White Pony
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
White Pony is the third studio album by American alternative metal band Deftones. Released in 2000, it marks a significant growth in the band's sound, incorporating New Wave and shoegaze influences with the alternative metal edge the group had become known for. To this end, it is generally regarded by fans and critics alike as their most mature outing and is also their highest-selling album to date.
The album features three successful singles as well as the 2001 Grammy Award-winning track for Best Metal Performance, "Elite."
Background and recording
After a break from touring, the band spent four months in the studio writing and recording White Pony, the longest amount of time they had dedicated to an album thus far. Moreno explained that the majority of this time was spent trying to write songs, and that the writing of "Change (In the House of Flies)" was the turning point where the band began working as a group.
Despite being pressured to release the album sooner, the band decided to take their time making the album. Cheng explained that "We didn't feel like we had anything to lose, so we made the record we wanted to make." Moreno did not have a common theme in mind lyrically, but made a conscious decision to bring an element of fantasy into his lyrics, explaining that "I basically didn't sing about myself on this record. I made up a lot of story lines and some dialogue, even. I took myself completely out of it and wrote about other things."[1]
The song "Passenger" features the guest vocals of Maynard James Keenan. Scott Weiland also recorded vocals for "RX Queen."
Album name
White Pony is street slang for cocaine. However, there are more likely meanings for the album name, including an obvious sexual reference:
- "There's a lot of different references for White Pony. One of them is a cocaine reference and there's a lot of stuff... have you ever heard stuff like in dream books that if you dream about a white pony then you're having a sexual dream? There's a lot of stuff that kinda goes around it. And there's an old song (that goes) 'ride the white horse.' That's obviously a drug reference song."[2]
Release and variations
Four different editions of the album exist. On its release date, limited edition copies were released with solid red and black jewel cases. The two differently-colored cases also featured different booklet inserts. Both limited edition versions include "The Boy's Republic" but do not include "Back to School (Mini Maggit)."
The first edition with a gray cover was supposed to be released as the non-limited version of the album. In addition, this version did not feature the track "Back to School (Mini Maggit)." This is the proper[citation needed] version of the album (which was also pressed on clear red vinyl for a promotional run of about 1000 copies), and "Back to School" was only added as a marketing strategy; vocalist and contributing guitarist Chino Moreno has stated that he was not happy about it.[3]
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [4] |
| Rolling Stone | [5] |
| Sputnik Music |  [6] |
Reviews for White Pony were generally positive, noting Moreno's increasing sophistication as a lyricist and the group's experimentation.[7] MacKenzie Wilson of allmusic noted, "Deftones went soft, but in an impressive way, to twist around its signature punk sound."[8]
White Pony garnering an aggregate rating of 72 on Metacritic.[9] Alternative Press ranked the album the second best album of the year in 2000 and, subsequently, in their September 2010 issue placed White Pony in their list of the “Top 10 Most Influential Albums of 2000.” UK rock magazine Kerrang! named White Pony their third best album of the year behind Queens of the Stone Age’s Rated R and At the Drive-In’s Relationship of Command.
The track "Elite" won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2001.[10]
White Pony is rated G in New Zealand.
Track listing
All songs by Deftones, except "Passenger" by Deftones and Maynard James Keenan.
