In an interview, Daron Malakian explained, "The song is about how we are regarded differently depending on how we pass. Everyone deserves to die. Like, if I were now to die from drug abuse, they might say I deserved it because I abused dangerous drugs. Hence the line, 'I cry when angels deserve to die.'"[5] The lyrics for the midsection ("Father into your hands I commend my spirit") were randomly picked out by Serj Tankian from Rick Rubin's book collection after Tankian was struggling for ideas.[6] Although it was not revealed what book the line was taken from, it is originally from the Bible, appearing in Luke 23:46.[7]
Song title
The song was originally titled "Suicide" but Columbia Records forced the band to change it to avoid controversy.[8][9] The song title is therefore a wordplay: "Suey" is "suicide", "chopped" in half.[9] However, the band members claim this change was not caused by pressure from their record company; Odadjian said the band simply chose their battles carefully.[9] Most pressings of the album include an intro to the track where lead singer Serj Tankian can faintly be heard saying "we're rolling 'Suicide'" while drummer John Dolmayan is counting the band in.
Music video
The music video was the band's first collaboration with the acclaimed director Marcos Siega, and is set in the parking lot of the Oak Tree Inn motel in Los Angeles, hometown of the band. The members are performing the song on stage, surrounded by approximately 1,500 fans. Editing devices are used to create the effect of the band members "walking through" one another and teleporting on and off the stage, an effect similar to one used in the Red Hot Chili Peppers video "Around the World". One scene briefly shows Tankian eating chop suey with some fans, the only reference to the title dish in either the song or the video. The video makes use of the SnorriCam technique, in which an actor will have a camera attached to them with a harness, making it appear as though the background is moving and the actor is stationary. In the middle of the video the Flag of Armenia can be seen. The video has been viewed over one billion times on YouTube, making it the first metal music video to do so (shortly followed by "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica).
As of 2023, the video currently has over 1.2 billion views on YouTube, making it one of the most viewed rock videos on the platform, ranked at tenth place.
Reception
Loudwire included the song in its list of The Best Hard Rock Songs Of The 21st Century, where it was ranked at number one.[10]Loudwire and Kerrang both named it as System of a Down's best song.[11][12]
Controversy
"Chop Suey!" is the first single of Toxicity, an album that was number one on the charts during the week of the September 11, 2001 attacks. A controversy surrounding the popular single, especially the line '"I don't think you trust in my self-righteous suicide"', at the time led to Clear Channel Radio placing the song on a list of post-9/11 inappropriate titles. Although it was never actually banned completely from the air, Clear Channel Radio stations were advised against playing any of the songs on the list.[13]
"Chop Suey!" was a moderate success on the charts around the world. In Australia, after hitting No. 3 on the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2001, with virtually no airplay on commercial radio, it debuted and peaked at No. 14 in February 2002. It is System of a Down's highest-charting single in Australia. In the United States, the song peaked at No. 76, making it the band's lowest peaking song on the Hot 100 due to the fact it was taken off the radio for its political lyrics. On the Modern Rock Tracks, "Chop Suey!" peaked at No. 7, becoming the band's first top ten single.[14] In the UK Singles Chart, it debuted and peaked at No. 17.
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
References
^Wiederhorn, Jonn (August 13, 2001). "System Of A Down's Schizophrenia Aggravated On Toxicity". MTV. Retrieved April 15, 2015. The first single from Toxicity is "Chop Suey", which starts with a guitar strum and a tribal beat and segues to a serrated stop-start punk verse before drifting into an ethereal chorus colored by a bouzouki, a Greek stringed instrument.
^Evans, James (April 17, 2013). . Archived from the original on December 6, 2013. Retrieved April 6, 2015. Not so long ago, I was frequenting an exclusive South Leamington cocktail bar. Compelled by housemates proffering a certain glowing green beverage, I was giving a passionate rendition of System of a Down's alternative metal anthem, 'Chop Suey'.
