Synopsis

In a gloomy Victorian salon, Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails perform amid pale figures, oversized props, painted backdrops, and theatrical tableaux. Reznor is offered a glass of absinthe, responds with menace, and eventually drinks the glowing green liquid. He is then strapped into an electrified chair, where bursts of light and a violent green strobe transform the room into a surreal nightmare. The video closes by returning to its original blue-toned setting, leaving Reznor isolated and seemingly more despairing than before.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video's visual world was inspired heavily by the illustrations of Edward Gorey, whose melancholy characters, Edwardian clothing, oversized objects, and macabre theatricality shaped the production design.

• Additional visual references include Gustav Klimt's painting "The Kiss" and an early photographic device called the Scanning Machine, designed by French inventor Francois Willeme in 1860.

• Cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth received a Music Video Production Award for his work on the clip. The production also won recognition for its hair and makeup, including Joanne Gair's contribution.

• Charlie Clouser, Danny Lohner, and Chris Vrenna appear alongside Reznor, most visibly as the musicians playing string instruments during the opening performance.

• The blue and green color scheme is closely tied to the arrangement. The video shifts into rapid green flashes during the song's drum breakdown before returning to its colder blue palette.

• Reznor later described the song as one of his least satisfying pieces, partly because it was created quickly for David Lynch's film *Lost Highway* and paired with what he called a bloated, over-budget video.

• Although the song was released in 1997, Nine Inch Nails did not perform it live until September 2018, when it debuted at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado.