The Day the World Went Away (also known as Halo 13) is a single by Nine Inch Nails for the song of the same name released in 1999.

The Single

The Day the World Went Away is the thirteenth official Nine Inch Nails release and is a single for the album The Fragile. It contains the original version and a remix of "The Day the World Went Away" and "Starfuckers, Inc." from The Fragile. A 12" vinyl version was released as well, which replaced "Starfuckers, Inc." with another "The Day the World Went Away" remix.

The version of "Starfuckers, Inc." that is on the single is almost identical to the album version, except that at the very end of the song is the sound of a man yelling "Goodnight! Whoo!" over a cheering crowd. The yelling and the crowd cheering are taken from a live KISS concert.

Releases

• Nothing Records / Interscope Records INTDS-97026 - CD
• Nothing Records / Interscope Records INT12-97026 - 12" Vinyl

Track Listing

CD version

1. "The Day the World Went Away" - 4:03
2. "Starfuckers, Inc." - 5:24
3. "The Day the World Went Away (quiet)" (remixed by Trent Reznor) - 6:20

Vinyl version

1. "The Day the World Went Away" - 4:03
2. "The Day the World Went Away (quiet)" (remixed by Trent Reznor) - 6:20
3. "The Day The World Went Away (Porter Ricks mix)" (remixed by Porter Ricks ) - 7:04

The Song

"The Day the World Went Away" consists of a droning background noise overlapped with layers of distorted guitars, a middle section with lyrics sung over the droning and a mandolin at the end, and then a return to the harsh guitars with a chanting chorus. The song is distinctive in the band's history due to its lack of any drums or percussion.

"The Day the World Went Away (quiet)," rare for a remix, features a significantly different vocal track than the original song.

A music video was created for the song, but it was never released. Still images that were used on the Nine Inch Nails website indicate that the video takes place at a funeral. It is rumored that the video was too personal for Trent Reznor to release because the song's lyrics are about the death of his grandmother.

An alternate video for the song, using live audio and a combination of live and original footage, is included as an Easter egg on the second And All That Could Have Been DVD.

"The Day the World Went Away" has been covered by Ark Sano and Wormhole .

External Links

• nin.com
• Halo 13 Lyrics
• nincollector.com: halo thirteen
• discogs.com: The Day the World Went Away (US CD5")
• discogs.com: The Day the World Went Away (US 12")