"Chop Suey!" is a song by American heavy metal band System of a Down. It was released on August 13, 2001, as the first single from their second album, Toxicity (2001). The single earned the band its first Grammy nomination in 2002 for Best Metal Performance. "Chop Suey!" is often considered the band's signature song.[8]
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.'"[9] 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.[10] Although it was not revealed what book the lines were taken from, they are quoted from the sayings of Jesus on the cross (Luke 23:46 and Mark 15:34).[11][12]
Song titleedit
The song was originally titled either "Suicide" (according to Odadjian) or "Self-Righteous Suicide" (according to Rubin), but the name was changed in response to real or anticipated pushback from Columbia Records.[13][14] According to Odadjian, the song title is a wordplay: "Suey" is "suicide", "chopped" in half.[14] 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 videoedit
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 1.3 billion views on YouTube, making it one of the most viewed rock videos on the platform, ranked at tenth place.
Receptionedit
Loudwire included the song in its list of "The Best Hard Rock Songs of the 21st Century", where it was ranked at number one.[15]Loudwire and Kerrang! both named it as System of a Down's best song.[16][17] In March 2023, Rolling Stone ranked "Chop Suey!" at number 37 on their "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs of All Time" list.[18]
Controversyedit
"Chop Suey!" was the first single off of Toxicity, an album that was riding at number one on the Billboard 200 chart during the week of the September 11 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, radio stations were advised against playing any of the songs on the list.[19]
"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.[20] 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.
Lil Uzi Vert versionedit
On June 30, 2023, American rapper and singer Lil Uzi Vert released a cover of "Chop Suey!", titled "CS", as a part of their third studio album, Pink Tape.
The song was met with mixed reviews from fans and critics. Guitar.com noticed that one Twitter user said "the Lil Uzi Vert cover of 'Chop Suey' is the most musically offensive cover I've ever heard".[41] Despite the negative feedback, System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian posted on Facebook: "Covers are always the biggest compliment to artists and songwriters." System of a Down's bassist Shavo Odadjian also reacted positively to the cover on Instagram.[42]
Referencesedit
^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'.
^ ab"Top 10 System of a Down Songs". WatchMojo. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
^Chesler, Josh (May 18, 2015). "10 Nu-metal Songs That Actually Don't Suck". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
^Lil Uzi Vert Covers System of a Down, Features Bring Me the Horizon + Babymetal on New Album, June 30, 2023, retrieved August 11, 2023
^"100 Best Albums of the 2000s". Rolling Stone. July 18, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
^Helton, Dominik Böhmer, Landon Turlock, David Rodriguez, Billie (September 11, 2021). "A SCENE IN RETROSPECT: System of a Down - "Toxicity"". Everything Is Noise. Retrieved July 31, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Krol, Charlotte (November 28, 2020). "System Of A Down's 'Chop Suey!' reaches one billion views on YouTube". NME. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
^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.
^Kory Grow (February 11, 2016). "Rick Rubin: My Life in 21 Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
^ abArchived 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.
