The first public performance of "Shadow of the Day" was during the Projekt Revolution tour in Auburn, Washington, on July 25, 2007.

On September 4, 2012, "Shadow of the Day", along with "Breaking the Habit", "New Divide", and "Burn It Down", was released in the "Linkin Park Pack 02" as downloadable content for the music rhythm video game, Rock Band 3.

Lead singer Chester Bennington explained that they used over 60 different beats for this song until they found a suitable one.

[4] The song is based around the Doomsday clock counting down, and the song concludes at the end with the Doomsday clock having reached midnight, which is the time that is perceived that humanity breaks down due to catastrophic failures of peace, existence and life itself.

Like "Breaking the Habit", "Shadow of the Day" uses samples of live string ensemble recordings, played by Mike Shinoda.

Shinoda joins Bennington on the lines "Sometimes beginnings aren't so simple, sometimes goodbye's the only way" and the last three choruses.

Bennington would also play rhythm guitar on live performances of a few songs from the album One More Light before his death in July 2017.

The video takes place in a war-torn world, where mass chaos is ensuing on the streets of the city.

Near the end of the video, a car is set on fire and bursts into flames as several people taking place in the riot throw molotov cocktails at police resulting in the Police Riot Control and SWAT teams opening fire and advancing while the mob of people retreat.

The song was also featured in the 2008 Beijing Olympics during Tyson Gay's highlight reel just prior to the 100m final.

The week "Shadow of the Day" jumped to the top twenty of the Modern Rock chart, it made Linkin Park one of only six acts to simultaneously have three songs in the top twenty of the chart, since "Bleed It Out" was at number two, and "What I've Done" was at number 13.