| "Lonely Day" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
||||
| Single by System of a Down | ||||
| from the album Hypnotize | ||||
| Released | March 2006 | |||
| Format | CD | |||
| Recorded | The Mansion Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, California Akademie Mathematique of Philosophical Sound Research Los Angeles, California |
|||
| Genre | Alternative metal | |||
| Length | 2:47 | |||
| Label | American/Columbia CK |
|||
| Writer(s) | Daron Malakian | |||
| Producer | Rick Rubin, Daron Malakian | |||
| System of a Down singles chronology | ||||
|
||||
"Lonely Day" is the Grammy nominated second single from the 2005 album Hypnotize by the band System of a Down. It was written by guitarist Daron Malakian, who also provides the track's lead vocals.
"Lonely Day" is a power ballad with melancholy lyrics and features one of the most complex guitar solos of System of a Down's repertoire[citation needed] (the guitar work resembles that of The Animals' "House of the Rising Sun"). However, it has been criticized by Pitchfork Media for its lyrics, notably the fact that the song utilizes the double superlative "most loneliest."[1]
Daron said about "Lonely Day": "I write a lot of songs and some of 'em I never thought worked for System so I didn't take 'em to System, and that's one that I wasn't going to take into the band, [...] I kind of [regretted] it." Bassist Shavo Odadjian said: "Yeah, we had to kind of get it out of him. He brought it and we loved it so much that he was like, 'I really don't want it on the record,' but ... it's something that needs to be heard."[citation needed].
The music video contains footage of the band in a tour coach and many of the things they drive past are on fire; the fire possibly represents loneliness. Another interpretation is that the fire represents scenes from Iraq with buildings on fire from bombings, and life going on as normal while destruction of the city is happening in the background. Another interpretation comes from the last line "It's the day that I'm glad I survived" which led some fans to believe the song is about either September 11th or the Armenian Genocide. There is also reference to Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here album cover. But Daron has said that his brother died in a fire, and this is the reason for all of the fires. At approximately 50 seconds there is a scene which can be seen as a reflection on the glass. This reproduces the album's cover art where two men, one of them on fire, can be seen shaking hands.[2] The single and music video gained airplay in Australia and was #37 on the Australian Recording Industry Association charts.[citation needed]
The song ends the same way "Soldier Side - Intro", the first song on Mezmerize ends. This is because the next (and last) song on Hypnotize is "Soldier Side".
The music video for "Lonely Day" can be viewed on The band's official website or on YouTube.com.
The song received a nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance at the 49th annual Grammy Awards[3].
The song is used in a trailer for the movie Disturbia and can also be heard in the movie itself. It is one of the most recognizable songs in the movie.
The maxi single features several previously-released B-sides and compilation tracks. The music video for "Lonely Day" was also included on the data section of the CD.
- "Lonely Day" originally appears on Hypnotize.
- "Shame" originally appears on the compilation, Loud Rocks.
- "Snowblind" originally appears on the compilation, Nativity in Black II: A Tribute to Black Sabbath.
- "Metro" originally appears on the Dracula 2000 soundtrack. It also appears on the Not Another Teen Movie soundtrack and on various "Toxicity" singles (CD2 UK and 7" singles).
- "Marmalade" originally appears on the Japanese release of System of a Down. It also appears in the movie, Strangeland and on various "Toxicity" singles (CD2 UK, 7" and maxi-single).
Contents |
Track listing
Single
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lonely Day" | D. Malakian | 2:47 |
Maxi single
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lonely Day" | Daron Malakian | 2:48 |
| 2. | "Shame" (Wu-Tang Clan cover, feat. RZA) | Ghostface Killah, GZA, U-God, Inspectah Deck, Ol' Dirty Bastard, RZA, Method Man, Raekwon | 2:41 |
| 3. | "Snowblind" (Black Sabbath cover) | Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward | 4:40 |
| 4. | "Metro" (Berlin cover) | John Crawford | 2:59 |
| 5. | "Marmalade" | Serj Tankian (lyrics), Malakian (music) | 3:01 |
| 6. | "Lonely Day" (video CD extra) | 2:57 |
Personnel
System of a Down is:
- Daron Malakian — vocals, guitars, bass[4], keyboards[4]
- Serj Tankian — vocals, keyboards
- Shavo Odadjian — bass
- John Dolmayan — drums
Daron playing bass and keyboards is only on "Lonely Day."
- RZA of Wu-Tang Clan — guest vocals on "Shame"
References
- ^ Cory D. Byrom. "System Of A Down: Mezmerize/Hypnotize". Pitchfork Media. http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/22229/System_of_a_Down_Mezmerize_Hypnotize. Retrieved 2007-08-24.
- ^ "SongMeanings" (text). http://www.songmeanings.net/lyric.php?lid=3530822107858560513. Retrieved 2007-11-15.
- ^ Blabbermouth.net. "SLAYER, LAMB OF GOD, STONE SOUR Among GRAMMY Nominees", December 7, 2006, at Blabbermouth.net; last accessed December 7, 2006.
- ^ a b Epstein, Dan (July 2008). Guitar World Interview with Daron Malakian: "A Scar Is Born". Guitar World. http://soadfans.com/Article600.htm.
External links
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