^"100 Best Albums of the 2000s". July 18, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
^Chesler, Josh (May 18, 2015). "10 Nu-metal Songs That Actually Don't Suck". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
^Rampton, Mike (June 1, 2019). . Kerrang!. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
^Archived at Ghostarchive and the : "System of a Down: Reuniting the Band, "Protect the Land," and Armenia | Apple Music". YouTube.
^"Luke 23:46". Bible Hub. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
^Kory Grow (February 11, 2016). "Rick Rubin: My Life in 21 Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
^ abcArchived at Ghostarchive and the : "System of a Down's Shavo Odadjian - Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction?". YouTube.
^Kaufman, Spencer (July 1, 2012). "No. 1: System of a Down, 'Chop Suey!' – Top 21st Century Hard Rock Songs." LoudWire.com. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
^Kaufman, Spencer (August 21, 2012). "10 Best System of a Down Songs". Loudwire. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
^Law, Sam (November 6, 2020). "The 20 greatest System Of A Down songs – ranked". Kerrang. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
^It's the End of the World as Clear Channel Knows It Slate
^"Toxicity — System of a Down — Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2010-10-01.
^"Danish single certifications – System of a Down – Chop Suey!". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved April 15, 2020. Scroll through the page-list below until year 2020 to obtain certification.
^"Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (System of a Down; 'Chop Suey!')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
^"Italian single certifications – System of a Down – Chop Suey!" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved August 21, 2018. Select "2018" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Chop Suey!" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
^"British single certifications – System of a Down – Chop Suey!". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
chop, suey, other, uses, including, other, songs, titled, chop, suey, chop, suey, disambiguation, first, single, from, armenian, american, heavy, metal, band, system, down, second, album, toxicity, single, released, august, 2001, earned, band, first, grammy, n. For other uses including other songs titled Chop Suey see Chop suey disambiguation Chop Suey is the first single from Armenian American heavy metal band System of a Down s second album Toxicity The single was released in August 2001 and earned the band its first Grammy nomination in 2002 for Best Metal Performance Chop Suey is often seen as the band s signature song Chop Suey Standard retail artworkSingle by System of a Downfrom the album ToxicityB side Johnny ReleasedAugust 13 2001 2001 08 13 1 RecordedFebruary 2001 2001 02 March 2001 2001 03 StudioCello Studios Hollywood California USGenreAlternative metal 2 progressive metal 3 nu metal 4 Length3 30LabelAmericanColumbiaSongwriter s Daron MalakianSerj TankianProducer s Daron MalakianRick RubinSerj TankianSystem of a Down singles chronology Prison Song X 2001 Chop Suey 2001 Toxicity 2002 Music video Chop Suey on YouTube Contents 1 Overview 2 Song title 3 Music video 4 Reception 5 Controversy 6 Track listing 7 Commercial performance 8 Charts 8 1 Weekly charts 8 2 Year end charts 9 Certifications 10 References 11 External linksOverview EditIn an interview Daron Malakian explained The song is about how we are regarded differently depending on how we pass Everyone deserves to die Like if I were now to die from drug abuse they might say I deserved it because I abused dangerous drugs Hence the line I cry when angels deserve to die 5 The lyrics for the midsection Father into your hands I commend my spirit were randomly picked out by Serj Tankian from Rick Rubin s book collection after Tankian was struggling for ideas 6 Although it was not revealed what book the line was taken from it is originally from the Bible appearing in Luke 23 46 7 Song title EditThe song was originally titled Suicide but Columbia Records forced the band to change it to avoid controversy 8 9 The song title is therefore a wordplay Suey is suicide chopped in half 9 However the band members claim this change was not caused by pressure from their record company Odadjian said the band