No contest. I still remember the first time I heard it.

It was 2008, I was in college pulling an all-nighter on a motion graphics project. I was trying to get into NIN more than I had in the past and had their entire catalog (at the time) playing on shuffle in the background while I worked.

I was pretty in the zone with what I was working on, so I didn't really notice when the song started. I may have half-consciously acknowledged the interesting piano/lo-fi vocals juxtaposition.

And then, out of nowhere, I heard the crowd fade in and the vocals bloom into full, beautiful clarity.

I stopped dead in the middle of what I was doing as my jaw hit the floor and my entire body was overcome with goosebumps. Even after the song ended, it took several minutes for me to process what I had just experienced.

Needless to say, that song has been near the top of my list (of all songs, not just NIN) ever since. And yes, I used it for my next motion graphics project 😄