Gone Away (song)

"Gone Away" is a song by American rock band the Offspring. Written by the band's singer, Dexter Holland, it is the seventh track on the band's fourth studio album, Ixnay on the Hombre (1997), and was released as its second single. It also appears as the sixth track on Greatest Hits (2005). A piano version of the song features as the eleventh track on the group's tenth studio album Let the Bad Times Roll (2021).

"Gone Away"
Single by the Offspring
from the album Ixnay on the Hombre
B-side	"D.U.I"
Released	March 1997[1]
Recorded	1996
Genre	Alternative rock[2] punk rock[3]
Length	4:28
Label	Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Dexter Holland
Producer(s)	Dave Jerden[4]
The Offspring singles chronology
"All I Want" (1997) "Gone Away" (1997) "The Meaning of Life" (1997)

The song became the Offspring's first No. 1 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks, while reaching No. 4 on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart. Through 2009, the band played "Gone Away" with Holland performing on piano throughout Europe and the United States. Two of the tracks from this single ("D.U.I." and "Hey Joe") appear on the band's 2010 compilation album, Happy Hour!.

Former drummer Ron Welty said in 2002 that "Gone Away" was his favorite song to play live.^[5]

Track listing

CD single

All tracks are written by Dexter Holland, except where noted^[6]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Gone Away" (single version)		4:27
2.	"Cool to Hate"		2:46
3.	"D.U.I."	Dexter Holland, Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman	2:27
4.	"Hey Joe" (Billy Roberts cover)	Billy Roberts	2:37

7" black vinyl

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Gone Away" (single version)	4:27
2.	"D.U.I."	2:27

Promo CD

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Gone Away" (single version)	4:27

Personnel

The Offspring

• Dexter Holland – vocals, guitar
• Noodles – guitar
• Greg K. – bass
• Ron Welty – drums

Sales

Dexter Holland performing "Gone Away" during a 2022 concert

The single reached Gold in Australia, selling 35,000 copies.

Music video

The music video, shot in grainy quality, was directed by Nigel Dick^[7] and was filmed on February 11, 1997 at the Morrell Meat Building in Los Angeles.^[8] It shows the band playing in a dark, and apparently abandoned slaughterhouse. Dexter Holland, for most of the video, sings to a shining hanging light bulb. He is the only band member to interact with this bulb, though other lightbulbs are shown in each band member's respective rooms. Dexter also sings into a suspended microphone which is also used in the video; it swings back and forth as the video fades to black.

DVD appearances

The music video appears on the Complete Music Video Collection DVD, released in 2005. The DVD also contains a storyboard version of the video (with the storyboard playing over top the music video).

2021 version

"Gone Away"
Single by the Offspring
from the album Let the Bad Times Roll
Released	November 12, 2021
Recorded	2013–2020
Genre	Orchestral rock[9]
Length	3:16
Label	Concord
Songwriter(s)	Dexter Holland
Producer(s)	Bob Rock
The Offspring singles chronology
"We Never Have Sex Anymore" (2021) "Gone Away" (2021) "Behind Your Walls" (2022)

The Offspring remade "Gone Away" for their tenth studio album, Let the Bad Times Roll (2021). The song is a stripped-down piano ballad version of the original version from 1997 and was released as the fourth single of the album.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Dexter Holland.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Gone Away (2021)"	3:16
2.	"Gone Away (Live 2021)"	3:42
3.	"Gone Away (Alternative 2021)"	3:16
4.	"Gone Away (1997)"	4:28
Total length:		14:02

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1997) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[10] 16 Australia Alternative (ARIA)[11] 4 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[12] 28 Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)[13] 6 Germany (GfK)[14] 93 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[15] 93 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[16] 35 UK Singles (OCC)[17] 42 US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[18] 1 US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[19] 4 US Radio Songs (Billboard)[20] 50

Year-end charts Chart (1997) Position Australia (ARIA)[21] 86

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[22]	Gold	35,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[23]	Gold	15,000‡
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notable cover versions

• Five Finger Death Punch covered the song on their 2017 compilation album, A Decade of Destruction, and on their 2018 studio album, And Justice for None. Their version peaked at No. 2 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Airplay chart in April 2018.^[24]
• The Indianapolis-based rock band Noctura covered the song on their 2011 album, Surrender the Sun.