Head Like A Hole

GOD MONEY

The concept of 'God Money' (or God Profit) was central to my Media Ethics classes, it summed up the capitalist profit-making imperative to a tee. I used it so much I even forgot where the term originated. I rediscovered it last night and was slightly worried to discover that even though I have matured 20 years since I last regularly listened to this song, the part of me it taps into is still alive and kicking.

The song is off of the first NIN release "Pretty Hate Machine" and is one of the few songs on the album not about relationships -which I had no reference point for at the time- but about $$$ which I was just starting to come to grips with. It was an industrial political song. Trent Reznor said he wrote the lyrics in "15 minutes in my bedroom [...] I don't remember what i was thinking about at the time, but it was pretty much about yelling at a beast without putting a face to it. I wrote it at the last minute as a throwaway." Thus did he channel some of his best lyrics:

God money I'll do anything for you.
God money just tell me what you want me to.
God money nail me up against the wall.
God money don't want everything he wants it all.

God money's not looking for the cure.
God money's not concerned with the sick amongst the pure.
God money let's go dancing on the backs of the bruised.
God money's not one to choose

head like a hole.
black as your soul.
I'd rather die than give you control.

And the chorus that is a crushing pronouncement of karmic doom and savage justice:

Bow down before the one you serve.
You're going to get what you deserve.

This is a powerful mix of individualism, righteousness, and anti-commercialism. It is dangerous to experience this emotional state in its raw form, but is one of the building blocks of who I am.


This Christian metal cover is better than the NIN version. I doubt anyone will follow me on this because I have trouble believing it myself, being neither a fan of Metal or Christian Rock. Without changing a word an Industrial anthem becomes a Christian one because the anti-materialist core is the same and gains more cultural power when re-connected to religion. This is Jesus talking to Satan in the desert, Jesus whipping money-lenders with his belt, all the martyrs screaming their final words at the Roman security forces. This it is how I've been singing this song since I first heard it.

"Head Like a Hole" was placed on the infamous Clear Channel list of post-9/11 banned songs. They were right. [also see my comments on the overlap between Industrial and Islamic fundamentalism here: https://roadtonowhere.forumotion.org/t164-3teeth-sell-your-face]



I didn't have much hope for some TeenIdol-type acoustic cover but the idea of it being sung in the heart of media beast was intriguing. Before listening I thought how I would do an acoustic cover and realized there were two options: 1) completely re-work the song into something softer 2) pour it all into one chorus and skip the second chorus. This guy chose option 2, poured his heart into it, and you can hear the rest.

[Listen for a guy in the audience who screams 'yeah!' at 2:30. Great response to a great cover]


My past is largely a void, I guess my brain is storing other information, but this remains: Graduation night (observed but not participated in), the goth after-party at Whitefish, 80% of Lockerby's goths are here, all 4 or 5 of us, dancing on the deck to Head Like Hole. This remains. Head like a Hole is like a goth folk-song, our 'We Shall Overcome' or 'If I Had a Hammer'. This video dials back the pretentiousness with the 'Cat got Your Soul' lyric and cranks the community feeling with the setting. A great party moment captured on home-video.

I had forgotten how good this song was. The NIN album Pretty Hate Machine is one of the albums that changed the way I view music and opened up my mind to music and music as an art form.

I'm surprised how good that acoustic cover ended up being!