System of a Down has made “Johnny” available on streaming platforms for the first time, part of a wider rollout marking the 25th anniversary of Toxicity.
The track had previously surfaced only on international editions of the album and a U.K. 7-inch pressed alongside “Chop Suey!,” never receiving its own standalone release until now.
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Toxicity arrived Sept. 4, 2001, produced by Rick Rubin, and became one of the defining metal albums of its era, fusing heavy riffing with Armenian folk influences and pointedly political lyrics addressing the environment, protest movements and U.S. foreign policy.
The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 — a chart run that fell in the week of the Sept. 11 attacks, a coincidence that shadowed the record’s early rollout, as “Chop Suey!” was pulled from radio playlists over lyrics some deemed sensitive in the moment. Lead single “Chop Suey!” nonetheless became the band’s first song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, part of a run that saw all three of the album’s singles — “Chop Suey!,” “Toxicity” and “Aerials” — reach the chart, with “Aerials” eventually topping both Billboard’s Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock tallies.
Critics and fans connected immediately with the album’s unusual fusion of heavy riffing, progressive structure and Armenian musical heritage, delivered alongside lyrics tackling the environment, protest movements and U.S. foreign policy. Toxicity has since been certified seven-times platinum in the U.S. and two-times platinum in the U.K., with an estimated 15 million units sold worldwide. “Chop Suey!” alone has surpassed 2 billion Spotify streams as of this past May, cementing its status as the band’s signature song.
The anniversary rollout centers on a new vinyl reissue pressed on red smoke-colored vinyl, bundled with a bonus one-sided 7-inch featuring “Johnny” on the A-side and a custom “25” etching on the B-side.
The reissue also corrects a longstanding tracklist error: the hidden closing track, long informally known among fans as “Arto,” is now officially credited as “Der Voghormia,” a traditional Armenian hymn. The package additionally includes a custom double-sided poster, and the reissue is available now for preorder.
