Top 10 Best System of a Down Songs

Out of all of their amazing songs, which one is the most meaningful and deep and fun to listen to?
The Top Ten
1 Chop Suey!

This was the first song that I heard from System Of A Down, and I have loved it ever since. This was the song that got me into the band, and it really is the best song! This song truly is one of the best metal songs I have ever heard! I can assure you that every person who likes metal songs hears this song as much as I do, that means daily! I listen to this song mainly because it just cheers me up! It deserves to be number 1!

Even though the first two verses are exactly the same, the band delivers awesome instrumentals and makes the song catchy enough, to a point where it doesn't even matter. Vote for Suicide (aka Chop Suey!).

2 Toxicity

The whole "Toxicity" album is a masterpiece in itself, redefining early 2000s metal. It's one of the only albums I personally can listen to without skipping any songs. The title track, however, is the one song in this album that shines brighter than everything else.

Serj provides the perfect mix of soft and somber vocals, mixed with heavy parts in this track. The instrumentals are also a work of art in this song. The opening to the song is pure genius and only gets better as it progresses.

This is coming from a guy who knows probably 90+% of System of a Down songs by heart. Toxicity is their best song, just by a smidgen. It has such an amazing chorus. Something we can all agree on is that the Toxicity album as a whole is one of, if not the, single greatest albums ever created by anyone.

3 B.Y.O.B.

I honestly could never get enough of this song. The structure and the vocals are absolutely brilliant. The changes from intense rock to a relaxed feel are the best. I've been listening to this song since I was a child, and I still love it to this day.

This song represents the fact that war is a waste of so much time and the only thing it delivers is the loss of lives. I agree with these guys. Let's toss some politicians into Iraq and see how long they last and how it feels to know they might die.

This song should be number 1, surpassing Chop Suey. Chop Suey is good, but the awesome guitar backgrounds in this song are just amazing. It's definitely a party rock song in the desert. I love this song much more than any of their other songs!

4 Aerials

This song should rank higher! This song is purely epic, and I'd personally use this song as an example of a true Metal masterpiece. The song starts with a clean, but epic guitar intro. Then, the distortion kicks in along with Serj Tankian's awesome vocals, creating a haunting melody. Daron Malakian's higher-pitched vocals elevate the song even more during the second chorus.

After the second chorus, the song becomes really heavy and epic. This song is truly a legend among every rock genre. For anyone who's new to System of a Down, give this song a listen. You'll never regret it.

5 Question!

God, Question! is so unbelievably underrated. The intriguing acoustic intro, the crazy yet unique-as-hell riff, and John's drumming is out of this world with each new part of the song. Don't even get me started on the melodic, beautiful chorus with some of Serj's best vocals. Every section to this song feels like a new tune but blended together so well to make a melodic, yet headbanging metal track. Don't get me wrong, I love songs like Chop Suey! and Toxicity to pieces. I think I speak for most when I say they're the songs that got me into System of a Down. However, they have nothing on Question! It is nothing short of a masterpiece.

6 Sugar

Sugar isn't in the Top 5?! What?! I'm so surprised. Chop Suey! is nothing compared to Sugar, in my opinion. It's my favorite track of all, and you can't help but sing along to it. Definitely deserves to be in at least the Top 3!

They closed out a concert to this song, and my life couldn't have been more complete for me. This song is incredible and, in my opinion, is my favorite song. It should be in the top 3!

A riff that will kick your ass, coupled with a jazzy bridge that somehow blends together with the song, along with being one of Serj's most powerful performances.

7 Spiders

This is honestly System's best work out there. Serj's singing is beautiful in this song. Daron's guitar solo is great too. And we can't forget the epic bass riff and the drumming. Truly an amazing song. Serj's singing brings so much emotion to this song. It's crazy.

I'm not really sure what the song is really about, and I've read a lot of theories, but nothing concrete. However, the music itself is a masterpiece. It is my favorite System of a Down song.

The solo for this song kicks face. Serj has never sounded better, and the lyrics are haunting and beautiful all at the same time. It is probably the best System of a Down song.

8 Hypnotize

This is the most mesmerizing song of System of a Down (at least I believe so). The tune, music, and style are simply breathtaking. I wonder how these people can create such fantastic songs. I believe that it should be the second-best song after Chop Suey, which is also marvelous.
So people, enjoy the song and try to place it in the second position.
Enjoy-----
Alexandre

I've loved Hypnotize ever since I heard it. It at least deserves to be in second place. For me, System of a Down is the best band I know. And for everyone out there who does not believe System of a Down is a good band, well, you're all just country bum nuts!

