I cry when angels deserve to die.
"Chop Suey!" is a song by System of a Down, appearing on their 2001 album Toxicity. The song, according to guitarist Daron Malakian, is about how people are perceived differently depending on how they die and how they are often said to have "deserved" it in some way. The song was originally going to be called "Suicide" until Executive Meddling made the band change the name to make the song radio friendly.To make the music video, the band announced on their website that they were going to be shooting in the parking lot of a Los Angeles motel near where the band grew up and asked fans to participate. Around 500 people were expected to show up, but the band ultimately saw approximately three times that many people. The video is primarily a Performance Video but uses several editing techniques to make the band members teleport and move through each other, among other effects. In 2020, "Chop Suey!" became the first heavy metal music video to reach one billion views on YouTube.
Watch the music video here
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I don't think you trope in my self-righteous suicide:
- As the Good Book Says...: The bridge quotes two verses from the Crucifixion of Jesus: "Father, into your hands, I commend my spirit" (Luke 23:46) and "Why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46).
- Changed for the Video: The video version omits the "We're rolling suicide" part at the beginning.
- Crowd Song: The crowd joins in singing the final chorus.
- Crowd Surfing: There are several shots of Daron crowd surfing while playing his guitar.
- Milking the Giant Cow: Daron waves his arm around while pointing to the crowd amid Serj's verse.
- Motor Mouth: "Wakeup! Grababrushandputalittlemakeup!"
- Nu Metal: One of the most famous songs in the genre.
- Performance Video: The main focus of the video is the band performing the song in a motel parking lot and on a platform with a crowd surrounding. The band members disappear and reappear in some shots, as do their shirts. Daron, Serj, and Shavo also move through each other at times.
- Shirtless Scene: Three of the four band members (excluding Serj) are shirtless for the bulk of the video.
- Symploce: The second half of the bridge:"Why have you forsaken me?
In your eyes forsaken me
In your thoughts forsaken me
In your heart forsaken me, oh" - Visual Title Drop: Serj and some fans are briefly seen eating chop suey out of Chinese food boxes.
