Changes

This is the original album version, found on ''The Fragile.'' It follows the percussive and aggressive "[[Somewhat Damaged]]," and is one of [[Nine Inch Nails]]' most uniquely structured songs. Musically the opposite of "Somewhat Damaged" in almost every way, it lacks the use of any standard form of percussion, and begins with drones that fade in during the ending of "Somewhat Damaged." These soon give way to loud, distorted guitars and bass playing a simple five-chord progression. As it repeats, a synthesizer melody enters on top, ascending in intensity and pitch until it drops out along with the guitars. The bass continues playing the progression above the drones while Reznor sings the song's verse, backed with a distant harmony for the second half. The song features the use of a mandolin ukulele in this section, another first for NIN, and it is the mandolin ukulele alone that strums a bridge from the end of the verse and into the final section, characterized by a return of the loud guitar and bass playing a new progression, joined by group vocals singing a wordless melody. This all gives way at the end of the phrase to a quiet percussive sound that ends the song, repeating while fading out into the opening soundscape layers of "[[The Frail]]."

<blockquote>"The video was black and white. I have seen rushes of it. It featured a funeral, Trent at the funeral (in the style of '"November Rain'"). I also saw footage of a black haired beautiful girl. She really did stand out, the other people had '"common' '" "nonspecific' " faces. It was Trent attending a funeral and seeing this girl. Then he follows her. That's about all I can remember. Trent thought it was too personal, because of the connection of the song with his grandmother. So that's why we never got to see it."</blockquote>

"The Day The World Went Away" made its live debut on [[1999/11/14 Barcelona, Spain|November 14, 1999]]. It has been performed live regularly, but infrequently, since the [[Fragility]] tour started in 1999.