Chop Suey!

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"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
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) "Toxicity" (2002)
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. 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.^{[citation needed]} The song is included as a playable track in the music video games Rock Band 2 and Rock Band Unplugged.

Overview

The album Toxicity was number one on the charts during the week of the September 11, 2001 attacks 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 the list). The song was included on the "500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born" list by the Blender magazine.^[1]

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 a drug abuse, they might say I deserved it because I abused dangerous drugs. Hence the line, "I cry when angels deserve to die." The lyric "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit" is a reference to Jesus' death on the cross, as, according to the Gospels, it was one of the seven things Jesus said while dying."^{[citation needed]}

A cover version of the song appears in the music video game Rock Revolution, while the master track is in the video game Rock Band 2. It was recently added in "Rock Band Unplugged" as a track included in the game.

Video

The video, directed by the acclaimed Marcos Siega, contains footage from two live concerts, in which all of the band members except Tankian 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 Tankian 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.

Covers and parodies

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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. 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 has a menu but sells nothing.

Chart performance

"Chop Suey!" was a moderate success on the charts around the world. In Australia, after hitting number three on the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2001, with virtually no airplay on commercial radio, it debuted and peaked at number fourteen in February 2002. It is System of a Down's highest charting single in Australia.

In the UK Singles Chart, it debuted and peaked at number seventeen.

Track listing

Chop Suey! (single)

Chop Suey! (Australia Tour EP)

Chop Suey! (UK import)

UK CD1

UK CD2

Chop Suey! (7" single)

References