System of a Down: Radio/Video Meaning

Radio/Video Lyrics

Hey man! Look at me rockin' out,
I'm on the radio
Hey man! Look at me rockin' out,
I'm on the video
Hey man! Look at me rockin' out,
I'm on the radio
Hey man! Look at me rockin' out,
I'm on the video
With Danny and Lisa,

They take me...

1. 1TOP RATED

   #1 top rated interpretation:
   Smithereenz

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   Nov 29th 2007 !⃝

   Daron Malakian, the group's lead guitarist, is the mastermind behind this song.
   
   This song is about how Daron, along with System of a Down, have become sensationally popular with their music through the last decade. Along with their popularity, comes their songs being played on RADIO stations and shooting VIDEOS for their music. Daron had an epiphany one day while watching a VIDEO of one of his childhood birthday parties. He realized he was at the party with his two best friends or closest cousins, DANNY and LISA. He has not seen them since his childhood. Along with fame comes a lot of stress and hard times, and to help with that, Daron likes to think of the good times when he was younger. THUS, the birthday party with DANNY and LISA - "THEY TAKE ME AWAY FROM THE STRANGEST PLACES, SWEET DANNY AND LISA."
   
   Danny and Lisa haven't seen Daron since childhood and have maybe since forgotten him or don't think of him that much. They probably do now, since SYSTEM has become so popular. The song says, "look at me now." or look how far I've come since our childhood days. "I'M ON THE RADIO/VIDEO!"
   
   To sum it up, System of a Down is famous now, along with fame comes stress, hard times, and strange places. In order to clear his mind, Daron likes to think of his innocent childhood with his pals Danny and Lisa. He likes to go back to the good times and remember them. He simply misses them.
   
   There are no drug references in this song.

2. 2TOP RATED

   #2 top rated interpretation:
   Nocturnal_System

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   Aug 7th 2006 !⃝

   Apparently he got the inspiration for the song when he walked into a record store and heard system on the radio, and he just thought to himself 'hey man look at me rocking out...' and he sort of came up with the image of him when he was younger, just playing with danny and lisa, his friends. And then sort of contrasted it with the image of him playing his music to all the fans, it's quite an interesting concept, I mean I would find it strange if it happened to me.

3. 3TOP RATED

   #3 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Mar 25th 2009 !⃝

   This song has no relation to drugs. Daron said in an interview that Danny and Lisa were two childhood friends, I think that maybe when he was little, Daron's dream was to be a rockstar, maybe Danny and Lisa said that wouldn't happen,thus "hey man look at me rockin out, I'm on the radio/video" Maybe when he thinks about them, they take his mind to a happier place "they take me away from the strangest places, sweet Danny and Lisa"
4. anonymous

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   Jan 13th 2023 !⃝

   The song is about how Daron misses his cousins Danny And Lisa after seeing a video of him playing with them at Shakey's pizza.
5. anonymous

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   Aug 3rd 2020 !⃝

   Hey, you! Yes, You! Stop scrolling for a second! You sir, have a nice cock! gygygygygygygygygygygy ygygygygygygygygy gygygygygygygygy gygygygygygyg yg.
6. anonymous

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   Jul 26th 2014 !⃝

   A pyschophranic person that has multiple personalities.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
7. anonymous

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   Sep 1st 2009 !⃝

   Radio/Video is about S.O.A.D. Not wanting to be in the mainstream , Daron's childhood friends, Danny and Lisa are metaphors to help describe how he is being pacified by the radio, like it is a sort of drug.Its like a subliminal message the way they repeat the lines over and over again.The music also gets more dark and intense as they repeats themselves.
8. anonymous

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   Jul 27th 2009 !⃝

   I think this is basically about a guy who becomes a famous rockstar rocking out on radio and video
   "hey man look at me rocking out, I'm on the radio!"
   
   BUT because he's so famous, he can't see his friends anymore
   "they take me away from Danny and Lisa"
9. lovedust_111

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   Nov 24th 2006 !⃝

   mafu_hungy... ummm how would you know whos wrong or right are you a member of system of a down?

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
10. mafu_hungy

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    Nov 22nd 2006 !⃝

    haha you're all wrong the song is about how the media is always picking on the poor people trying to be famous even just for a day and how much crap is on the media

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
11. lovedust_111

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    Nov 11th 2006 !⃝

    Woah! Thebottomlineismoney... I would have never thought up that!
    
    I thought it was about someone who told them they couldn't make it in the music business and this is there song that says "hey, fuck you we are here"
12. anonymous

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    Oct 10th 2006 !⃝

    Ok this is it..
    
    Danny & lisa are talk show hosts who refused to air soads songs on their program
    
    therefore tankian and malakian used radio/video as a form of revenge and "I told you so"
13. justin

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    Jun 9th 2006 !⃝

    It refers to the promotion of bands and songs through radio and television

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
14. anonymous

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    May 7th 2006 !⃝

    this song is about Darons old friends... He moved away from them when he was 5 years old...

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15. anonymous

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    May 6th 2006 !⃝

    DARON EXPLAINED THIS SONG IN GUITAR WORLD,
    
    he said that it's contrasting memories of his fifth birthday party at shakey's pizza, (prbly watching a VIDEO of it)and the first time he ever heard himself on the radio (sugar was there first single right? or was it spiders? or war? ?
16. anonymous

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    Apr 11th 2006 !⃝

    the song is about several things; literally, it is about daron's childhood friends danny and lisa. if you think for a second, youll see that the song is very mellow and makes listeners feel like theyve gotten high. hence, danny might be a metaphor for music, and lisa can be a metaphor for weed (daron smokes it and wishes to legalize it)

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
17. ANDERSON

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    Apr 4th 2006 !⃝

    I didn't read all the submisions lol but the song is about darron (no suprise) when he was 5 years old he moved away from his to best friends there names were danny and lisa so he wrote that song for them :) what a nice guy
18. anonymous

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    Feb 25th 2006 !⃝

    Danny and Lisa is a radio show.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway

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