The Charade (Serj Tankian song)

Last updated

"The Charade"
Serj Tankian - The Charade.jpg
Single by Serj Tankian
from the album Elect the Dead Symphony
ReleasedFebruary 15, 2010 [1]
Genre Progressive Metal, classical
Length3:32 (Rock)
4:30 (Orchestral)
Label Serjical Strike/Reprise
Songwriter(s) Serj Tankian
Producer(s) Serj Tankian
Serj Tankian singles chronology
"Fears"
(2008)
"The Charade"
(2010)
"Left of Center"
(2010)

"The Charade" (previously known as "Charades") is a song by Armenian-American musician Serj Tankian. The single was released prior to Elect the Dead Symphony , although the rock version was found only in the album's DVD closing credits. The orchestral version featured on the album's CD is included in the single as a B-side on some versions.

Contents

Release history

The song has a long release history. Its live debut took place in 2004 on the Axis of Justice tour. Here, the song was performed as a piano piece with vocals. [2] This version appeared on Axis of Justice: Concert Series Volume 1 as "Charades".

"Charades" was later considered for release on System of a Down's Mezmerize/Hypnotize double album. Footage found on the DualDisc version of Hypnotize shows the band recording it, but the song didn't make the final release. [3] [4] In 2007, after System of a Down went on hiatus, Tankian began performing as a solo artist backed by the Flying Cunts of Chaos. The subsequent Elect the Dead tour marked the song's debut in the arrangement later found on the single. [5]

The orchestral arrangement made its debut during the Elect the Dead Symphony tour under its new title "The Charade". The resulting single was the only one released in support of the album. The album was intended as a reimagining of songs from Elect the Dead, though neither "The Charade" nor "Gate 21" were featured on the original album. "Gate 21", however, saw a studio release on Tankian's next album.

Both rock and orchestral arrangements have been played live since. [6] [7] [8]

Music video

A video of Tankian performing the orchestral version can be found on the Elect the Dead Symphony DVD. A video of the orchestral version of "Empty Walls", also found on the DVD, was uploaded to Serj's YouTube account. [9] The featured version was released as a B-side on some versions of the single.

Track listing

iTunes single [1]
No.TitleLength
1."The Charade"3:31
US promotional single
No.TitleLength
1."The Charade" (Rock Version)3:31
2."Empty Walls" (featuring The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra)3:57
3."Sky Is Over" (featuring The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra)3:08
4."The Charade" (featuring The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra)4:30
UK promotional single
No.TitleLength
1."Charades" (Rock Version)3:31
2."The Charade" (Symphony Version)4:30

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">System of a Down</span> Armenian-American metal band

System of a Down is an Armenian-American heavy metal band formed in Glendale, California, in 1994. Since 1997, the band has consisted of founding members Serj Tankian ; Daron Malakian ; Shavo Odadjian ; along with John Dolmayan (drums), who replaced original drummer Andy Khachaturian in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Serj Tankian</span> American-Armenian singer (born 1967)

Serj Tankian is an Armenian-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the lead vocalist, keyboardist, and primary lyricist of System of a Down, which was formed in 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Dolmayan</span> American drummer (born 1972)

John Dolmayan is a Lebanese-born Armenian-American musician, best known as the drummer of System of a Down. He is also the drummer for the band Indicator and former drummer for Scars on Broadway. Dolmayan ranked number 33 on Loudwire's list of Top 200 Hard Rock + Metal Drummers of All Time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daron Malakian</span> Armenian-American rock musician

Daron Malakian is an Armenian-American musician. He is the guitarist, songwriter, and second vocalist of the metal band System of a Down, and the lead vocalist, lead guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter of Scars on Broadway.

<i>Hypnotize</i> (album) 2005 studio album by System of a Down

Hypnotize is the fifth and most recent studio album by the American heavy metal band System of a Down. It was released on November 22, 2005, six months after the release of its companion album Mezmerize. Mezmerize and Hypnotize both debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart.

Serjical Strike Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates under Republic Records.

<i>Enter the Chicken</i> 2005 studio album by Buckethead & Friends

Enter the Chicken is the fourteenth studio album by musician Buckethead. The album was released on October 25, 2005 by Serj Tankian's label Serjical Strike. It has eleven songs, two of which are less than twenty seconds long. It contains appearances from such artists as Saul Williams, Maximum Bob, Efrem Schulz and Serj Tankian.

