Search - Nine Inch Nails :: The Day The World Went Away

Decent single, tremendous b-side.

Stephen Hero | live at leeds | 05/05/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

""The Day the World Went Away" isn't the best choice for a single off of the Fragile, at least not the first. Launching with the epic "We're in This Together" or The Fragile's most immediately moving song, "The Great Below", would have probably been better for sales. "World" is a song that doesn't grab you immediately, but will gain your appreciation over time. It's really more of a third or fourth single, as I've heard it rules the show when played live.As for the extra tracks: "Star*uckers" is a good example of the angry, caustic wit that Trent maintains on the Right disc of The Fragile. It also provides a fair example of the bass-heavy sounds that are common on Right. However, the real gem here is the quiet version of "World", which replaces the thick guitars of the original song with a beefed-up version of the underlying "nah nah nah" chants. Frankly, it's creepy as hell, and it's one of the best b-sides NIN has ever released.The verdict? A must-have for the devoted Haloists out there, and definitely worth a look for the potential fans who get deterred by Trent's more bombastic tracks. "World" and its Quiet mix might yet make converts."

A great way to kick off The Fragile era

Brent Haskins | San Antonio, Texas United States | 07/26/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I know it may not seem like much considering it's only 3 tracks long, but given the impact and depth of the title track (I pity those who claim to know music and yet rate a song soley on how euphonic it sounds and nothing more; to me that's just the icing on the cake), I think this short EP deserves every single star I'm giving it. The only reason I'm taking off one star is because it's so short, and giving a legendary 5-star rating to such a short EP would be like giving legendary fame to a 5th grade football player.



For those not in the know, it was around this time that Trent was coming out of some bad events in his life, namely the depression he fell into after the death of his grandmother in 1997. In fact the general motif of the Fragile era revolved around this, which would explain the gentler mood and (dare I say it?) more positive sound throughout The Fragile LP. Halo 13 (this EP) gives us a taste of that with both the title track and the Quiet remix. Just the title itself, "The Day The World Went Away", gives at least a hint of what sort of mood the song should set. In a way the song symbolizes the beginning of Trent's depression, just think about it. On the Quiet mix in particular, with it's gentle piano and minimalist sound, I can personally sense the segue from complete happiness to total sadness in a heartbeat...the sound sounds happy and sad simultaneously. Just take a look at the cover; a supposedly beautiful flower shaded completely in grey.



If the title track symbolizes the beginning of depression, then the (barely) extended version of "Starf**kers, Inc." could count as coming out of the angry phase. One of Trent's more topical tunes, the song basically conveys Trent's frustration with the "material girl" sort of women (read: Courtney Love). That being said, it's the closest song Trent has ever written to a Marilyn Manson song, hence his appearance to the song's music video. While not quite as deep as the title track, it definitely doesn't disappoint when it gets its meaning across, and every artist needs to have a topical tune once in a while, otherwise how can he/she prove versatility?



Some closing notes: to anybody who says this album isn't worth getting because the songs are available on other albums, take a step back for a minute...it's an official release, so that in itself makes it worth getting. Also to those who hate it just because it's not aurally appealing...I think you need to think twice and ask yourself if you really understand the meaning behind music; a euphonic sound is only part of the equation here, and quite an insignificant one in my opinion. When I judge a song I judge it based on the depth of its meaning, the quality of the songwriting, the emotion used in creating it, the mood it creates, the versatility of the artist to play from one style to the next...I think you get the idea. Long story short, many of you "fans" of NIN and those that aren't should look before they leap and really analyze the content first on more than just a sound/style level."

As Stated: Good Intro to The Fragile (Halo Fourteen).

Mr. X | 03/30/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A very VERY short EP! Contains only 3 tracks, and 2 are kind of repetative.



Tracklist is as followed:



1-The Day The World Went Away (SINGLE VERSION)

2-Starfu*kers, Inc. (SINGLE VERSION)

3-The Day The World Went Away (Quiet)



The tracks that I put "single version" by, are ones that people are saying are taken straight from The Fragile, but infact, AREN'T!



They sound alot like them yes, but there ARE noticeable differences between the TF and single EP versions.



Starfu*kers, Inc. (track 2) starts out louder than it does on TF and ends with a live sounding type of deal here on this EP, whereas it doesn't on TF. A very angry song indeed...def. showcases some of the angriest of disc 2 of The Fragile. But isn't the best song on it, I leave that to Please or maybe Where Is Everybody?



While TDTWWA (track 1) is slightly SHORTER than it is on TF. Yes, the one on The Fragile is LONGER (but I bet nobody will notice that). This song really does showcase (some of) the beauty of disc 1 of The Fragile, but still doesn't really capture the full essence of it. I leave that title to The Great Below and the self titled song, The Fragile.



Track 3, the QUIET version of TDTWWA, however, is absolutely beautiful! It takes all the "hardcore" annoyances out of the original, and turns the entire song into an acoustic working gone backwards. The nah nah nah's are at the begining of the song this time around, and carry on for like a minute or so. It gets kind of annoying (the begining), but the song slowly evolves into a beautiful masterpiece that will def. grow on you, if you're a fan of beautiful pieces by Trent.



Get this EP not only because it's cheap, but because track 3 is one of the best versions of a really bad NIN song, ever! I don't really like TDTWWA the original version all that much because some of it's just far too loud and annoying, but the Quiet version of the track really makes up for what the original lacks, and that's absolute beauty.



The best version though, being the music video version. Which is the live version, but without much of a live sound to it.



By the way, this EP is OUT OF PRINT and EXTREMELY RARE...so good luck finding it, if you want it. You can get yours (as I did) on eBay for about 5 bucks. A good buy for such a small price might I say, but not the best choice of songs."