My Own Summer (Shove It) by Deftones

Album: Around The Fur (1997)

Charted: 29

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An overabundance of sunshine is rarely a complaint associated with notoriously gray and dreary Seattle, but that happens to be the inspiration for this song.

Deftones recorded Around the Fur, their second album, at Studio Litho in the Emerald City from April to June 1997. Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard owned the studio and had his band break from the recording of their fifth album, Yield, so that Deftones could use the space (Pearl Jam moved to Studio X, also in Seattle). Deftones would stay up late into the night recording and partying. Frontman Chino Moreno came to despise the sunlight beaming through his windows in the morning. It got so bad that he taped foil over the windows. That's when Moreno penned the lyrics to this tune (in contrast to widespread, unsupported internet claims that it was during the infamously hot 1994 Seattle summer). They brought the song together in studio. The "big star" in the opening line is the literal sun, and the command to "shove it" is directing the sun to get out of the sky.

At least, that's how the song originated. Like any true artist, Moreno described the situation with lyrics broad enough to hit listeners in a more metaphorical sense. It gives each fan the freedom to make their own interpretations, which is a particularly good thing in this case. A song about a rock star disliking the sunshine is hardly inspiring, after all.
After recording but before releasing Around the Fur, Deftones did a couple promotional shows in California. During their September 11, 1997, performance at The Press Club in San Francisco, they played "My Own Summer (Shove It)" live for the first time. From that debut forward, it remained a staple of their live shows.
"My Own Summer (Shove It)" is one of the most popular Deftones' songs. In the UK it charted at #29, and in the US it earned some plays on MTV (at a time when MTV was very relevant) and on rock radio.
The "My Own Summer (Shove It)" music video sees the band playing atop shark cages on Lake Piru in Ventura County, California. Mechanical sharks were used on set, but Moreno asked director Dean Karr to go to Australia to get some real footage of Great White sharks. Karr spent a week there but was unable to capture anything good, so he paid for stock footage. The video cost close to $1 million, a massive budget for a video at that time. It seems to have paid off. The song initiated Deftones' success and paid dividends throughout the course of their career.
Deftones bassist Chi Cheng (who died in 2013 from cardiac arrest) fell off his shark cage during the video shoot and landed in the lake. He said his dreadlocks smelled like rotten fish for a week. Side note: Cheng was indecisive about participating in Around the Fur because he was also studying to be an English teacher and was leaning towards that career path as his future.
Chi Cheng regularly provided background screams to augment Moreno's vocals during live shows, but in this one he recorded melodic backing vocals that were layered with Moreno's distorted whispers.
Deftones wanted a unique, distinctive sound and were consciously avoiding becoming pigeonholed as a metal band. Their restlessness was encouraged by producer Terry Date, already a respected metal-production veteran at that time. In their quest for a personal sound, the band brought in DJ Frank Delgado for the first time. He worked on five Around the Fur songs. "My Own Summer (Shove It)" was one of them. After that, he became a regular band member.
"My Own Summer (Shove It)" can be heard in the 1999 sci-fi classic and cultural phenomenon that was The Matrix. The song was included on the official soundtrack and was used in the Macromedia Flash introduction that popped up when someone visited the soundtrack's official website.
Throughout their early years the band used "My Own Summer (Shove It)" for pre-show soundchecks.
This was the band's first charting single and the first single released off of Around the Fur. By 2025 the single had been certified 2x Platinum for over 2 million US units and Silver (by the British Phonographic Industry) for over 200,000 UK copies.
The television series The Idol featured the song in the fourth episode of the 2023 season.
The "My Own Summer (Shove It)" CD single includes several live tracks recorded at the Melkweg in Amsterdam on October 13, 1997.