Original edition (gray cover)
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Feiticeira" | 3:09 |
| 2. | "Digital Bath" | 4:15 |
| 3. | "Elite" | 4:01 |
| 4. | "RX Queen" | 4:27 |
| 5. | "Street Carp" | 2:41 |
| 6. | "Teenager" | 3:20 |
| 7. | "Knife Prty" | 4:49 |
| 8. | "Korea" | 3:23 |
| 9. | "Passenger" (feat. Maynard James Keenan) | 6:07 |
| 10. | "Change (In the House of Flies)" | 5:00 |
| 11. | "Pink Maggit" | 7:32 |
Limited original edition (red and black covers)
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Feiticeira" | 3:09 |
| 2. | "Digital Bath" | 4:15 |
| 3. | "Elite" | 4:01 |
| 4. | "RX Queen" | 4:27 |
| 5. | "Street Carp" | 2:41 |
| 6. | "Teenager" | 3:20 |
| 7. | "Knife Prty" | 4:49 |
| 8. | "Korea" | 3:23 |
| 9. | "Passenger" (feat. Maynard James Keenan) | 6:07 |
| 10. | "Change (In the House of Flies)" | 5:00 |
| 11. | "Pink Maggit" | 7:32 |
| 12. | "The Boy's Republic" | 4:37 |
Re-release edition (white cover)
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Back to School (Mini Maggit)" | 3:57 |
| 2. | "Feiticeira" | 3:09 |
| 3. | "Digital Bath" | 4:15 |
| 4. | "Elite" | 4:01 |
| 5. | "RX Queen" | 4:27 |
| 6. | "Street Carp" | 2:41 |
| 7. | "Teenager" | 3:20 |
| 8. | "Knife Prty" | 4:49 |
| 9. | "Korea" | 3:23 |
| 10. | "Passenger" (feat. Maynard James Keenan) | 6:07 |
| 11. | "Change (In the House of Flies)" | 5:00 |
| 12. | "Pink Maggit" | 7:32 |
Track overview
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (February 2011) |
 | This article possibly contains original research. (February 2011) |
 | This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. (February 2011) |
*From original release (gray cover)
Feiticeira
- The song is composed of subtle changes from like static guitar riffs and slow verses to fast and loud choirs. The final chorus features heavy distorted vocals. "The name Feiticeira is some Portuguese name that I read in a magazine and just liked. It's based on the scenario of being taken captive. It's completely fictional. I want that people who listen to it feel like they're the ones in the situation because I sing it in first person." - Chino.[11]
Digital Bath
- The song starts with a low trip-hop beat and verses which build into a soaring, epic chorus that expands each time. The song is deals with a man putting a girl into a bathtub and electrocuting her by throwing a electrical device in the water. He then dries her body and puts her clothes back on.[12]
Elite
- A very heavily distorted song that melts distorted vocals, heavy guitars, and electronic samples on the same proportion. The lyrics seem to be about a person dealing with high pressure situations.
Rx Queen
- It starts with constant light drums and few bass chords to then connect with a heavy chorus and features a bridge containing distorted vocals. The song is about a man's affection for a girl despite her severe illness (Rx stands for "medical prescription").[13]
Street Carp
- A fast alternative metal song that resembles the band's early work. The song is about bring false information to a person that dislikes to you.
Teenager
- A moody trip-hop song featuring low beat and acoustic guitar chords with light vocals, this was Deftones first atemp to create a dream pop song, manner that will be explored further on singer Chino Moreno's side project: the band Team Sleep, aswell on Deftones future releases. It deals with a youthful romance coming to an end.
Knife Prty
- A fast chord-by-chord progression opens the way for a massive heavy intro, the pattern stills throughout the song. It features an uncommon vocal bridge sang by a woman on Spanish-Arabic style.
The song is about going to a "shooting gallery" - a place where people go to inject themselves with drugs. The line "my knife is sharp and chrome" refers to a slang for a syringe used to inject drugs into the bloodstream.
Korea
- A heavy and fast paced song but featuring intense guitars, drums, and vocals. "This was the first song we wrote for the record. It's a little heavy. It talks about the white pony, strippers, and drugs." The name "white pony" refers to a very highly potent form of cocaine.[14]
Passenger
- A song that first moves among slow atmospheric verses, then heavy guitar breakups arrives to introduce loud choirs. It features wailing chorus vocals by Maynard James Keenan of Tool and A Perfect Circle and is about the adrenaline of having sex in a fast moving car.
Change
- The intro as well the verses are composed of low guitar and a bit loud drums and bass with keyboards effects driving into heavy choirs who expands every time that they arrive. "Change" would become one of the Deftones' most well known songs. "It's a metaphorical song. You could take it in the literal sense of me watching someone turn into a fly and taking them home with me and pulling of their wings and laughing. It spawns from me being a complete a--hole and getting the complete repercussion for it by having my life taken away." - Chino.
Pink Maggit
- The song starts low with atmospheric sounds and woman moans like those on "Knife Party." Near the half point, the song becomes a heavy, fast paced piece that progressively dissolves away leaving only a rhythmic sound akin to a heart beat. "The title comes from a Kool Keith song. We just thought it was some funny stuff. The song is meant to be triumphant. I'm trying to spread a little confidence. Lots of artists try to make songs for the kids who are tormented in school, telling them it's okay to be tormented. But it's not okay. Don't be ridiculed. Become the leader of your surroundings. Confidence is one of the most important things in life. If you are confident, you can do whatever you want." - Chino.
