Question!
"Question!" | ||||
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Single by System of a Down | ||||
from the album Mezmerize | ||||
Released | July 12, 2005 | |||
Recorded |
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Length | 3:20 | |||
Label |
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Songwriter(s) | Serj Tankian | |||
Producer(s) |
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System of a Down singles chronology | ||||
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Maxi single | ||||
DVD single | ||||
Music video | ||||
"Question!" on YouTube |
"Question!" is a song by Armenian American metal band System of a Down. It was released in July 2005 as the second single of their fourth album Mezmerize.
Music video[]
Shavo Odadjian produced the video (and co-directed it alongside Howard Greenhalgh) after allegedly having an image of the video in a nightmare. It is claimed that before the dream he had no intentions of producing the video. In fact he didn't want any special treatment over other possible producers for being in the band so he submitted his idea anonymously.[1]
The video was shot in the now-closed Los Angeles Theater, which opened in 1931. "It's an amazing old theater that is due for renovation," Tankian said of the place. "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."[1]
The opening scene is of a boy with gray hair, clothes, and skin shooting a red bird with a slingshot, which coincides with the start of the song. At this point the video 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. The play is based on a theme of life, death, and reincarnation, revolving around two lovers, a man in a dark suit and a woman in a red dress, who are shown both as children and 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, tying together the bird, the girl, the woman, and the baby in a cycle of rebirth.
Track listing[]
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Question!" (album version) | S. Tankian | S. Tankian | 3:21 |
2. | "Sugar" (explicit live version) | S. Tankian |
| 3:54 |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Question!" (album version) | S. Tankian | S. Tankian | 3:21 |
2. | "Forest" (explicit live version) | S. Tankian | D. Malakian | 5:11 |
3. | "Prison Song" (explicit live version) |
| D. Malakian | 3:27 |
4. | "Question!" (live video) | S. Tankian | S. Tankian | 3:25 |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Question!" (concept video) | S. Tankian |
| 3:48 |
2. | "B.Y.O.B." (concept video) |
| D. Malakian | 4:17 |
3. | "Sugar" (explicit live version) | S. Tankian |
| 3:54 |
4. | "B.Y.O.B." (explicit live from Astoria) |
| D. Malakian | 4:19 |
Personnel[]
- Serj Tankian – lead vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboards
- Daron Malakian – vocals, electric guitar
- Shavo Odadjian – bass guitar
- John Dolmayan – drums, percussion
Chart positions[]
Chart (2005) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada Rock Top 30 (Radio & Records)[2] | 29 |
Ireland (IRMA)[3] | 47 |
UK Singles (OCC)[4] | 41 |
US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 | 2 |
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[5] | 9 |
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[6] | 7 |
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b System of a Down Pose "Question!" Rolling Stone
- ^ "RR Canada Rock Top 30" (PDF). p. 63. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
- ^ "Chart Track: Week 40, 2002". Irish Singles Chart.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "System of a Down Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
- ^ "System of a Down Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
External links[]
- Song recordings produced by Rick Rubin
- System of a Down songs
- Songs about death
- 2005 singles
- 2004 songs
- Music videos directed by Howard Greenhalgh
- Songs written by Serj Tankian