Sugar (System of a Down song)

Infobox Single
Name = Sugar


Artist = System of a Down
from Album = System of a Down
Released = September 27, 1998
Recorded = November 1997 - March 1998
Sound City
Van Nuys, CA
Akademie Mathematique of Philosophical Sound Research
Hollywood, CA
Format = CD, Airplay
Genre = Alternative metal
Length = 2:33
Label = American
Writer = Shavo Odadjian, Daron Malakian, Serj Tankian
Producer = Rick Rubin, System of a Down
This single = "Sugar"
(1998)
Next single = "Spiders"
(1999)
Misc = Extra album cover 2
Upper caption = Single
Type = Single


Lower caption = The Japanese edition cover of "Sugar".

"Sugar" is a single by the Armenian-American alternative metal group System of a Down. It was released as the "Sugar E.P." in 1998 and was taken from their self-titled debut album. The track's intense sound and edgy lyrics typify the group's style. All live tracks featured on this release were recorded in New York.

The song was created before System of a Down was even a bandFact|date=August 2007. Daron and Shavo fused two riffs they had created to form a simplistic song, Serj then applied the lyrics which he wroteFact|date=August 2007. This song has been played at most System of a Down concerts.

Music Video

The music video for Sugar shows the band playing on a stage, with an American flag (which, throughout the song, burns away), intercut with images of public violence, hangings, armies, nuclear footage of the Upshot-Knothole Grable and footage from the German film Metropolis.

The video begins with a reenactment from the movie Network of a newsreporter saying:

"Good evening, I'm Eric Olas. NATO forces bomb Serbia and Kosovo. An unidentified man is being held for questioning by the FBI for suspected links to last month's biological virus deaths. In local news, a dog named Hero takes the grand prize at the annual- I wish I could tell you more pertinent news, but we're in a rating system here, and the key factor is 'sensationalism'. They've got you running in circles, 9 to 5, *static, then TV image resets* and 5 to 9... you're mine! I tell you what they want you to know, and you consider it the truth. Nobody is opening their eyes! Our global economy is depleting the world of our lives and natural resources! AND ARE YOU HAPPY?! COME ON! I WORK FOR THE SYSTEM!"

It then cuts to the band. The band are dressed more oddly than they do in most of their earlier music videos. Tankian and Malakian are seen with their faces painted throughout the entire video, and drummer John Dolmayan is seen, though very briefly, wearing a gas mask.

It is also noticed that a television screen is shown flickering with the words 'Aspartame Kills!', possibly referring to the song's name.

Due to the controversial nature of the video, it received little airplay. Channels such as Kerrang!TV were restricted to showing the video after the 10pm watershed.

Track listing

ugar (Single)

tracklist|collapsed= |lyrics_credits=yes |music_credits=yes
title1=Sugar |lyrics1=Tankian |music1=Odadjian, Malakian |length1=2:33
title2=Sugar |lyrics2=Tankian |music2=Odadjian, Malakian |length2=2:33
note2=Clean

ugar (7" Single)

tracklist|collapsed= |lyrics_credits=yes |music_credits=yes
title1=Sugar |lyrics1=Tankian |music1=Odadjian, Malakian |length1=2:33
title2=War? |lyrics2=Tankian |music2=Malakian |length2=
note2=Live

ugar (7" Promo Single)

tracklist|collapsed= |lyrics_credits=yes |music_credits=yes
title1=Sugar |lyrics1=Tankian |music1=Odadjian, Malakian |length1=
note1=Live
title2=Suite-Pee |lyrics2=Tankian |music2=Malakian |length2=
note2=Live

External links

* [http://musicjesus.com/song_31178_System_Of_A_Down-Sugar.html Music Video]
* [http://soadfans.com/lyrics/self/Sugar.html Song Lyrics]