The Downward Spiral

The Downward Spiral is the second studio album by Nine Inch Nails, released in March 1994 on Nothing/Interscope Records and produced by Reznor and Flood, widely regarded as Reznor's masterpiece and one of the most significant albums of the 1990s, a conceptual narrative of psychological dissolution and self-destruction that drew on industrial rock, ambient noise, and pop songwriting simultaneously. Reznor wrote all material; the album was recorded at 10050 Cielo Drive in Los Angeles, the house where Sharon Tate and four others were murdered in 1969 by members of the Manson Family, a location choice that generated significant press attention and that Reznor has discussed as both a practical and thematic decision. 'Closer,' 'Hurt,' 'March of the Pigs,' and 'A Warm Place' were the principal tracks; 'Closer' reached number one on the Modern Rock chart and its deliberately transgressive video became one of MTV's most played despite regular censorship. The Downward Spiral debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with 196,000 first-week sales and has been certified four-times platinum in the United States; 'Hurt' became one of the most covered songs of the decade after Johnny Cash's 2002 American Recordings interpretation. The album's influence on industrial rock, electronic music, and confessional male vocalist albums of the following two decades is among the most traceable of any 1990s alternative release.