To me the difference has always been Reznor’s version is about depression & addiction, Cash’s is an old man facing the end of his life.

same song - different meanings.It's the final song of an concept album which tells the story of a person who is loosing his will to live...The album 'Downward Spiral' is probably one of the greatest pieces of art ever made!

Enjoy your trip down the NIN rabbit hole. Reznor was (and still is) an innovator in his craft. Thanks for sharing (as I wipe away tears).

You REALLY should be doing a part 3 for this song... in 1994 David Bowie sang this song live with NIN and its amazing. Trent considers it one of the best moments in his life.

A study in tension, dissonance, and the refusal to let it resolve

I remember when this album came out and hearing this song for the first time. The heartbreak it represented was palpable

I love how he makes it sound like he's on the edge of tears in lots of parts. I must admit to listening to this song on lots of occasions when my mental health was bad enough that i was feeling in the same mood. It's a good "trying to get it out of my system" song, that's very special to me.

It almost doesn't do this song justice to hear it in isolation. It is such a coup de grâce to the overall masterpiece that is the Downward Spiral.

Love that you used the word "tension" at the end, as this version is taken from NIN's 2013 tour, which was called Tension. :)

This live version is nothing like the original we all knew. This is so mellow in comparison!

Listen to the album version. The gig version only works when you are there. I am not a crier but I shed tears when I saw NIN live and they performed this and all the hairs on the back of my neck we up.. The original score has a sound that replicates being in the womb with the warmth and you wont ever get it from watching a video of a live performance. You have to play the album or see it live. trust me.

I never thought he was a super impressive vocalist or anything but he's a genius-level composer, in addition to Nine Inch Nails he's done a TON of soundtrack work for movies, tv shows, video games, etc. And their live shows back in the day were fantastic, I saw them in 2001 with A Perfect Circle as the opening act and it was epic.

Trent Reznor is my all time favorite musical artist. I found Pretty Hate Machine in 1990 and never looked back. Give the songs “ringfinger” “We’re in this together” “And all that could have been”. And “ something I can never have” a listen and I think you’ll get a far greater idea of Trent’s singing. I’ve always felt his vocals aren’t what most would call “classically good “ but every word he utters seems to come from the depths of purest feeling. The man has so much Soul.

The tonic flat fifth, creating a tritone, along with the off-pitch line endings are what give the song that "eerie" quality. Johnny Cash did not flat the fifth and hit all the pitches head on. In your part two, you described Trent's original as "urgent" and Johnny's cover as "reflective." That's a not-bad way to express the difference. There, you described the two performances as practically different songs. You went on to point out the importance of a cover as bringing the song to a different audience, or that it draws a different audience into the ambit of the song. I have always considered a new deployment of a song as essential for a good cover--a repetition in difference rather than a simulacrum. I had never thought about the expansion of the audience. Thank you.

Originally Trent reznor struggled with Johnny Cash's cover. He said that listening to it was like watching his girlfriend have sex with someone else because the song was so personal to him. Now he really appreciates the cover, but I can see why he would have felt that way before.

I dont know which one makes me cry more.. Reznor or cash.. I start crying within the first 3 notes every time. (250 lb metal head working security at a concert venue, btw)

'Pretty Hate Machine' put the hooks in me. 'The Downward Spiral' left me unconscious on the floor.

I wish you had picked a version of this from 20+ years ago, but great job as always !

One of the great songs of my youth. That whole album is amazing. Listen to the album version of this song with your headphones on. Close your eyes, sit back and listen. Incredible soundscape and emotion.

People don’t react to NIN enough. I know some think the vocals aren’t great, but I think they fit. And many of these songs are beautiful for many different reasons.

OMFG I love this one! The studio version is one of my favorite songs of all time. The Johnny Cash version is also REALLY good!

Singing slightly off-key is really difficult to do, and do well, as he does here. I had never thought how much depth, emotion and intensity (even while singing very softly), hitting the edges of the notes could be. It just draws you in. What a fantastic vocalist he is!

