Chop Suey! (song)

"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. Loudwire included the song in its list of The Best Hard Rock Songs Of The 21st Century, where it was ranked at number one.[5] "Chop Suey!" is often seen as the band's signature song.

"Chop Suey!" redirects here. For other uses, including other songs titled "Chop Suey", see Chop suey (disambiguation).
"Chop Suey!"
Single by System of a Down
from the album Toxicity
B-side"Johnny"
ReleasedAugust 13, 2001 (2001-08-13)[1]
Format
RecordedFebruary 2001 (2001-02) – March 2001 (2001-03) (Cello Studios, Hollywood, California, US)
Genre
Length3:30
LabelAmerican
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
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!"
Promo CD
Promo cover
Music video
"Chop Suey!" on YouTube

Overview

In an interview,[6] 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'. The lyric passages 'Father, into your hands I commend my spirit' and 'why have you forsaken me?' are a reference to Jesus' death on the cross, as, according to the Gospels, it was one of the seven things Jesus said while dying."

Song title

The song was originally titled "Self-Righteous Suicide" but Columbia Records forced the band to change it to avoid controversy.[7] The song title is therefore a wordplay from Self-righteous suicide to "Self-right-Chop Suey-cide" that replaces provocation by absurdity. The band members claim this change was not caused by pressure from their record company. Remarkably, certain pressings of the album include an intro to the track where the comment We're rolling 'Suicide' can still be heard faintly before the guitar starts.

Music video

The music video was the band's first collaboration with the acclaimed director Marcos Siega, and is set in the car park 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 the Armenia can be seen. As of June 2020, the video has more than 963 million views on YouTube and more than 4.9 million likes.

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.[8]

Notable covers and parodies
  • "Weird Al" Yankovic included the song in the "Angry White Boy Polka" medley on his album Poodle Hat.
  • 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.
  • Casey Shea recorded a cover for Engine Room Recordings' compilation album Guilt by Association Vol. 1, which was released in September 2007.[9]
  • In 2017, Anthony Vincent, the vocalist behind YouTube series Ten Seconds Songs, re-interpreted "Chop Suey!" in 20 different styles.[10]

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

Chart positions

"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.[11] In the UK Singles Chart, it debuted and peaked at No. 17.

Chart (2001–02) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[12] 14
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[13] 18
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[14] 24
Ireland (IRMA)[15] 46
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[16] 25
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[17] 17
US Billboard Hot 100[18] 76
US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[19] 7
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[20] 12

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[21] Gold 35,000^
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[22] Gold 45,000
Italy (FIMI)[23] Platinum 50,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[24] Platinum 600,000
United States (RIAA)[25] Gold 500,000^
United States (RIAA)[25]
Mastertone		 Gold 500,000^

^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". 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. 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.
  6. "System of a Down 'chop suey'". www.nme.com. The Forum Inglewood. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  7. Kory Grow (February 11, 2016). "Rick Rubin: My Life in 21 Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  8. It's the End of the World as Clear Channel Knows It Slate
  9. Deusner, Stephen M. (August 30, 2007). "Guilt by Association". Pitchfork.
  10. Majzoub, Hamzeh (24 February 2017). "Hear System of a Down's 'Chop Suey!' Sung in 20 Different Styles". rollinstone. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  11. "Toxicity — System of a Down — Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2010-10-01.
  12. "Australian-charts.com – System of a Down – Chop Suey!". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  13. "Ultratop.be – System of a Down – Chop Suey!" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  14. "Canadian Digital Song Sales". Billboard. November 17, 2001. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  15. "Chart Track: Week 44, 2001". Irish Singles Chart.
  16. "Dutchcharts.nl – System of a Down – Chop Suey!" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  17. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  18. "Scars on Broadway Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  19. "System of a Down Chart History (Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  20. "Scars on Broadway Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  21. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2002 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  22. "Danish single certifications – System of a Down – Chop Suey!". IFPI Denmark. Retrieved April 15, 2020. Scroll through the page-list below until year 2020 to obtain certification.
  23. "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 online" under "Sezione".
  24. "British single certifications – System of a Down – Chop Suey!". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  25. "American single certifications – System of a Down – Chop Suey!". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 15, 2020. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
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