The Deftones song written as a middle finger to their label: “I’m going to show those fuckers”
At the turn of the millennium, Deftones had long since established themselves as one of the most compelling bands. Despite being wrongly tied into the nu-metal zeitgeist because of their gargantuan, de-tuned edge, Deftones were doing something genuinely distinctive with music. On their third album, 2000’s White Pony, they refined their formula, moving ever further away from the scene they were first associated with, carving out a space that was truly their own. The record would be universally hailed as their masterpiece.
Across nearly 50 minutes, Deftones resoundingly affirmed why they were never part of the nu-metal scene and why their career would continue to be fruitful as the world moved on from this era. While ostensibly alternative metal, they fused shoegaze, trip-hop, post-hardcore and other textures together with verve, which was no doubt helped by the body of work being the first to feature turntablist Frank Delgado.
Whether it be ‘Change (In the House of Flies)’, ‘Digital Bath’ or ‘Passenger’, the record is brimming with highlights. In a testament to its quality, every moment is vital to the overall experience. It’s not very often a listener can truly say that about an album. Yet, despite its timeless essence, Deftones have made it clear that they have reservations about White Pony.
Namely, this is the inclusion of the hit ‘Back to School (Mini-Maggit)’, which the band were forced to record as a version of album closer ‘Pink Maggit’ at the behest of the record label, Maverick, as they wanted another single from White Pony. ‘Back to School’ was then included as the opener on the white cover reissue of the album.
Frontman Chino Moreno explained in 2002: “This album right here [the White Pony re-release] is not the album that we turned in to the label. As far as we’re concerned, the first edition was the record. Done. Then, they talked us into re-releasing it with another song on it, and it’s not like I’m against the song or whatever, but I liked the sequence we had when we first turned it in. When this version came out, a little part inside all of us felt like: ‘Fuck! We just totally compromised.’ And I know that a lot of our fans felt bad about it too.”
Moreno would express more regret at ‘Back to School’. He told Visions that he thought the song was a “mistake” and that he wrote it quickly to “show those fuckers,” Maverick, how easy it was to create a hit single. He explained: “‘Back to School’ was a mistake. A calculated song that had been built up with only one aim in mind: It should be a single. ‘Back to School’ was released because I was an idiot. I wanted to prove something [to the record company].”
Detailing further, he added: “Months later, after White Pony was released, they wanted us to do a new version of ‘Pink Maggit’. They said we lost our heaviness, and there were no more singles on the album. First, I wanted to stick this idea up my ass, but then I thought: ‘I’m gonna show those fuckers how easy it is to create a hit single.’ And so I rapped a hip hop part on that song, we shortened it, and half an hour later, the hit single was ready to roll on.”