simply chose their battles carefully 9 Most pressings of the album include an intro to the track where lead singer Serj Tankian can faintly be heard saying we re rolling Suicide while drummer John Dolmayan is counting the band in Music video EditThe music video was the band s first collaboration with the acclaimed director Marcos Siega and is set in the parking lot of the Oak Tree Inn motel in Los Angeles hometown of the band The members are performing the song on stage surrounded by approximately 1 500 fans Editing devices are used to create the effect of the band members walking through one another and teleporting on and off the stage an effect similar to one used in the Red Hot Chili Peppers video Around the World One scene briefly shows Tankian eating chop suey with some fans the only reference to the title dish in either the song or the video The video makes use of the SnorriCam technique in which an actor will have a camera attached to them with a harness making it appear as though the background is moving and the actor is stationary In the middle of the video the Flag of Armenia can be seen The video has been viewed over one billion times on YouTube making it the first metal music video to do so shortly followed by Nothing Else Matters by Metallica As of 2023 the video currently has over 1 2 billion views on YouTube making it one of the most viewed rock videos on the platform ranked at tenth place Reception EditLoudwire included the song in its list of The Best Hard Rock Songs Of The 21st Century where it was ranked at number one 10 Loudwire and Kerrang both named it as System of a Down s best song 11 12 Controversy Edit Chop Suey is the first single of Toxicity an album that was number one on the charts during the week of the September 11 2001 attacks A controversy surrounding the popular single especially the line I don t think you trust in my self righteous suicide at the time led to Clear Channel Radio placing the song on a list of post 9 11 inappropriate titles Although it was never actually banned completely from the air Clear Channel Radio stations were advised against playing any of the songs on the list 13 Track listing EditCD singleNo TitleLyricsMusicLength1 Chop Suey Serj TankianDaron MalakianDaron Malakian3 302 Johnny Serj TankianSerj Tankian2 083 Sugar Live Serj TankianShavo OdadjianDaron Malakian2 234 War Live Serj TankianDaron Malakian2 47 UK CD1 Australian singleNo TitleLyricsMusicLength1 Chop Suey Serj TankianDaron MalakianDaron Malakian3 302 Johnny Serj TankianSerj Tankian2 083 Know Live Serj TankianShavo OdadjianDaron MalakianSerj Tankian3 04 UK CD2No TitleLyricsMusicLength1 Chop Suey Serj TankianDaron MalakianDaron Malakian3 312 Sugar Live Serj TankianShavo OdadjianDaron Malakian2 273 War Live Serj TankianDaron Malakian2 474 Chop Suey Video Serj TankianDaron MalakianDaron Malakian3 27 7 singleNo TitleLyricsMusicLength1 Chop Suey Serj TankianDaron MalakianDaron Malakian3 302 Johnny Serj TankianSerj Tankian2 08Commercial performance Edit Chop Suey was a moderate success on the charts around the world In Australia after hitting No 3 on the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2001 with virtually no airplay on commercial radio it debuted and peaked at No 14 in February 2002 It is System of a Down s highest charting single in Australia In the United States the song peaked at No 76 making it the band s lowest peaking song on the Hot 100 due to the fact it was taken off the radio for its political lyrics On the Modern Rock Tracks Chop Suey peaked at No 7 becoming the band s first top ten single 14 In the UK Singles Chart it debuted and peaked at No 17 Charts EditWeekly charts Edit Weekly chart performance for Chop Suey Chart 2001 2002 PeakpositionAustralia ARIA 15 14Belgium Ultratop 50 Flanders 16 18Canada Nielsen SoundScan 17 21Ireland IRMA 18 46Netherlands Single Top 100 19 25Scotland OCC 20 15UK Singles OCC 21 17UK Rock amp Metal OCC 22 3US Billboard Hot 100 23 76US Alternative Airplay Billboard 24 7US Mainstream Rock Billboard 25 12 Year end charts Edit 2001 year end chart performance for Chop Suey Chart 2001 PositionCanada Nielsen ScoundScan 26 1832002 year end chart performance for Chop Suey Chart 2002 PositionCanada Nielsen SoundScan 27 165Certifications EditCertifications for Chop Suey Region Certification Certified units salesAustralia ARIA 28 Gold 35 000 Denmark IFPI Danmark 29 Gold 45 000 Germany BVMI 30 Gold 