System Of A Down have made “Johnny” available digitally, 25 years after it first appeared on a handful of foreign pressings.
The song has never been on streaming services or sold as a download until now. It surfaced originally only on international editions of Toxicity and on a UK seven-inch backed with “Chop Suey!“, and has never had a release of its own.
It arrives as part of the album’s 25th anniversary campaign, and also appears on a bonus seven-inch included with the reissue, with a custom “25” etching on the B-side.
The anniversary editions are out on November 20 through Legacy Recordings.
The CD comes with new cover artwork and an updated 24-page booklet. On vinyl, the album is being pressed in different forms across retailers, among them obsidian marble, amber, red smoke, a direct-to-consumer edition with a matte background, embossed lettering and a foil title, and a standard black pressing. Each includes the “Johnny” seven-inch and a double-sided poster.
The packaging also corrects the name of the hidden closing track, which has been catalogued as “Arto” for a quarter of a century and is now properly credited as “Der Voghormia“.
System Of A Down have explained the piece publicly for the first time alongside the reissue: “‘Der Voghormia‘ is a spiritual Armenian hymn, which translates to ‘Lord Have Mercy.’ The piece is often used to commemorate the Armenian Genocide, but it’s also ritualistically performed during times of grief and remembrance. When we, as System Of A Down, perform the song live, we do it to remember the 1.5 million souls who lost their lives in 1915.”
A merchandise collection has been released alongside it, and one item has a story attached. The band have recreated the T-shirt handed out to guests at the original Toxicity release party in Hollywood in September 2001, an event the Los Angeles Police Department shut down when the crowd outside grew beyond what the venue could hold.
The rest of the collection runs to Chinese takeout earrings referencing “Chop Suey!“, a compact mirror and new shirt and hoodie designs.
The anniversary leads into a run of stadium shows, with Faith No More joining for all five international dates.
- Oct 24 – Sick New World, Fort Worth, TX
- Jan 15 – Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with Faith No More
- Jan 22 – Accor Stadium, Sydney, Australia, with Faith No More
- Jan 27 – Marvel Stadium, Melbourne, Australia, with Faith No More
- Feb 01 – Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia, with Faith No More
- Feb 07 – HNRY Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand, with Faith No More
The Australian shows are the band’s first headline dates in the country in more than a decade.
Toxicity was released on September 4, 2001, produced by Rick Rubin, and entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1. “Chop Suey!” had preceded it on August 13 and became the band’s first song to chart on the Hot 100, reaching the top 20 in the United Kingdom and earning a Grammy nomination.
The album has been certified seven times platinum in the United States and twice platinum in the UK, with worldwide sales estimated at 15 million. “Chop Suey!” passed two billion Spotify streams in May.
Track listings
12″ vinyl, Side A:
- “Prison Song“
- “Needles“
- “Deer Dance“
- “Jet Pilot“
- “X“
- “Chop Suey!“
- “Bounce“
- “Forest“
12″ vinyl, Side B:
- “ATWA“
- “Science“
- “Shimmy“
- “Toxicity“
- “Psycho“
- “Aerials“
- “Der Voghormia“
7″ single:
- Side A: “Johnny“
- Side B: custom “25” etching design
