Sharon Van Etten covers Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt” for Sounds of Saving and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

As quarantine continues to drag on, America’s mental health crisis continues to be exacerbated: facilities and hotlines have seen massive increases in calls and cases, and increasingly precarious economic conditions have affected millions around the country. In addition, a recent CDC report has shown that numbers of those who suffer from suicidal ideation have risen significantly. For September–National Suicide Prevention Month–Sound of Saving and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline are releasing a series of covers, called the “Song That Found Me At The Right Time.”

The latest artist to appear on the series is Sharon Van Etten, performing a stirring cover of Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt.” The combination of Van Etten’s darkly powerful vocals and Nine Inch Nails’ distorted layers of guitar is immensely satisfying, a perfect match. In a brief interview before the performance, Van Etten describes her relationship with the original Nine Inch Nails song, that first appeared on their 1994 album, The Downward Spiral.

“I was the cliché middle child, and always felt misunderstood. The oldest brother was the one that I connected to the most with music. When I was learning how to play guitar, he gave me a box of cassettes… by the time “Hurt” came on, I just remember connecting to it so much, and then also realizing that my brother had listened to it, and we never really talked about any deep feelings, but we always shared music. It was my first sign that my brother was trying to connect with me on a more emotional level.”

Watch Sharon Van Etten cover Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt” for Sound of Saving and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s “Song That Found Me At The Right Time” series below.