9 Holy Mountains

This song is awesome. A lot of tracks from Hypnotize/Mesmerize and Toxicity should have been in there. Deer Dance, Prison Song, Shimmy, Science, Needles, Forest, and ATWA should totally be here, in addition to Tentative, U-Fig, Dreaming, Attack, RadioVideo, Revenga, Cigaro, etc. Boom, Spiders, Streamline, and IEAIAIO would also be cool. And Soil should be #2, after this awesome combination of Middle East tonality, haunting vocals, amazing lyrics, grooving bass, insane drumming, great guitar, and an overall awesome buildup of true music.

10 Soldier Side

People reading the comments who say "I cry every time I hear this", please know that's not an exaggeration. There are not a lot of songs I can safely say that about. I can't think of a song that beautifully captures the pain of war more than this one. It's the "Saving Private Ryan" of rock songs.

Bonus points for being the last song on the last album they ever released, almost 20 years ago to date, which kind of makes it an extra haunting finale to the peak of their career.

Man, I love this song so much. Even more so, I love the meaning behind it. It's an extremely powerful song that means a lot more than just a song. It's a story that reflects upon the fact that there are many soldiers who die fighting for their country, behind a very greedy nation that hides behind propaganda and so forth.

Even the first line is just so powerful, a beautiful interpretation that not all soldiers make it home. Yet, they die on the land that they fight for, and though they may not be dead yet, there's no guarantee of survival in war. The "God is wearing black" line is even more powerful than the first, symbolizing God mourning His sons that He's lost to the hell on earth that is war.

Even the soldiers' perception, "Wondering when Savior comes, is he gonna be saved?" is a beautiful line in this song. It implies that the soldier has committed the mortal sin of killing a fellow human, not knowing if he'll be redeemed when he dies. Overall, it’s just… a beautiful song.

The Contenders
11 Lonely Day

I love this song so much. I'm not a fan of System of a Down. I've only heard two songs by them, this one and Chop Suey. I heard this song in a video from a YouTuber called AmazingPhil, and I'm still hooked on this song. I was obsessed with it the first time I listened to it. I can still listen to it on repeat, and I first heard it months ago. I might check this band out more someday.

What a wonderful song. It has a tune that just sticks in your head, one which you don't mind humming all day long. And with lyrics which make sense, that people can relate to without being too technical. Ah, the best song by 'System of a Down' by far.

12 Lost in Hollywood

For me, it's between this song and Hypnotize. This was the first song I heard from them, and I've only listened to this song from them for a long time. It wasn't until months afterward that I checked out more of their songs. It's ironic how I loved this band from this song in particular because it is the calmest or one of the few calm songs they have recorded, without knowing these guys almost always do angrier songs like BYOB and Bounce. Now, I have literally all of their recorded songs in my iTunes, and System of a Down is my go-to rock music band, all the time! Even after listening to all of their songs or maybe 98% of them, this one, along with Hypnotize, which I heard eight months afterward, is still my favorite song of System of a Down, all rock, and arguably one of my favorite songs out of all genres.

13 Forest

I love how this song maintains the hard rock and uniqueness that System of a Down is known for, but it's also soft rock, too. This song is a perfect combination of hard rock and soft rock in the same song.

This is nothing like Chop Suey. But as always, the chorus of this song is top-class. This one just pips the others for me: Holy Mountains and ATWA.

This song has so much emotion poured into it. It resonates with me.

14 ATWA

Well, this is the first song I've listened to from them when I knew who they really are. This song was given to me by my love. She was/is a huge fan of System of a Down. Now she's gone, she never looked back. It's been almost a year. I miss her voice. So, I decided to listen to this song, and it made me cry. This song should be in the top 5 because it's such a great song.

I can't describe in words how this song makes me feel, as well as many other of their songs, but this one really stands out to me.

The melody in the beginning, the sadness it projects, speaks to me. Then the rage in the "I don't speak..." parts, just awesome.

15 War?

Actually, I can't really decide which one is better between War, Spiders, Aerials, Radio/Video, and Hypnotize. They have many great songs. But I love War recently, that's why I vote for War. But seriously, this song should be at least in the top ten. I really enjoyed the live performance of their song and the extended play version.

