Changes

This is the original album version. It consists of a 6/4 instrumental ostinato that builds up from the odd sounds of humming (created by blowing into the neck of a saxophone, removed from its main body) and "erasers" straw-like noises (created by blowing into the mouthpiece of a saxophone, removed from the neck) at the beginning through heavy . Heavy rhythmic drumming enters, and very oddly tuned, distorted guitars before dropping out to the 4/4 vocal areasection, which gets progressively louder until Trent Reznor yells "Kill Me!" It then completely degenerates into noise and cuts off with only the fading out of the string synthesizer. The beginning crossfades from the end of "[[A Warm Place]]" and its ending crossfades with the introduction of "[[Reptile]]"."

A [[Nine Inch Nails music videos|music video]] directed by Simon Maxwell was included on ''Closure.'' It's a live performance filmed in early 1995. A screen is dropped down in front of the stage as footage of the Devil's Tower in Wyoming and other locations is shown as the song builds. The band is seen behind the screen, starting with guitarist [[Robin Finck]] sitting near the drum risers and Reznor playing guitar at the center of the stage. The light focuses more on him as the vocals begin. By the time it gets to the screaming finale, the footage consists of nuclear explosions, with the detonations timed with the song itself. The footage used for this (as well as the live videos for "Hurt" and "Wish") was shot in [[1995/02/11_Dallas,_TX|Dallas, Texas TX]] and [[1995/02/13_Omaha,_NE|Omaha, Nebraska NE]] in February of 1995.

"Eraser" made its live debut on [[1994/08/27 Rochester, NY|August 27, 1994]]. Often played with screen projections of some sort. During the [[Self Destruct Tour]], these projections were of desert landscapes and microscopic "chaos". A  An instrumental version played during the [[Dissonance]] Tour begins with a new drum loop and the humming/straw sounds, it builds with the same guitar parts as the album version. The atmosphere builds until approximately the middle of the song, where the lead guitar switches from the main melody and into a version of the "[[The Downward Spiral (song)|The Downward Spiral]]"-motif played by Reznor, which builds in volume into a distorted, start/stop climax and a final power chord left ringing. The variation of the motif found here is much shorter and played as follows, with variations that bend the notes similar to the song's regular guitar melody:

During the [[Live: With Teeth]] tours, these screens images on the screen progressed from peaceful images of lush meadows and flowers to violent and disturbing images of war, assembled by Andrea Giacobbe. During the European leg of the [[Performance 2007]] tour, no projection was used during the performance. However, small lamps would float directly above each band member and sway back and forth.

*[httphttps://vimeo.com/3633963 "Eraser" (live music video)]*[httphttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gix23mMU-cg FwalHHj4OU8 "Eraser" live visuals from the Self Destruct Tour]*[httphttps://www.youtubevimeo.com/watch?v=XV5eP0I-m5s 28410459 "Eraser" live visuals from the With Teeth Tour]