Dai The Flu

Album: Around The Fur (1997)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The Deftones convened at a warehouse in Sacramento near the end of 1996 to begin work on the follow-up to their debut album, Adrenaline. At first, they were without bassist Chi Cheng, who was down in San Diego, trying to decide whether to leave the band to become a teacher. His absence is reflected in this song's sound. Vocalist Chino Moreno explained to Kerrang:

    "We'd come of Adrenaline and I thought Adrenaline sucked. It didn't turn out as great as it could have been. I felt we were way better. So, after touring it and being successful from it, it was like, 'Okay, they're going to give us money to make another record.' Chi wasn't actually there for the first month, so we didn't have a bass player. We wrote a lot of those songs with no bass - that's how hungry we were! A song like Dai The Flu had no bass player. Me and Stephen (Carpenter, guitar) and Abe (Cummingham, drums) wrote the whole song as a three-piece."

Comments: 2

  • Luna Loud from Royal Woods, MichiganThis song and "Mascara" are the only songs on "Around The Fur" that are played in standard E-flat tuning. The rest of the songs are in Drop-d flat tuning.
  • Zero from The Abyss, NjSounds like a dysfunctional relationship where the only thing that's good is the sex.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Which Songs are About Drugs?

Which Songs are About Drugs?Fact or Fiction

"25 or 6 to 4" to "Semi-Charmed Life" - see if you can spot the songs that are really about drugs.

Dwight Twilley

Dwight TwilleySongwriter Interviews

Since his debut single "I'm On Fire" in 1975, Dwight has been providing Spinal-Tap moments and misadventure.

Al Kooper

Al KooperSongwriter Interviews

Kooper produced Lynyrd Skynyrd, played with Dylan and the Stones, and formed BS&T.

Randy Newman

Randy NewmanSongwriting Legends

Newman makes it look easy these days, but in this 1974 interview, he reveals the paranoia and pressures that made him yearn for his old 9-5 job.

John Lee Hooker

John Lee HookerSongwriter Interviews

Into the vaults for Bruce Pollock's 1984 conversation with the esteemed bluesman. Hooker talks about transforming a Tony Bennett classic and why you don't have to be sad and lonely to write the blues.

Song Cities

Song CitiesMusic Quiz

Nirvana, Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen are among those who wrote songs with cities that show up in this quiz.