral]].'' The idea of the narrator being or feeling "a million miles away," was recorded as sung at the end of this song, would be mentioned again in both "[[All The Love In The World]]" and "[[1,000,000]]an afterthought." Whether the three songs are all specifically related beyond [[Recurring_lyrics#A_Million_Miles_Away|repetition of the phrase]] is publicly unverified. ===Meaning===The meaning of this song is entirely debatablehttps://www. Some may interpret this as a depressing suicide note, while others may find it to describe someone finding a new lease on lifespinIt should be noted that com/2024/03/nine-inch-nails-the lyric "A million miles away" is referenced in both the songs [[1,000,000]-downward-spiral-turns-30/] and [[All The Love in the World]], and the suicidal themes surrounding the songs, especially "1,000,000," may indicate a connection. ===Covers===Hurt has been covered by a variety of artists, such as [[Tori Amos]], [[wp:Matthew Good|Matthew Good]], [[Peter Murphy]], and [[wp:Sevendust|Sevendust]]. The song gained a new wave of popularity in 2002 when it was famously covered sampled by [[wp:Johnny Cash|Johnny Cash]], at the recommendation of producer [[wp:Rick Rubin|Rick Rubin]]. This caused a lot of confusion for the audiences of Cash, who generally weren't familiar with the work of [[Nine Inch Nails]], often resulting rap collective Westside Connection in miscrediting the song to Cash. In Cash's version, the line 1997 on its track "crown of shit" is changed to "crown of thornsThe Gangsta,The Killa and The Dope Dealer" but is otherwise unchanged.
===Song Credits===
*Production and Mix: [[Trent Reznor]]
*Drums: [[Chris Vrenna]]
 
==About==
The song was featured on an episode of the ''Song Exploder'' series from Netflix. In it, Reznor stated that the song was written as an afterthought, that it was originally demoed on piano, and that the vocal was sung quietly and intimately in order to ensure that it sounded sincere.[https://www.kerrang.com/the-news/7-things-learned-about-nine-inch-nails-hurt-from-netflixs-song-exploder/] It was also revealed that the wind noise that runs through the track was created by a noise-generating machine that is used to tune mixing rooms.
 
There was also an explanation of how the organ-esque sound that appears in each pre-chorus was created:
<blockquote>We'd come up with a trick where we could take a note on whatever instrument it is, and that sounds like strings, violin, but I'm not sure it was that. Feed it for a second into an infinite reverb, and it gets locked into a tune. It sounds almost pipe-organ-y a little bit because it's not coming out of a synthesizer, it's not quite in-tune, it's not quite bright, it feels human.[https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/how-trent-reznor-wrote-nine-inch-nails-hurt/]</blockquote>
==Appearances==
===Other===
*''[[Hurt (halo)|Hurt]]'' (CD promo)
*''Piggy'' (CD promo)
*''The Bridge School Collection, vol. 4'' (2009)
==Versions==
===Hurt===
This original album version uses slightly distorted guitars and disrupted noise loops, adding a ragged aesthetic. The song suddenly climaxes towards the end, while the final lyrics are whispered over the noise. A drone follows, and ends the song and the record. This version was also featured as the final track on its promo, which also includes a clean version of the same mix. The "gong" sound near the end is also used on "[[Reptile]]", but the pitch is changed. A reversed version of the track is hidden on side B of the ''[[Not The Actual Events]]'' vinyl. ===Hurt (Album Version) Clean===This is a censored version of the full-length track, available on the "Hurt" promo. The same promo includes "Hurt (Album Version) Soiled", which is the same version as on ''The Downward Spiral''.
===Hurt (Instrumental)===
'''''Running Time: 4:56''''' Released by Reznor via his [[remix.nin.com]] account, this unmastered is an instrumental version is identical to of the album "Quiet" version, save the lack of vocals.
===Hurt (Quiet)===
'''''Running Time: 5:08''''' The only real difference between this remix and the original is that the guitar sound is much cleaner and the climax towards the end is less drastic. There is also much less static filling the song's atmosphere. This version appears only on the US version of ''Further Down the Spiral'' and was later included on ''The Downward Spiral'' 10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition.  Two additional versions of it were included on the "Hurt" promo: "(Quiet Version) Clean" is censored and fades out the noise loop ending, while "(Quiet Version) Soiled" is uncensored and uses a shorter rearrangement of the noise loops, which end suddenly.
====Song Credits====
*Remixed by Trent Reznor
===Hurt (Live)===
'''''Running Time: 5:15''''' This live version is found on the UK edition of ''Further Down The Spiral'' and in video form on ''Closure'' and ''The Downward Spiral'' 10th Anniversary Deluxe EditionDualDisc edition. In this version, the guitar is replaced with a piano. Reznor moans melodically and quietly after the noisy ending fades away, and the faint sounds of the introduction from "[[The Downward Spiral (song)|The Downward Spiral]]'s" introduction can be heard fading out.  On the "Hurt" promo, two versions of this recording are included: "(Live Version) Clean" and "(Live Version) Soiled", one the clean version being censored and one the soiled version being uncensored, both of which fade in the beginning and out the ending.