NIN's original is the one that makes me tear up, Trent is so vulnerable when he sings this song.

if you want to go down a rabbit hole, "I'm afraid of americans" - David Bowie, musci and some vocals by Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails). probably one of my fav songs

I generally hate reaction videos because they are so over the top and fake. I love your videos, because the insights you provide make me view the music in a different way. It's a perspective that I haven't used in ages, bringing back my singing days. Keep it up!

I'm pretty sure his deep "Thank you" at 14:50 had a distorted pitch effect on the mic. Trent's speaking voice is slightly deeper than his singing. Also, LOVE that you're reacting to NIN for the first time! There is so much depth, innovation, and vocal mastery in Trent's music. :)

One of the things I love about Trent Reznor's vocal style is there seems to be always seems to be a sense of pent up anger or despair.

I love that you cover this song. I wish you would have listened to the album version because it's more straightforward and confined. I grew up in a time where big wave surfer came to Half Moon Bay, California and perished and they got it on film. In the film, they paired the shot of his wipe out with this song. I watched the movie monster mavericks as a young adolescent surfer, skateboarder growing up in Santa Cruz and that song always resonates with me and Mark Foo's passing. Don't get me wrong, I love it. The time when johnny cash released his cover kind of coincided with my grandfather's passing and I associate his version with that. Both versions for me are very emotional and hold a special place for me.

Seen him close 9 shows live with this song, NOT ONCE am I or anyone else dry eyed within a minute of this track the piano live is devastating in all the best ways

This REAL version is & will always be the best version of this song. Love JC but Trent’s pain and experiences that went into the writing is what makes it so special. It always pisses me off when I hear someone refer to this version as the cover…

I saw him perform this a bit over 20 years ago as the first live concert I'd ever attended. Could have been the tour you pulled this video from. Thanks for taking me back to this moment.

Very happy to see you made it to this version. As great as Cash's version is, this version is also great. It's rare in my experience for a cover to be as good as the original without replacing it, and as you mentioned same words different meanings. This is coming from someone who is more of a Johnny Cash fan then NIN. Keep up the lovely work.

Hurt as the Rick and Morty season 2 finale track elevated the show so much. I hope she gets some of why that would be the case. I haven't watched the whole video yet.

I appreciate you doing some nine inch nails.

The Downward Spiral is a concept album about a rock star descending into addiction and despair. Ironically, written before Trent descended into addiction and despair largely as a consequence of the huge popularity of TDS in the 90s. One of my favourite albums of all time, I listened to this over and over again when it came out.

I love the piano touches. It adds warmth.

Thank you so much for reviewing Trent! I’ve been waiting for this!

It's probably been mentioned already, but the original NiN version, performed when Trent was still young (29), evokes angst and self-loathing, whereas Johnny Cash's version, performed when he was in his twilight years (70), portrays regret and resignation. It is unique a study in how one deals with or portrays emotional pain depending on where you are in life.

Watched ur reactions for a while now. I love the way you actually LISTEN. Many vocalists on YT do not. I see it in ur eyes. Keep it up young lady! Love ur open mind.

I’m a guitarist who hates the sound of my voice. I love watching you analyze performances from a vocal perspective. I’m totally invested in the channel, hope to keep seeing 80’s/90’s/2000’s reaction videos!

30 years of tapping into this huge abyss.... glad you're feeling it ❤❤❤

God, I love this song. I used to listen to this album all the time when it first came out (and I was a lot younger), but I will admit I haven't listened to NIN in quite some time. Great to hear this again, and great to hear your commentary on it.

I discovered your channel recently and immediately wondered if you’d covered this song. It comes from my favorite album of all time. This live performance comes far later in their career and I wish someone would’ve recommended an earlier performance.

NiN and Cash are both amazing artists but the thing i love most is your reaction to the music. You are great and Iove love love your channel.

The eerie quality is very Nine Inch Nails. Trent is so good at it. It really enrichs the music. Thanks for the good watch.

