Deftones’ singer Chino Moreno names his favourite songs of all time
Chino Moreno is one of the greatest metal vocalists that genre has produced, primarily because he can effortlessly switch between singing softly and then issuing a piercing scream. Just before Deftones released their Ohms album, Moreno offered a peek behind the curtain, revealing his favourite songs of all time and including the likes of Deerhunter, Doja Cat and Deltron 3030.
Moreno notes a particular love for David Bowie’s final album, Blackstar, which is one of his best-ever efforts. One standout track on the record for Moreno is ‘Girl Loves Me’, of which the singer said: “The instrumentation on it is awesome, the drum sound and the production is awesome, but really what grabbed me in the song are the words, in the context where this was his last record and what he’s saying in it.”
Growing up in the 1980s meant that Moreno got caught up in the sound of New Order. His favourite song of the legendary outfit formed from the ashes of Joy Division is ‘Thieves Like Us’, which he first heard in high school. Moreno told The Line of Best Fit about the song: “That whole breakdown of the song is so good, but the way it starts off with the beat is sick, it’s keyboard-based, and it’s definitely a danceable song. It’s nostalgic for me, it takes me back to school, but it’s another one of the songs that I can listen to a million times, and I’ve yet to get tired of it.”
Another track that takes Moreno “back to being a kid” is Santana’s famous ‘Samba Pa Ti’ as “a lot of the music from the 1970s is very nostalgic” to him. The song arrived on the band’s 1970 album Abraxas and evidently holds a special place in Moreno’s heart.
Check out the complete list of Moreno’s favourite songs below.
Chino Moreno’s favourite songs:
- ‘Stammer’ – Raime
- ‘Helicopter’ – Deerhunter
- ‘Alive and Kicking’ – Simple Minds
- ‘Campanile’ – Harold Budd
- ‘Samba Pa Ti’ – Santana
- ‘No Police’ – Doja Cat
- ‘Girl Loves Me’ – David Bowie
- ‘Thieves Like Us’ – New Order
- ‘Virus’ – Deltron 3030
Perhaps a surprising inclusion for Moreno to select is Simple Minds’ ‘Alive and Kicking’. In fact, there is a stark lack of dark and heavy music on the list, given Deftones’ sounds. However, Moreno loves the Simple Minds song simply because “it always makes [him] feel good” and is one he can always go back to for some “warming”.
Stream the playlist below.