<i>Elect the Dead</i> 2007 studio album by Serj Tankian

Elect the Dead is the debut album by rock musician Serj Tankian, lead singer and founding member of Armenian-American metal band System of a Down. It was released on October 22, 2007. Alongside Tankian appears Armenian-American coloratura Ani Maldjian, drummers John Dolmayan and Brain, Dan Monti on guitars, as well as a string section featuring Antonio Pontarelli.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lie Lie Lie (Serj Tankian song)</span> 2007 single by Serj Tankian

"Lie Lie Lie" is a song by Serj Tankian, released as a single from his debut solo album Elect the Dead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Empty Walls</span> 2007 single by Serj Tankian

"Empty Walls" is a song by Armenian American musician Serj Tankian. It is Tankian's debut solo single and the opening track off of his first solo album, Elect the Dead. The song has been described as a "traditionally pummeling rocker".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sky Is Over</span> Serj Tankian song

"Sky Is Over" is a song by Serj Tankian. The song was released as the second single from Tankian's debut solo album Elect the Dead. The song charted on both the Modern Rock Tracks and the Mainstream Rock Tracks in the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Serj Tankian discography</span>

The following is the discography of Serj Tankian, an Armenian-American singer and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, keyboardist, and occasionally rhythm guitarist of the Grammy Award-winning rock band System of a Down.

Final Fantasy is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and owned by Square Enix that includes video games, motion pictures, and other merchandise. The original Final Fantasy video game, published in 1987, is a role-playing video game developed by Square, spawning a video game series that became the central focus of the franchise. The primary composer of music for the main series was Nobuo Uematsu, who single-handedly composed the soundtracks for the first nine games, as well as directing the production of many of the soundtrack albums. Music for the spin-off series and main series games beginning with Final Fantasy X was created by a variety of composers including Masashi Hamauzu, Naoshi Mizuta, Hitoshi Sakimoto, and Kumi Tanioka, as well as many others.

<i>Elect the Dead Symphony</i> 2010 live album by Serj Tankian

Elect the Dead Symphony is the first live album by System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian. It is available in CD, CD/DVD, LP, and Digital Download formats. It features the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, along with Dan Monti on acoustic guitar and backing vocals, performing at the Auckland Town Hall in Auckland, New Zealand. Orchestral arrangements were by John Psathas. Material for the performance is from Tankian's solo debut, Elect the Dead with some additional previously unreleased songs.

<i>Imperfect Harmonies</i> 2010 studio album by Serj Tankian

Imperfect Harmonies is the second studio album by Armenian-American singer Serj Tankian. The album was released on September 21, 2010 through Reprise Records and Serjical Strike Records.

<i>Harakiri</i> (album) 2012 studio album by Serj Tankian

Harakiri is the third studio album by System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian. It was released on July 10, 2012 as a follow-up to his 2010 album Imperfect Harmonies.

<i>Orca Symphony No. 1</i> 2013 studio album by Serj Tankian

Orca Symphony No. 1 is the fourth studio album by Armenian-American musician Serj Tankian. The album takes the form of a classical symphony. A professionally sampled studio version was released on November 30, 2012, while the live recorded version was released on June 25, 2013, through Serjical Strike Records.

<i>Black Symphonies (An Orchestral Journey)</i> 2014 compilation album by Blutengel

Black Symphonies (An Orchestral Journey) is an orchestral compilation album from German futurepop band Blutengel. It was promoted as a classical 'best of'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Figure It Out (Serj Tankian song)</span> 2012 single by Serj Tankian

"Figure It Out" is a song by the rock musician Serj Tankian. The song was released as the lead single from his third solo album Harakiri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genocidal Humanoidz</span> 2020 single by System of a Down

"Genocidal Humanoidz" is a song recorded by American heavy metal band System of a Down. It was released as a double A-side single with "Protect the Land" on November 6, 2020, through American Recordings and Columbia Records, to raise awareness and funds for Armenia and the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh amid the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. It is the band's first release in 15 years since their fifth studio album Hypnotize (2005), their first single in 14 years since "Lonely Day" (2006), and their first two singles to not feature their long-time producer Rick Rubin. The two singles have raised over $600,000 that was donated to the Armenia Fund to help those who have been affected by the war.

References

  1. 1 2 "The Charade - Single". iTunes. February 15, 2010. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  2. "Serj Tankian - Charades". YouTube. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  3. "System of a Down recording Charades in studio (2005)". YouTube. April 22, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  4. "Serj Tankian Talks 'Symphony' Project, Solo Album, SOAD's Future". Billboard.com. September 14, 2009. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  5. "Serj Tankian - Chicago, IL - October 12th, 2007". Www.Metalsetlists.Com. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  6. "Serj Tankian Concert Setlist at Tumanyan Park, Yerevan on August 14, 2011". setlist.fm. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  7. "Serj Tankian Concert Setlist at Estragon, Bologna on September 1, 2010". setlist.fm. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  8. "Serj Tankian Concert Setlist at Volkshaus, Zurich on August 31, 2010". setlist.fm. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  9. "Serj Tankian - Empty Walls - Elect The Dead Symphony". YouTube. February 18, 2010. Retrieved July 23, 2012.