Meaning of “Cherry Waves” by Deftones

Some analysts have offered a somewhat-confusing explanation of Deftones’ “Cherry Waves”, as being a song that is about finding out the level of trust that someone has for you. That explanation sorta makes it sound as if there’s three parties involved, but in actuality there’s only two, that being the vocalist and addressee. And more specifically, the singer is gauging the depth of the friendship he has with the person he’s singing to.               

And depth is a good word to describe this idea, because the lyrics revolve around an ocean-related motif.  Or as Chino Moreno more plainly explained, what’s being put forth is premised on the vocalist presenting himself as someone who, if the addressee was drowning, would jump in the water in an attempt to save this person. 

So what Chino is asking in return is if this individual would likewise take the same type of risk if the situation was reversed.

But there’s more to the lyrics than that simple idea. The way the second verse and also the latter part of the chorus read are as if the reason the vocalist is compelled to make such a query to begin with is because the addressee is giving him a hard time. 

“The waves suck you in and you drown
If like, you should sink down beneath
I’ll swim down, would you?
You?”

In other words, it’s almost as if he’s asking what it is he has to do to prove to this person that he’s a real friend. Or another way of looking at it, as far as the chorus is concerned, is as the addressee being the self-destructive type. And since Moreno is so close to this individual and committed to his or her safety, he’s letting this person know, in a roundabout way, that if they continue along such a path, the result will be both of them suffering.

So yes, it can be concluded based on these lyrics that the vocalist is gauging the addressee’s trust. But apparently, the reason he feels a need to do so is because said individual is also straining the boundaries of their friendship.

Release Date of “Cherry Waves”

“Cherry Waves” was released on the 31st of October, 2006. It was released as one of the 13 songs that make up Deftones’ 5th studio album “Saturday Night Wrist”.

Warner Music Group’s Maverick Records was responsible for the songs official release.

In support of the album, Deftones released two songs as singles, “Hole in the Earth” and “Mein” on September 12 of 2006 and March 13 of 2007 respectively.

Who Wrote “Cherry Waves”?

The song was composed through collaborative effort between Deftones and American songwriter and guitarist Chino Moreno.

Who Produced the Song?

Deftones, teamed up with the following record producers to producing the song:

• Shaun Lopez
• Bob Ezrin