10 Famous Rock Songs That Were Almost Called Something Else
3. System Of A Down's Chop Suey! - Almost Called “Self-Righteous Suicide”
With over one billion views on YouTube, Chop Suey! by System of a Down is easily one of the greatest hard rock songs ever written about a Chinese takeaway menu item. However, this piece is actually about way more than just meat and vegetables cooked quickly in a starch-thickened sauce.
Acting as the lead single to the band's second album, Toxicity, this 2001 classic was produced by the band members and legendary beard-grower, Rick Rubin. According to Rubin, the song was going to be called Self-Righteous Suicide, in reference to a line from its chorus.
Does this song even have a chorus? None of it makes any sense.
Colombia Records either told the band to change the name or the band thought this would happen, depending on who you ask, which is how they arrived at Chop Suey!
Bassist Shavo Odadjian explains that the title is actually a genius play on words; if you "chop" the word "suicide" in half, they end up with the word "suey".
That does mean that there's an alternative universe out there where this song is called "Chop Side!" instead, which just isn't as cool.