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| length = 3:46
| BPM = 104
| versions =Down In It <br>Down In It (Demo)<br>Down In It (Skin)<br>Down In It (Shred)<br>Down In It (Singe)<br>Down In It (Demo - ''[[Closure]]Head Like A Hole'')<br>Down In It (Demo - ''[[Purest Feeling (halo)|Purest Feeling]]'')<br>Down In It (Demo - ''Demos & Remixes'' Version)<br>Down In It (Demo - Martin Atkins tape)<br>Down In It (Big Whole Mix)<br>Down In It (''[[Closure]]'')<br>| live = [[VIVIsectVI Tour]] through [[Wave Goodbye Tour]]<br>[[NIN 2022]]}}'''"Down In It"''' was the first single for the 1989 album ''[[Pretty Hate Machine]]'' and the third track on the disc. It has been stated by [[Trent Reznor]] that this song is the first he ever wrote and is a rare treat to hear live. Following the "''[[Down In It (halo)|Down In It]]" '' single release, a music video was made.
"[[Kinda I Want To]]" specifically uses this song's beat and drum patch in its bridge, while "[[That's What I Get]]" and "[[The Only Time]]" both use its recognizable melodic synth voice.
Reznor has openly admitted that this song "was a total rip-off of 'Dig It' by [[Skinny Puppy]]."
<blockquote>That was the first song I'd ever written and when I sat down I took a very experimental approach to it, and the original version was about half-speed of the one on the record, and it was a total rip-off of 'Dig It' by Skinny Puppy.[https://www.theninhotline.com/archives/articles/display/580]</blockquote>
===Song Credits===
==Versions==
===Down In It===
This version originally appeared on the ''Down In It'' single as the "Skin" mix, and would become the version that appears on ''Pretty Hate Machine.'' In chronological order, this is the first [[Nine Inch Nails]] song ever released to the general public. A demo version was originally intended for the album, but the "Skin" mix was chosen instead.[http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/getdowninit.shtml] During a podcast with [[Skinny Puppy]]'s cEvin Key, [[Richard Patrick]] revealed that he had convinced Reznor to use the "Skin" mix.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDT4UWJ14s4] Since the ''Down In It'' single had been released ahead of the album and this substitution had not yet been made, it was not referred to as the original or album version on the single. Producer Keith LeBlanc mentioned in a printed interview[https://imgur.com/gallery/bgq1z] that "Down In It" was the song he got to "really put my signature on". His revisions (the "Shred", "Singe", and "Skin" mixes) draw heavily from the tracks "Mechanical Movements" and "Einstein" from his album ''Stranger Than Fiction'', released earlier the same year (1989). The fast-paced synth prominent at the beginning of "Skin" is from "Mechanical Movements", and the main drum pattern is from "Einstein". Additionally, the crowd chant [[samples]] during each chorus have appeared in other tracks associated with Keith's band Tackhead, such as "Reality" by Gary Clail & Tackhead and "Stadium Rock" by The Barmy Army.
====Song Credits====
*Reproduced and remixed by Adrian Sherwood, Keith LeBlanc
===Down In It (Skin)===
'''''Running Time: 3:46'''''
The version that appears on ''Pretty Hate Machine'' is in fact the "Skin" remix, but it is not listed as such on the album. It also appears on ''Demos and Remixes'' with an unadulterated version of the "[[Terrible Lie]]" intro tacked onto the end, which fades out.
===Down In It (Shred)===
*Reproduced and remixed by Adrian Sherwood, Keith LeBlanc
===Down In It (Demo - ''ClosureHead Like A Hole'')===This is '''''Running Time: 3:55''''' Appears on ''Head Like a live version found Hole'' (US) as the last track. Also appears on the ''ClosureDemos and Remixes'' and '' home videoPurest Feeling II'' bootlegs. On the UK ''Down In It was filmed on '' single, the [[Self-Destruct TourUntitled (from Head Like A Hole)|unlisted track]] between 1994 and 1996 and cut from ''Head Like A Hole'' is appended to include different footage and accompanying audio from different performancesthis track. ====Song Credits====*Writing, performance, production, mixing: Trent Reznor
===Down In It (Demo - ''Purest Feeling'')===Appears on ''Purest Feeling'' as the last track, differing from its official counterparts as that it has an extended intro with strange screams and odd static. It also includes about 1 one minute and 8 eight seconds of distorted clippings of the song at the end as a finish to the album. Musically it's extremely close to the "(Demo)" version from the ''Head Like a Hole'' US single.
===Down In It (Demo - ''Demos & Remixes'' Version)===
Appears on the ''Demos and Remixes'' bootleg, running 4:35. Almost exactly the same as the ''Purest Feeling'' version, simply lacking the extra layering and sound effects as well as the distorted outro, though it does retain the extended drumbeat intro.
===Down In It (Demo - Martin Atkins tape)===
'''''Running Time: 4:26'''''
Only exists on a cassette tape handed out by Reznor to important figures. This cassette is also in the possession of [[Martin Atkins]], who has allowed fans to hear excerpts.
===Down In It (Big Whole Mix)===
'''''Running Time: 4:09''''' Appears on the ''Demos and Remixes'' bootleg, running 4:09. It's an odd version with Reznor whispering a good portion of his vocals under an odd beat. It also includes faux-Oriental sounding synths which are noticeably absent in any of the other versions of the song. ===Down In It (''Closure'')===This is a live version found on the ''Closure'' home video. It was filmed on the [[Self-Destruct Tour]] between 1994 and 1996 and cut to include different footage and accompanying audio from different performances.
==Live==
==Music Video==
[[Image:Downinitstill.jpg|thumb|Screenshot from the "Down In It" video]]
"Down In It" was the first Nine Inch Nails [[Nine Inch Nails music videos|music video]], completed in September 1989 to accompany the single release. [https://cplorg.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/iiif/p16014coll5/39203/full/full/0/default.jpg] It was directed by Eric Zimmerman and Benjamin Stokes, who also directed "[[Head Like A Hole (song)|Head Like A Hole]]." The video depicts Reznor running through downtown Chicago and climbing to the roof of a building, where he slips and falls to his death. Bandmates [[Richard Patrick]] and [[Chris Vrenna]] discover the body days later. An extended version of the video also exists, which is set to the "Shred" mix.
This was the first video to be met with controversy. To film the shots of lifeless Reznor, he was covered with cornstarch to create the illusion of decay and cameras were tied to heavy-duty balloons that were tied down. During the filming of these scenes, one of the balloons broke free and took the camera with it, drifting some 200 miles before being found by a farmer in Michigan. The camera was turned over to local police who, upon seeing the raw video footage, assumed it was a snuff film and the FBI was called in to investigate. The incident was even reported on ''Hard Copy'' and recalled in an interview for ''SPIN'' magazine. Because MTV and its US affiliates were uncomfortable with the video's subject matter, all scenes that depict Reznor's body lying on the ground behind the building were deleted.
==External Links==
*[httphttps://vimeo.com/3608189 17071944 "Down In It" music video (Director's CutRemastered)]*[httphttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKGFt3HAJCQ lVgBeNLGJuY "Down In It" (Shred) music video]*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkphW38WyYo "Down In It" live in Europe 2000]
*[http://vimeo.com/17037838 ''Hard Copy'' segment about the FBI investigation]
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