“Chop Suey!”
Single by System of a Down from the album Toxicity
Released	August 2001
Format	CD, Vinyl, Airplay
Recorded	February - March 2001 Cello Studios Hollywood, California
Genre	Alternative metal, nu metal
Length	3:30
Label	American
Writer(s)	Serj Tankian, Daron Malakian
Producer	Rick Rubin, Daron Malakian, Serj Tankian
System of a Down singles chronology
"Spiders" (1999) "Chop Suey!" (2001) "Johnny " (2001)
UK Import CD 1
UK Import CD 1 single cover of "Chop Suey!".
UK Import CD 2
UK Import CD 2 single cover of "Chop Suey!".
European Import
Cover of the European Import single of "Chop Suey!".

"Chop Suey!" is the first single from System of a Down's second album Toxicity. The single was released in August 2001 and earned the band its first Grammy nomination, which they didn't win until "B.Y.O.B.". The song's working title was "Suicide"; the band members claim the change was not caused by pressure from their record company. The words "We're rolling 'Suicide'" can still be heard faintly in the album versions's opening seconds - though this intro is only on certain pressings of the album. It can be heard on the band's website. Image File history File links Cover for the single Chop Suey! by System Of A Down This image is the cover of an album or single. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... System of a Down (commonly referred to as System or abbreviated as SOAD) are an American heavy metal band, formed in 1995 in Glendale, California. ... Toxicity is System of a Downs second album release. ... CD redirects here. ... A gramophone record, (also phonograph record - often simply record) is an analog sound recording medium: a flat disc rotating at a constant angular velocity, with inscribed spiral grooves in which a stylus or needle rides. ... Greetings from Hollywood Hollywood is a district of the city of Los Angeles, California, U.S.A., that extends from Vermont Avenue on the east to just beyond Laurel Canyon Boulevard above Sunset and Crescent Heights Boulevards on the west; the north to south boundary east of La Brea Avenue... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Alternative metal is an eclectic form of music that gained popularity in the early 1990s alongside grunge. ... Nu metal (also called aggro metal, or nü metal using the traditional heavy metal umlaut) is a musical genre that has origins in the mid 1990s. ... In the music industry, a record label can be a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition (chords) or melody to songs, or both. ... Serj Tankian (Armenian: ) (born August 21, 1967 in Beirut, Lebanon[1]) is a Lebanese-born Armenian-American singer, songwriter, poet, activist, and multi-instrumentalist. ... Daron Vartan Malakian (Armenian: ) (born 18 July 1975) lead guitarist in the Armenian-American band System of a Down. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Frederick Jay Rick Rubin (born March 10, 1963 in Lido Beach, New York) is a Jewish American record producer and is currently the co-head of Columbia Records. ... Daron Vartan Malakian (Armenian: ) (born 18 July 1975) lead guitarist in the Armenian-American band System of a Down. ... Serj Tankian (Armenian: ) (born August 21, 1967 in Beirut, Lebanon[1]) is a Lebanese-born Armenian-American singer, songwriter, poet, activist, and multi-instrumentalist. ... System of a Down (commonly referred to as System or abbreviated as SOAD) are an American heavy metal band, formed in 1995 in Glendale, California. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Johnny is a promo single released by System of a Down in 2001. ... System of a Down (commonly referred to as System or abbreviated as SOAD) are an American heavy metal band, formed in 1995 in Glendale, California. ... An album or record album is a collection of related audio or music tracks distributed to the public. ... Toxicity is System of a Downs second album release. ... Grammy Award statuette The Grammy Awards, presented by the Recording Academy (an association of Americans professionally involved in the recorded music industry) for outstanding achievements in the recording industry, is one of four major music awards shows held annually in the United States (the Billboard Music Awards, the American Music... This article is about the System of a Down song. ...