^"The 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. March 13, 2023. from the original on March 13, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
^It's the End of the World as Clear Channel Knows It Slate
^"Toxicity — System of a Down — Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
^"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, song, american, heavy, metal, band, system, down, released, august, 2001, first, single, from, their, second, album, toxicity, 2001, single, earned, band, first, . For other uses including other songs titled Chop Suey see Chop suey disambiguation Chop Suey is a song by American heavy metal band System of a Down It was released on August 13 2001 as the first single from their second album Toxicity 2001 The single earned the band its first Grammy nomination in 2002 for Best Metal Performance Chop Suey is often considered the band s signature song 8 Chop Suey Standard retail artworkSingle by System of a Downfrom the album ToxicityB side Johnny ReleasedAugust 13 2001 2001 08 13 1 RecordedMarch 2001StudioCello Hollywood GenreAlternative metal 2 3 nu metal 4 5 progressive metal 6 thrash metal 7 hard rock 3 Length3 30LabelAmerican ColumbiaSongwriter s Daron Malakian Serj TankianProducer s Daron Malakian Rick Rubin Serj TankianSystem of a Down singles chronology Spiders 1999 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 Lil Uzi Vert version 11 References 12 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 9 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 10 Although it was not revealed what book the lines were taken from they are quoted from the sayings of Jesus on the cross Luke 23 46 and Mark 15 34 11 12 Song title editThe song was originally titled either Suicide according to Odadjian or Self Righteous Suicide according to Rubin but the name was changed in response to real or anticipated pushback from Columbia Records 13 14 According to Odadjian the song title is a wordplay Suey is suicide chopped in half 14 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 3 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 15 Loudwire and Kerrang both named it as System of a Down s best song 16 17 In March 2023 Rolling Stone ranked Chop Suey at number 37 on their 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs of All Time list 18 Controversy edit Chop Suey was the first single off of Toxicity an album that was riding at number one on the Billboard 200 chart during the week of the September 11 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 radio stations were advised against playing any of the songs on the list 19 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 20 In the UK Singles Chart it debuted and peaked at No 17 Charts editWeekly charts edit Chart 2001 2002 PeakpositionAustralia ARIA 21 14Belgium Ultratop 50 Flanders 22 18Canada Billboard 23 21Ireland IRMA 24 46Netherlands Single Top 100 25 25Scotland OCC 26 15UK Singles OCC 27 17UK Rock amp Metal OCC 28 3US Billboard Hot 100 29 76US Alternative Airplay Billboard 30 7US Mainstream Rock Billboard 31 12 Year end charts edit Chart 2001 PositionCanada Billboard 32 1832002 year end chart performance for Chop Suey Chart 2002 PositionCanada Billboard 33 165Certifications editRegion Certification Certified units salesAustralia ARIA 34 Gold 35 000 Denmark IFPI Danmark 35 Gold 45 000 Germany BVMI 36 Gold 250 000 Italy FIMI 37 Platinum 50 000 United Kingdom BPI 38 Platinum 600 000 United States RIAA 39 5 Platinum 5 000 000 United States RIAA 40 Mastertone Gold 500 000 Sales figures based on certification alone Shipments figures based on certification alone Sales streaming figures based on certification alone Lil Uzi Vert version editOn June 30 2023 American rapper and singer Lil Uzi Vert released a cover of Chop Suey titled CS as a part of their third studio album Pink Tape The song was met with mixed reviews from fans and critics Guitar com noticed that one Twitter user said the Lil Uzi Vert cover of Chop Suey is the most musically offensive cover I ve ever heard 41 Despite the negative feedback System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian posted on Facebook Covers are always the biggest compliment to artists and songwriters System of a Down s bassist Shavo Odadjian also reacted positively to the cover on Instagram 42 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 a b Top 10 System of a Down Songs WatchMojo Retrieved October 2 2023 Chesler Josh May 18 2015 10 Nu metal Songs That Actually Don t Suck Phoenix New Times Retrieved March 13 2016 Lil Uzi Vert Covers System of a Down Features Bring Me the Horizon Babymetal on New Album June 30 2023 retrieved August 11 2023 100 Best Albums of the 2000s Rolling Stone July 18 2011 Retrieved January 24 2017 Helton Dominik Bohmer Landon Turlock David Rodriguez Billie September 11 2021 A SCENE IN RETROSPECT System of a Down Toxicity Everything Is Noise Retrieved July 31 2023 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Krol Charlotte November 28 2020 System Of A Down s Chop Suey reaches one billion views on YouTube NME Retrieved October 2 2023 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 Mark 15 34 Kory Grow February 11 2016 Rick Rubin My Life in 21 Songs Rolling Stone Retrieved July 23 2019 a b 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 The 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs of All Time Rolling Stone March 13 2023 Archived from the original on March 13 2023 Retrieved March 13 2023 It s the End of the World as Clear Channel Knows It Slate Toxicity System of a Down Billboard Singles Allmusic Rovi Corporation Retrieved October 1 2010 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 Lil Uzi Vert divides the internet with Chop Suey cover Guitar com All Things Guitar Retrieved August 16 2023 System Of A Down members respond to Lil Uzi Vert s Chop Suey cover Kerrang July 6 2023 Retrieved August 16 2023 External links edit Chop Suey Live Performance Video on YouTube Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Chop Suey amp oldid 1188358736, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
