When Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley played an old demo to producer Jerry Finn, he was so embarrassed about his efforts that he hid his face until it was over.
For around six months, the Ontario four-piece had been working on their debut album All Killer No Filler at Metalworks studio in Mississauga, Ontario, and Cello Studios in Los Angeles, California (now known as EastWest Studios).
Their album had largely been written and recorded, but Whibley had an idea for a song that had been pieced together over the course of 18 months. He had to finish the song, even though it wasn't fully formed.
"It was all over the place," Whibley revealed on The Joe Vulpis Podcast. "I finally landed on something I thought was kind of cool, but I was so embarrassed by it that I hadn’t shown the band or told anyone. We waited until late one night when everyone had left the studio and I played it for him. When it ended, I asked, “Do you hate it?”
"That's your first single," was the producer's reaction, adding, "I think that’s the best song you’ve ever written.”
