Changes

| BPM = 150| versions = The Becoming<br>The Becoming (Instrumental)<br>The Becoming (''[[Still]]'')| live = [[Dissonance]] tour <br> [[Performance 2007]]<br>[[Wave Goodbye Tour|]]<br>[[NIN|JA 20092014 Europe/UK Tour]]<br>[[Cold And Black And Infinite Tour]]through present}}'''"The Becoming"''' is the seventh track on the 1994 album ''[[The Downward Spiral (halo)|The Downward Spiral]].''A semi-acoustic version can be found on ''[[Still]],'' which has an accompanying performance video released at the time on [[nin.com]]. The bassline on this track was done with a prototype of the Oberheim OB-Mx synthesizer.[https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw4RM5movKf/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=jqklvyc8wfw7] [[Trent Reznor]] stated in an interview[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IwIxiovt_I] that the idea for the metaphor of a person becoming a machine was inspired by [[Shinya Tsukamoto]]'s ''Tetsuo: The Iron Man''.

A semi-acoustic version can be found on ===Annie===In a 2004 interview for ''[[Still]],Alternative Press'' which has an accompanying video released at , Reznor was asked about the use of the time on nin.comname Annie in this song.

===Meaning===<blockquote>The lyrics describe <p>Oh, and "Annie" was abstractly referring to a man fighting against himselfcollege sweetheart/ heartbreak situation that, trying to avoid his "becomingat the time I was writing that song," transforming him into was a machine without human characteristics and feelingsvalid source of emotional pain to draw from. Its structure, described belowHer real name is Andrea Mulrain, and her phone number is indicative of this struggle[number deleted for privacy purposes. -Patriot Act Ed.]</p> This is a rare example of Reznor directly referencing a name ("Annie") in his lyrics<p>—Reznor [http://www. Usually, he uses ambiguous pronounstheninhotline. This expresses the need for attachment, the need to interact intimately with another human despite the narrator's extreme attempts to detach himself from the worldnet/archives/articles/manager/display_article.php?id=11]</p></blockquote>

This is the original album version. It begins in a 13/8 time signature with a manipulated piano line, then bursts into drum and [[samples|sample ]] loops of screams taken from the film ''Robot JoxxJox''. The drum loop pattern is also nearly identical in "[[The Way Out Is Through]]". At the 3-minute mark, it mellows into an acoustic guitar-led passage in 6/8, with machine-like loops and synthesized chorus pads sampled from Reznor's voice. The quiet portions of the song also contain a backwards sample from the film ''Angel Heart'' where the character is repeatedly yelling "I know who I am!" There is a final outburst of noise and screaming before returning to the acoustic section, which crossfades with the opening of "[[I Do Not Want This]]". ===The Becoming (Instrumental)==='''''Running Time: 6:24''''' Released by Reznor via his [[remix.nin.com]] account, this unmastered instrumental version is extended in length, as it does not fade out the ending, rather looping the acoustic guitar riff many times until stopping."

'''''Running Time: 4:30''''' This version appears on the ''Still'' CD, which was Disc 2 disc two of the Deluxe Edition CD of ''And All That Could Have Been'' and is currently available through nin.com. Simpler in its instrumentation and without the sample loops, it transitions immediately from the end of "[[The_Fragile_%28song%29#The_Fragile_.28Still.29|The Fragile]]" and ends suddenly after the final "noisy" section. Though he is absent from the credits, [[Danny Lohner]] is clearly seen performing in the video.

*[http://wwwvimeo.rob-sheridancom/61677369 "The Becoming" (''Still'') music video]*[http://vimeo.com/video5133409 "The Becoming" live from on stage at the Sasquatch Festival, 5.24.09]*[https://becomingarchive.html org/details/remix-nin-com-audio-02953 "StillThe Becoming" video(Instrumental) at archive.org] <br>