Aerials (song)

Last updated
"Aerials"
Soad aerials single.jpg
Single by System of a Down
from the album Toxicity
B-side "Snowblind"
ReleasedJune 11, 2002
Recorded2001
Studio Cello (Hollywood)
Genre
Length
  • 3:55 (without hidden track)
  • 6:11 (with hidden track)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
System of a Down singles chronology
"Toxicity"
(2002)
"Aerials"
(2002)
"Innervision"
(2002)
Music video
"Aerials" on YouTube

"Aerials" is a song by American heavy metal band System of a Down. It was released in 2002 as the third single from their second album Toxicity , which earned the band its second Grammy Award nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance at the 45th Annual Grammy Awards in 2003.

Contents

The song hit number one on both the Billboard Alternative Songs and Mainstream Rock charts. It was System of a Down's first number-one hit. [2]

Music video

The music video was directed by Shavo Odadjian and David Slade. The video features an alien-like, disfigured boy who is accompanied by people in various settings. The video was shot in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

Reception

"Aerials" is widely considered one of the band's best songs. Loudwire and Kerrang both ranked the song number three on their lists of the greatest System of a Down songs. [3] [4] As of June 2024, “Aerials” has over 514 million streams on Spotify making it System of a Down’s 5th most streamed song.

The song was played at the funeral of Keith Flint, frontman of The Prodigy.

Track listing

CD single
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Aerials"Daron Malakian3:57
2."Toxicity" (Live)Serj Tankian
3:38
3."Sugar" (Live)Serj Tankian
  • Shavo Odadjian
  • Daron Malakian
4:10
4."P.L.U.C.K." (Live)Serj TankianDaron Malakian4:09
5."Aerials" (Live Video/DVD Version)
  • Serj Tankian
  • Daron Malakian
Daron Malakian 
Australian single
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Aerials"
  • Serj Tankian
  • Daron Malakian
Daron Malakian3:57
2."Toxicity" (Live Version)Serj Tankian
  • Shavo Odadjian
  • Daron Malakian
3:38
3."P.L.U.C.K." (Live)Serj TankianDaron Malakian4:09
UK CD1
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Aerials"
  • Serj Tankian
  • Daron Malakian
Daron Malakian3:57
2."Toxicity" (Live)Serj Tankian
  • Shavo Odadjian
  • Daron Malakian
3:38
3."P.L.U.C.K." (Live)Serj TankianDaron Malakian4:09
4."Aerials" (Video)
  • Serj Tankian
  • Daron Malakian
Daron Malakian 
UK CD2
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Aerials"
  • Serj Tankian
  • Daron Malakian
Daron Malakian3:57
2."Streamline" (Alternate Version [from The Scorpion King soundtrack])Serj Tankian
  • Serj Tankian
  • Daron Malakian
3:38
3."Sugar" (Live)Serj Tankian
  • Shavo Odadjian
  • Daron Malakian
4:10
7" single
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Aerials"
  • Serj Tankian
  • Daron Malakian
Daron Malakian3:57
2."Snowblind" (Album Version)
  • Geezer Butler
  • Tony Iommi
  • Ozzy Osbourne
  • Bill Ward
4:40

Charts

Chart (2002-2003)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA) [5] 36
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan) [6] 61
Germany (GfK) [7] 80
Ireland (IRMA) [8] 35
Scotland (OCC) [9] 35
UK Singles (OCC) [10] 34
UK Rock & Metal (OCC) [11] 3
US Billboard Hot 100 [12] 55
US Alternative Airplay ( Billboard ) [13] 1
US Mainstream Rock ( Billboard ) [14] 1

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Italy (FIMI) [15] Gold50,000
New Zealand (RMNZ) [16] Platinum30,000
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [17] Gold30,000
United Kingdom (BPI) [18] Silver200,000
United States (RIAA) [19] 2× Platinum2,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

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References

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