The album it appears on, Toxicity, was Number 1 on the charts during the week of the September 11, 2001 attacks^{[citation needed]} and the controversy surrounding the popular single at the time led to Clear Channel Radio placing the song on a list of post-9/11 inappropriate titles. It was never actually banned completely from the air, but all Clear Channel Radio stations were advised against playing "Chop Suey!" (and the other songs on this list). The song was included on the "500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born" list by the Blender magazine^[1]. Toxicity is System of a Downs second album release. ... A sequential look at United Flight 175 crashing into the south tower of the World Trade Center The September 11, 2001 attacks (often referred to as 9/11—pronounced nine eleven or nine one one) consisted of a series of coordinated terrorist[1] suicide attacks upon the United States, predominantly... This is a list of songs purportedly deemed inappropriate by Clear Channel following the September 11, 2001 attacks. ... Blender is an American music magazine that bills itself as the ultimate guide to music and more. ...

The lyrics "Why have you forsaken me?" and "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit"are references to Jesus' death on the cross, as they were two of the seven things Jesus said whilst dying. The seven sayings of Jesus on the cross are a traditional collection of seven short phrases uttered by Jesus at his crucifixion immediately before he died, gathered from the four Gospels. ... The seven sayings of Jesus on the cross are a traditional collection of seven short phrases uttered by Jesus at his crucifixion immediately before he died, gathered from the four Gospels. ...

A cover version of the song will be in the music video game Rock Revolution.

Video

The video, directed by the acclaimed Marcos Siega, contains footage from two live concerts, in which all of the band members except Serj are shirtless. Editing devices are used to create the effect of the band members "walking through" one another and teleporting on and off the stage. One scene briefly shows Serj eating chop suey with some fans, the only reference to the title dish in either the song or the video. The video also makes use of the SnorriCam technique, in which an actor will have a camera attached to them with a harness. This technique makes it appear as though the background is moving and the actor is stationary. In the middle of the video the Armenian flag can be seen. A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a song. ... Marcos Siega (born June 8, 1969 in New York City, New York) is a film, television and music video director. ... Chop suey (Chinese mixed pieces) is an American-Chinese dish consisting of meats (often chicken, beef, shrimp or pork), cooked quickly with vegetables such as bean sprouts, cabbage, and celery and bound in a starch-thickened sauce. ... A SnorriCam is a camera device used in film making that is rigged to the body of the actor facing the actor directly, so when they walk, they dont appear to move, but everything around them does. ... The flag of Armenia, the Armenian Tricolour, consists of three horizontal bands of equal width, red on the top, blue in the middle, and orange on the bottom. ...

Covers and Parodies

The song has been parodied and covered several times. Tenacious D, in several of their live shows, performed a gibberish version of the song and then suggested that the lyrics sound deep but mean nothing. "Weird Al" Yankovic included the song in his "Angry White Boy Polka" medley, included on his album Poodle Hat. Avril Lavigne covered the song during one of her concerts. Audio clips of Lavigne's performance circulated the internet, and received not only poor reviews, but also angry reviews from both fans of Avril Lavigne and System Of A Down because of her inability to remember the lyrics, & the order of the lyrics & verses -- the 'cover' was described as "Choplicated." Richard Cheese parodied the song in his 2002 album Tuxicity (which itself is a take-off on the album's name). ApologetiX parodied the song as "Downer of a Sister" on their album "Adam Up". Filipino band Parokya ni Edgar also parodied this song, along with Toxicity, another of System of a Down's songs, and amalgamated it as "The Ordertaker" in their new album "Halina sa Parokya". It is about an angry customer at a restaurant that sells nothing. Another parody of the song by OrT & DeLa has become one of the first viral video sensations on the internet^[2]. This article is about the band. ... This article is about the musician. ... Poodle Hat is the eleventh album by Weird Al Yankovic. ... Singles from Poodle Hat Released: May, 2003 Released: January 13, 2006 Poodle Hat is the eleventh album by Weird Al Yankovic. ... Avril Lavigne Whibley,[10] better known by her birth name of Avril Lavigne (pronounced ; born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian Grammy award-nominated rock singer, musician, fashion designer and actress. ... Avril Lavigne Whibley,[10] better known by her birth name of Avril Lavigne (pronounced ; born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian Grammy award-nominated rock singer, musician, fashion designer and actress. ... System of a Down (commonly referred to as System or abbreviated as SOAD) are an American heavy metal band, formed in 1995 in Glendale, California. ... Richard Cheese & Lounge Against the Machine are a cover band and comedy act based in Los Angeles, California, playing popular rap, rock, metal, and pop songs in a swanky lounge music style. ... Tuxicity is the second album from Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine, released October 1, 2002. ... ApologetiX from left to right: Karl Messner, Keith Haynie, Bill Rieger, and J. Jackson. ... Parokya ni Edgar is a Filipino band that was formed in 1993 by a group of Ateneo high school students. ... Toxicity is a single by System of a Down, released in 2002. ... System of a Down (commonly referred to as System or abbreviated as SOAD) are an American heavy metal band, formed in 1995 in Glendale, California. ... For other uses, see Restaurant (disambiguation). ...

