SERJ TANKIAN Explains SYSTEM OF A DOWN’s “Banana Terracotta Pie” Lyric

System Of A Down‘s 2005 file Hypnotize has loads of bangers on it, together with “Neighborhood Of Obscenity”. And in case you’ve ever heard that track, then you recognize the repeating lyrics round “Banana terracotta pie.” Given System Of A Down‘s standard penchant for all issues political, certainly banana terracotta pie symbolizes one thing, proper? Nope.

In an interview with Legendary Kitchen, Tankian defined that the lyric basically means nothing and was only a enjoyable factor so as to add in.

“I imply, you recognize, it is Dada-esque, principally. I like creating relationships between issues that do not have a pre-existing one. I used to be considering of banana. I do not know the way it even got here up in my head, however banana terracotta pie. Like, I am considering, ‘okay, so it is a banana. The place is the terracotta? Like, what does that should do with the worth of beans, proper?’

“So, it is type of… what I do bear in mind is our producer, Rick Rubin. At first, he was identical to, after we have been enjoying it in rehearsals, it was simply the track. I am unable to even say he… Like, he did not prefer it in any respect. Like, he was identical to, we would play it, and he’d simply be like, ‘what’s that?’ Like, he would simply be like… By the point that we truly went via recording it and he had heard it sufficient instances, he mentioned, it is one in all my favourite songs on the file. I am unable to think about placing out this file with out this track.

“It is a kind of that simply type of problem you into loving it, you recognize?”

On the juxtaposition of deeply political lyrics and ridiculous ones like “banana terracotta pie”, Tankian defined that solely preaching to their viewers would not have gone over effectively.

“[Ridiculous lyrics] makes it extra palatable, as a result of in case you simply preach, nobody’s gonna hear. However in case you’re laughing, in case you’re doing, you recognize… like, you gave the ‘Jail Track’ as an important instance, you recognize? After which Daron [Malakian, guitarist and vocalist] is available in together with his type of humorous, ‘purchase my crack, my smack, my bitch,’ no matter.

“And he is identical to, humorous. You already know, it is like… All of the sudden there is a gentle temper, after which growth, growth, growth, growth, growth, growth. Severe, critical, gentle temper, you recognize? It is like, similar with the music. Quick, sluggish, sluggish, quick, you recognize, or heavy and mellow, no matter.”