Where the songs from System’s first album were designed to set off depth- charges in moshpits everywhere, this new song was simultaneously more experimental and more melodic. It was one of a batch of ideas that the guitarist spent the best part of a year working on in private before he presented them to his bandmates and producer Rick Rubin as contenders for Toxicity. It didn’t tumble out fully formed, nor was it the only song he had flying around his head. I just started playing that acoustic guitar, and that’s when I started writing Chop Suey!.” “There was an acoustic guitar I used to take around with me. “I was just hanging out by myself on a bed at the back,” says Daron. “Chop Suey!” was removed from the radio for a brief time as Clear Channel and promoters thought it too aggressive considering the circumstances.Modern metal’s greatest song was born in the back of an RV travelling down some long- forgotten highway between stop-offs on the tour for System’s debut album. In the days after 9/11, US media conglomerate Clear Channel sent a memo to each of its radio stations with a list of questionable songs that programmers and DJs might want to consider not playing in the wake of the 9/11 attack. While the song would eventually receive a gold certification status from the Recording Industry Association, the song’s initial charting success was cut short. The title stands out and is not mentioned at all in the lyrics, but the strange choice is believed to have helped the song’s success. While seemingly random, the group chose the title to describe their musical style: lots of stuff thrown together. The title of the song is named after a Chinese stew made with meat or fish, plus bamboo sprouts, onions, rice, and water chestnuts. “Like, if I were to die from a drug overdose, everyone would say I deserved it because I abused drugs, hence the line Angels deserve to die.” So… What exactly is chop suey? The meaning behind the song title. “The song is about how when people die, they will be regarded differently depending on the way they pass,” said Malakian. Malakian said that people judge others for how they pass, especially if due to any drug-related issues. Let’s make them believe we actually did it.’”ĭespite the assumptions, the song was intended to make a comment on the ways that people die. “ ‘Self-righteous suicide’, ‘Aerials in the sky’, Jet Pilot.’ I was, like, ‘Wow, that’s cool they think that. “Our fans were starting to say, ‘Hey, these guys are prophets, they’re saying things that hadn’t happened yet,’” says Malakian. Frontman Serg Tankian’s energy on the verses comes out in righteous anger before slowing down to the half-time lines that would ignite the controversy. The song begins with an iconic, driving chord progression before the rapid-fire chaos of the verses unfolds. As bold a move as it was to release this as a single, it solidified the group’s breakout hit. “Chop Suey!” comes from the band’s second album, Toxicity. I just started playing that acoustic guitar, and that’s when I started writing Chop Suey!” The Controversy “I was just hanging out by myself on a bed at the back,” said Malakian.
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