Empty Walls
Encyclopedia
"Empty Walls" is a song by musician Serj Tankian
. The song was released as the first official single and first track off of Tankian's debut solo album Elect the Dead
. The song has been described as a "traditionally pummeling rocker".
"Empty Walls" was released on September 10, 2007 as a digital download
and September 25 as a CD single
. It can also be found on a 2 track Reprise promo issue dated September 4, 2007 as well as in edited form on promotional copies that have been sent out to radio stations.
An acoustic version of the song also appears on the limited edition of Elect the Dead
. The "Victorious Club Mix", as featured on the single, was produced by DJ LethalRush.
The music video for the single was released onto Serj Tankian's official YouTube
link on October 26th 2009. The video, which shows activity in a children's playroom that echoes the events of the September 11 terrorist attacks and the subsequent war in Iraq, contains an amended version of the last verse where it repeats "empty walls" instead of "fucking walls" and "god damn walls".
theme. The music video was directed by Tony Petrossian
and was uploaded to YouTube
on September 12, 2007. The video shows young children playing in a daycare center with their play imitating the War on Terrorism.
The video opens with a felt Homeland Security Advisory System
scale (accompanied by a seal reading "U.S. Department of Playground Security"), followed by a young girl building two towers
of blocks. A boy launches a toy airplane into the towers, knocking them down and upsetting the girl.
Various scenes in the video refer to the War in Iraq: the children preparing for play war, a teddy bear being pulled down (referring to the symbolic pulling down of Saddam Hussein
's statue), a presidential figure with a sign declaring "Mishin Akomplishd", an imitation of the capture of Saddam Hussein
, a child in a cage reminiscent of one of the Kenneth Bigley
hostage videos, the aforementioned collapse of the block towers, a child dressed and positioned in imitation of a published picture of Satar Jabar from the Abu Ghraib
prison, and several children pulling another from a toy house to play execute him with a can of silly string (in reference to the Hamdania incident
). A boy inside a toy car puts on goggles and is driven into a plastic ball pit wall to cause a burst of confetti, symbolic of the many suicide bombings at US Army checkpoints. The children performing acts similar to those of the US military are clearly distinguished by wearing helmets reminiscent of soldiers' helmets.
Meanwhile Serj, dressed in a top hat and suit, sings as they play. The video concludes as the children all look out the daycare window and solemnly watch a Marine Corps detail load a flag-draped casket into a hearse. A partially-obstructed poster that presumably says "Yes We Can Obama
" can be seen on the window.
The video has also appeared on Much Music's Video On Trial
.
Serj Tankian
Serj Tankian is a Lebanese-born Armenian-American singer–songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, playwright, record producer, poet, and political activist...
. The song was released as the first official single and first track off of Tankian's debut solo album Elect the Dead
Elect the Dead
-Personnel:* All Songs Written & Performed by Serj Tankian - Stunning Suppository Sounds '...
. The song has been described as a "traditionally pummeling rocker".
"Empty Walls" was released on September 10, 2007 as a digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
and September 25 as a CD single
CD single
A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s...
. It can also be found on a 2 track Reprise promo issue dated September 4, 2007 as well as in edited form on promotional copies that have been sent out to radio stations.
An acoustic version of the song also appears on the limited edition of Elect the Dead
Elect the Dead
-Personnel:* All Songs Written & Performed by Serj Tankian - Stunning Suppository Sounds '...
. The "Victorious Club Mix", as featured on the single, was produced by DJ LethalRush.
The music video for the single was released onto Serj Tankian's official YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
link on October 26th 2009. The video, which shows activity in a children's playroom that echoes the events of the September 11 terrorist attacks and the subsequent war in Iraq, contains an amended version of the last verse where it repeats "empty walls" instead of "fucking walls" and "god damn walls".
Track listing
Music video
Serj released one of the videos on September 11, 2007, matching the video's War on TerrorismWar on Terrorism
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
theme. The music video was directed by Tony Petrossian
Tony Petrossian
Tony Petrossian is an acclaimed director of commercials and music videos. Today, he is best known for his work in television advertisements and music videos. He has directed spots for brands including McDonald's, Nike, Subway, Zoo York, Beeline, Sony Ericsson, the Environmental Defense Fund and...
and was uploaded to YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
on September 12, 2007. The video shows young children playing in a daycare center with their play imitating the War on Terrorism.
The video opens with a felt Homeland Security Advisory System
Homeland Security Advisory System
In the United States, the Homeland Security Advisory System was a color-coded terrorism threat advisory scale. The different levels trigger specific actions by federal agencies and state and local governments, and they affect the level of security at some airports and other public facilities. It...
scale (accompanied by a seal reading "U.S. Department of Playground Security"), followed by a young girl building two towers
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
of blocks. A boy launches a toy airplane into the towers, knocking them down and upsetting the girl.
Various scenes in the video refer to the War in Iraq: the children preparing for play war, a teddy bear being pulled down (referring to the symbolic pulling down of Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
's statue), a presidential figure with a sign declaring "Mishin Akomplishd", an imitation of the capture of Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
, a child in a cage reminiscent of one of the Kenneth Bigley
Kenneth Bigley
Kenneth John Bigley , born Liverpool, England, was a civil engineer who was kidnapped in the al-Mansour district of Baghdad, Iraq on 16 September 2004, along with his colleagues Jack Hensley and Eugene Armstrong, both U.S. citizens...
hostage videos, the aforementioned collapse of the block towers, a child dressed and positioned in imitation of a published picture of Satar Jabar from the Abu Ghraib
Abu Ghraib
The city of Abu Ghraib in the Baghdad Governorate of Iraq is located just west of Baghdad's city center, or northwest of Baghdad International Airport. It has a population of 189,000. The old road to Jordan passes through Abu Ghraib...
prison, and several children pulling another from a toy house to play execute him with a can of silly string (in reference to the Hamdania incident
Hamdania incident
The Hamdania incident refers to an incident involving members of the United States Marines in relation to the shooting death of a possible insurgent Iraqi man on April 26, 2006 in Al Hamdania, a small village west of Baghdad near Abu Ghraib...
). A boy inside a toy car puts on goggles and is driven into a plastic ball pit wall to cause a burst of confetti, symbolic of the many suicide bombings at US Army checkpoints. The children performing acts similar to those of the US military are clearly distinguished by wearing helmets reminiscent of soldiers' helmets.
Meanwhile Serj, dressed in a top hat and suit, sings as they play. The video concludes as the children all look out the daycare window and solemnly watch a Marine Corps detail load a flag-draped casket into a hearse. A partially-obstructed poster that presumably says "Yes We Can Obama
Obama
Obama most commonly refers to Barack Obama , the 44th and current President of the United States.Obama may also refer to:-Locations:*Obama, Fukui, a city in Japan**Obama Castle , the castle from which the Obama Domain was governed...
" can be seen on the window.
The video has also appeared on Much Music's Video On Trial
Video On Trial
Video on Trial is a Canadian comedy television program that airs on Canadian television network MuchMusic. The show consists of a panel of musicians, comedians, and entertainment columnists critiquing five different music videos in a courtroom-esque manner. The panel acts as the jurors, poking fun...
.
Chart positions
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
72 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 97 |
| U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs... |
3 |
| U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock Tracks Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue... |
4 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
78 |
| UK Rock Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
1 |