"I-E-A-I-A-I-O" | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
"I-E-A-I-A-I-O" cover | |||||
Song by System of a Down
from the album Steal This Album! | |||||
Released | November 26, 2002 | ||||
Format | CD, Airplay | ||||
Recorded | 2002 | ||||
Genre | Metal | ||||
Length | 3:07 | ||||
Label | American/Columbia | ||||
Writer | Serj Tankian, Daron Malakian, Shavo Odadjian, John Dolmayan | ||||
Producer | Rick Rubin, Daron Malakian | ||||
Steal This Album! track listing | |||||
|
"I-E-A-I-A-I-O" is a song by the band System of a Down from the Steal This Album! record.
General Information[]
During the Toxicity/Steal This Album! recording sessions, the song made its first studio appearance. It was leaked onto the internet, labelled "Why?", along with several other songs under the unofficial name Toxicity II. The most notable difference between the demo and the final is that the song contains the other band members' vocals. The first make of the song was played during their Las Vegas show in 2000 and was named K.I.T.T., being based on the Knight Rider show.
The song is characterized by exceptionally fast-spoken verses, akin to Tongue-twisters, including, "Peter's pecker picked another pickle bearing pussy pepper", "Meeting John Dale Jr., winked an eye, point a finger", "A former cop undercover, just got shot, now recovered" and "Fighting crime with a partner, Lois Lane, Jimmy Carter." The chorus is an abstract chanting of the title.
In addition, the song contains a brief excursion into a stylized version of the theme from the television show Knight Rider.
This is also the only song that drummer John Dolmayan sings in. He sings the chorus of I-E-A-I-A-I-O along with Shavo, Serj, and Daron. This is also the only System song that John has a writing credit.
Interpretation[]
As with many System of a Down songs, there are supposed double meanings. For this song, some of the possible meanings are a journalist digging up dirt on a politician, and the western world's obsession with gadgets and trinkets (plutonium wedding rings). I-E-A-I-A-I-O are the vowels inside the word I-D-E-A-L-I-Z-A-T-I-O-N, as well as I-L-L-E-G-A-L-I-Z-A-T-I-O-N, L-I-B-E-R-A-L-I-Z-A-T-I-O-N, I-N-T-E-R-N-A-L-I-Z-A-T-I-O-N, and I-L-L-E-G-A-L M-I-G-R-A-T-I-O-N.
Also, I-E-A-I-A-I-O is a portion of a mantra or "word of power" described by the English occultist and satanist Aleister Crowley, presumably in parody of numerologically significant syllables uttered in magical ritual that have no meaning without understanding the specific numerology tradition used in the ritual (in this case, Hebraic Gemetria, numerology of Hebrew letters). The I-E-A-I-A-I-O is parodical because it somewhat emulates the sounded choral portion of the traditional children's song, "Old MacDonald Had a Farm". It is said that Aleister Crowley would teach his students the incantation as a sacred and mystical mantra, then after they'd chanted it for a few minutes, begin singing "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" to see if they could keep their meditative concentration instead of laughing.
There are other explanations theorizing that the "One flag", "plutonium wedding-rings" and other strange descriptive shapes, and the sharp, loud tribal drumbeat all add to the conclusion that this song is about the fourth of July - "and we light up the sky" is another strong reference, which could mean the traditional fireworks displays. The lyrics "Why, On the fourth of July" appear in the originally recorded version of the song from the Toxicity recording sessions, but not in the Steal This Album version. The "One flag" and "plutonium wedding-rings" could also be describing the effect after a nuclear bombing, with one flag ruling over all others, radiation affecting all things, and of course this could explain the "As we light up the sky" part of the song.
Although this is a fan speculation, another Interpretation is that the phrases from the bridge form abbreviated and acronym-like words, that being:
Mind Delusions Acquainted (MDA)
Bubbles Erotica (BE)
Plutonium Wedding Rings (PWR)
Icicle Stretchings (IS)
Bicycle Shoestrings (BS)
One Flag (OF)
Flaggy But One (FBO)
Painting the Paintings of the Alive (PPA)
When translated into English words, it spells out a phrase saying "Media back-end power is Bullshit, opposing force for the benefit of propaganda."
John Dolmayan's story of the song[]
According to Dolmayan, the song was inspired by an accidental meeting with David Hasselhoff, the star of Knight Rider when he was a kid.
“ | That was inspired by ‘Knight Rider.’ When I was a kid, I ran into David Hasselhoff at a liquor store in L.A. He was getting a drink, not an alcoholic beverage, a soda or something. He was walking out and I couldn’t believe it! Here was Knight Rider in front of me! And I said, “Knight Rider!” I must have been 12. He looked at me and he goes, “Hey kid,” and he kind of pointed the finger [at me] cowboy style. I told Serj the story, so the lyrics, “Meeting John Dale’s Jr. / Winked an eye and point a finger.” ‘Dale’s Jr.’ was the liquor store. There’s a little insight. That was a fun thing. The band was laughing when I told them that story, because it was one of those moments you have. When are you going to run into Knight Rider?! Could you imagine?! That was a big moment for me. If I ran into Knight Rider today it’d be a big moment. I love Knight Rider! | ” |
— John Dolmayan
|
Setlist:[]
[Verse: Serj Tankian]
Peter's pecker picked another pickle bearin' pussy pepper
Peter's pecker picked another pickle bearin' pussy pepper, why?
Meetin' John at Dale's Jr, winked an eye an' point a finger
Meetin' John at Dale's Jr, winked an eye an' point a finger, why?
A former cop, undercover, just got shot, now recovered
A former cop, undercover, just got shot, now recovered, why?
Fightin' crime with a partner, Lois Lane, Jimmy Carter
Fightin' crime with a partner, Lois Lane, Jimmy Carter, *siren*
[Chorus: Serj Tankian & Daron Malakian]
I-E-A-I-A-I-O
I-E-A-I-A-I-O, why?
And we light up the sky
[Verse: Serj Tankian]
Peter's pecker picked another pickle bearin' pussy pepper
Peter's pecker picked another pickle bearin' pussy pepper, why?
Meetin' John at Dale's Jr, winked an eye an' point a finger
Meetin' John at Dale's Jr, winked an eye an' point a finger, why?
A former cop, undercover, just got shot, now recovered
A former cop, undercover, just got shot, now recovered, why?
Fightin' crime with a partner, Lois Lane, Jimmy Carter
Fightin' crime with a partner, Lois Lane, Jimmy Carter, *siren*
[Chorus: Serj Tankian & Daron Malakian]
I-E-A-I-A-I-O
I-E-A-I-A-I-O, why?
And we light up the sky
I-E-A-I-A-I-O
I-E-A-I-A-I-O, why?
And we light up the sky
[Bridge: Serj Tankian]
Mind illusions acquainted, bubbles erotica
Plutonium wedding rings, icicle stretchings
Bicycles, shoestrings, one flag, flaggy but one
Painting the paintings of the alive
[Chorus: Serj Tankian & Daron Malakian]
I-E-A-I-A-I-O
I-E-A-I-A-I-O, why?
And we light up the sky
I-E-A-I-A-I-O
I-E-A-I-A-I-O, why?
And we light up the sky