One scene briefly shows Serj eating chop suey with some fans, the only reference to the title dish in either the song or the video. Editing devices are used to create the effect of the band members 'walking through' one another and teleporting on and off the stage. The video, directed by the acclaimed Marcos Siega, contains footage from two live concerts, in which all of the band members except Serj are shirtless. Hence the line, 'I cry when angels deserve to die.' The lyrics 'Why have you forsaken me?' and 'Father, into your hands I commend my spirit' are references to Jesus' death on the cross, as they were two of the seven things Jesus said while dying. Like, if I were now to die from a drug abuse, they might say I deserved it because I abused dangerous drugs.

In an interview, Daron Malakian explained, 'the song is about how we are regarded differently depending on how we pass. It was never actually banned completely from the air, but all Clear Channel Radio stations were advised against playing 'Chop Suey!' (And the other songs on the list.) The song was included on the '500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born' list by Blender magazine. The album it appears on, Toxicity, was Number 1 on the charts during the week of the September 11, 2001, attacks and the controversy surrounding the popular single at the time led to Clear Channel Radio placing the song on a list of post-9/11 inappropriate titles.

System of a down chop suey demo