THE PERFECT DRUG

'"The Perfect Drug"' is a 1997 song by Nine Inch Nails. It was written for the David Lynch film ''Lost Highway'' and originally appeared on the ''Lost Highway'' soundtrack. Remixes of the song were released in an EP, '''"The Perfect Drug" Versions''' (also known as '''Halo 11''').
Though ''"The Perfect Drug" Versions'' acts as a single for the titular song, the original version of the song only appears on the European, Australian and Japanese releases of the single. "The Perfect Drug" has also been included on the later singles "We're in This Together" and "Into the Void", although the only audio release of it in North America has been on the ''Lost Highway'' soundtrack. The music video for "The Perfect Drug" is available worldwide on the ''Closure'' video compilation and ''The Work of Director Mark Romanek''.

Contents

The song

The music video

The EP

Cover versions

Releases

Track listing

References

External links

The song

Despite being a single, "The Perfect Drug" has never been performed live. On the official NIN website, "Sara" asked whether this is because "the drum solo would make Jerome's arms fall off." Then-drummer Jerome Dillon replied that they "never rule out the possibility of playing any of the songs live."[2]
On April 6, 2005, while presenting the late-night BBC Radio 1 Rock Show in the UK, Trent Reznor stated that "The Perfect Drug" was his least favorite creation. His reasons were the short production time and the "overblown" video.^[1]

The music video

A music video for the single was directed by Mark Romanek and released on January 18, 1997. It portrays a despairing father (played by Reznor) who mourns a dead child in his gothic estate, losing himself in the consumption of absinthe. The theme was inspired by the art of Edward Gorey, and the video resembles the previous work Romanek did with NIN for "Closer".

The EP

''"The Perfect Drug" Versions'' is the eleventh official Nine Inch Nails release. It consists of five remixes of the song "The Perfect Drug."
Notable remixes were by Reznor himself and Meat Beat Manifesto frontman Jack Dangers, whose remix opens the disc in a very UK jungle style. The DJ-only promotional vinyl copies had a remix by the DJ Aphrodite which was exclusive to this format and copy. Although the album has a remix by the composer group Nine Inch Nails, not all releases include the original track on the CD.

Cover versions

"The Perfect Drug" has been covered by Die Krupps, Nerve Factor and Mariano. The Hard Dance Act Lab 4 also sampled the chorus for their track "Perfect Drug".

Releases

★ Nothing Records / Interscope Records INTDM-95007 - US CD

★ Nothing Records / Interscope Records IND-95542 - EU CD

★ Nothing Records / Interscope Records MVCP-14001 - JP CD

★ Nothing Records / Interscope Records IND-95542 - AU CD

★ Nothing Records / Interscope Records INT8P-6164 - 3 x 12"

Track listing

CD

Available as United States, Australia, Japan or EU single.
#"The Perfect Drug (Remixed by Meat Beat Manifesto)" - [7:24]
#"The Perfect Drug (Remixed by Plug)" - [6:53]
#"The Perfect Drug (Remixed by Nine Inch Nails)" - [8:19]
#"The Perfect Drug (Remixed by Spacetime Continuum)" - [5:42]
#"The Perfect Drug (Remixed by The Orb)" - [6:12]
#"The Perfect Drug (Original Version)" - [5:16] Non-US releases only

12" DJ promo

Three discs, one track per side
#"The Perfect Drug (Remixed by Meat Beat Manifesto)"
#"The Perfect Drug (Remixed by Nine Inch Nails)"
#"The Perfect Drug (Remixed by Plug)"
#"The Perfect Drug (Remixed by Aphrodite)" - [6:04]
#"The Perfect Drug (Remixed by The Orb)"
#"The Perfect Drug (Remixed by Spacetime Continuum)"

References

1. Trent Reznor. ''Rock Show''. BBC Radio 1. April 6, 2005.

External links

★ ''The Perfect Drug'' at nin.com, the official website

★ Clip of the making of "The Perfect Drug" video with Mark Romanek

★ ''Halo 11'' at NIN collector

★ ''The Perfect Drug'' (halo) at the NinWiki

★ discogs.com: ''The Perfect Drug'' (US CD5" Promo)

★ discogs.com: ''"The Perfect Drug" Versions'' (US CD5")

★ discogs.com: ''"The Perfect Drug" Versions'' (EU CD5")

★ discogs.com: ''"The Perfect Drug" Versions'' (EU 3x12")