- This article discusses the music album. For information on the film based on it, see Broken (movie).
Broken (also known as halo 5) is an EP by Nine Inch Nails released in 1992. Broken varies from these other EPs because it is entirely new material, rather than remixes of previously released material. Thus, Broken is usually considered to be Nine Inch Nail's second major release. Released in the autumn of 1992 on the heels of a major disagreement between Trent Reznor and his label, TVT Records, Broken was a major departure from Pretty Hate Machine sonically. Trent said that during the long, arduous tour for his debut album, the songs became more aggressive when played by a band (versus overdubbed and sequenced by one person in the studio) and that things often turned violent or horrible on stage as a result of everyone releasing pent-up frustration and anger on their instruments.
The effect of Reznor's conflict with his label and its influence on Broken can be seen in the album's packaging. After a long list of credits the following appears: "no thanks: you know who you fucking are," followed by "the slave thinks he is released from bondage only to find a stronger set of chains."
The results of this natural progression were louder mixes, more distortion on every instrument imaginable and even on some you wouldn't imagine it on (a classic Mellotron MKIV, for example, which can be heard most particularly on the track "Gave Up"). The lyrics were less of a departure, for the most part, the themes of unhappiness and discontent still being prominent.
The degree to which these feelings were present on Broken, however, were felt much more deeply within the ear canals. Reznor said he wanted the album to be "an ultra-fast chunk of death" for the listener, something that would "make your ears a little scratchy" when you listened.
It worked. The record reached number 7 on the Billboard 200 chart, while the second track, "Wish", even got Reznor a Grammy award. Trent later joked that his epitaph should read:
"REZNOR: Died. Said 'fist fuck' and won a Grammy."
Track listing
1. "Pinion" - 1:02
2. "Wish" - 3:46
3. "Last" - 4:44
4. "Help Me I Am In Hell" - 1:56
5. "Happiness in Slavery" - 5:21
6. "Gave Up" - 4:08
98. "Physical (You're So)" - 5:29
99. "Suck" - 5:06
The original release had "Physical (You're So)" and "Suck" on a separate 3" disc as tracks 1 and 2 respectively. Later versions have the track list above, with tracks 7-97 having one second of silence each.
Charting singles
1992 "Happiness In Slavery" Modern Rock Tracks No. 13
1993 "Wish" Modern Rock Tracks No. 25
Personnel
External Links
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