Aerials (song)
Encyclopedia
"Aerials" is a single
by the Alternative
band System of a Down
. It was released in 2002 from the album Toxicity
, which earned the band its second Grammy nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance in 2003. The song hit #1 on both the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks and Hot Modern Rock Tracks charts.
While the album version of "Aerials" is 6:11 minutes long, a hidden track called "Arto" starts at 3:58 seconds. "Aerials" itself ends at 3:54. Serj Tankian plays rhythm guitar when the song is played live.
was directed by Shavo Odadjian
and David Slade
.
The video starts out in a desolate, desert-like place. The viewpoint then shifts to a circus tent. Inside, the band is getting ready, and being watched by a very abnormal looking young boy. The eyes are pulled back, and the mouth is very small, providing him with a strikingly alien appearance and separating him from everyone else. The band starts playing. It then shifts to the boy surrounded by people in an urban environment flashing gang signs while a large group around him dances. It then shifts back to the band playing inside the tent. Back outside, the boy is walking down the Hollywood Walk of Fame
with two women in red dresses. The scene then becomes that of the boy, two different women in similar dresses as the first, and an older man, who seems to be interviewing them, or making an agreement. Exiting the building, paparazzi swarm the boy and begin photographing the boy. People begin interviewing him, but he is never seen to respond. It then cuts back to the band for a short period of time, where after it displays the boy in a photo shoot, being examined with different clothes. The scene continues to cut between the photo shoot and the band, until near the end, where it shows the boy with two women in red dresses, reaching for money that is falling from above. At the end of the song, every scene the boy has been shown in is shown briefly. He then walks to the middle of the circus tent, lays down in the middle, and closes his eyes, as the song ends.
band Amon Amarth
, and was released as a bonus track to the iTunes edition of their eighth album, Surtur Rising
.
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
by the Alternative
Alternative metal
Alternative metal is a genre of alternative rock and heavy metal that gained popularity in the early 1990s. Most notably, alternative metal bands are characterized by heavy guitar riffs and experimental approaches to heavy music.-Origins:...
band System of a Down
System of a Down
System of a Down, also known by the acronym SOAD and often shortened to System, is a rock band from Southern California. The band was formed in 1994. It consists of Serj Tankian , Daron Malakian , Shavo Odadjian and John Dolmayan...
. It was released in 2002 from the album Toxicity
Toxicity (album)
Toxicity is the second album by American heavy metal band System of a Down. Produced by Rick Rubin, Toxicity was released on September 4, 2001 by American Recordings, debuting at #1 on both the United States, with 220,000 copies, and #1 on the Canadian charts...
, which earned the band its second Grammy nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance in 2003. The song hit #1 on both the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks and Hot Modern Rock Tracks charts.
While the album version of "Aerials" is 6:11 minutes long, a hidden track called "Arto" starts at 3:58 seconds. "Aerials" itself ends at 3:54. Serj Tankian plays rhythm guitar when the song is played live.
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was directed by Shavo Odadjian
Shavo Odadjian
Shavarsh "Shavo" Odadjian is an Armenian American songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, music video director/editor, music producer, and artist/painter. He is best known as the bassist, backing vocalist and occasional songwriter of the Grammy Award-winning rock band System of a Down...
and David Slade
David Slade
David Aldrin Slade is a British film director who began his career making music videos. His work includes videos for artists such as Aphex Twin, Rob Dougan, System of a Down, Stone Temple Pilots, Tori Amos, and Muse.-Life and career:...
.
The video starts out in a desolate, desert-like place. The viewpoint then shifts to a circus tent. Inside, the band is getting ready, and being watched by a very abnormal looking young boy. The eyes are pulled back, and the mouth is very small, providing him with a strikingly alien appearance and separating him from everyone else. The band starts playing. It then shifts to the boy surrounded by people in an urban environment flashing gang signs while a large group around him dances. It then shifts back to the band playing inside the tent. Back outside, the boy is walking down the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
with two women in red dresses. The scene then becomes that of the boy, two different women in similar dresses as the first, and an older man, who seems to be interviewing them, or making an agreement. Exiting the building, paparazzi swarm the boy and begin photographing the boy. People begin interviewing him, but he is never seen to respond. It then cuts back to the band for a short period of time, where after it displays the boy in a photo shoot, being examined with different clothes. The scene continues to cut between the photo shoot and the band, until near the end, where it shows the boy with two women in red dresses, reaching for money that is falling from above. At the end of the song, every scene the boy has been shown in is shown briefly. He then walks to the middle of the circus tent, lays down in the middle, and closes his eyes, as the song ends.
Cover versions
The song was recorded as a cover by melodic death metalMelodic death metal
Melodic death metal is a heavy metal music style that combines elements from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal with elements of death metal. The style was developed during the early and mid-1990s, primarily in England and Scandinavia...
band Amon Amarth
Amon Amarth
Amon Amarth is a Swedish viking metal band from Tumba, Sweden founded in 1992, and takes its name from the Sindarin translation of Mount Doom, a location in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. The band comprises vocalist Johan Hegg, guitarists Olavi Mikkonen and Johan Söderberg, bassist Ted Lundström...
, and was released as a bonus track to the iTunes edition of their eighth album, Surtur Rising
Surtur Rising
Surtur Rising is the eighth studio album by the Swedish melodic death metal band Amon Amarth. The album was released on March 29, 2011.On June 27, 2011, the band released a music video, with footage taken a live performance in Philadelphia, PA and directed by David Brodsky, for the third track on...
.