Sugar is a song by System of a Down, released as the band’s first ever single on May 24, 1998, and as an EP on May 26, 1999. The song was taken from their debut studio album, System of a Down (1998).
The song propelled the band into the front of the then current metal scene, giving them the opportunity to open for Slayer and Metallica, get second stage at Ozzfest, and getting them their first headlining tour. The video for the song was often played on MTV after release.
Sugar has been described as “a spazzy, jazz-spattered noise rock freak-out”. The song features rapped verses from lead singer Serj Tankian, along with death metal growls and shrieks, the latter two being signatures of the band’s early sound. The verses of the song feature guitarist Daron Malakian on backing vocals. Later in the band’s career, he would move on to be more of a co-lead vocalist (although he sang on demos of “Roulette” and “DAM”). The ending of the song features the band speeding up from the original tempo.
Sugar is about the world’s population’s over use and reliance on drugs and other substances, as well as the predatory state of media like the news.
The music video for Sugar shows the band playing on a stage, with an American flag intercut with images of public violence, hangings from the Holocaust, armies, footage of the Upshot-Knothole Grable nuclear test and footage from the German film Metropolis. The video was directed by Nathan Cox. The video, along with the band’s next single, Spiders would be an MTV mainstay for a long time to come, much to the surprise of the band.
Tracklist:
- Sugar
- Sugar
System of a Down
Serj Tankian: lead vocals
Daron Malakian: guitars, background vocals
Shavo Odadjian: bass
John Dolmayan: drums
Production
Produced by Rick Rubin with System of a Down
Mixed by D. Sardy
Engineered by Sylvia Massy
Engineer/assistant engineer: Greg Fidelman
Additional recording/finishing Touches: D. Sardy
Assistant engineers: Sam Storey, Nick Raskulinecz
Assistant mixdown engineers: James Saez, Greg Gordon, Andy Haller
Second assistant mixdown engineer: Bryan Davis
A&R direction: Dino Paredes, Sam Wick
Management: Velvet Hammer Management, David Benveniste
Recorded at Sound City, Van Nuys, California
Vocals and additional recordings at Akademie Mathematique of Philosophical Sound Research, Hollywood, California
Mixed at Record Plant Studios, Hollywood, California & Hollywood Sound, California
Mastered by Vlado Meller at Sony Studios, New York City
Live Tracks Produced by D. Sardy
Live Tracks Mixed by D. Sardy
Live Tracks Engineered by Doug Henderson
Live Tracks Recorded at Irving Plaza, New York City, New York
