Noah Sinclair
Closer is a song by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released in 1994. The song's music video, directed by Mark Romanek, was controversial for its imagery involving religion, sexuality, animal cruelty, and politics. While the video was edited for MTV to censor objectionable content, an uncensored director's cut is available on the Closure video and the DualDisc re-issue of The Downward Spiral. This raises the question: is the Nine Inch Nails Closer director's cut censored, or are there multiple versions of the video with varying levels of censorship?
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Running length | 4:42 |
| Availability | YouTube, Closure video, DualDisc re-issue of The Downward Spiral |
| Censorship | Silenced profanity, blurred or blacked-out objectionable content |
| Radio version | Censored and shortened |
| Single version | 13 seconds longer than the album version |
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What You'll Learn
- The uncensored director's cut is available on the Closure video and DualDisc re-issue of The Downward Spiral
- The music video was directed by Mark Romanek and aired in May 1994
- The video was filmed in an abandoned hospital and features risqué imagery
- The song was censored for radio airplay
- The single's cover artwork was created by photographer Joseph Cultice
The uncensored director's cut is available on the Closure video and DualDisc re-issue of The Downward Spiral
The music video for "Closer" by Nine Inch Nails was directed by Mark Romanek and first aired on May 12, 1994. It was filmed in an abandoned hospital in Los Angeles and set in what appears to be a 19th-century mad scientist's laboratory. The video's imagery involves religion, sexuality, animal cruelty, and politics. Due to its explicit content, the video was edited for MTV, with offending images blurred, blacked out, or zoomed in to avoid objectionable content.
The uncensored director's cut of the "Closer" music video is available on the Closure video and the DualDisc re-issue of The Downward Spiral. The Closure DVD also includes behind-the-scenes footage and commentary by Romanek. "Closer" has been released in various formats, including cassette singles, CD singles, and vinyl, with some versions featuring remixes, instrumental tracks, and cover songs.
The song "Closer" addresses themes such as self-hatred and worthlessness quelled through control over others using sex. It is considered one of Nine Inch Nails' signature songs and has been covered by various musical acts. The song has received acclaim, ranking highly on lists by AOL, Triple J, Pitchfork Media, Rolling Stone, Kerrang, and Billboard.
The original album version of "Closer" is found on The Downward Spiral and Closer To God. The version on Closer To God allows the final piano note and background noise to play out completely, while the album version abruptly cuts off to segue into the next track, "Ruiner". The single version of "Closer" is 13 seconds longer than the album version due to the extended piano and background sounds.
The uncensored director's cut of the "Closer" music video provides fans with the opportunity to experience the song and its imagery as originally intended by the band and director. By releasing the uncensored version, Nine Inch Nails offers a glimpse into their artistic vision and creative process, free from the constraints of censorship and editing.
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The music video was directed by Mark Romanek and aired in May 1994
The music video for "Closer" by Nine Inch Nails was directed by Mark Romanek and first aired on May 12, 1994. It was filmed in April of the same year and helped bolster the success of the band. The video was shot in the then-abandoned Linda Vista Community Hospital in Los Angeles and is set in what appears to be a 19th-century mad scientist's laboratory. The video's imagery involves religion, sexuality, animal cruelty, and politics.
Due to its explicit content, the "Closer" music video was heavily edited for MTV. Objections were raised against imagery that was considered blasphemous, such as a crucified monkey and a crucifix on a nude woman's blindfold. Other scenes were deemed too risqué, including one in which Reznor is gagged in front of a wall covered with sado-masochistic paraphernalia, writhing from a chain while blindfolded. Some scenes were considered overtly sexual, featuring a nude woman and a diagram of a vulva.
To address these concerns, the video was edited for MTV, with offending images blurred, blacked out, or zoomed in to avoid objectionable content. Some scenes were completely replaced with a screen reading "SCENE MISSING". Despite the heavy editing, the "Closer" music video became one of MTV's most popular videos in 1994 and 1995. The uncensored director's cut can be found on the Closure video and the DualDisc re-issue of The Downward Spiral.
The song "Closer" was released as the second single on Nine Inch Nails' second studio album, The Downward Spiral, in May 1994. It is considered one of the band's signature songs and remains their most popular song. The single charted highly and received much airplay on both radio and music television. The song's explicit content and themes of self-hatred and worthlessness quelled through control over others using sex also contributed to its popularity.