Comments: 16

Xavi from LiechtensteinThere´s about like 3 theories about the lyrics of this song
Eliezer Cazares from Mexico Of Course :dWell, he is calling for nuclear fallout. To end it all. See "black rain" not the Japanese movie, that's just the name of a movie based on nuclear fallout. After nuclear blasts, ashes mix with hydrogen in the atmosphere and other byproducts (all radioactive) and then fall in the form of black rain to the ground. Poison rain. THANK YOU USA FOR EVERYTHING YOU GAVE US pff
Ryan from FloridaIt's about being up all night and trying to sleep during the day. When the 2 hits the 6 means when you're up at 2 it's dark when it hits 6 it's bright, especially during the summer. Dude just wants some sleep, bring the clouds, the shade, shove the sun aside, and bring darkness so homey can rest.
Grezisek from PolandFor me he asks for help. "Tell me when it's over", "guide me to shelter". Whole "Come, shove the sun aside" is kind of prayer. After that he sings that none of it came true. He wanted his "own summer" without people and feeling of burn but "big" one didnt listen. Then he asks for help "the shade" because God is only moving his tongue so the shade appeared to be his next potential savior. He said it straight "see, I tried and looked up" and it was not working while shade could be used almost like tool/device, when he needed.
Jon from PennsylvaniaThis song has such an incredible depth. I know there are so many ways to interpret it but here's mine: To me this song is about depression and karma. "The clouds come and shove the sun aside"; how we feel when we are depressed, messed up in life, lost something meaningful. "No sun in my summer" is just a metaphor for being depressed and feeling alone. "Hey you, big star, tell me when it's over" is like looking up at the universe and asking God when will this feeling go away. "I think god is moving it's tongue
There's no crowd in the streets And no sun in my own summer" refers to karma (god moving his tongue), and whatever he did has left him all alone and depressed. It's his "own" summer. Everyone is out enjoying the summer, while his is a sad, dark and lonely one without sun. "I try and look up to the sky, but my eyes burn" means he wants to heal/change/get out of the state he's in, but he's just being burned by God and has to wait for the karma to take it's course. "The shade is a tool a device a savior" the shade is a way for him to feel alright - to get away from the burning heat (God's punishment), and in the long run, it's his savior - he must feel remorse and take the time to heal and learn from his mistakes.

That's just my take on it, hope someone could relate :)
Zero from Nowhere, NjWhen I listen to it I get the impression that the person just wants to be alone. At least that's how I relate to it. Everyone seems to think that social interaction is so great, and it Is, but alone time is necessary too. Everyone needs a good balance of social interaction and alone time, for some it's 50%-50%, for some it's 20%-80%, so on. It seems the person in question is more of a loner than most people. OR he could just be so sick of people bothering him all the time that he wants everyone to disappear. And be the only one on Earth. Remember, summer is the time where EVERYONE is out playing and socializing and most people love it, it's fun for them. But what's fun for this guy is to be alone and not be bothered.
Jesse from Waco, TxIn a Interview Chino said that he would stay up all night writing and recording, which lead to sleeping all day so he covered all his windows with foil and the lyrics "See, i try and look up to the sky,but my eyes burn" was becouse he would look outside and the sun would be so bright it hurt his eyes and to him the sun was a savior, a dream, a desire, he wanted the clouds to hid the brightness so he could step out from the Darkness of his home
Jeremy from Cedar City, UtThis song is about drugs," See I try,and look up, to the sky, but my eyes burn (cloud)" He can't quit the drugs. The one line that gives it away is " come shove it asid" were it makes you want to say " come shove the drugs aside"
Brady from Suffolk, NyI believe this song is Chino reflecting upon religion.
"The shade is a tool, a device, a savior
See, i try and look up to the sky
But my eyes burn."

Everytime he looks to god and tries to figure it all out. His eyes burn (Gets hurt because religion is a fraud) and religion is like shade because it shelters us from the truth. the sun is god and shade saves us from the sad truth.
Steph from Melbourne, AustraliaI think when the two hits the six means (going back to the clock thing) 6:30. Two hands are on the 6. The sun rises at 6:30. That's when Chino says he is through, and he wants to find shelter. That's when summer starts.
Josh from Ogden, Utwhat does this line mean?~~ Cause i'm through when the two hits the six and it's summer..
Mikey from Superior, Wii think u don't need to look that deeply to see what this song is about. Its really simple. its friggin hot out and the weather(gods) are controlling everyone(lack of a croud)His own summer wouldn't have a sun so then he'd be able to go outside and do somthing without being controlled by the weather...
Tim from Pittsburgh, PaSame here.
Jim from Hartford, Ctawesome song....this is what got me into the deftones
Abbes from Windsor, CanadaYes, yes i do.
Adrian from Newcastle, Australiathis song is a good way of describing, to tell people 2 f**k off and leave me alone its my life and i can do wat i want,,, becaoz dont u just get sick of people telling u want to do in life?

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