"Hurt" is a song by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails from their second studio album, The Downward Spiral (1994), written by Trent Reznor.

Originally performed by
Trent Reznor – vocals, guitar, bass guitar, piano, synthesizers;
and Chris Vrenna – drums.

During the Fragility tours, the progression was performed by Robin Finck on acoustic guitar rather than on piano.

The song includes references to self-harm and heroin addiction, although the overall meaning of the song is disputed. Some listeners contend that the song acts as a suicide note written by the song's protagonist, as a result of his depression, while others claim that it describes the difficult process of finding a reason to live in spite of depression and pain and does not have much to do with the storyline. (Wikipedia)

During the Dissonance tour in 1995, when Nine Inch Nails opened for David Bowie, Bowie sang "Hurt" in a duet with Reznor, backed by an original melody and beat. This served as the conclusion to the dual act that began each Bowie set.

In 2003, "Hurt" was covered by Johnny Cash to commercial and critical acclaim. It was one of Cash's final hits released before his death.

Sevendust's live cover of the song was featured on their 2004 live album, Southside Double-Wide: Acoustic Live.

Gregorian released a Gregorian chant-inspired cover of the song on its 2004 album, The Dark Side.

Eddie Vedder made a live cover version in 2008, referencing it as "borrowed from Chicago".

Jean-Marc Lederman's musical project La Femme Verte recorded a cover on its 2010 album Small Distortions, with Julianne Regan on vocals, using the lyrics rewritten for Johnny Cash's version.

Hardcore band Hundredth released a cover on their 2011 EP Let Go.

Leona Lewis covered the song on her 2011 EP, Hurt: The EP.

The cello duo 2Cellos released a rendition of the song on its self-titled 2011 album, based on Johnny Cash's version.

Na Yoon-sun covered the song on her 2013 album Lento.

2012 Lucinda Williams covered the Cash version of the song in the concert and accompanying live album We Walk the Line.

The song is used during the opening credits of the 2016 French TV series Glacé (The Frozen Dead), arranged and conducted by Alexandre Lessertisseur and sung by the Sofia Session Choir.

In Flames released a cover on their 2017 EP Down, Wicked & No Good.

In 2018, "Hurt" was covered by Alice Scooter.
This version is a blending of different sounds, flavours and styles including jazz, blues, dubstep, hip-hop, hardcore and industrial music.