===Hurt (with David Bowie)===
===Hurt (''And All That Could Have Been'')===
This version is faithful to the album version besides the addition of the vocal harmony in the chorus. Robin Finck is playing a nylon-stringed Godin Multiac ACS guitar which emulates a piano-like tone. This can sometimes be misheard as a piano rather than the guitar. ===Hurt (ReAct Now version)===Performed at the [[2005/09/09 Los Angeles, CA|ReAct Now benefit]], this features Reznor on piano and vocals. It was made available for purchase via the now defunct Sony Connect service as an encrypted OMA download with proceeds going toward charities aiding those affected by Hurricane Katrina.
===Hurt (''Beside You In Time'')===
===Hurt (Bridge School Benefit)===
In 2006 Reznor performed at Neil Young's [[Bridge School Benefit]], performing his only full solo concerts. He was backed by a string quartet for the performances, resulting in a ''Still''-inspired performance. This version was released on the digital-only album ''The Bridge School Collection, Vol. 4''.
==Music Video==
[[Image:Hurtstill.jpg|thumb|Screenshot from the "Hurt" video]]The [[Nine Inch Nails music videos|music video ]] is simply tour footage of Reznor singing behind a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrim_%28material%29 scrim]. The footage used for this was shot in Dallas, Texas, and Omaha, Nebraska, in February of 1995. This video was released after a fully produced music video was scrapped. Both the scrapped studio video and the final live video were directed by [[Simon Maxwell]]. The live video can be found in the DualDisc edition of ''The Downward Spiral'' and also  A second edit of "Hurt" was released on ''Closure.'' It is mostly similar to the original music video, but includes some alternate takes and angles, as well as some tracking shots of the audience members. It is likely that this new edit (along with the live videos for "[[Eraser#Music_Video|Eraser]]" and "[[Wish_(song)#Music_Video|Wish]]") were produced for Maxwell's [[Closure#Abandoned_1995_tour_film|abandoned professionally shot music concert film]] documenting the [[Further Down The Spiral Tour]] performances. Behind-the-scenes footage of the fully produced music original video , shot at Silvercup Studios in New York, can be seen in the "Appendage" footage on the ''Closure'' DVD leak. The original video appears to be similar to the video for "[[Burn (song)|Burn]]". Featuring It features Reznor justified to the right of the screen, singing the song and with footage of war atrocities and other acts of violence in the background, presumably the same footage projected in the live version. A 2016 interview with Maxwell gives background information about both the original and the final, released video.[http://pantograph-punch.com/posts/interview-with-simon-maxwell] ===Credits===*Director: Simon Maxwell*Producer: Maryann Waldoff, Adam Stern, Laurence Novich*Cameraman: Crescenzo Notarile*Editor: Simon Maxwell*Executive Producer of live shoot: Cordelia Plunket ==Covers==[[Image:PMTRHurt.jpg|thumb|Photo used in the artwork for the Peter Murphy and Trent Reznor version]]"Hurt" has been covered by a variety of artists. More information can be found [[Covers Of NIN|here]]. The song gained a new wave of popularity in 2002 when it was famously covered by [[wp:Johnny Cash|Johnny Cash]], at the recommendation of producer [[wp:Rick Rubin|Rick Rubin]]. This caused a lot of confusion for the audiences of Cash, who generally weren't familiar with the work of [[Nine Inch Nails]], often resulting in miscrediting the song to Cash. In Cash's version, the line "crown of shit" is changed to "crown of thorns," but the lyrics are otherwise unchanged. A version by [[Peter Murphy]] with Trent Reznor on piano was released exclusively through iTunes in 2009, while Murphy was releasing a string of covers. It was recorded in the studio, presumably during the same time period as the [[With Teeth: Summer Tour 2006 Radio Collaboration]].
==Live==
"Hurt" made its live debut on [[1994/08/27 Rochester, NY|August 27, 1994]], and is one of the most commonly played live songs throughout all eras. It is normally frequently played towards the end of as the main setlast song at nearly every show, though it was there are a few exceptions: featured during the mid-set slow section of the [[Further Down The Spiral Tour]], a few songs before the end on [[Live: With Teeth]], and the penultimate song of [[Lights In The Sky Tour]]. For the ReAct Now live performance, Reznor performed the Cash lyrics of "crown of thorns" in place of "crown of shit".
==Lyrics==
==External Links==
*[httphttps://vimeo.com/3617272 332866153 "Hurt" live music video]*[httphttps://www.squidoovimeo.com/hurt-nine-inch-nails 3617272 "Hurt" live music video and coversalternate edit from ''Closure'']*[httphttps://vimeo.com/12210258 "Hurt" with David Bowie]*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvJKVKglIRs "Hurt" live from ''Beside You In Time'']*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZjuTjZeydA "Hurt" live visuals from the Self Destruct Tour]*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKz9Ko1Y8Eg Footage of filming the original music video]*[https://pantograph-punch.com/posts/interview-with-simon-maxwell Interview with Simon Maxwell]*[https://archive.org/details/remix-nin-com-audio-02947 "Hurt" (Instrumental) at archive.org]
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