Change (In the House of Flies)

"Change (In the House of Flies)"
Single by Deftones
from the album White Pony
B-side	"Crenshaw" "No Ordinary Love"
Released	May 2000
Recorded	1999
Genre	Alternative metal alternative rock nu metal shoegaze hard rock art rock
Length	4:59 (full version) 3:56 (radio edit and music video)
Label	Maverick
Songwriter(s)	Stephen Carpenter Chi Cheng Abe Cunningham Chino Moreno
Producer(s)	Terry Date
Deftones singles chronology
"Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)" (1998) "Change (In the House of Flies)" (2000) "Back to School (Mini Maggit)" (2001)
Music video
"Change (In the House of Flies)" on YouTube

"Change (In the House of Flies)", often referred to as "Change", is a song by American alternative metal band Deftones, released as the first single from their third album, White Pony, in May 2000.^[1] It remains their most commercially successful single to date, peaking at No. 3 in Billboard's Alternative Songs chart, No. 9 in the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart^[2] and No. 53 in the UK Singles Chart.^[3] The song was featured on the MuchMusic compilation album Big Shiny Tunes 5.

Musical style

The song's style is described as alternative metal,^[4] alternative rock,^[5] nu metal,^[6][7] shoegaze,^[6] hard rock^[8] and art rock.^[9]

Music video

Lead singer Chino Moreno appearing in the music video for "Change (In the House of Flies)".

The music video, directed by Liz Friedlander,^[10] features the band playing at a party. The people attending have apathetic looks and wear animal masks. The video was shot at a Hollywood, California estate in May.^[11][12]

As of June 2024, the song has 52 million views on YouTube and was posted 14 years ago on their official account.

Legacy

In 2012, Loudwire ranked the song number one on their list of the 10 greatest Deftones songs,^[13] and in 2020, Kerrang! ranked the song number two on their list of the 20 greatest Deftones songs.^[14]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Change (In the House of Flies)"	Deftones	4:58
2.	"Crenshaw"	Deftones	4:49
3.	"No Ordinary Love" (Sade cover)	Sade Adu Stuart Matthewman	5:32

Other versions

• An acoustic version appeared on the MTV The Return of the Rock, Vol. 2 compilation, and was also included on the band's B-Sides & Rarities album.

Notable covers

• British metalcore band Architects covered the song on their 2019 EP Spotify Singles.^[15]

Charts

Chart (2000)	Peak position
Scotland (OCC)[16]	54
UK Singles (OCC)[17]	53
UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[18]	3
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[19]	3
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[20]	9
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[21]	5

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[22]	Platinum	30,000^‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[23]	Silver	200,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

In popular culture

The song has been featured in a number of films and television series, including:^[24][25]

• Little Nicky (2000).
• Queen of the Damned (2002).
• Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge (U.S. Funimation English dub) (2002).
• American Horror Story: Double Feature: Red Tide (2021).
• American Dad: Daesong Heavy Industries (2005)
• The Following: Chapter Two (2013)
• Major Crimes: Letting It Go (2014)
• Alias: Hourglass (2013)
• American Horror Story: Pale (2021).

References

1. Garrity, Brian (June 10, 2000). "Deftones Have High Hopes For Ambitious Third Maverick Album". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 24. p. 14. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
2. "Billboard.com – Artist Chart History — Deftones: Singles". Billboard. Retrieved December 23, 2007.
3. "UK Singles Top 75 – Music Charts". Navigate to appropriate week. acharts.us. Retrieved December 23, 2007.
4. Trapp, Philip (April 19, 2022). "10 '80s Metal Bands That Thrived In The '90s Despite Grunge". Loudwire. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
5. Bogosian, Dan; Hadusek, Jon (April 6, 2016). "The Top 20 Deftones Songs". Consequence. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
6. Maude, James (August 6, 2021). "Welcome to the Dark Side: 15 Essential Nu Metal Classics for the New Psychos in the Scene". escYOUnited. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
7. "10 greatest NU-METAL music videos of all time".
8. Loudwire Staff (October 2, 2020). "The 66 Best Hard Rock Songs of the 21st Century". Loudwire. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
9. Terich, Jeff (June 15, 2020). "The Deftones : White Pony at 20". Treble. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
10. B-Sides & Rarities liner notes.
11. "A Deep Dive into Deftones' Change (In the House of Flies) Video". May 25, 2019.
12. Making the video "Change – Behind the Scenes
13. Sciarretto, Amy (September 4, 2012). "10 Best Deftones Songs". Loudwire. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
14. Law, Sam (June 26, 2020). "The 20 Greatest Deftones Songs – Ranked". Kerrang. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
15. "Architects Share New Singles For Spotify Including New Deftones Cover". Ghost Cult Magazine. January 16, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
16. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
17. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
18. "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
19. "Deftones Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
20. "Deftones Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
21. "Deftones Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
22. "New Zealand single certifications – Deftones – Change (In the House of Flies)". Radioscope. Retrieved December 23, 2024. Type Change (In the House of Flies) in the "Search:" field.
23. "British single certifications – Deftones – Change (In the House of Flies)". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
24. Rampton, Mike (May 25, 2019). "A Deep Dive Into Deftones' Change (In The House Of Flies) Video". Kerrang!. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
25. "Deftones | Tunefind". Tunefind. February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 23, 2024.