*From re-release edition
Back to School (Mini Maggit)
- Basically a heavier, uptempo rerecording of "Pink Maggit" song with rap verses. It is the first track of the re-release edition of White Pony.
*From original limited edition
The Boy's Republic
- Loud electronic distortion is heard throughout the track with decipherable vocals. The song is about someone desperately seeking redemption. On original album edition (red or black cover), this track comes after "Pink Maggit," making it the last track.
Personnel
Band members
- Stephen Carpenter – guitars
- Chi Cheng – bass guitar
- Abe Cunningham – drums
- Frank Delgado – sampling, electronics
- Chino Moreno – vocals, guitar
Other personnel
- Kim Biggs – creative director
- Robert Daniels – assistant engineer
- Terry Date – production, mixing
- DJ Crook – programming
- Michelle Forbes – assistant engineer
- Scott Weiland - additional vocals (on "RX Queen")
- Rodleen Getsic – additional vocals (on "Knife Party")
- Maynard James Keenan – additional vocals (on "Passenger")
- Frank Maddocks – art direction, album design
- James Minchin III – photography
- Scott Olsen – Pro Tools engineer, additional engineering
- Ted Regier – assistant engineer
- Jason Schweitzer – assistant engineer
- Howie Weinberg – mastering
- Ulrich Wild – additional engineering
Chart positions
- Album
| Country | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. | Billboard 200 | 3[15] |
| Canada | Canadian Albums Chart | 8[citation needed] |
| Worldwide | Top Internet Albums | 1[citation needed] |
| U.K. | UK Albums Chart | 13[16] |
| Australia | ARIA Charts | 2[citation needed] |
| France | Les Charts | 6[17] |
| Germany | Top German Albums | 11[17] |
| Switzerland | Swiss charts | 68[17] |
| Austria | Austria | 39[17] |
| Netherlands | Netherlands | 27[17] |
| Belgium | Belgium | 27[17] |
| Sweden | Sweden | 35[17] |
| Finland | Finland | 13[17] |
| Norway | Norway | 19[17] |
| New Zealand | New Zealand | 14[17] |
| Ireland | Irish Albums Chart | 21[18] |
- Singles
| Year | Single | Peak position | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Mod[19] | U.S. Main[19] | UK[20] | ||
| 2000 | "Change (In the House of Flies)" | 3 | 9 | 15 |
| "Back to School (Mini Maggit)" | 18 | 25 | 25 | |
| 2001 | "Digital Bath" | 3 | 11 | 26 |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.
References
- Christie, Ian (2003). "Virtual Ozzy & Metal's Digital Rebound". Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal. HarperCollins. p. 329. ISBN 0-380-81127-8.
External links
Notes
 |
- ^ Deftones – Ride On [interview]. Alternative Press, August, 2000.
- ^ Fischer, Blair R. (2004). "Interview:Deftones". sexnrocknroll.com. Retrieved 2007-09-18.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ Allmusic Review
- ^ Rolling Stone Review[dead link]
- ^ "Sputnik Music Review". Sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
- ^ "White Pony at Metacritic". The album holds a "generally favorable reviews" score of 73/100. Retrieved 2007-12-12.
- ^ Wilson, MacKenzie. "Review of White Pony". Allmusic. Retrieved 2007-04-29.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "White Pony – Deftones". Metacritic. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
- ^ "GRAMMY Winners Search". Grammy.com. Retrieved 2007-09-18.
- ^ "Feiticeira by The Deftones Songfacts". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
- ^ "Digital Bath by The Deftones Songfacts". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
- ^ "Rx Queen by The Deftones Songfacts". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
- ^ "Korea by The Deftones Songfacts". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
- ^ "Billboard.com - Discography — Deftones - White Pony". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2007-09-18.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) [dead link] - ^ "Deftones album search". everyHit.com. Retrieved 2007-12-23.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Australian Charts Portal — Deftones". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2007-12-23.
- ^ "Irish Music Charts Archive". ChartTrack.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-10-28.
- ^ a b "Billboard.com - Artist Chart History — Deftones: Singles". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2007-12-23.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "UK Singles Top 75 - Music Charts". Navigate to appropriate week. acharts.us. Retrieved 2007-12-23.
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| Unreleased albums | |
| Extended plays | |
| Singles |
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