B.Y.O.B. (song)

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"B.Y.O.B."
Single by System of a Down
from the album Mezmerize
ReleasedMarch 28, 2005 (2005-03-28)
GenreThrash metal[1]
Length4:15
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
System of a Down singles chronology
"Boom!"
(2003) 		"B.Y.O.B."
(2005) 		"Question!"
(2005)
Music video
"B.Y.O.B." on YouTube

"B.Y.O.B." ("Bring Your Own Bombs") is a song by American heavy metal band System of a Down. It was released in March 2005 as the lead single from their fourth album Mezmerize. Like their earlier song "Boom!", it was written in protest against the Iraq War.[2] The song reached number 27 on the US Billboard Hot 100, the band's highest peak to date on the chart.

Music video[edit]

Directed by Jake Nava, the music video for "B.Y.O.B." shows an army of soldiers marching through the streets, wearing paintball masks with television screens projecting words like "DIE", "TRUTH", "OBEY", or "BUY", with the band members playing in the middle of the street. During the chorus, the band is shown playing inside a night club. Midway through the video, co-lead vocalist Daron Malakian is shown screaming the words "Blast off! It's party time! And we don't live in a fascist nation! Blast off! It's party time! And where the fuck are you?!", when the soldiers storm the night club and force everyone to put on the drone masks, during which the masks show images of television shows and war. At the end of the video, the band members are shown wearing the drone masks, which are playing static.

Songwriting legal case[edit]

Casey Chaos claimed to have helped write the song in 2002, and Malakian offered to gift him a 2% royalties credit. When Chaos asked for more, the offer was rescinded.[3] Casey Chaos then subsequently sold a 50% interest in the song to Maxwood Music Ltd. However, in 2010 a Manhattan court ruled Malakian and Tankian to be the sole writers of the song.[4]

Accolades[edit]

Track listing[edit]

CD single
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."B.Y.O.B." (Explicit Album version)
  • Tankian
  • Malakian
Malakian4:15
2."Forest" (Explicit Live version)
  • Tankian
  • Malakian
Malakian5:12
3."Prison Song" (Explicit Live version)
  • Tankian
  • Malakian
Malakian3:32
4."Sugar" (Explicit Live version)Tankian
  • Odadjian
  • Malakian
4:00
  • The live tracks were recorded at the Big Day Out 2005 festival.
Digital download [First version]
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."B.Y.O.B."
  • Tankian
  • Malakian
Malakian4:15
7" single • digital download [Second version]
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."B.Y.O.B."
  • Tankian
  • Malakian
Malakian4:15
2."Cigaro"
  • Tankian
  • Malakian
Malakian2:11

Personnel[edit]

System of a Down


Chart positions[edit]

Weekly chart performance for "B.Y.O.B."
Chart (2005) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[8] 42
Canada Rock Top 30 (Radio & Records)[9] 28
UK Singles (OCC)[10] 26
US Billboard Hot 100[11] 27
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[12] 4
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[13] 4

Certifications[edit]

Certifications for "B.Y.O.B."
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Germany (BVMI)[14] Gold 150,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[15] Gold 25,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[16] Gold 30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[17] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[18] 3× Platinum 3,000,000‡
United States (RIAA)[19]
Mastertone 		Platinum 1,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Warminsky, Joe (May 21, 2005). "'Mezmerize' Casts a Familiar Spell". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  2. ^ Morse, Steve (August 26, 2005). "Pounding out a blistering attack: System of a Down lashes out at Hollywood, war, and hypocrisy". The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
  3. ^ Perlow, Jonathan. "Judge Rules for Rock Band in 'B.Y.O.B.' Royalty Case, May 2010". courthousenews.com. Courthouse News. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  4. ^ "Judge Rules for Rock Band in 'B.Y.O.B.' Royalty Case". Courthouse News. 2010-05-24. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  5. ^ "System of a Down Awards: BYOB, Question, Mezmerize". AveoftheStars.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-22. Retrieved 2012-02-09.
  6. ^ Alan Di Perna https://www.guitarworld.com/features/daron-malakian-21st-century-schizoid-man (September 29, 2008)
  7. ^ Fabrizio Pedrotti https://fabriziopedrotti.com/2019/07/18/shavo-odadjian-system-of-a-down-nunca-va-a-morir/ (July 18, 2019)
  8. ^ "System of a Down – B.Y.O.B.". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  9. ^ "RR Canada Rock Top 30" (PDF). p. 63. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  10. ^ "Chart Log UK 1994-2010". Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  11. ^ "System of a Down Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  12. ^ "System of a Down Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  13. ^ "System of a Down Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  14. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (System of a Down; 'B.Y.O.B.')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  15. ^ "Italian single certifications – System of a Down – B.Y.O.B." (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved December 22, 2020. Select "2018" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "B.Y.O.B." in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  16. ^ "System of a Down - B.Y.O.B." El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  17. ^ "British single certifications – System of a Down – Byob". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  18. ^ "American single certifications – System of a Down – B.Y.O.B." Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  19. ^ "American single certifications – System of a Down – B.Y.O.B." Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 15, 2020.

External links[edit]

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