250 000 Italy FIMI 31 Platinum 50 000 United Kingdom BPI 32 Platinum 600 000 United States RIAA 33 5 Platinum 5 000 000 United States RIAA 34 Mastertone Gold 500 000 Sales figures based on certification alone Shipments figures based on certification alone Sales streaming figures based on certification alone References Edit Wiederhorn Jonn August 13 2001 System Of A Down s Schizophrenia Aggravated On Toxicity MTV Retrieved April 15 2015 The first single from Toxicity is Chop Suey which starts with a guitar strum and a tribal beat and segues to a serrated stop start punk verse before drifting into an ethereal chorus colored by a bouzouki a Greek stringed instrument Evans James April 17 2013 Crashing the Party Archived from the original on December 6 2013 Retrieved April 6 2015 Not so long ago I was frequenting an exclusive South Leamington cocktail bar Compelled by housemates proffering a certain glowing green beverage I was giving a passionate rendition of System of a Down s alternative metal anthem Chop Suey 100 Best Albums of the 2000s July 18 2011 Retrieved January 24 2017 Chesler Josh May 18 2015 10 Nu metal Songs That Actually Don t Suck Phoenix New Times Retrieved March 13 2016 Rampton Mike June 1 2019 A Deep Dive into System of a Down s Chop Suey Video Kerrang Archived from the original on June 21 2020 Retrieved October 28 2020 Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine System of a Down Reuniting the Band Protect the Land and Armenia Apple Music YouTube Luke 23 46 Bible Hub Retrieved October 27 2022 Kory Grow February 11 2016 Rick Rubin My Life in 21 Songs Rolling Stone Retrieved July 23 2019 a b c Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine System of a Down s Shavo Odadjian Wikipedia Fact or Fiction YouTube Kaufman Spencer July 1 2012 No 1 System of a Down Chop Suey Top 21st Century Hard Rock Songs LoudWire com Retrieved September 3 2019 Kaufman Spencer August 21 2012 10 Best System of a Down Songs Loudwire Retrieved April 10 2022 Law Sam November 6 2020 The 20 greatest System Of A Down songs ranked Kerrang Retrieved April 10 2022 It s the End of the World as Clear Channel Knows It Slate Toxicity System of a Down Billboard Singles Allmusic Rovi Corporation Retrieved 2010 10 01 System of a Down Chop Suey ARIA Top 50 Singles System of a Down Chop Suey in Dutch Ultratop 50 System of a Down Chart History Canadian Digital Songs Billboard Retrieved July 28 2020 Chart Track Week 44 2001 Irish Singles Chart System of a Down Chop Suey in Dutch Single Top 100 Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company Retrieved July 28 2020 Official Singles Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company Official Rock amp Metal Singles Chart Top 40 Official Charts Company Retrieved July 28 2020 System of a Down Chart History Hot 100 Billboard Retrieved August 7 2017 System of a Down Chart History Alternative Airplay Billboard Retrieved August 7 2017 System of a Down Chart History Mainstream Rock Billboard Retrieved August 7 2017 Canada s Top 200 Singles of 2001 Jam Archived from the original on July 26 2002 Retrieved March 28 2022 Canada s Top 200 Singles of 2002 Part 2 Jam January 14 2003 Archived from the original on September 6 2004 ARIA Charts Accreditations 2002 Singles PDF Australian Recording Industry Association Retrieved April 15 2020 Danish single certifications System of a Down Chop Suey IFPI Danmark Retrieved April 15 2020 Scroll through the page list below until year 2020 to obtain certification Gold Platin Datenbank System of a Down Chop Suey in German Bundesverband Musikindustrie Retrieved December 22 2022 Italian single certifications System of a Down Chop Suey in Italian Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana Retrieved August 21 2018 Select 2018 in the Anno drop down menu Select Chop Suey in the Filtra field Select Singoli under Sezione British single certifications System of a Down Chop Suey British Phonographic Industry Retrieved June 8 2020 American single certifications System of a Down Chop Suey Recording Industry Association of America Retrieved December 4 2022 American single certifications System of a Down Chop Suey Recording Industry Association of America Retrieved April 15 2020 External links Edit Chop Suey Live Performance Video on YouTube Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Chop Suey amp oldid 1135834391, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
