"Supernaut" is a song originally written and recorded by Black Sabbath and covered by Ministry side project 1000 Homo DJs. Trent Reznor recorded the original vocals for the song, but Reznor's record label, TVT, refused to allow him to appear on the song, due to their ongoing contractual disputes. Al Jourgensen was forced to re-record the vocals himself, and this is the version that appears on the official single release.
However, the Trent Reznor Vocal Version had already been released on the Wax Trax! Sampler #2 promo cassette, and it gained widespread distribution in the NIN fan community through its inclusion on the Halo 00 and Demos and Remixes bootlegs. Following the acquisition of Wax Trax! by TVT in 1992, the legal obstacles were removed, and the Trent Reznor Vocal Version was officially released on 1994's Black Box - Wax Trax! Records: The First 13 Years.
Jourgensen self-reissued the "Supernaut" single on digital and limited edition vinyl in 2021, containing both the Al Vocal and Trent Vocal versions.
There has been much speculation amongst fans over the years as to whether Jourgensen actually re-recorded the vocals or whether he just manipulated Reznor's vocals to sound different; however, both Jourgensen and Reznor have been unequivocal in numerous interviews over the years that Jourgensen appears on the official single, and Reznor appears on the then-bootleg version.
This is one of several songs misattributed to NIN.
Contents
Recording
The liner notes in the Black Box say the following about the recording:
Al and Paul found themselves late one night with Trent Reznor, recording Ministry's The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste. The result of that night's session was the Art Linkletter-introduced cover of Black Sabbath's "Supernaut". Included here for the first time is the Trent Reznor vocal of this song.
Assuming the recollection is accurate, this seems to indicate that the recording of "Supernaut" took place in 1989.
Appearances
with Al Jourgensen
- Supernaut (1990)
- Nativity in Black: A Tribute to Black Sabbath (1994)
- Supernaut (2021)
Feat Trent Reznor
- Wax Trax! Sampler #2 (1989)
- Black Box - Wax Trax! Records: The First 13 Years (1994)
- Ministry, Side Trax (2004)
- Supernaut (2021)
Versions
Supernaut (Trent Reznor Vocal Version)
This is the only known version. It appeared on the Wax Trax! Sampler #2 cassette with Reznor's vocals uncredited. It wasn't officially released until 1994's Black Box.
Lyrics
I want to reach out and touch the sky
I want to touch the sun, but I don't want to fly
I'm gonna climb up every mountain on the moon
I found the dish that runs away with the spoon
Supernaut
Supernaut
I've crossed the ocean, done every land
I found the crossing at the golden rainbow's end
I've been through magic and through life's reality
I've lived a thousand years, it never bothered me
Bothered me
Supernaut
Bothered me
Supernaut
Got no religion, don't need no friends
Got all I want, I got no need to pretend
Don't try to reach me, cause I'll tear up your mind
I've seen the future and I'd leave it all behind
Supernaut
Supernaut
The following lyrics appear in the song as pre-recorded audio and other samples:
Practically every one of the top 40 records being played on
every radio station in the United States is a communication to the
Children to take a trip, to cop out, to groove. the psychedelic
Jackets on the record albums have their own hidden symbols and
Messages as well as the lyrics to all the top rock songs and they all
Sing the same refrain: its fun to take a trip, put acid in your veins.
They all sing the same refrain:
It's fun to take a trip, put acid in your veins.
25 seconds
20 seconds and counting
15 seconds, guidance is internal
12, 11, 10, 9
Ignition sequence starts
6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1