When Trent Reznor hears good craft, he respects motherfucking it. Rick Rubin and the lead singer of Nine Inch Nails recently had a two-hour talk on Rubin’s Tetragrammaton podcast. Over the past 15 years, Reznor has worked extensively on film scores. He recently spoke with Reznor about how working to fulfill someone else’s vision rather than his own has been fulfilling for him. As noted by Billboard, Reznor brought up pop songwriting toward the end of the conversation. He claimed that when listening to a Dua Lipa song recently, he “tear[ed] up.” Reznor stated the following.
Having something to say, having something to say with truth that has that thing, has that cause to exist, rather than just being a thing or simply an exercise, and having to consider the many layers are what I find to be the toughest. I’m not sure how that functions for someone like Max Martin or a lyricist. I admire the craftsmanship that went into it.
My current family of five children is the nicest thing that has ever happened to me. I realize that’s an odd thing to say, but it has completely changed who I am and why I do everything. I bring this up because I kept them hermetically sealed away from pop music for a while since I think it’s generally bad. For whatever reason, I have considered that. About a year ago, I finally understood that’s not fair. I’m just not playing it during breakfast, so kids aren’t away from it. I don’t have any radio stations playing in the car.
My six-year-old daughter was singing Dua Lipa the other day, I overheard her. It was really wonderful, and she is really into it. You know, this is her music. She does this for fun. It strongly brought to mind the craft of crafting a well-written song. The other day, I cried while listening to a Dua Lipa song since it was such a beautifully made piece of music. It was shrewd. It was pleasant. It’s challenging!
I am unable to accomplish that. I speak it from the unvarnished me when I’m deciding what to say or how to say it.
And because of that, I have to consider who I am and where I am right now. When I put all of that together, it makes me feel like the stakes are higher.
Reznor added that while he no longer has a strong desire to go on lengthy tours, he still misses the level of attention that music could attract in an era before streaming services. You may hear the episode here; the discussion about pop songwriting begins at 1:48:00.
So what Dua Lipa track got Trent Reznor all misty? “Levitating”? “New Rules”? “Don’t Start Now”? I bet it was “Don’t Start Now.”
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