Like another viewer commented: The difference in experience has a lot to do with the different ages of the men singing the same song, telling their story. I think, listening to Johnny Cash's version, an old man reaching the (natural) end of his life, almost everyone can form a rather familiar connection to it. Whereas Trent Reznor's version describes a young man with his life in tatters reaching an "unnatural" early end. We know that these life stories happen, but we also feel that they shouldn't. A young man shouldn't get to a point in his life that makes him sing these words. That is that eerie feeling. - And so, while most prefer the Johnny Cash version, I think, that it is very important to experience Trent Reznor's version too.

Reznor has said he purposefully puts unsettling things in songs, missed beats, vocal oddities, slightly mis-pitched music at times, it makes you listen harder and focus, it’s unsettling and VERY effective.

Trent is like Layne Staley, he sings with so much emotion and pain. Ive listened to both this song and this live versions hundred's of times and still get the chills

That weird pitch shifting in the background is a trick Alessandro Cortini uses. Instead of just midi tracks, he records hours long loops of the notes on a Tascam 4 track on cassette. He plays and switches tracks while tweaking the pitch shift as he feels.

thank you, insightful as always :)

I keep mentioning Sevendust because I know Lajon Witherspoon's voice will amaze you. There's metal singers with amazing voices then there is Lajon, the man who put a little soul into a metal voice. You should listen to a song called waffle or Angel's Son. Angel's Son is about a friend of theirs who passed away a long time ago.

Great video I enjoyed your analysis!

That smile brightens up the worst days.

Hi!!!! It's very emotional and touchy...beautiful song.and gd eve to you ms.beth thanks and we love you. From philippines ❤❤❤❤❤❤

The whole Downward spiral album is a masterpiece. I know that everyone who’s into this kind of music knows that Trent is a genius but still I think this is underrated… And about this track: I love the J Cash version but this one is telling a hell of a different story and personally I think is much more powerful. Especially with the original sinister ending. One of the greatest and most powerful songs of all time

It’s great that you picked up and on point about the mood. You do know where this album was created and recorded don’t you? Exactly!!

I remember when I heard them performing this song live in London and it was fantastic so emotional and powerful at the same time

Thank you, love your smile!

All nin is worth you're time. Please! Ill watch

I watched NIN perform this song live more than twenty years ago when i was a young adult. Such an amazing experience. Trent and the whole band are gifted performers with a skill for insight and understanding of not just human emotion but also how to deliver and translate that emotion to an audience. I was going through a difficult time in my life when I went to that show and the pain the band communicated through their performance brought me to tears. Today, as a middle aged man, I still cannot hear that song without being transported back to that moment in time. It still makes me well up.

Love the dynamics of this live version

Thank you ❤. Please more Nine Inch Nails

I have seen this done live with just him and a keyboard, one of the best solo performances I can remember

The album version of "Heresy" is one of Trent's most interesting vocal performances. It has some really wild multitracking.

there’s a video of him singing this live in 1995. it’s awesome.

Have you ever recorded yourself singing and played it back for the first time? This is it, this is that sound.

Their amazing live. If you ever get a chance I definitely recommend. It’ll be worth every penny. I’ve seen them at Red Rocks in Morrison, Co. it’s one of the best venues to see a show at.

67 Years old and this is one of my favorite newer bands loved this album every track was a masterpiece.

Thanks for reacting to the original. So many reactions to jcs version.

"Hurt" to me is a masterpiece. Trent in the depths of the orchestration is suffering. I love Johnny Cash, have so much respect for both of them. Thank you Johnny for validating NIN.

Hope you listen to more. He really did have a habit of changing up styles. Yes, it was all fairly industrial, but album to album, song to song, he made huge changes.

Be well Bethany!

A very special live performance of the song was at the Panorama Festival in 2017. Emotional, very.

