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"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.

For other uses, including other songs titled "Chop Suey", see Chop suey (disambiguation).
"Chop Suey!"
Standard retail artwork
Single by System of a Down
from the album Toxicity
B-side"Johnny"
ReleasedAugust 13, 2001 (2001-08-13)[1]
RecordedFebruary 2001 (2001-02) – March 2001 (2001-03)
StudioCello Studios, Hollywood, California, US
Genre
  • Alternative metal[2]
  • progressive metal[3]
  • nu metal[4]
Length3:30
Label
  • American
  • Columbia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
System of a Down singles chronology
"Spiders"
(1999)		 "Chop Suey!"
(2001)		 "Toxicity"
(2002)
Music video
"Chop Suey!" on YouTube

Overview


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 2022, 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]


Track listing


CD single
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Chop Suey!"
  • Serj Tankian
  • Daron Malakian
Daron Malakian3:30
2."Johnny"Serj TankianSerj Tankian2:08
3."Sugar" (Live)Serj Tankian
  • Shavo Odadjian
  • Daron Malakian
2:23
4."War?" (Live)Serj TankianDaron Malakian2:47
UK CD1 • Australian single
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Chop Suey!"
  • Serj Tankian
  • Daron Malakian
Daron Malakian3:30
2."Johnny"Serj TankianSerj Tankian2:08
3."Know" (Live)Serj Tankian
  • Shavo Odadjian
  • Daron Malakian
  • Serj Tankian
3:04
UK CD2
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Chop Suey!"
  • Serj Tankian
  • Daron Malakian
Daron Malakian3:31
2."Sugar" (Live)Serj Tankian
  • Shavo Odadjian
  • Daron Malakian
2:27
3."War?" (Live)Serj TankianDaron Malakian2:47
4."Chop Suey!" (Video)
  • Serj Tankian
  • Daron Malakian
Daron Malakian3:27
7" single
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Chop Suey!"
  • Serj Tankian
  • Daron Malakian
Daron Malakian3:30
2."Johnny"Serj TankianSerj Tankian2:08

Commercial performance


"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



Certifications


Certifications for "Chop Suey!"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[28] Gold 35,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[29] Gold 45,000
Italy (FIMI)[30] Platinum 50,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[31] Platinum 600,000
United States (RIAA)[32] Gold 500,000^
United States (RIAA)[32]
Mastertone 		Gold 500,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.


References


  1. 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.
  2. 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’.
  3. "100 Best Albums of the 2000s". July 18, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  4. Chesler, Josh (May 18, 2015). "10 Nu-metal Songs That Actually Don't Suck". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  5. 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.
  6. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "System of a Down: Reuniting the Band, "Protect the Land," and Armenia | Apple Music". YouTube.
  7. "Luke 23:46". Bible Hub. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  8. Kory Grow (February 11, 2016). "Rick Rubin: My Life in 21 Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  9. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "System of a Down's Shavo Odadjian - Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction?". YouTube.
  10. 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.
  11. Kaufman, Spencer (August 21, 2012). "10 Best System of a Down Songs". Loudwire. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  12. Law, Sam (November 6, 2020). "The 20 greatest System Of A Down songs – ranked". Kerrang. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  13. It's the End of the World as Clear Channel Knows It Slate
  14. "Toxicity — System of a Down — Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2010-10-01.
  15. "System of a Down – Chop Suey!". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  16. "System of a Down – Chop Suey!" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  17. "System of a Down Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  18. "Chart Track: Week 44, 2001". Irish Singles Chart.
  19. "System of a Down – Chop Suey!" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  20. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  21. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  22. "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  23. "System of a Down Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  24. "System of a Down Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  25. "System of a Down Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  26. "Canada's Top 200 Singles of 2001". Jam!. Archived from the original on July 26, 2002. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
  27. "Canada's Top 200 Singles of 2002 (Part 2)". Jam!. January 14, 2003. Archived from the original on September 6, 2004.
  28. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2002 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  29. "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.
  30. "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".
  31. "British single certifications – System of a Down – Chop Suey!". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  32. "American single certifications – System of a Down – Chop Suey!". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 15, 2020.



На других языках

[de] Chop Suey!

Chop Suey! ist ein Lied der US-amerikanischen Alternative-Metal-Band System of a Down. Es war die erste Singleauskopplung aus ihrem zweiten Album Toxicity und erschien im August 2001. Mit ihr wurde die Band zum ersten Mal für einen Grammy (Best Metal Performance) nominiert. Der Arbeitstitel des Songs war „Suicide“ – den Bandmitgliedern zufolge geschah die Titeländerung allerdings nicht auf Grund des Drucks seitens der Plattenfirma. Die Worte »We’re rolling ‘Suicide’« können in den Anfangssekunden immer noch leise wahrgenommen werden – obwohl dieses Intro nicht bei jeder Auflage des Albums zu hören ist. Der Name „Chop Suey“ bezeichnet ursprünglich ein chinesisch-amerikanisches Gericht.
- [en] Chop Suey!

[es] Chop Suey!

«Chop Suey!» es una canción de la banda armenio-estadounidense de rock, System of a Down. Fue lanzada el 13 de agosto de 2001,[1] como el primer sencillo de su segundo álbum de estudio Toxicity, y con él, el grupo obtuvo su primera nominación a los Grammy a la mejor interpretación de metal, y recibió la certificación del disco de oro en los Estados Unidos[2] y en Australia.[3] Fue elegida como «mejor canción de heavy metal del siglo XXI» por la revista Metal Hammer.[4]

[ru] Chop Suey!

«Chop Suey!» (с англ. — «Китайское рагу!») — первый сингл группы System of a Down с альбома Toxicity. Сингл был выпущен в августе 2001 года и был номинирован на премию «Грэмми». Рабочим заголовком песни был «Suicide» (с англ. — «Самоубийство»); участники группы утверждают, что последующее изменение названия не было вызвано давлением на них со стороны звукозаписывающей компании. Слова «Мы записываем „Suicide“» остались звучать на первых секундах песни, хотя и не во всех версиях альбома. Песня включена в видеоигры Rock Band 2 и Rock Band Unplugged.


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