“Into the Void” by Nine Inch Nails

“Into the Void” song reads as if it is speaking to depression of the most harrowing type, i.e. that which has the vocalist thinking about death or maybe even suicide. But the thesis sentiment doesn’t revolve around an actual desire to die or anything like that. 

To the contrary, as forcefully repeated the vocalist has made an attempt, presumably numerous ones even, to ‘save himself’. But alas, he “keeps slipping away”, as in failing to secure freedom from whatever it is that has him in such a melancholic state.

It is possible that the vocalist is referring to some type of deadly addiction. But more to the point, as verified in the second verse, is once again this sense of depression. And the implication, as further insinuated in this passage, is that whatever it is that happened to make him like this may have transpired deep in the past. So what we may rather be dealing with here is some type of traumatic experience the singer is ‘trying to overcome’, though the possibility of him ever doing so, at least in his own eyes, seems bleak.

Meanwhile the first verse gives the impression, even if only briefly, that the vocalist realizes he is not alone in this predicament. So it can be further postulated that this is not really about him per se. Instead, this may be the Nine Inch Nails’ way of acknowledging that chronic depression is real. In other words, trying to escape from this feeling for those who are genuinely afflicted by it is akin to trying to make it out of a “void”, i.e. a situation in which there appears to be no way out.

Release Date of “Into the Void”

“Into the Void” is the fourteenth track by American rock ensemble Nine Inch Nails, from their third studio offering entitled “The Fragile”.

This song is one of three official singles that accompanied the above-named album. Its official issuance date was on 10 January 2000.

Chart-wise, this single wasn’t one of Nine Inch Nails’ best-performing songs. Having said that, it enjoyed a moderate performance in Australia. It peaked at #72 there.  

Awards and Accolades

In February 2001 “Into the Void” was nominated for “Best Male Rock Vocal Performance” at the Grammys. However, it failed to win this accolade. “Again”, which is a song by American singer Lenny Kravitz, was named the winner of the award. The other songs that competed for the award are:

• “Thursday’s Child”, performed by David Bowie
• “Workin’ It”, performed by Don Henley
• “Things Have Changed”, performed by Bob Dylan

Credits

Trent Reznor, an American songwriter and lead vocalist of Nine Inch Nails, was responsible for penning and producing this tune. He received production assistance from English record producer and audio engineer Alan Moulder.

The “Fragile” Album

Nothing Records and Interscope Records are the record labels responsible for bringing out this album. The project’s release date is 21 September 1999.

The first single from this project, “The Day the World Went Away” was issued in the summer of 1999. The album’s second single, “We’re in This Together” officially came out in September the same year.

“The Fragile” enjoyed a remarkable performance on music charts across the globe. It peaked at #1 in the US and #2 in Canada and Australia. In the UK, this project reached #10. It also peaked at a similar position in Finland.

In the US and Canada, this album was certified 2× Platinum.