Minerva (song)

"Minerva"
Single by Deftones
from the album Deftones
B-side	"Sinatra" "Sleep Walk"
Released	April 29, 2003
Format	CD single
Recorded	2002
Genre	Alternative metal
Length	4:17
Label	Maverick (9362 42627 2 5)
Writer(s)	Chino Moreno Abe Cunningham
Producer	Terry Date Deftones
Deftones singles chronology
"Digital Bath" (2001) "Minerva" (2003) "Hexagram" (2003)
Deftones track listing "Needles And Pins" (2) "Minerva" (3) "Good Morning Beautiful" (4)

"Minerva" is a song by American alternative metal band Deftones and the lead single from their fourth studio album, Deftones. Released in April 2003, it charted at #9 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart, #16 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart,^[1] and #15 on the UK Singles Chart.^[2] It is the band's highest charting single worldwide, but is their 2nd-highest charting in the U.S.

As the lead single of Deftones, "Minerva" features a far more commercially appealing sound than its brutal successor, "Hexagram". The uplifting song contains clean vocals, plentiful use of harmonies, and a heavy yet soaring chorus.

Music video

Lead singer Chino Moreno performing during the turbulent shoot.

The video for "Minerva," directed by Paul Fedor,^[3] is notable for its similarity to Pink Floyd's Live at Pompeii concert film. The band is featured playing the song on a desert like landscape backed by various amplifiers and other stage equipment. It was filmed near the Salton Sea in southern California in 2003, during a sandstorm. The filming process itself was fraught with problems, as the sand caused problems with the recording equipment and lighting set-up. The shoot eventually took 22 hours to complete, with Abe Cunningham saying that "[the shoot] sucked" and Chi Cheng calling it "terrible", but conceding that "it [is] a trippy video. I actually like it a lot".^[4]

Track listing

1. "Minerva" – 4:17 (Deftones)
2. "Sinatra" – 4:34 (Hamilton)
3. "Sleep Walk" – 2:30 (Farina/Farina)

The second and third tracks are covers. "Sinatra", written by Page Hamilton, was originally performed by Helmet on 1990's Strap It On, while "Sleep Walk" is a cover of a highly popular 1959 single by Santo & Johnny.

Appearances in other media

Minerva appeared on the soundtrack for NHL 2004. It was also featured in the soundtrack for the 2005 remake House Of Wax.^[5] It was also made available as downloadable content for the Rock Band series on June 8, 2010. The song was also featured in the Video Game True Crime: Streets of LA.

References

1. ^ "Billboard.com - Artist Chart History — Deftones: Singles". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.vnuArtistId=141369&model.vnuAlbumId=896085. Retrieved 2007-12-23. 
2. ^ "UK Singles Top 75 - Music Charts". Navigate to appropriate week. acharts.us. http://acharts.us/uk_singles_top_75. Retrieved 2007-12-23. 
3. ^ B-Sides & Rarities liner notes.
4. ^ "DEFTONES: The Stories Behind The Videos". Blabbermouth. 2005-10-04. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=42494. Retrieved 2008-02-25. 
5. ^ http://www.soundtrackinfo.com/title/tracks.asp?houseofwax