Changes

This is the original album version. Dominated through its verses and pre-choruses by a danceable drum loop and accompanying synthesizers, the verses are sung somewhat maliciously, only to become quite fast and layered in the pre-choruses. In contrast, the chorus uses much simpler instrumentation, relegated only to a simpler drum loop and loud, powerful synthesizer chords, with Reznor talking quietly yet intensely on top. The bridge of the song goes in a completely different direction, slowing it down with a panned bassline, manipulated live drum takes, and a fuzzy guitar solo. Returning to the chorus afterward, the song ends suddenly on the word "stop." The song's drum beat is [[samples|sampled ]] from "Beat Box" by Art of Noise. The bridge features a pitched-up sample of the elephant sounds from the opening scene of [[David Lynch]]'s ''The Elephant Man'', and a buried scream from the film ''Parents''.

The bridge of this song features a rare guitar solo by Reznor. In the April 1994 issue of ''Guitar World,'' [https://www.theninhotline.com/archives/articles/manager/display_article.php?id=555] he was asked about it in the following section of the interview::GW: I wanted to ask you about the solo in "Ruiner." How did you get that really nasty, ultra-quantized sound?

<blockquote><p>'''GW''':I wanted to ask you about the solo in "Ruiner." How did you get that really nasty, ultra-quantized sound?</p> <p>'''REZNOR''': Ah yes, the great, Pink Floyd-esque, Seventies-sounding section of the song. That's just a preset on the Zoom. I think I accidentally called up the wrong patch. I'm not a soloist. I was just laughing when I was playing with this ridiculous sound, recording into the computer saying like, "This is so cheesy," you know? I later realized that I basically tried to play a "Comfortably Numb"-type solo with this sound. I played the song for Chris, our drummer, and I was thinking, "He's going to start laughing. It's silly." But he goes, "Man, that guitar section was fucking great."</p></blockquote>