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"Question!"
Single by System of a Down
from the album Mezmerize
ReleasedJuly 12, 2005 (2005-07-12)
StudioThe Mansion and Akademie Mathematique of Philosophical Sound Research (Los Angeles)
Length3:21
Label
Songwriter(s)Serj Tankian
Producer(s)
System of a Down singles chronology
"B.Y.O.B."
(2005) 		"Question!"
(2005) 		"Hypnotize"
(2005)
Maxi single
Cover of the maxi single of "Question!".
DVD single
Cover of the DVD single of "Question!".
Music video
"Question!" on YouTube

"Question!" is a song by American heavy metal band System of a Down, released in July 2005 as the second single from their fourth studio album, Mezmerize (2005).

Release

[edit]

After the release of "B.Y.O.B.", the band were deciding what song to release as a single. They eventually chose "Question!" after finding out radio stations had already been playing the track.[1]

Music video

[edit]

Shavo Odadjian produced the video (and co-directed it alongside Howard Greenhalgh) after allegedly having an image of the video in a nightmare, which consisted of a boy offering a girl berries, unaware that the berries were poisonous.[2] It is claimed that before the dream he did not intend to produce the video and did not want any special treatment over other possible producers for being in the band, thus submitting the idea anonymously.[3]

The video was shot in the now-closed Los Angeles Theatre, which opened in 1931. Tankian described the place, "It's an amazing old theater that is due for renovation. I'm glad they haven't renovated it yet, because it has the right character for what we were looking for. It has a fairy tale vibe."[3]

The video opens with a boy with gray hair, clothes, and skin shooting a red bird with a slingshot, which coincides with the start of the song. It then switches to a scene of the band members on a theater stage performing music for a play, similar to an orchestra playing under the pit. Based on a theme of life, death, and reincarnation, the play revolves around two lovers, a man in a dark suit and a woman in a red dress, who are shown both as children and as adults. As the music reaches its climax, the woman collapses after eating a red berry and the man screams in grief. The video closes with an intense scene of a woman giving birth followed by a shot of a newborn baby wrapped in red cloth. The color red is central to the video, linking the bird, the girl, the woman, and the baby in a cycle of rebirth.

Track listing

[edit]
CD single
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Question!" (Album version)TankianTankian3:21
2."Sugar" (Explicit live version)TankianMalakian, Odadjian3:54
Maxi CD single
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Question!" (Album version)TankianTankian3:21
2."Forest" (Explicit live version)TankianMalakian5:11
3."Prison Song" (Explicit live version)Tankian, MalakianMalakian3:27
4."Question!" (Live video)TankianTankian3:25
DVD single
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Question!" (Concept video)TankianTankian, Malakian3:48
2."B.Y.O.B." (Concept video)Tankian, MalakianMalakian4:17
3."Sugar" (Explicit live version)TankianMalakian, Odadjian3:54
4."B.Y.O.B." (Explicit live from Astoria)Malakian, TankianMalakian4:19

Personnel

[edit]

System of a Down

Additional personnel

Production

  • Rick Rubin – production
  • Andy Wallace – mixing
  • David Schiffman – engineering
  • Jason Lader – editing
  • Dana Neilsen – editing
  • Phillip Broussard – engineering assistance
  • John O'Mahony – Pro Tools engineering
  • Steve Sisco – mixing assistance
  • Joe Peluso – mixing assistance
  • Vartan Malakian – artwork
  • Brandy Flower – graphic design

Charts

[edit]
Chart (2005) Peak
position
Canada Rock Top 30 (Radio & Records)[4] 29
Hungary (Single Top 40)[5] 7
Ireland (IRMA)[6] 47
UK Singles (OCC)[7] 41
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[8] 2
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[9] 9
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[10] 7

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[11] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Moss, Corey (June 27, 2005). "No More 'Questions': System Of A Down Name New Single". MTV News. MTV. Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  2. ^ "For The Record: Quick News On Foo Fighters/ Weezer Tour, System Of A Down, Common And D'Angelo & More". MTV News. MTV. July 18, 2005. Archived from the original on August 19, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  3. ^ a b System of a Down Pose "Question!" Rolling Stone
  4. ^ "RR Canada Rock Top 30" (PDF). p. 63. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  5. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  6. ^ "Chart Track: Week 40, 2002". Irish Singles Chart.
  7. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  8. ^ "System of a Down Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  9. ^ "System of a Down Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  10. ^ "System of a Down Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  11. ^ "American single certifications – System of a Down – Question!". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
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