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‘Twin Peaks’: David Lynch Had Nine Inch Nails Write a New Song Because the First Wasn’t ‘Aggressive and Ugly’ Enough

He wanted something that would "make my hair stand on end."
Nine Inch Nails, "Twin Peaks"
Nine Inch Nails, "Twin Peaks"
Showtime

The best hour of “Twin Peaks: The Return” also featured one of its most high-profile musical performances — and, in a break from form, it didn’t end the episode. Nine Inch Nails performed an abrasive tune part of the way through “Part 8,” which showed us David Lynch’s singular take on a nuclear explosion and a mysterious bug whose true nature was never made entirely clear. According to NIN frontman Trent Reznor, the song that made it into the episode was different from the one they originally composed.

“Actually we wrote a different song initially, [Lynch] said, ‘How about something less ‘Twin Peaks’-y sounding, and more aggressive and ugly,’” the Oscar-winning composer revealed in a radio interview. “I think he said, ‘Make my hair stand on end.’”

Well, mission accomplished. If not one of the band’s best songs — or even one of the show’s — it was certainly aggressive enough. Revisit the performance below and keep wondering what year this is.

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