One of the greatest anti-war songs of all time. Not the best anti-war song System of a Down has made (B.Y.O.B is better), but this song is underrated. And no, it's not anti-religion.

My favorite song by System of a Down, either this or Needles. The lyrics are very powerful.

16 Prison Song

Sometimes I listen to this song too much. Honestly, it was not quite what I expected at first, but now I realize why it is such a great song and of the caliber of masterpieces. I could easily even say that it is my all-time favorite song. The lyrics are very original. The backing vocals and guitars working together achieved the best for the song. Simply unsurpassed!

This song has the second most powerful lyrics of S.O.A.D., only losing to P.L.U.C.K. (Do you want something more powerful than to speak about genocide?) The way that Serj sings is amazing. He mixed rap and heavy metal.

17 I-E-a-I-a-I-o

This song definitely deserves to be in the top ten... To me, it's better than Chop Suey and BYOB. Amazing song meaning, and if you listen to it once, you're hooked. For me, my favourite part is the chorus, easy to understand, and it just plain sounds nice.

This needs to be listed way higher! This song is yet another popularity boost that System of a Down had. It is way better than some of the other ones before it!

How can you find yourself not singing I-E-A-I-A-I-O every day after listening to this song? I find myself singing this song right before anything epic's about to happen.

18 Deer Dance

This song is just amazing, I love it! It has an awesome rhythm, and Serj's vocals just make it flawless! But still, it's not their best...

Every time I get on this, this song moves back on the list. This is my favorite song from them and one of their best. It deserves at least a spot in the top ten.

Battalions of riot police with rubber bullet kisses, baton courtesy, service with a smile!

19 Psycho

The live solo is purely epic.

The solo automatically puts this song in the top 10 list, no matter what. Watch the live performance of this solo by Daron. He does it while dancing around as well.

It's just an epic song with an epic album version, an epic live performance, and an epic guitarist.

Love you, Daron.

Best of the band for sure. The final section is epic and amazingly wonderful, featuring one of the best guitar solos of all time. Period.

This has to be one of my favorite System of a Down songs. The intro is awesome. This song is in my top ten S.O.A.D songs.

20 Mr. Jack

This is disappointingly low. Serj and Daron show their fantastic vocal diversity in this song, making it incredibly addicting, and I always find myself coming back to it. If it wasn't for Highway Song, this would be my favorite song from Steal This Album!

This song is so underrated, in my opinion.
I love the fact that the lyrics can be explained in so many ways, and I enjoy spending my time trying to find various meanings to this song.

This song is great! Such a great guitar part and harmonization in the verses. This song deserves a better spot, in my opinion.

21 Violent Pornography

Great song. I love to scream it out when I'm alone in my room or just in a bad mood. This song makes me feel great and alive. Along with Radio/Video and Chop Suey, it's quite amazing. System Of A Down rocks! New listeners should start with the Hypnotize and Mezmerize albums.

I love watching the reactions on my friends' faces when I tell them the name of this song. After they've heard it, they fall in love. I can't understand why it's not in the top ten, as of my writing, but hopefully that will change soon.

22 Revenga

Awesome song, it deserves to be much higher on the list - top 10 at least! But System of a Down is such a great band that even their less popular songs are fantastic!

The best System of a Down song is Chop Suey, but I'll vote for this one because I think it should be way up higher on this list.

How the hell is this all the way down here? Oh yeah, because System of a Down is so good even their songs down here are better than most other bands.

23 Mind

This song releases the anger out of me. It's one of the best!

It has the best music.
The guitar is just legendary.
Too bad it is so underrated.

24 Dreaming

This song feels like a music battle. Combine Serj's powerful vocals with Daron's much softer singing, and this song is one that will stick in your head for a long time. It does get a little repetitive, but it's performed so well, you won't even notice it. Not to mention, it has quite possibly the best instrumentals in a song by System of a Down. I'd be disappointed if this didn't get in the top 10, but I'm not counting on it. It's just not popular enough.

From the first time I listened to this song, getting into the band in my freshman year of high school, I knew this song was a masterpiece. All these years later and my opinion hasn't changed.

25 P.L.U.C.K.

Daron and Serj both sing together in the chorus, it's the best part...!
"watch them all fall down" is the best line...!

Iconic. Emblematic. Deserves too 10.Some days I feel like it's No1 but System of a Down have MANY great songs so...

This song started the trend of the most important song in the album being an acronym, and that's cool.

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