Today it's exactly 31 years since Nine Inch Nails released March Of The Pigs!

"March of the Pigs" was released by Nine Inch Nails on the 25th of February 1994. It was the first single released from their second studio album-The Downward Spiral (1994). It is also one of the band's shortest hit songs, clocking in at just under three minutes.

For shooting the music video, one that got regular airplay on MTV, Reznor assembled his live band for the upcoming Self Destruct Tour. It would feature drummer Chris Vrenna, keyboard player James Woolley, guitarist Robin Finck and bassist/guitarist/keyboardist Danny Lohner. Director Peter Christopherson (Coil, Throbbing Gristle, …) was told to film a stripped-down, minimalist music video for the song. The video showed the band performing the song live in front of a white-wall backdrop, with Reznor moving around aggressively, pushing the other band members, along with their instruments and repeatedly tossing his microphone away. Throughout the video, stagehands visibly move into the frame to reset the equipment he knocks over, handing Reznor a microphone each time he needs to start singing again after an instrumental section. The video uses the live performance audio of the song recorded at the video shoot, rather than synchronizing the footage to the studio-recorded version from the album as most music videos do. This version of the song is also included on the "Closer" cassette single.The single was release in numerous CD versions with and as on limited edition 7", 9" and 12" vinyl records.

The American version of the "March of the Pigs" CD single contains two mixes of the title track, two remixes of The Downward Spiral tracks "Reptile" and "A Violet Fluid", however also included was a non-album instrumental track. In the UK, the single was released as a two-disc CD single with each CD sold separately, though also adding a censored radio edit of "March of the Pigs" and "Big Man With a Gun" from The Downward Spiral release. The disc art for this single features a curled-up millipede, an image that was later used on the cover of the single "Closer".

"March of the Pigs" peaked at #98 on the Australian ARIA singles chart.

Thirteen years after its release, it debuted at #9 and peaked at #6 on the Canadian Singles Chart.

March Of The Pigs (Lyrics)

Step right up, march, push
Crawl right up on your knees
Please greed feed (no time to hesitate)

I want a little bit
I want a piece of it
I think he's losing it
I want to watch it come down

Don't like the look of it
Don't like the taste of it
Don't like the smell of it
I want to watch it come down

All the pigs are all lined up
I give you all that you want
Take the skin and peel it back
Now doesn't that make you feel better?

Shove it up inside, surprise, lies
Stains like the blood on your teeth
Bite, chew, suck (away the tender parts)

I want to break it up
I want to smash it up
I want to fuck it up
I want to watch it come down

Maybe afraid of it
Let's discredit it
Let's pick away at it
I want to watch it come down

All the pigs are all lined up
I give you all that you want
Take the skin and peel it back
Now doesn't that make you feel better?

The pigs have won tonight
Now they can all sleep soundly
And everything is all right

Songwriters: Trent Reznor
© Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

7" vinyl (Limited Edition -Single sided - 5,000 numbered copies)

9" vinyl (Limited Edition - 5,000 numbered copies)

US CD

UK 2CD

More versions and info on DISCOGS!

Nine Inch Nails: March Of The Pigs (1994) from Nine Inch Nails on Vimeo.