Changes

| album = ''[[Broken]]''

| BPM = 113| versions = Pinion<br>Pinion (''And All That Could Have Been'')| live = ???? - present[[Self Destruct Touring Cycle]] through [[NIN 2013 Festival Tour]]<br>[[NIN + QOTSA Tour]] through [[NIN 2014 Europe/UK Tour]]<br>[[Europe + Asia 2018]] through [[NIN 2022]]}}'''"Pinion"''' is a very simplistic track that begins the ''[[Broken]]'' EP.

"A pinion is a gear with a small number of teeth, often engaging a larger gear. It's also a bird''Pinion'''" s wing or flight feathers. To pinion someone is to bind their hands and feet in such a very simplistic track manner that begins they cannot be used. An example of this last definition can be seen in the ''[[Broken|Broken EP]]''. It features a pulsing drone music video to the eventually picks up and leads into "[[Wish]]"song.

[[Image:Pinionstill.jpg|thumb|Screenshot from the "Pinion" video]]The [[Nine Inch Nails music videos|music video ]] for "Pinion", released in 1992, was directed by Eric Goode and Serge Becker, who also directed "[[Help Me I Am In Hell]]". The video was filmed entirely in black-and-white and starts in a restroom. The camera focuses on a toilet containing a dark substance, typically assumed to be blood. The water and the substance are flushed down as the camera follows. As the viewer is led through the pipes to see where the water is going, the camera cuts between exterior views and interior views of the pipes. As the music crescendos, the water pressure increases. Finally the camera comes to a white room as water is pumped through a pressurized machine, which is forcing the water into the mouth of a figure that is blindfolded, bound completely in vinyl (or patent leather) and strapped to the wall. Because of the disturbing nature of the video, MTV would only play it late at night before removing it altogether. However, part of the video's finale became an integral part of the opening sequence for the network's ''Alternative Nation''.

The same video was filmed entirely in black-and-white and starts in a restroom. The camera focuses is featured both on a toilet containing a dark substance, typically assumed to be blood. The water and the substance are flushed down as the camera follows. As the viewer is led through the pipes to see where the water is going, the camera cuts between exterior views and interior views of the pipes. As the music crescendoes, the water pressure increases. Finally the camera comes to a white room as water is pumped through a pressurized machine, which is forcing the water into the mouth of a figure that is blindfolded, bound completely in vinyl (or patent leather) ''Closure'' and strapped to the wall''Broken Movie''.

==Live==Recordings of this song have often been played as an introduction as the band takes the stage, sometimes with the aforementioned looping, backwards David Bowie vocal sample (resembling the word "flush" but actually just "shut up" backwards). It was resequenced, bent, distorted and combined with the opening loop of "[[Terrible Lie]]" to open [[Woodstock '94]] and most other dates on the [[Self Destruct Tour]], and combined with "[[The video is feature on both ''New Flesh]]" to open all [[ClosureFragility]]'' Tour shows. When preceding "Mr. Self Destruct" and "Somewhat Damaged", noise samples operated as connective tissue between the final notes of "Pinion" and ''the opening of the first song. From the [[Live: With Teeth]] touring cycle to the [[Broken Movie|Performance 2007]] touring cycle, the long version would be used, occasionally replaced by the "The Broken MovieNew Flesh" mash-up. From the [[Wave Goodbye Tour]]''onwards, the short album version has only ever been used.

==Live Pre-Recording==Recordings of this song have been played as the introduction as the band takes A very short version began [[KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas]], presumably because they were behind schedule in setting up the stage, sometimes with live vocals "FLUSH! FLUSH! FLUSH! FLUSH!" It . The full studio version was combined with also used to bridge the beat of quieter, ''[[Terrible LieGhosts I-IV]] to open ''-focused section of the [[WoodstockLights In The Sky Tour]]. It was combined with setlist (the end of "[[The New FleshGreater Good]] to open ") with the faster-paced second half (beginning with "Wish"). It has also been meshed with "[[FragilityCorona Radiata]] shows. A very short version began " and "[[KROQ Almost Acoustic ChristmasThe Eater Of Dreams]], presumably because they were behind schedule in setting up the stage" as prerecorded openers or transitions on various tour dates.

==External Links==*[https://vimeo.com/3607256 "Pinion" music video]<BR>{{succession box | title=[[Broken#Track listing|Broken]] | before= N/A: First Track | after= [[Wish (song)|Wish]] | track= 1}}[[Category:NIN Songs]][[Category:NIN Instrumentals]][[Category:Music Videos]]