Steering about as far away from the hip-hopsplosion of last week's Dance Party as possible, this Friday's track attack is vastly more serious and much darker, to say the least. And despite the title of this post, this one doesn't really make for a good dance tune, unless you're on LSD, then you should be okay. So, gear up folks and prepare to have your senses assaulted visually, and audibly with, Burn!
Written by Trent Reznor and performed by Nine Inch Nails, Burn was written for the 1994 Oliver Stone film, Natural Born Killers. It was specifically written for the film, which is very obvious, as Burn is a perfectly intense, brooding, and chaotic song that is tailor-made for a movie like Natural Born Killers. Definitely a spot-on pairing of musician and film to create something that, still to this day, is relevant, as well as somewhat uneasy. The video, which echoes the sporadic and powerful imagery that flashed across screens in the movie, is extreme and passionate, with it's flashing images of beauty, and horror.
As for the movie itself, I'm a huge fan of Stone's slightly pretentious, overly in-your-face, social commentary about media, television, and the negative influence they have on a society hungry for violence. Obviously, much of what Stone was touching on with the film, rings even truer now than it did back in 1994 with the near take over of media and the need to consume it by so many. Plus, Wayne Gale is gonna put a hot pepper up your ass when he gets home, so that alone makes the film tops in my book. Great film, great song, and a great video, but not as great as, TOP THAT!
I'm not a huge fan of NBK but this song was one that was almost permanently in my Walkman (yup, it was taped off the radio old-school pirating style).
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to hear it again, but this song, at least for me, is one divorced from its source, unlike, say, a lot of the tunes form the Crow soundtrack.
Ahhh, the old days of recording shit off the radio! You do have a point, Burn stands on it's own as an amazing song past it's association to the movie, but it does fit perfectly with the film too.
ReplyDeleteLove me some NIN. Let's get this party started!
ReplyDeleteYa this video is insane(bugs eating stuff always gives me the creeps), and the movie is quite nuts aswell, so they're perfect for eachother. I'd have loved to have seen Tarantino direct this, but Stone did an OK job.
ReplyDeleteThe film I mean.
ReplyDeleteGreat song, AWESOME movie!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteNot a big fan of the movie with the exception of Rodney Dangerfield, but being the huge fucking NIN fan that I am, I completely support this post. Awesome awesome awesome song. Saw them play this live a couple years ago, great shit.
ReplyDeletePOT: Work that shit, son!
ReplyDeleteJimbob: I would love to see Tarantino's vision of the film too...it definitely would have been vastly different from what was done by Stone. I believe Tarantino hates the movie and had his name taken off. I would love to take the time to read the original screenplay sometime.
Ashlee: Thanks, Ashlee!
Aiden: Dangerfield is pretty nuts in the movie, isn't he?! He played that part pretty well...makes you wonder what kind of career he could have had if he didn't only do comedy.
I saw it with two friends when it came out and one of them ate a tab before it started, and by the time of the snake bit (haha), we had to talk his ignorant ass down. If Tarantino had done it back then, I think it might have been different, but his last four pictures have been like NBK-a mix of styles that get a bit cacophonous by the end.
ReplyDeleteHa, I remember a bunch of my friends taking "psychedelic" pieces of paper and putting in their mouth before seeing the film. It seemed kinda pointless since the movie is so trippy, I would think that the film would seem normal in an altered state!
ReplyDelete