I think another difference between this and the Johnny Cash version is that the video you’re watching is from probably 20yrs after Trent first wrote the song. He’s no longer the guy who wrote it, though he obviously remembers being that guy and what he was feeling in that moment. He was talking about depression and addiction, and the despair that comes from them. But that’s a young man’s thinking. He knows that there’s good stuff out there, but instead he’s running from the world. When Johnny recorded his version, his wife (you see her briefly in the video) passed a couple months later, and he passed a few months after her. When he played his version for his daughter, she said something to the effect that it sounded like he was saying goodbye with this song. He answered “I am.” He knew he had not much time left, and he was trying to come to terms with that fact. It is very much an old man’s despair.

It's funny, I didn't care for Nine Inch Nails after hearing it for a bit... and then one day something just flipped on in my brain and it became one of my favorite, if not my favorite band. Such a wide variety of emotions and styles across the music.

One of my favourite live renditions of this song is the one where David Bowie was on it as well. So good!

There's another version of this song: Trent singing with David Bowie on stage side by side. I often think these 3 versions this way: Version 1 the Trent original, Trent as the young protagonist is losing his battle against addiction and depression (BUT there's still a tiny glimpse of hope). Version 2 Trent alongside with Bowie, Bowie as the older protagonist has just come out of all the hardships and finally been able to enjoy a clean and happier life, now he looks back and realises "I'm not looking back anymore, I' moving forward". Version 3 Cash cover, Cash as the old protagonist who's about to leave this world, in his death bed he looks back again and says "oh wow what a life I've lived, I've gone through so much and I made it this far, I have a lot of regrets but I'm also proud of myself, I'm in peace now, bye world". Although I personally don't like Cash changing that particular one word in the lyrics, he did it from his perspective and did a great cover that fits the narrative perfectly, respectable.

thank you!!

Live is good, but with this one I prefer the studio version

I’ve always viewed this song as the perfect theatrical version of raw pain. As a teenager, it gave me a space to feel my own emotions in a pure, free way. I felt understood, and it wasn’t the actual words.

The two artist proving we can each hear compiled words differently. This album and PHM are worth a listen. Peace/JT

I find it is helpful to listen to more NIN songs to get more context for this song and maybe understand the power of it even more, since it stands in such stark contrast to the loud, driving, screams and dissonance of the rest of the album. This is so vulnerable, which is even more clear in the album version.

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Something to consider about this performance- I believe it is always the last song of the concert. So this delicate delivery after playing for an hour or more makes it that much more impressive to me.

I’m always happy to see reaction channels picking “Big boy music”… nice job

He announced a new album!!

Please do some Faith No More, Mike Patton is insane

Can feel his emotions and soul in this song, such a touching and personal song about Trent and his heorin addiction. One of my favorites

The Song Exploder interview with Trent on this song is very good. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in his process and reflection on this record 🖤

A lot of the songs from this album "The Downward Spiral" are good, I would probably listen to the songs instead of the live performance though, with the type of instruments and sounds present, they don't always translate well in person.

My favorite version was NIИ doing this song live with David Bowie in '94-'95. Bowie had a tone to his voice similar to Johnny Cash, so you get the best of both worlds in one song, lol. Link: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/fcyEdLR4ntjFgWg.html

Curious that you point to the change Trent is making around 9:58~ mark. To someone that has listened to NiN for quite a while, it sound more like strain, the effects of years of intense singing. If you listen to an older version he sounds a bit different. Similar to say James from Metallica, his voice is nearly fried these days compared to 1990s and it is detectible.

Listen to the live with Bowie. unique

You should check out the live performance of this song from the“Still”album recording

I have seen NIN live 8 times. They never fail. If you are going to listen to more look for songs off of movie soundtracks to listen to. That way if you decide to listen to the downward spiral tracks you can do so in order as intended to tell the story.

Only ever hurts because hes sings it with feelings ❤❤❤

NIN Live Hurt - Forever! Trägt mich über all die vielen Jahre. LG

I just found your videos last week and I just finished watching the System of a Down Toxicity video. I thought you might like to hear a song by a band that was signed to Serj Tankian’s label. The band is Fair to Midland and the song is The Wife the Kids and the White Picket Fence

Lookin clean

Really wish you had chosen the studio remastered version of this.