Question!
{{pp-pc}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Question!
| cover = questioncover.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = System of a Down
| album = Mezmerize
| released = {{start date|2005|7|12}}
| recorded =
| studio =
| genre =
| length = 3:20
| label =
| writer = Serj Tankian
| producer =
| prev_title = B.Y.O.B.
| prev_year = 2005
| next_title = Hypnotize
| next_year = 2005
| misc = {{Extra album cover
| header = Maxi single
| type = single
| cover = Question! UK Enhanced Single.jpg
| border =
| alt =
| caption = Cover of the maxi single of "Question!".
}}
{{Extra album cover
| header = DVD single
| type = single
| cover = Questiondvdsingle.jpg
| border =
| alt =
| caption = Cover of the DVD single of "Question!".
}}
{{External music video|{{YouTube|ENBv2i88g6Y|"Question!"}}}}
}}
"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
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.{{cite web |last1=Moss |first1=Corey |title=No More 'Questions': System Of A Down Name New Single |url=https://www.mtv.com/news/ybf4q9/no-more-questions-system-of-a-down-name-new-single |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230126185130/https://www.mtv.com/news/ybf4q9/no-more-questions-system-of-a-down-name-new-single |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 26, 2023 |website=MTV News |publisher=MTV |access-date=January 26, 2023 |date=June 27, 2005}}
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, which consisted of a boy offering a girl berries, unaware that the berries were poisonous.{{cite web |title=For The Record: Quick News On Foo Fighters/ Weezer Tour, System Of A Down, Common And D'Angelo & More |url=https://www.mtv.com/news/n0cxmh/for-the-record-quick-news-on-foo-fighters-weezer-tour-system-of-a-down-common-and-dangelo-more |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220819233529/https://www.mtv.com/news/n0cxmh/for-the-record-quick-news-on-foo-fighters-weezer-tour-system-of-a-down-common-and-dangelo-more |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 19, 2022 |website=MTV News |publisher=MTV |access-date=January 26, 2023 |date=July 18, 2005}} 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.
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."[https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/system-of-a-down-pose-question-20050718 System of a Down Pose "Question!"] Rolling Stone
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
{{Track listing
| headline = CD single
| title1 = Question!
| note1 = album version
| lyrics1 = Tankian
| music1 = Tankian
| length1 = 3:20
| title2 = Sugar
| note2 = explicit live version
| lyrics2 = Tankian
| music2 = Malakian, Odadjian
| length2 = 3:54
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Maxi CD single
| title1 = Question!
| note1 = album version
| lyrics1 = Tankian
| music1 = Tankian
| length1 = 3:20
| title2 = Forest
| note2 = explicit live version
| lyrics2 = Tankian
| music2 = Malakian
| length2 = 5:11
| title3 = Prison Song
| note3 = explicit live version
| lyrics3 = Tankian, Malakian
| music3 = Malakian
| length3 = 3:27
| title4 = Question!
| note4 = live video
| lyrics4 = Tankian
| music4 = Tankian
| length4 = 3:25
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = DVD single
| title1 = Question!
| note1 = concept video
| lyrics1 = Tankian
| music1 = Tankian, Malakian
| length1 = 3:48
| title2 = B.Y.O.B.
| note2 = concept video
| lyrics2 = Tankian, Malakian
| music2 = Malakian
| length2 = 4:17
| title3 = Sugar
| note3 = explicit live version
| lyrics3 = Tankian
| music3 = Malakian, Odadjian
| length3 = 3:54
| title4 = B.Y.O.B.
| note4 = explicit live from Astoria
| lyrics4 = Malakian, Tankian
| music4 = Malakian
| length4 = 4:19
}}
Personnel
System of a Down
- Serj Tankian – lead vocals, acoustic guitar
- Daron Malakian – guitar, backing vocals
- Shavo Odadjian – bass
- John Dolmayan – drums, percussion
Additional personnel
- Marc Mann – string arrangements
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
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| scope="col"| Chart (2005)
! scope="col"| Peak |
|---|
| scope="row"|Canada Rock Top 30 (Radio & Records){{cite web|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/2000s/2005/RR-2005-10-14.pdf|title=RR Canada Rock Top 30|page=63|access-date=October 14, 2019}}
|align="center"|29 |
| {{single chart|Hungarysingle|7|year=2005|week=39|rowheader=true|access-date=April 15, 2022}} |
| {{single chart|Ireland|47|year=2002|week=40|rowheader=true|access-date=February 5, 2025}} |
| {{single chart|UK|41|date=20050501|rowheader=true|access-date=February 5, 2025}} |
| scope="row"| UK Rock & Metal (OCC){{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/rock-and-metal-singles-chart/20050501/111-0/|title=Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart|publisher=Official Charts Company|date=May 1, 2005|access-date=February 5, 2025}}
| 3 |
| {{single chart|Billboardbubbling100|2|artist=System of a Down|artistid=281380|rowheader=true|access-date=February 5, 2025}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardalternativesongs|9|artist=System of a Down|artistid=281380|rowheader=true|access-date=February 5, 2025}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardmainstreamrock|7|artist=System of a Down|artistid=281380|rowheader=true|access-date=February 5, 2025}} |
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|award=Gold|certyear=2022|title=Question!|artist=System of a Down|type=single|access-date=December 4, 2022|relyear=2005}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true|nosales=true|noshipments=true}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{System of a Down}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Song recordings produced by Rick Rubin
Category:System of a Down songs