My Own Summer (Shove It)

"My Own Summer (Shove It)" is a powerful anthem of aversion and the desire to create a personal reality in defiance of an oppressive environment. The central theme revolves around a rejection of the sun and, metaphorically, the overwhelming, often inescapable pressures and norms of the world. Vocalist Chino Moreno has explained that the song was born from a literal experience during the recording of Around the Fur in Seattle. He was recording vocals at night and trying to sleep during the day, but the relentless summer sun made it impossible. In frustration, he covered his windows with aluminum foil, creating his own dark, personal space, his "own summer." This act of shutting out the world is the core of the song's meaning.

Lyrically, the song portrays the sun not as a life-giving force, but as an antagonist. The opening lines, "Hey you, big star, tell me when it's over," can be interpreted as a plea to a higher power or any overwhelming force for relief from this perceived torment. The desire for a world where "the crowds in the streets" are gone and there is "no sun" speaks to a deep-seated misanthropy and a craving for solitude and an escape from the outside world. The shade becomes a "savior," a necessary refuge from a reality that is too bright and painful to face directly, as illustrated by the line, "I try and look up to the sky, but my eyes burn." The repeated, screamed demand to "Shove it" is a visceral, cathartic rejection of these external pressures, a primal scream for control over one's own environment and mental state.

The song opens with a direct, almost desperate address to a 'big star,' a powerful, perhaps celestial or metaphorical entity, pleading for an end to an overwhelming situation. The narrator feels they are at a breaking point, specifically referencing a cryptic moment, 'when the two hits the six,' which signals the arrival of a dreaded summer. This isn't a summer of joy, but one the singer wishes to reject entirely. The chorus is a forceful command for the clouds to obscure the sun, a visceral 'shove' to push aside the light and heat. The singer envisions a personal, self-defined summer—an apocalyptic and solitary world devoid of crowds and, most importantly, the sun. This personal utopia is a place of shade and quiet.

The second verse reinforces this desire for refuge. The shade is personified as a 'tool, a device, a savior,' a necessary shield from an oppressive force. There's a tangible struggle described; the act of even trying to look up at the sky results in burning eyes, a painful consequence of facing the very thing the narrator seeks to escape. This reinforces the idea that the 'sun' represents an unbearable truth or reality that is painful to confront directly. The plea to the 'big star' is repeated, a cyclical feeling of being trapped in this unwanted season, waiting for guidance to a place of shelter.

The song's structure is built on this extreme dynamic contrast. The verses are delivered in a tense, almost conspiratorial whisper, drawing the listener into the narrator's headspace of anxiety and dread. This quiet seethes with potential energy, which then erupts in the chorus. The repeated, screamed phrase 'Shove it!' becomes the song's emotional and physical climax. It's a raw, cathartic release of frustration and a declaration of control. The song ends on this powerful, defiant note, a final, emphatic push against the overwhelming glare of the world, solidifying the desire for a dark, personal sanctuary.

"My Own Summer (Shove It)" was written and recorded during the sessions for Deftones' second album, Around the Fur, at Studio Litho in Seattle, Washington, between April and June 1997. The song was one of the last tracks to be composed for the album and came together spontaneously in the studio. Chino Moreno recalls being downstairs in the studio and hearing guitarist Stephen Carpenter playing the iconic main riff. He immediately ran upstairs, and the song started to form organically with bassist Chi Cheng and drummer Abe Cunningham joining in.

The album was produced by Terry Date, who had also worked on their debut, Adrenaline. For Around the Fur, Date encouraged the band to embrace a more sophisticated, bass-heavy sound, which became a defining characteristic of the record and is prominent on this track. The lyrical inspiration came directly from Moreno's frustration with the Seattle summer. He was recording vocals at night and struggling to sleep during the day due to the bright sunlight. This led him to cover his room's windows with aluminum foil to create a dark, personal space, which he dubbed "his own summer." This experience of creating a private, dark world to escape the oppressive light became the central theme of the song. "My Own Summer (Shove It)" was released as the album's first single on November 22, 1997, and became the band's first charting single, significantly raising their profile.

The lyrical structure of "My Own Summer (Shove It)" largely follows a free verse format, prioritizing emotional delivery and rhythmic impact over a strict, conventional rhyme scheme. The power of the lyrics comes from their cadence and the way they are delivered rather than intricate rhyming. The song's rhythm is defined by its 4/4 time signature and a relatively slow tempo of around 72 BPM, which contributes to the lurching, heavy groove of the main riff. The rhythmic interplay between the instruments is crucial. The verses feature a tense, syncopated relationship between the stark drum beat and the pulsing, off-kilter guitar riff. This creates a sense of unease and anticipation. When the chorus hits, the rhythm becomes more straightforward and driving, providing a powerful, headbanging foundation for the vocal explosion. Chino Moreno's vocal rhythm shifts dramatically between sections. In the verses, his phrasing is whispered and almost spoken, fitting into the pockets of the rhythm. In the chorus, his screams are more sustained and rhythmically emphatic, punctuating the downbeats and accentuating the song's raw power. The sudden stop at the end of the track is also a significant rhythmic choice, leaving the listener with a sense of abrupt finality.

