Broken

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This article discusses the album. For information on the film made from it, see Broken (film).

Broken
EP by Nine Inch Nails
Released	September 22, 1992
Recorded	March to August 1992 at Hell, New Orleans; Royal Recorders, Lake Geneva; South Beach Studios, Miami Beach; Village Recorder & A&M, Los Angeles; Pig, Beverly Hills
Genre	Industrial
Length	31:32
Label	TVT Records / Nothing Records
Producer(s)	Trent Reznor, Flood
Professional reviews
All Music Guide Image:4.5 stars.svg link
Nine Inch Nails chronology
Pretty Hate Machine (1989)	Broken (1992)	Fixed (1992)

Broken (also known as Halo 5) is an EP by Nine Inch Nails released in 1992. Broken is the fifth official Nine Inch Nails release. Although it is an EP, it is usually considered to be the band's second major release because it consists of new material. It was preceded by Pretty Hate Machine and was followed later in 1992 by Fixed, a companion EP that is largely remixes of the same material.

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. Trent said that during the long, arduous tour for his debut album, the songs became more aggressive when played by a band -- compared to when he created them in a studio -- and that things often turned violent on stage as a result of everyone releasing pent-up frustration and anger on their instruments. Thus, Broken sounds a lot more abrasive with disorted guitars being much more prominent than on Pretty Hate Machine.

The effect of Reznor's conflict with his former label (TVT Records) 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." These comments are more than likely directed towards the TVT Records Steve Gottlieb who refused to let Trent out of his contract, sparking legal battles between the company and Trent.

The results of this natural progression were louder mixes and more distortion on every instrument, including a classic Mellotron MKIV (originally owned by John Lennon) 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 remaining 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. ^{[citation needed]}

The record reached number 7 on the Billboard 200 chart, while the second track, "Wish", even got Reznor a Grammy award. He later joked that his epitaph should read:

"REZNOR: Died. Said 'fist fuck' and won a Grammy." ^{[citation needed]}

[edit] 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
7. "Physical (You're So)" – 5:29
8. "Suck" – 5:07

The original release had "Physical" and "Suck" on a separate 3" CD. After Trent Reznor found out that some record store owners would remove the disc and sell it separately, the bonus songs were included on same CD with the main songs as tracks 98 and 99, with tracks 7-97 containing a second of silence each.

"Physical" is a cover of the Adam & the Ants song "Physical (You're So)", originally released on the Kings of the Wild Frontier LP. During The Downward Spiral Tour in 1995, Nine Inch Nails for two nights in a row performed "Physical" live with Adam Ant. The second night, where they performed the song, after Trent introduced Adam Ant and Marco Pirroni, Adam Ant proclaimed to the audience "It's nice to be on stage with the best fucking band in the world".

"Suck" was written by Pigface, whose ever-changing lineup once included Reznor. The original version appeared a year earlier on Pigface's Gub album.

The music video for "Gave Up" features a young Marilyn Manson playing guitar, appearing sans makeup and eye contacts. (Reznor would later sign the band to his nothing Records label, and produce their first two albums.)

[edit] Press sheet

The press sheet released for Broken had a note from Reznor on it. The note reads (with original formatting preserved):