Deftones' Chino Moreno Names His All Time Favorite Song

What is Chino Moreno's favorite song? The Deftones frontman revealed his all time favorite track comes from one of the '80s biggest artists and was a big part of his youth. During an appearance on Aaron Bruno of AWOLNATION's Totally Committed Podcast, the Deftones singer delved into his all time favorite track and what stood out about the song.

What Is Chino Moreno's All Time Favorite Song?

The Deftones frontman confidently proclaimed, “My favorite song of all-time would have to be ‘The Beautiful Ones‘ [by] Prince."

Pulling back the curtain on the reason why the Purple Rain soundtrack song stands out to him, Moreno shares, "[It’s] an emotional rollercoaster. Great vocals, music’s fucking beautiful."

He adds, "The first time hearing it was probably when I watched the movie [Purple Rain] as a kid. So you really get the visual of what’s going on in the movie. It’s a real kind of transition in the movie when Apollonia first really realizes that she’s really down for Prince as opposed to Morris [Day]. But he gets her with that song and by the end, she’s just like tears coming down."

Moreno comments, "Musically, there’s so many little things that happen. I think it’s maybe two thirds of way through the song and there’s this keyboard, real sort of diminished keyboard that comes in in the song and it’s an emotional tune, man.”

Despite Moreno's affection for the song, it was not actually issued as a single at the time of the soundtrack and film's release. Moreno is not alone though in his fondness of the track. The song has been covered by Mariah Carey with Dru Hill and the Bad Plus among others.

Prince and the Revolution, "The Beautiful Ones"

Where Does Prince Rank for Chino Moreno?

Within the same discussion, Bruno asked Moreno how he felt about Prince as compared to some other superstars of the day. When asked about how Prince compared to '80s era Michael Jackson, the singer revealed, "I had that same debate with my sisters and everybody growing up as a kid." Though not picking a side, he confessed, "I loved them all. And it's crazy. It's like that was pop music. When we were kids, that was on the radio. It was pretty rad."

When another one-on-one battle was proposed, with Bruno bringing up the chameleonic David Bowie, Moreno was less diplomatic, adding, "I'd still have to go Prince."

While Moreno has an affinity for Prince, he's only dared try to cover the purple one once. According to Setlist.fm., on Halloween 2003 the Deftones played a partial cover of "Purple Rain" during a performance in San Diego.