| length =4:06
| BPM = 129
| versions =Sin <br> Sin (Long) <br> Sin (Dub) <br> Sin (Short)<br>Sin (Radio Edit)<br>Sin (Demo) <br> Sin (''[[And All That Could Have Been (halo)|And All That Could Have Been]]'')| live =[["Pretty Hate Machine" Promotional Tour]] <br> through [[Wave Goodbye Tour]]<br>[[Cold And Black And Infinite Tour]] through present}}'''"Sin"''' is the seventh track on the 1989 release ''[[Pretty Hate Machine]].'' Obviously, this song is about sex, visceral desires, lust and guilt. Remixes were featured on the ''[[Sin (halo)|Sin]]'' single along with a B-side (a cover of Queen's "[[Get Down, Make Love]]"). The song is often amped up when played live and included , usually featured at the beginning of setlists. The "sha" [[samples]] used at the beginning and end of the song appear to be from "Paid In Full" by Erik B & Rakim, though they may also have sampled the same original source. The line "Stale incense, old sweat, and lies, lies, lies" is a direct quote of Clive Barker from his short story "In the Hills, the Cities" from ''Books Of Blood'', in which he uses it to describe old European churches.
===Song Credits===
*Production: [[Trent Reznor]], [[John Fryer]]*Remix: [[Keith LeBlanc]]*Engineering: John Fryer, Keith LeBlanc, [[Kennan Keating]], [[Ken Quartarone]]
*Mix: Keith LeBlanc, Trent Reznor
===Other===
*''[[Demos and & Remixes]]''
==Versions==
===Sin===
This is the original album version from ''Pretty Hate Machine.'' The loud cry from the end of "[[Kinda I Want To]]" segues into the track as the hisses jump back and forth between the left and right audio channels, stereo panning being a prominent feature of the track. The song itself is very beat driven with much synthesized layering and uses the lyrics as the melody for most of the song, lacking any real "lead" parts. It's also notable for its unique sample of a loud whistling, the origin of which is unknown (though it may be most likely a saxophone recording or sped up sample).<br>The "sha" samples used at the beginning and end of the song appear to be from the song "Paid in Full" by Erik B & Rakim, though they may also have sampled the same sourcea saxophone.
===Sin (Dub)===
'''''Running Time: 5:00'''''
This remix is almost completely stripped of lyrics, save for the words "sin," "control," and "lies" scattered throughout the track.
====Song Credits====
===Sin (Long)===
At nearly six minutes long, this '''''Running Time: 5:51''''' This remix has extended instrumentals including a massively extended outro composed of what sounds like wind or running water and muted synthetic chimes.
====Song Credits====
*Remix: Adrian Sherwood, Keith LeBlanc
===Sin (Short)===
'''''Running Time: 4:19'''''
This remix incorporates some of the elements of the "Long" and "Dub" remixes, but it has a more drawn-out outro. This version is used in the music video.
====Song Credits====
*Remix: Adrian Sherwood, Keith LeBlanc
===Sin (Radio Edit)===
'''''Running Time: 3:19'''''
Available on a promotional-only "special DJ edit" UK vinyl pressing. It was also widely circulated on the ''Demos & Remixes'' [[bootlegs|bootleg]].
===Sin (Demo)===
'''''Running Time: 4:11'''''
A demo for "Sin" leaked in clips on the internet before leaking in full in 2025. The leak stated: "this demo from 1987 was included on tapes distributed by Reznor before securing a record deal."
Per the clips that had leaked earlier, there is an alternate version of this demo that uses the same instrumental but a different vocal take. Based on what fans have heard, this is the version that is on a cassette in possession of [[Martin Atkins]], who has allowed fans to hear playbacks.
===Sin (''And All That Could Have Been'')===
==Live==
The song's intro seems to be performed differently by every [[NIN ]] keyboardist. For example, [[Danny Lohner]] in the [[Woodstock '94]] performance is seen playing an additional melody to the intro. During the [[Fragility]] tour, [[Charlie Clouser]] in ''And All That Could Have Been'' uses used a theremin before the guitar intro is played, while [[Alessandro Cortini]]'s performance of the intro is a tad closer to the original. Other than that, the rest of the song is performed closely to the album version in most live performances, though when [[Jeordie White]] played the song, he played its harmonic progression on bass guitar rather than the keyboards used in most other live arrangements. The persistent high-pitched percussion loop from the "Long", "Short" and "Dub" mixes is also usually present in the live iterations. It was performed semi-regularly as a remixed/mash-up version in collaboration with [[Boys Noize]] on Act III of the [[Peel It Back Tour]], using Boys Noize's song "Cerebral" as the base, usually being the final song for Act III.
==Music Video==
[[Image:Sinstill.jpg|thumb|Screenshot from the "Sin" video]]A [[Nine Inch Nails music videos|music video ]] was released in 1990made, using the "(Short)" remix of the song. It was directed by [[Brett Turnbull]]. The video contains two women dancing with each other at the beginning before cutting to the main focus of the video. A woman, nude except for what looks like straps to spelunking gear and a halogen lamp, walking a shirtless, wrist-bound Reznor with a bag over his head through what looks like an industrial warehouse complex. He is then strapped into a large rotary harness an aerotrim where she spins him throughout the remainder of the video. These scenes are intercut with two young gay lovers, a man and woman wearing ritualistic dressings and dancing, as well as visuals of pierced genitalia (both male and female). The video was filmed in December 1990 in London, all reflecting during a short trip by Reznor and [[John Malm]] to prepare for the songupcoming UK releases and tour through Island Records. [https://happinessinheresy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/scene.jpg] The video was banned from MTV and most major outlets. It remained unreleased in any official capacity until a partial version of the video was included on ''Closure.'' There were reports that the complete video was shown at dance clubs in the early 1990s and can now be found on the internet, as the full video became available through [[TVT Records|TVT]]'s dark, sexual aspectswebsite.[https://www.theninhotline.com/news/permalink/1004906701] [http://web.archive.org/web/20020311020744/http://www.tvtrecords.com/artists/select-video.jsp?art_id=110] The officially released version was incomplete due to interference from [[TVT Records]].[http://nindestruct.com/mags/HitParaderSept94.html]
The video was banned from MTV and most major outlets. A partial version of the video can be found on ''Closure.'' There were reports that the complete video was shown at dance clubs in the early 1990s and can now be found on the Internet.===Credits===*Director: Brett Turnbull*Producer: Sarah Bayliss*Cameraman: Brett Turnbull*Editor: Brett Turnbull
==Lyrics==
Take in
The extent of my sin
On the final album version, the placement of the words "defaced" and "disgraced" in the second verse is switched.
==External Links==
*[httphttps://vimeo.com/3609548 "Sin" music video (incomplete; NSFW)]
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