Changes

| live = [[Cold And Black And Infinite Tour]]through present

*Assistance: [[Brian Pollack]]

This is the original version that can be found on the ''Lost Highway'' soundtrack as well as some editions of ''"The Perfect Drug" Versions''. It features prominent acoustic guitars playing a quick, ascending riff similar to the chorus of "[[The Wretched]]". It is backed by frantic and complex drum machine programming commonly associated with the drum 'n' bass genre, which opens up into simpler patterns for the pre-choruses. The drum sound in the pre-chorus is highly reminiscent of that on "[[Eraser]]". The chorus features heavy guitars backed by more frantic drums, while the bridge is composed mainly of percussion patterns and percussive synthesizers and guitar riffs, which build in intensity to give way to a slower, simpler, quieter codawhich features what is likely a Mellotron.

This remix is almost a dub mix: it is very light on lyrics and emphasizes the percussion beat of the song. The word "annihilate" is added at some points and leads this remix out of the breakdown and into the ending portion. "The only lyrics in this version are "And I want you" and "You are the perfect drug." The drums are [[samples|sampled ]] from "Amen Brother" by The Winstons.

This remix begins with Reznor whispering "You are the perfect drug," distorted and slowed down. A dance beat and wind are added over the vocals to form the first section. The lyrics are then sung about a third of the way through, as the beat becomes heavier and the synths build in volume. By the middle of the song, the music becomes much louder as the lyric "Take me with you" is whispered over it. Vocal instrumentation, albeit distorted, is also incorporated into this remix. Perhaps the most notable aspect of this remix is the use of the "[[Closer]]" synth voice treated piano sound to replicate the melody at the end of the song.

"The Perfect Drug" was not played live until [[2018/09/18_Morrison,_CO|September 18, 2018]] at Red Rocks, Colorado, though it was attempted during rehearsals for a few previous tours. It was widely speculated that the complex drum solo in the song was responsible for this, although it was probably not out of the range of drummers [[Josh Freese]] or [[Ilan Rubin]]. It is also likely possible that Reznor does did not personally like the song very much, as he concedes that it was produced quickly for the ''Lost Highway'' soundtrack.