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The video was filmed in an abandoned hospital and features risqué imagery
The music video for "Closer" by Nine Inch Nails was directed by Mark Romanek and first aired on May 12, 1994. It was filmed in the then-abandoned Linda Vista Community Hospital in Los Angeles. The video is set in what appears to be a 19th-century mad scientist's laboratory and features imagery involving religion, sexuality, animal cruelty, and politics.
The video was controversial and objected to by network censors for its blasphemous, risqué, and overtly sexual imagery. Some of the specific images that were deemed objectionable included a crucified monkey, a crucifix on a nude woman's blindfold, and a diagram of a vulva. Other risqué imagery included frontman Trent Reznor gagged in front of a wall covered with sado-masochistic paraphernalia and writhing from a chain while blindfolded.
Due to the controversial nature of the video, it was edited for MTV, with offending images blurred, blacked out, or zoomed in to avoid objectionable content. Some innuendo did remain in the edited version, such as the shape of the microphone in some scenes and the appearance of a hanging beef carcass. Despite the heavy editing, the "Closer" music video became one of MTV's most popular videos in 1994 and 1995.
The uncensored director's cut of the "Closer" music video can be found on the Closure video and the DualDisc re-issue of The Downward Spiral. This version of the video has a running length of 4:42. The song "Closer" also had a vocal-censored version created for radio airplay, with profanities silenced.
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The song was censored for radio airplay
"Closer" by Nine Inch Nails was censored for radio airplay. The song, released in 1994, is considered one of the band's signature songs and remains their most popular song. Given its explicit content, the song was edited for radio play. The promotional single provided by the label to radio stations included both long and short vocal-censored (i.e. silenced profanity) versions. The song's lyrics and imagery were considered too risqué by network censors, who objected to what they deemed blasphemous imagery, such as a crucified monkey and a crucifix on a nude woman's blindfold. Other imagery was deemed too overtly sexual, including a nude woman and a diagram of a vulva.
The song's music video was also edited for MTV, with offending images blurred, blacked out, or zoomed in to avoid objectionable content. Despite heavy editing, "Closer" became one of the network's most popular videos in 1994 and 1995. The uncensored director's cut of the music video can be found on the Closure video and the DualDisc re-issue of The Downward Spiral.
The song's lyrics and imagery are not the only elements that have been subject to censorship. During live performances, Nine Inch Nails have omitted the original song from the setlist, instead performing a shorter version with the keyboard solo played as a guitar solo and a breakdown incorporating a portion of "The Only Time". This version appears on the Beside You in Time release.
The song has also been covered by various musical acts, including Maroon 5, MGMT, and Blood on the Dance Floor, who may have offered their interpretations of the song while navigating its explicit content.
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The single's cover artwork was created by photographer Joseph Cultice
The Nine Inch Nails song "Closer" was released in May 1994 as the second single on their second studio album, "The Downward Spiral". It is considered one of the band's signature songs and remains their most popular song. The single is titled "Closer to God", differing from the title of its A-side.
Cultice has worked with shock rocker Marilyn Manson on numerous occasions, including directing the documentary "Dead to the World" and the music video for Manson's contribution to David Lynch's film "Lost Highway", titled "Apple of Sodom". Cultice also created and photographed the cover art for Manson's third studio album, "Mechanical Animals".
Regarding his work on the "Closer to God" cover, Cultice recalled that Trent Reznor was there the whole day and "wanted to hang out with the bugs". Cultice's photographs of Nine Inch Nails first appeared in Revolver's August/September 2018 issue, documenting the band's game-changing period during the release of "The Downward Spiral".
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Frequently asked questions
No, the Director's Cut of the Nine Inch Nails song "Closer" is uncensored and unedited. It can be viewed on the Closure video and the DualDisc re-issue of The Downward Spiral.
The Director's Cut of the "Closer" music video is 4 minutes and 42 seconds long.
The song "Closer" by Nine Inch Nails addresses themes such as self-hatred and a feeling of worthlessness being quelled through control over others using sex.
Yes, the original "Closer" music video was censored by MTV due to imagery that was considered blasphemous, risqué, and overtly sexual in nature. The video was edited with offending images blurred, blacked out, or zoomed in to avoid objectionable content.
