As Alive as You Need Me to Be

"As Alive as You Need Me to Be" is a song by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails and additional production by Boys Noize. Released on July 17, 2025, it is the lead single from their score for the film Tron: Ares (2025). It is the first Nine Inch Nails release since their collaboration with Health on the song "Isn't Everyone" (2021) and their first non-collaboration release since the double release of Ghosts V: Together and Ghosts VI: Locusts (2020).

"As Alive as You Need Me to Be"
Single by Nine Inch Nails
from the album Tron: Ares (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
B-side
  • "Building Better Worlds" (Comic-Con-exclusive vinyl single)
  • "Empathetic Response" (standard vinyl single)
ReleasedJuly 17, 2025 (2025-07-17)
Genre
  • Industrial rock
  • synthwave
  • electronic
Length3:53
LabelInterscope
Songwriters
  • Trent Reznor
  • Atticus Ross
Producers
  • Trent Reznor
  • Atticus Ross
  • Boys Noize
Nine Inch Nails singles chronology
"Isn't Everyone"
(2021)
"As Alive as You Need Me to Be"
(2025)
Halo numbers chronology
Halo 34
(2020)
Halo 35
(2025)
Halo 36
(2025)
Music video
As Alive as You Need Me to Be (Official Music Video) on YouTube

Release and reception

A few days before the song's release, its title was teased on a T-shirt sold at European dates on the band's Peel It Back world tour.

The release was accompanied by a lyric video uploaded to Nine Inch Nails' official YouTube channel, as well as a new trailer for Tron: Ares on Disney's channel that prominently featured the song. The release date, track list, and pre-orders for the film's soundtrack were also announced on the day of the song's release.

The song debuted at No. 10 on Billboard's Dance Digital Song Sales chart, and received nominations for the Best Rock Song and Best Song Written for Visual Media, winning the first at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards.

Stereogum described the song as "a fearsome rocker built on retro-futuristic '80s electro synths" with "Reznor [bringing] real ferocity to his lead vocal", while Uproxx described it as "an electronic banger [...] that could fit on a regular NIN studio album". Furthermore, Revolver characterized the track by its "huge-ass synth-bass rhythms and quake-inducing drum-machine beats [as well as] a devilishly melodic, distortion-pressed chorus", also theorizing that its "vocoded backups [are] perhaps a nod to previous Tron scorers Daft Punk".

Accolades

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Grammy Awards February 1, 2026 Best Rock Song Nine Inch Nails for "As Alive As You Need Me To Be” Won
Best Song Written for Visual Media Nominated

Music video

In September 2025, a music video directed by Maxime Quoilin was released. According to Jon Blistein of Rolling Stone, the video is centered "around a close-up performance from Trent Reznor, while using an array of different effects to bend space and warp reality." Revolver describes the video as a "pixelscape of terror" with Reznor and Ross "tormented by bizarre, CGI-mangled fists scraping across their skin."

Track listings

All tracks written by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

San Diego Comic-Con-exclusive 7" single

Side A
No.TitleLength
1."As Alive as You Need Me to Be"3:53
Side B
No.TitleLength
1."Building Better Worlds"2:11

Standard 7" single

Side A
No.TitleLength
1."As Alive as You Need Me to Be"3:53
Side B
No.TitleLength
1."Empathetic Response"2:23

Charts

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