Deftones My Own - Summer
The explosion into the chorus provides the "shove." The heavy, distorted guitar chords and Moreno’s primal screams create a sonic wall that physically represents the act of pushing back against the world.
The lyrics, penned by frontman Chino Moreno, were born from a literal physical discomfort. During the recording of Around the Fur , Moreno found himself struggling with the oppressive heat and blinding light of the Seattle summer. The "summer" in the title is not one of leisure, but a forced environment from which he wishes to retreat. The repeated refrain "Shove it!" is an externalized burst of frustration against a world that feels too bright, too loud, and too intrusive. Moreno’s "own summer" is an internal sanctuary of darkness, where the sun is "shoved" aside to make room for a private, cooler reality. Deftones My Own Summer
Released in November 1997, "My Own Summer (Shove It)" catapulted Deftones from the Sacramento underground to the forefront of the global alternative scene. While often categorized under the "nu-metal" umbrella of the late '90s, the track—and the band—defied the genre's typical aggressive tropes by blending raw visceral power with a haunting, ethereal atmosphere. At its core, the song is a study of claustrophobia and the desperate desire for isolation. The explosion into the chorus provides the "shove
The verses are minimalist, driven by Chi Cheng’s pulsing bassline and Abe Cunningham’s crisp, syncopated drumming. Moreno’s vocals here are hushed, almost whispered, mirroring the internal retreat the lyrics describe. The "summer" in the title is not one
Musically, the song is defined by Stephen Carpenter’s iconic, chromatic opening riff. It is a masterclass in the "loud-quiet-loud" dynamic that characterized 1990s alternative rock.
The song’s impact was amplified by its music video, which featured the band performing on floating platforms in the middle of an ocean, surrounded by sharks. This imagery perfectly complemented the song's themes of being adrift in a dangerous, overwhelming environment while seeking a "space" of one's own. It remains one of the most recognizable visuals of the MTV era.
