# What does "System of a Down" mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 5, 2001, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-system-of-a-down-mean/97114 "2001-12-05T22:36:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-system-of-a-down-mean/97114/21 "2016-01-05T07:32:52Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Pearl Jam refers to semen… Yeah, I remember hearing that back in the day too, but I seem to remember also hearing that it turned out to be just an urban legend, that the name didn’t really mean anything. And if it is just alteration (repetition of the initial word sound,\* Peter Piper picks \*etc.) then it also doesn’t mean anything. ---
**Author:** ![Immemorable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ea666f/32.png) [@Immemorable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Immemorable)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2024, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-system-of-a-down-mean/97114/22 "2024-01-26T13:49:10Z")
There was a game for the Sinclair Spectrum called “System of a Down” back in the 80s. I did some graphics for it. I doubt the band was around then and many of the above explanations of the name seem to be recent inventions. Posted 15 minutes ago # System of a Down ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2024, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-system-of-a-down-mean/97114/23 "2024-01-26T13:57:37Z")
> [@Immemorable](#): > > many of the above explanations of the name seem to be recent inventions How about the explanation that directly quotes the band leader who invented the name? If an obscure Sinclair game existed before the band formed, it’s coincidence. But it’s an odd-sounding name for a game, can you explain why the game had that name? ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2024, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-system-of-a-down-mean/97114/24 "2024-01-26T14:12:11Z")
Here is a claimed origin: [https://www.quora.com/What-does-the-band-name-System-of-a-Down-mean#:~:text=Daron%20Malakian%2C%20band%20lead%20guitarrist,a%20bigger%20numbre%20of%20fans](https://www.quora.com/What-does-the-band-name-System-of-a-Down-mean#:~:text=Daron%20Malakian%2C%20band%20lead%20guitarrist,a%20bigger%20numbre%20of%20fans). And a copy of that poem is at [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFmem5EDqfA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFmem5EDqfA). ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2024, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-system-of-a-down-mean/97114/25 "2024-01-26T14:16:34Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Here is a claimed origin: See the 4th post of the thread. The link still works. ---
**Author:** ![Immemorable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ea666f/32.png) [@Immemorable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Immemorable)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2024, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-system-of-a-down-mean/97114/26 "2024-02-12T10:33:07Z")
Seemed like an odd name to me at the time, and no one explained it. They just wanted it on a Spectrum loading screen, which, if you don’t know, had peculiar colour restrictions that made it difficult to design for. It sounds to me like a computer phrase from the mainframe era. As for the band leader’s explanation, musicians are always quarrelling about pinching riffs off of each other. I think it is subconscious. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2024, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-system-of-a-down-mean/97114/27 "2024-02-12T12:38:03Z")
Was this a commercial game? Are you sure about its title? I just checked a couple of Spectrum databases, including one with over 23K titles, and none have a game or piece of software called “System of a Down.” Was this in the UK market? Elsewhere? What type of game was it? ---
**Author:** ![Immemorable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ea666f/32.png) [@Immemorable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Immemorable)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2024, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-system-of-a-down-mean/97114/28 "2024-02-17T16:01:33Z")
I just did the artwork. The publisher might have been Argus Press (UK), assuming it made it to publication. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2024, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-system-of-a-down-mean/97114/29 "2024-02-17T22:01:49Z")
I’m guessing it didn’t, as there doesn’t seem to be a record of it anywhere. Even checked some Argus Software 30-game compilations, and nothing saying “System of a Down” on it. I don’t disbelieve you worked on such a project–I just don’t think the name of the band has anything to do with it. Not sure what you meant by “musicians are always quarrelling about pinching riffs off of each other. I think it is subconscious.” Are you saying they knew the game and subconsciously named their band after it? Seems unlikely, given this game, if it had been published, is apparently rare enough not to make a database of 23,000 software titles for the Speccy. Any chance that the band name System of a Down is reminding you of something similar, but not exactly the same, that you worked on many years ago? That said, I couldn’t find any Spectrum titles that are even similar. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2024, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-system-of-a-down-mean/97114/30 "2024-02-18T20:23:15Z")
I recognize the name as a popular band from 25 years ago but wouldn’t know them by sight or song. However, my employer’s web baser ERP system (Netsuite) urls are prefixed system.netsuite. so I’ll occasionally open a new tab, type sys and let the browser do the remembering. Except I sometimes use a different PC, browser, private tab, and it brings the search results for sys (or usually system) and the top search hit is always System of a Down. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-system-of-a-down-mean/97114.md?page=1)