SYSTEM OF A DOWN‘s music video for the song “Chop Suey!” has surpassed one billion views on YouTube. It is the first SYSTEM OF A DOWN track to reach the milestone.
SYSTEM OF A DOWN joins a diverse and elite group of artists to surpass the one-billion mark, a list which includes NIRVANA‘s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, GUNS N’ ROSES‘ “Novemeber Rain”, QUEEN‘s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and LINKIN PARK‘s “Numb” and “In The End”.
“Chop Suey!” was 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 in 2002 for “Best Metal Performance.”
SYSTEM OF A DOWN guitarist/vocalist Daron Malakian stated about “Chop Suey!”: “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.'”
Earlier this month, SYSTEM OF A DOWN released “Protect The Land” and “Genocidal Humanoidz”, the band’s first new songs in 15 years. The tracks were motivated by the recently erupted conflict between Artsakh and Azerbaijan, the latter aided by Turkey and accountable for the greatest violence the region has endured in 26 years. Produced by Malakian, who also wrote the music and lyrics, both songs are streaming now on all DSPs and are available for purchase on Bandcamp with band royalties earmarked for the Armenia Fund.
“Protect The Land” a was originally written by Malakian for the next album by his other group, SCARS ON BROADWAY, while “Genocidal Humanoidz” was penned three or four years ago when Odadjian, Malakian and drummer John Dolmayan and bassist Shavo Odadjian convened for a jam session that produced several songs, only to abandon them when singer Serj Tankian wouldn’t commit to an album.
