Song of the Moment – The Diary of The Deranged Writer

Song of the Moment CV: Nine Inch Nails’ “The Hand That Feeds”

I can honestly say that 2025 is one of the most memorable years of my life, and one reason is that I replaced a few of my New Year’s resolutions with some things better. One resolution was to delve into a different single music artist per week, and it proved to be difficult, especially since I have a day job and other interests I’d like to pursue after work. So, I replaced that music resolution with listening to a playlist of my favorite songs on Spotify. It turns out that listening to songs I truly love (whether I’m writing, walking, or just chilling) is more enjoyable than absorbing an entire discography in seven days. The latter sounds like a chore rather than entertainment.

With my favorite songs list comes a rekindled appreciation for the industrial rock pioneers, Nine Inch Nails. When I listened to the legendary band’s essential playlist curated by Spotify, I rediscovered the songs I remembered and loved years ago, and then I added them to my list. Since then, according to my Last.fm, my number of listens to the band spiked to 300+ times. That’s an incredible feat, and I believe the statistic will grow in the future because, at this point, I acknowledge (and embrace) both the light and the darkness, and Nine Inch Nails is known for their dark, heavy music.

So, you might ask what my favorite Nine Inch Nails song is as of late. It’s definitely “The Hand That Feeds”, the first single from the fourth studio album With Teeth. Based on my lyrical interpretation, the song is about questioning authority (while questioning oneself in the process), and that politically relevant message is wrapped in a heavy, defiant industrial rock sound that is so hypnotically danceable, and I don’t normally dance to Nine Inch Nails songs. Nowadays, every time I commute, I’d search “That Hand That Feeds” on my list, and then listen to it as I move my feet like I own the street.

The music video of Nine Inch Nails’ “The Hand That Feeds”.

I think I have found my top favorite Nine Inch Nails song in “The Hand That Feeds” for its modern-day relevance and its hypnotizing, groovy industrial rock instrumentals. That’s why it’s my Song of the Moment.

Just how deep do you believe?
Will you bite the hand that feeds?
Will you chew until it bleeds?
Can you get up off your knees?
Are you brave enough to see?
Do you wanna change it?
The chorus of Nine Inch Nails’ “The Hand That Feeds”

Anyway, let me dance again to the song in my favorite cafe. It’s a good thing I’m the only customer here at the moment… oh, shit. People are approaching. I’ll just do an internal dance, if I could call it that.

Header image: Pedro Figueras of Pexels. Edited in Adobe Photoshop 2025.

Updated on December 18, 2025.

Song of the Moment CIV: Killswitch Engage’s “This Fire Burns” (Again)

In my current job, the busiest week of the month is the first week, so I expect this week (my birthday week) to be filled with paperwork. But my workload today is so overwhelming because it’s three days’ worth of tasks, and the report I’m working on needs to be submitted tomorrow. Good grief.

Thankfully, I powered through most of the tasks after lunch and into the afternoon. Now it’s nighttime, and I need a short break. I need to have chicken tinola for dinner to warm and comfort my soul, and to write how I feel here in The Diary to feel lighter. After this break, I will go to the mall, buy some office supplies, go home, and then finish the final set of tasks.

I usually listen to my mellow playlist at nighttime to relax my nerves and prepare for bed, but tonight, I don’t need calm. I need my manic playlist filled with fist-pumping rock/metal while I burn the midnight oil. But first, I’m queueing “This Fire Burns” by Killswitch Engage, the first WWE theme song of my current top favorite wrestler in WWE, “The Best in the World” CM Punk.

Killswitch Engage’s “This Fire Burns” (Also known as “This Fire”).

What a December 3, and it’s two days to go before my birthday. Anyway, I’m going back to work. It’s clobberin’ time.

See you in the next post.

A part of 14 Days of The Deranged Writer (2025).

Header image: Francesco Paggiaro of Pexels. Edited in Adobe Photoshop 2025.

Song of the Moment CIII: Richard Sanderson’s “Reality”

Last Monday, while I was doing my Monday ritual at Satchmi, I heard this dreamy Beatles-like song. Because I was drained from all the writing/planning, and seeking temporary calm, I had to stop writing, stop drinking my favorite affogato, and then hear the lyrics.

Then, these words pull at my heartstrings because they remind me of a new friend:

Met you by surprise
I didn’t realize
That my life would change
Forever

At that moment, I had to pull out my phone, open the Shazam app, and place my phone near the cafe’s speaker like I was force-cloning a phone ala John Reese of Person of Interest.

After further research, I finally learned the title, the artist, and where the song was featured. It’s “Reality” by Richard Sanderson (which was composed by Vladimir Cosma for the 1980 French teenage romantic comedy film La Boum). Thanks to modern technology and to my favorite cafe for playing the song, I found a new favorite love song, a theme song about my new friend, and my Song of the Moment.

Richard Sanderson’s “Reality”.

This deserves a special Listen post, but for now, let me listen to it on repeat and just dream.

See you in the next post.

A part of 14 Days of The Deranged Writer (2025).

Header image: Dzenina Lukac of Pexels. Edited in Adobe Photoshop 2025.