Aerials (song)

"Aerials"
Single by System of a Down
from the album Toxicity
B-side"Snowblind"
ReleasedJune 11, 2002 (2002-06-11)
Recorded2001
StudioCello (Hollywood)
GenreAlternative metal[1]
Length
  • 3:55 (without hidden track)
  • 6:11 (with hidden track)
Label
ComposerDaron Malakian
Lyricists
Producers
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 (2001), which earned the band its second Grammy Award nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance at the 45th Annual Grammy Awards in 2003.

The song hit number one on both the Billboard's Alternative Songs and Mainstream Rock charts. It was System of a Down's first number-one hit.[2] The song was played at the funeral of Keith Flint, frontman of the Prodigy.[3]

"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.[4][5] In 2013, the staff of Loudwire included the song's main riff in their list of "the 10 Best Metal Riffs of the 2000s".[6]

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 in which he is adored and pampered like a celebrity. The video was shot in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

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

Personnel

Adapted from Qobuz.[7]

System of a Down

Additional personnel

  • Rick Rubin – piano, production
  • Greg Collins – engineering
  • Darren Mora – assistant engineering
  • Al Sanderson – assistant engineering
  • Ryan McCormick – assistant engineering
  • Jim Champagne – assistant engineering
  • Andy Wallace – mixing engineering
  • Rich Balmer – mixing engineering
  • David Schiffman – recording engineering

Charts

Chart performance for "Aerials"
Chart (2002–03) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[8]36
Canada (Billboard)[9] 61
Germany (GfK)[10]80
Ireland (IRMA)[11]35
Scottish Singles Sales (Official Charts)[12]35
UK Singles (Official Charts)[13]34
UK Rock & Metal (Official Charts)[14]3
US Billboard Hot 100[15]55
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[16]1
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[17]1

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Aerials"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Italy (FIMI)[18] Gold 50,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[19] 2× Platinum 60,000‡
Spain (Promusicae)[20] Gold 30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[21] Gold 400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[22] 2× Platinum 2,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Grierson, Tim. "Top 10 Essential Alt-Metal Songs". About.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  2. ↑ Billboard.com
  3. ↑ "Fans 'raise the roof for Keef' at Prodigy star Keith Flint's funeral". Sky News. March 30, 2019. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
  4. ↑ Kaufman, Spencer (August 21, 2012). "10 Best System of a Down Songs". Loudwire. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  5. ↑ Law, Sam (November 6, 2020). "The 20 greatest System Of A Down songs – ranked". Kerrang. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  6. ↑ Staff, Loudwire StaffLoudwire (2013-12-26). "10 Best Metal Riffs of the 2000s". Loudwire. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
  7. ↑ "Toxicity". Qobuz. Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. With American Recordings, LLC. Retrieved 2025-12-31.
  8. ↑ "System of a Down – Aerials". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  9. ↑ "Top 100 Singles". Jam!. Archived from the original on January 28, 2003. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see the peak chart position, click 'TITEL VON', followed by the artist's name.
  11. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 29, 2002". Irish Singles Chart. Archived from the original.
  12. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart on 21/7/2002 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Official Singles Chart on 21/7/2002 – Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  14. ↑ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart on 21/7/2002 – Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  15. ↑ "System of a Down Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  16. ↑ "System of a Down Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  17. ↑ "System of a Down Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Italian single certifications – System of a Down – Aerials" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  19. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – System of a Down – Aerials". Radioscope. Retrieved July 22, 2025. Type Aerials in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
  20. ↑ "Spanish single certifications – System of a Down – Aerials". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
  21. ↑ "British single certifications – System of a Down – Aerials". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 5, 2025. Select singles in the Formats field. Type Aerials System of a Down in the "Search:" field.
  22. ↑ "American single certifications – System of a Down – Aerials". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
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