It’s more popular than any other metal song Let’s make them believe we actually did it.’” “ ‘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 Daron.
In their fevered imaginations, System Of A Down had predicted what was coming. In the wake of the Al Qaeda attacks, the internet’s tinfoil-hat brigade zeroed in on the line ‘self-righteous suicide’. And it certainly didn’t stop the song reaching No.12 on the Billboard Rock And Metal charts. I think it made the song more popular.”Įxcept Chop Suey! was never officially banned. It’s almost like you’re not part of the cool group if you’re not banned once or twice. “So many great rock bands have been banned. “In music, that's a badge of honour,” says Daron. The song was banned by radio in the wake of 9/11… or was it?Ĭhop Suey! featured on a list of “lyrically questionable” songs sent by US media giant Clear Channel to its 1100 radio stations following the attacks on the Twin Towers, due to its reference to suicide and the line “I cry when angels deserve to die.” I was probably smoking weed or something…” For some reason, that thought was weird to me. “If someone died in a car accident, you'd say, 'Oh, poor thing.' But if they died in a car accident while they were drunk, that would change your whole perception of how they died, and judging his or her death a in a different way.
The song’s opening lyrics were completely different at firstĪccording to Daron, the song’s original opening lines were completely different to the ones everyone knows: “Tell me/Tell me what you think about tomorrow/Is there gonna be a pain and sorrow/Tell me what you think about the people/Is there gonna be another sequel?’” System singer Serj Tankian would alter song’s opening, turning it into a memorable clarion call: “Wake up/Grab a brush and put a little make-up.”Ĭhop Suey! was originally called Suicide, after its key line: “I don’t think you/Trust in my self-righteous suicide.” “It occurred to me how we are judgemental towards people, even in death,” explains Daron. 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 guitarist Daron.
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