Question!

"Question!"
Single by System of a Down
from the album Mezmerize
Released July 12, 2005
Format
Recorded The Mansion
(Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, California)
Akademie Mathematique of Philosophical Sound Research Studios
(Los Angeles, California)
Genre
Length 3:20
Label American, Columbia
Songwriter(s) Serj Tankian
Producer(s) Rick Rubin, Daron Malakian
System of a Down singles chronology
"B.Y.O.B."
(2005)		 "Question!"
(2005)		 "Hypnotize"
(2005)
Maxi single
Cover of the maxi single of "Question!".
DVD single
Cover of the DVD single of "Question!".
Music video
"Question!" on YouTube

"Question!" is a song by Armenian American metal band System of a Down. It was released in July 2005 as the second single of their fourth album Mezmerize.

Music video

Shavo Odadjian produced the video (and co-directed it alongside Howard Greenhalgh) after allegedly having an image of the video in a nightmare. It is claimed that before the dream he had no intentions of producing the video. In fact he didn’t want any special treatment over other possible producers for being in the band so he submitted his idea anonymously.[1]

The video was shot in the now-closed Los Angeles Theater, which opened in 1931. "It's an amazing old theater that is due for renovation," Tankian said of the place. "I'm glad they haven't renovated it yet, because it has the right character for what we were looking for. It has a fairy tale vibe."[1]

Composition

"Question!" is written in the key of E minor — a somewhat unusual key for System of a Down, which normally relies heavily on Cm, C#m, and F#m. The song uses five different time signatures (5/4, 9/8, 6/4, 3/4, and 4/4). The acoustic guitar intro and part of the verse is in 9/8, expressed as 3+2+2+2 (This phrasing suggests a hemiola, and is essentially 4/4 with an extra eighth note on beat 1). The verse briefly switches to 6/8 (when Serj sings "Are you dreaming?"). The guitar motif after the acoustic intro is in 5/4. This same section appears throughout the song as well. The chorus is in 6/4. The heavy tremolo-picked section towards the end underneath the vocals is in 4/4. Serj Tankian plays acoustic guitar in the intro and deeper in the background behind lead guitarist Daron Malakian.

Track listing

CD single
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Question!" (Album Version)S. TankianS. Tankian3:21
2."Sugar" (Explicit Live Version)S. TankianD. Malakian, S. Odadjian3:54
Maxi CD single
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Question!" (Album Version)S. TankianS. Tankian3:21
2."Forest" (Explicit Live Version)S. TankianD. Malakian5:11
3."Prison Song" (Explicit Live Version)S. Tankian, D. MalakianD. Malakian3:27
4."Question!" (Live Video)S. TankianS. Tankian3:25
DVD single
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Question!" (Concept Video)S. TankianS. Tankian, D. Malakian3:48
2."B.Y.O.B." (Concept Video)S. Tankian, D. MalakianD. Malakian4:17
3."Sugar" (Explicit Live Version)S. TankianD. Malakian, S. Odadjian3:54
4."B.Y.O.B." (Explicit Live from Astoria)D. Malakian, S. TankianD. Malakian4:19

Personnel

Chart positions

Chart (2005) Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)[2] 47
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[3] 41
US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 2
US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[4] 9
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[5] 7

References

  1. 1 2 System of a Down Pose "Question!" Rolling Stone
  2. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 40, 2002". Irish Singles Chart.
  3. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  4. ↑ "System of a Down Chart History (Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  5. ↑ "System of a Down Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
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