Toxicity (song)

"Toxicity" is a single by Armenian-American alternative metal band System of a Down, released in 2002. It was originally released on the album of the same name. The writing credit for the song is Malakian/Odadjian/Tankian/Dolmayan. It is known for its dynamic chorus, aggressive vocals, and prominent drum beat. The song is predominately in triple meter, alternating between 6
4, 12
8 and 4
4 time. The guitar during the verse plays in 6
4 using a 2+2+2 phrasing while the heavy part ("somewhere between the sacred silence and sleep") makes use of a hemiola with the guitar switching to a 3+3+3+3 pattern while the drums remain in compound duple meter until the bridge. The song was ranked number 14 on VH1's 40 Greatest Metal Songs,[2] and was called a nu metal classic by Stylus Magazine.[1]

"Toxicity"
Cover of the CD 2 UK Import of "Toxicity".
Single by System of a Down
from the album Toxicity
B-side"Storaged"
ReleasedJanuary 22, 2002
Recorded
Genre
  • Alternative Metal [1]
Length3:39
LabelAmerican
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
System of a Down singles chronology
"Chop Suey!"
(2001)		 "Toxicity"
(2002)		 "Aerials"
(2002)
Music video
"Toxicity" on YouTube

Awards
  • The song made number 53 on the Y2KROQ Top 200 Songs of the Century.

Music video

The video was directed by Marcos Siega and Shavo Odadjian. The beginning of the video shows the Hollywood Walk of Fame then cuts to the band. Daron Malakian can be seen wearing a Los Angeles Kings jersey with his last name on the back most of the time in the video. A closeup from behind John Dolmayan's drum kit reveals a double bass pedal attachment even though he doesn't use it during the song. During the verses, a projector shows homeless people lined against the streets. After the second chorus, Daron is seen playing the fast riff in fast motion while the band freezes and a crowd slowly appears. The rest of the band resumes as they all come in. The crowd sings along with the band as well as forming a circle pit both in the light and in the dark with glow-sticks. Similar to a scene in the last video where the band was literally eating "chop suey", this time they are eating seeds, corresponding with the lyrics "Eating seeds as a pastime activity". The final shot of the video is of the Milky Way.

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Serj Tankian.

CD single
No.TitleMusicLength
1."Toxicity"
  • Shavo Odadjian
  • Daron Malakian
3:39
2."X" (Live)Daron Malakian3:02
3."Suggestions" (Live)Daron Malakian2:44
4."Marmalade"Daron Malakian2:59
5."Toxicity" (Video Version)
  • Shavo Odadjian
  • Daron Malakian
3:43

All lyrics are written by Serj Tankian.

Australian single
No.TitleMusicLength
1."Toxicity"
  • Shavo Odadjian
  • Daron Malakian
3:39
2."X" (Live)Daron Malakian3:05
3."Suggestions" (Live)Daron Malakian2:44
4."Sugar" (Video Version)
  • Shavo Odadjian
  • Daron Malakian
3:28

All lyrics are written by Serj Tankian.

UK CD1
No.TitleMusicLength
1."Toxicity"
  • Shavo Odadjian
  • Daron Malakian
3:42
2."X" (Live)Daron Malakian3:05
3."Suggestions" (Live)Daron Malakian2:44
UK CD2
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Toxicity"Serj Tankian
  • Shavo Odadjian
  • Daron Malakian
3:41
2."Marmalade"Serj TankianDaron Malakian3:02
3."Metro" (Explicit Version)John CrawfordJohn Crawford3:00

All lyrics are written by Serj Tankian.

7" single
No.TitleMusicLength
1."Toxicity"
  • Shavo Odadjian
  • Daron Malakian
3:39
2."Storaged"Daron Malakian1:19

Chart positions

Weekly charts
Chart (2002) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[3] 39
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[4] 10
Germany (Official German Charts)[5] 88
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[6] 75
Ireland (IRMA)[7] 47
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[8] 90
UK Singles (OCC)[9] 25
US Billboard Hot 100 70
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[10] 3
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[11] 10

Year-end charts
Chart (2019) Position
Portugal (AFP)[12] 589

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[13] Gold 45,000
Italy (FIMI)[14] Platinum 50,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[15] Silver 200,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notes
  1. Unterberger, Andrew (September 10, 2004). "Top Ten Nu-Metal Bands". Stylus magazine. Archived from the original on October 9, 2004. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  2. "VH1 40 Greatest Metal Songs", 1–4 May 2006, VH1 Channel, reported by VH1.com; last accessed September 10, 2006
  3. "Australian-charts.com – System of a Down – Toxicity". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  4. "Ultratop.be – System of a Down – Toxicity" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  5. "Offiziellecharts.de – System of a Down – Toxicity". GfK Entertainment Charts.
  6. "Dutchcharts.nl – System of a Down – Toxicity" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  7. "Chart Track: Week 11, 2002". Irish Singles Chart.
  8. "Swisscharts.com – System of a Down – Toxicity". Swiss Singles Chart.
  9. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  10. "System of a Down Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  11. "System of a Down Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  12. "Top AFP - Audiogest - Top 3000 Singles + EPs Digitais" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  13. "Danish single certifications – System of a Down – Toxicity". IFPI Denmark. Retrieved September 8, 2020. Scroll through the page-list below until year 2020 to obtain certification.
  14. "Italian single certifications – System of a Down – Toxicity" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved September 8, 2020. Select "2017" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Toxicity" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli online" under "Sezione".
  15. "British single certifications – System of a Down – Toxicity". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 8, 2020. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Toxicity in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
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