"My Own Summer (Shove It)" is a masterclass in dynamic contrast, a hallmark of Deftones' sound. Musically, the song is built around Stephen Carpenter's iconic, dissonant, and 'insect-like' guitar riff, played in a drop C# tuning. The structure heavily relies on the 'quiet/loud' dynamic, influenced by bands like Nirvana. The verses are tense and subdued, featuring Chino Moreno's whispered, distorted vocals over a sparse, pulsing rhythm section from Abe Cunningham and Chi Cheng. This simmering tension explodes into the chorus, a cathartic release of aggression with Moreno's full-throated screams and a wall of distorted guitar. Producer Terry Date was instrumental in capturing the song's 'bone-dry' drum sound and overall bass-heavy, warm, yet aggressive tone. Abe Cunningham's drumming is precise, with simple but effective fills and a distinctive tom-and-snare pattern that drives the song. Frank Delgado, not yet an official member, is credited with providing samples and turntablism, adding subtle atmospheric layers. Moreno's vocal delivery is a key stylistic element, moving from a 'hushed-but-dread-inducing moan' to a 'fully-enraged vocal meltdown,' which perfectly mirrors the song's lyrical themes of internal frustration and external defiance.

"My Own Summer (Shove It)" was a breakthrough single for Deftones, significantly elevating their status in the alternative metal scene of the late 1990s. Released from their critically acclaimed sophomore album Around the Fur, the song became their first to chart, reaching number 29 on the UK Singles Chart. Its heavy rotation on MTV, aided by a memorable music video directed by Dean Karr featuring the band performing on floating shark cages, exposed them to a wider audience. The song has been widely praised as a defining track of the nu-metal era, even as the band resisted the label. Rolling Stone magazine included it in its list of "The 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs of All Time," stating it would "come to define the sound of nu metal for decades to come." Its influence is evident in its frequent citation as a fan favorite and one of the band's greatest songs by publications like Kerrang! and Loudwire. The song was famously included on the platinum-selling soundtrack for the 1999 film The Matrix, further cementing its place in popular culture. It has been covered by notable bands like Linkin Park and Atreyu, showcasing its enduring impact on other musicians.

The lyrical content of "My Own Summer (Shove It)" is rich with symbolism, primarily centering on the dichotomy of light and darkness as metaphors for external pressures versus internal peace.

• The Sun/Big Star: The sun, or the 'big star,' is the song's primary antagonist. It symbolizes overwhelming external forces, societal expectations, unwanted attention, and oppressive realities that are painful to confront. Rather than being a symbol of life and warmth, it is a tormentor that the narrator wishes to 'shove aside.' This re-contextualization of a traditionally positive symbol is key to the song's defiant tone.
• Shade: In direct opposition to the sun, 'the shade' is depicted as a 'tool, a device, a savior.' It represents sanctuary, solitude, and a retreat from the world's harsh glare. It's a self-created environment where the narrator can exist comfortably, shielded from the things that 'burn' their eyes.
• My Own Summer: This phrase represents the ultimate goal—a personalized reality crafted in defiance of the norm. It's an 'apocalyptic-type thing' where the streets are empty and the sun is gone, a world remade to suit the narrator's introverted and light-averse desires. It symbolizes a state of personal control and peace found in isolation.
• Burning Eyes: The line "I try and look up to the sky, but my eyes burn" serves as a potent metaphor for the pain of confronting overwhelming truths or societal pressures head-on. It suggests a vulnerability and a failed attempt to conform or face the world on its own terms, reinforcing the need to retreat to the 'shade.'

The most prominent recurring elements in "My Own Summer (Shove It)" are both lyrical and musical, and their repetition is key to the song's structure and impact.

• "Cloud, come (hey cloud) come and shove it": This is the song's central lyrical motif and hook. It appears in the chorus, delivered with increasing intensity. The repetition of "shove it" acts as a primal, cathartic release of frustration. Its recurrence drills home the song's core message of defiance and rejection.
• The Main Guitar Riff: Stephen Carpenter's distinctive, pulsing, and dissonant guitar riff is the song's musical backbone. It opens the track and repeats throughout the verses, creating a sense of persistent, underlying tension. Its 'insect-like' quality gives the song a unique and unsettling atmosphere. Its constant presence makes the loud-soft dynamic shifts even more impactful.
• "Hey you, big star": The pleading address to the 'big star' is repeated in the verses, framing the song's central conflict. Its repetition emphasizes the feeling of being trapped and desperate for relief from an oppressive force.

The interplay between the quiet, tense verses and the loud, explosive chorus is the song's primary structural motif, creating a cycle of building tension and cathartic release that defines the listening experience.