Starfuckers, Inc.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Starfuckers, Inc." | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Single by Nine Inch Nails | ||
| from the album The Fragile | ||
| Released | May 2, 2000 | |
| Format | CD | |
| Recorded | ?? | |
| Genre | Industrial rock | |
| Length | 12 min 37 sec | |
| Label | Nothing Records | |
| Producer(s) | Trent Reznor, Alan Moulder | |
| Chart positions | ||
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| Nine Inch Nails singles chronology | ||
| "Into the Void" (2000) |
"Starfuckers, Inc." (2000) |
"Deep" (2001) |
"Starfuckers, Inc." is the fourth single from Nine Inch Nails' album The Fragile. Though the song has never been featured with its own official halo, an unhaloed promotional CD titled "Starsuckers, Inc."' was distributed with exclusive radio edits, and a video for "Starsuckers, Inc." was produced.
Contents |
[edit] The song
"Starfuckers Inc.," written by Trent Reznor and Charlie Clouser, is one of the heaviest songs on The Fragile. The verses feature IDM breakbeats, deep bass hits, and glitchy stuttering vocals, said to reflect the poor singing ability, and need for many takes of recordings, of Marilyn Manson, for whom Reznor had produced a number of albums, and who would later go on to disparage Reznor publicly. The chorus is built on heavy metal guitars and massed, shouted choruses. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2000.
"Starfuckers, Inc." deals with the self-involved vanity and shallow commericalization of fame. The song directly references "You're So Vain," Carly Simon's ode to a self-absorbed lover, by quoting the chorus:
You're so vain
I bet you think this song is about you
Don't you?
These lyrics were changed for the video version of "Starsuckers, Inc." to
Overplayed
And soon you'll make us forget about you
Won't you?
It is often speculated that the song is directed towards Reznor's former friend, Marilyn Manson, and/or long-time antagonist Courtney Love.
[edit] The single
"Starsuckers, Inc." was released as a promotional three-track CD in the United States. The disc's primary song is a radio edit in which the word "starfuckers" is replaced by the less-profane "starsuckers" - hence the disc's title. The single also contains the original song and a "video version" of "Starsuckers, Inc." with additional changes in lyrics.
"Starfuckers, Inc." was also included as a b-side of the first single from The Fragile, "The Day the World Went Away".
Releases
- Interscope Records INTR-10079-2
Track listing
- "Starsuckers, Inc." [4:13]
- "Starfuckers, Inc." [4:06]
- "Starsuckers, Inc." (Video Version) [4:18]
[edit] The video
The video for "Starsuckers, Inc." revolves around the same themes as the song in a darkly humorous manner. Reznor and a skinny blonde ride in a limousine to a deserted carnival. While the blonde videotapes Reznor's actions, he attacks images of famous musicians via sideshow games: Reznor shatters plates adorned with rock stars' faces (Marilyn Manson, Fred Durst, Mariah Carey, Michael Stipe, Gene Simmons, and others), tosses CDs into a toilet (Mechanical Animals and The Downward Spiral are visible), and throws baseballs through busts of Billy Corgan and himself. The most explicit mockery comes with Reznor dunking a fat, disgusting Courtney Love look-a-like into a waste tank. The video ends back in the limousine, where the blonde removes her wig to reveal "her" identity as Marilyn Manson.
Viewers took Manson's appearance in the video as a sign that Reznor and Manson had renewed their friendship. Manson has performed "Starfuckers, Inc." live with NIN once; the video appears as an easter egg on the And All That Could Have Been DVD.