Track listing

• All music written by Daron Malakian and all lyrics written by Serj Tankian and Daron Malakian, except where noted.

Daron Vartan Malakian (Armenian: ) (born 18 July 1975) lead guitarist in the Armenian-American band System of a Down. ... Serj Tankian (Armenian: ) (born August 21, 1967 in Beirut, Lebanon[1]) is a Lebanese-born Armenian-American singer, songwriter, poet, activist, and multi-instrumentalist. ... Daron Vartan Malakian (Armenian: ) (born 18 July 1975) lead guitarist in the Armenian-American band System of a Down. ...

Chop Suey! (single)

1. "Chop Suey!"
2. "Johnny" (Music & Lyrics: Tankian)
3. "Sugar" (Live) (Music: Odadjian, Malakian; Lyrics: Tankian)
4. "War?" (Live) (Music: Malakian; Lyrics: Tankian)

Johnny is a promo single released by System of a Down in 2001. ... Sugar is a single by the Armenian-American alternative metal group System of a Down. ... War? is a single from System of a Downs eponymous debut album. ...

Chop Suey! (Australia Tour EP)

1. "Chop Suey!"
2. "Johnny" (Music & Lyrics: Tankian)
3. "Know" (Live) (Music: Odadjian, Malakian, Tankian; Lyrics: Tankian)

Johnny is a promo single released by System of a Down in 2001. ...

Chop Suey! (UK import)

UK CD1

1. "Chop Suey!"
2. "Johnny" (Music & Lyrics: Tankian)
3. "Know" (Live) (Music: Odadjian, Malakian, Tankian; Lyrics: Tankian)

Johnny is a promo single released by System of a Down in 2001. ...

UK CD2

1. "Chop Suey!"
2. "Sugar" (Live) (Music: Odadjian, Malakian; Lyrics: Tankian)
3. "War?" (Live) (Music: Malakian; Lyrics: Tankian)
4. "Chop Suey!" (Video)

Sugar is a single by the Armenian-American alternative metal group System of a Down. ... War? is a single from System of a Downs eponymous debut album. ...

Chop Suey! (7" single)

1. "Chop Suey!"
2. "Johnny" (Music & Lyrics: Tankian)
3. "Know" (Live) (Music: Odadjian, Malakian, Tankian; Lyrics: Tankian)
4. "Sugar" (Live) (Music: Odadjian, Malakian; Lyrics: Tankian)
5. "War?" (Live) (Music: Malakian; Lyrics: Tankian)
6. "Chop Suey!"^{[citation needed]}

Johnny is a promo single released by System of a Down in 2001. ... Sugar is a single by the Armenian-American alternative metal group System of a Down. ... War? is a single from System of a Downs eponymous debut album. ...

References