Deryck Whibley Revisits SUM 41's "In Too Deep" on Vevo Footnotes

Deryck Whibley sat down with Vevo Footnotes to discuss In Too Deep, the SUM 41 single that helped define the band's early sound. The conversation, released as part of Vevo's ongoing Footnotes series, finds Whibley reflecting on the making of the song and its place in the band's catalog.

Vevo Footnotes revisits Sum 41's 'In Too Deep' with frontman Deryck Whibley, who shares the story behind the band's iconic 2001 song and video in celebration of its 25th Anniversary. A defining song of the 2000's pop-punk era, 'In Too Deep' reached #10 on Billboard's US Alternative Airplay chart.

In the episode, Whibley revealed the unexpected origin of 'In Too Deep,' which he wrote in just 10 minutes for Canadian artist Snow. After the song landed with another band and went unused, it made its way back to Sum 41.

Whibley also recalls how the 'In Too Deep' video was filmed over two summer days with a large crew and a full-on movie-set feel. The video was inspired by Rodney Dangerfield's comedy Back to School, and shot at the same pool featured in the film, with drummer Steve Jocz recreating the movie's memorable Triple Lindy dive.

Whibley remembers ending up with 'the worst sunburn of his life' after ignoring everyone who told him to wear sunscreen during the shoot, telling them 'I don't burn.' Rather than hiring traditional extras, the band invited real fans to take part, giving the video a genuine, mini-movie feel. The band's favorite moment came when they saw the first edit and 'it looked great right away,' Whibley says. 'Better than we expected.'

FULL TRANSCRIPTION BELOW:

:08 - Deryck Whibley, Lead Vocalist: Two summer days in 2001, big budget, tons of crew. We invited real fans instead of hiring extras, so everyone you see, besides the divers, are actual Sum 41 fans. It felt like a mini movie.

:25 - Deryck Whibley: I originally wrote 'In Too Deep' for the artist Snow. We recorded a version together but it never came out. Then it went to another band. They recorded it, and that never came out either. Eventually it found its way back to us and became a Sum 41 song.

:45 - Whibley says he wrote the song in 10 minutes.

1:00 - Deryck Whibley: Everyone kept telling me to wear sunscreen. I said I don't burn. By the end of day one, I had the worst sunburn of my life.

1:30 - Deryck Whibley: I've always liked how many parts are in it. There's a counter harmony picking riff in the verse, a different riff in the second verse, the main heavy riff, and a separate outro riff. And I'm proud of writing and playing the guitar solo myself.

1:50 - Deryck Whibley: Even though I played the solo on the album, Dave played it in the video.

And I'm glad I didn't, because he spent over two hours going in and out of the water to get that shot.

2:10 - The band's only reference for the music video was the 1986 comedy 'Back To School' starring Rodney Dangerfield

2:35 - Not only was the video filmed at the same location as 'Back To School,' but drummer Steve Jocz performs the same dive as Dangerfield's character. Spoiler Alert: both of them win.

3:00 - Whibley says the band did not try to get in shape before the shoot. 'Our diet was basically Burger King and Jack Daniel's,' he recalls.

3:20 - As for the band's favorite moment of the shoot? 'Seeing the first edit,' says Whibley. 'It looked great right away. Better than we expected.'

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