Background
“Gangnam Style” is a Korean neologism that refers to a lifestyle associated with the Gangnam district[12] of Seoul,[13] where people are trendy, hip and exude a certain supposed “class”. The term was listed in Time‘s weekly vocabulary list as a manner associated with lavish lifestyles in Seoul’s Gangnam district.[14] Psy likened Gangnam District to Beverly Hills, California, and said in an interview that he intended a twisted sense of humor by claiming himself to be “Gangnam Style” when everything about the song, dance, looks, and the music video is far from being such a high class.[15] In another interview with CNN, PSY added that:
People who are actually from Gangnam never proclaim that they are — it’s only the posers and wannabes that put on these airs and say that they are “Gangnam Style” — so this song is actually poking fun at those kinds of people who are trying so hard to be something that they’re not.—[16]
The song talks about “the perfect girlfriend who knows when to be refined and when to get wild.”[17] The song assists in defining this by the singer exclaiming “Ehhhhh Sexy Lady!” The song’s refrain “오빤 강남 스타일 (Oppan Gangnam style)” has been translated as “Big brother is Gangnam style”, with Psy referring to himself;[18][19] “Oppa” is a Korean expression used by females to refer to an older male friend or older brother.[20]
The music was composed by Psy and Yoo Gun-hyung, a producer in South Korea who also collaborated with Psy in the past. Yoo also arranged the song while Psy was responsible for the lyrics.
[edit]Reception
“Gangnam Style” has managed to catch the attention of media outlets around the world including Thomson Reuters,[21] The New York Times,[22] The Bergen County Record,[23] the Los Angeles Times,[24] The Huffington Post,[25] The Herald Sun,[26] The Atlantic,[27] the CBC,[28] The Vancouver Observer,[29] The Wall Street Journal,[30] ABC News,[19] USA Today,[31] Bloomberg,[32] ESPN,[33] Le Point,[34] Libération[35] Le Nouvel Observateur,[36] BBC,[37] VH1,[38] and the Financial Times.[39]
Maura Judkis of The Washington Post wrote, “‘Gangnam Style’ has made an extraordinarily stupid-looking dance move suddenly cool”.[40] The German weekly news magazine Der Spiegel similarly attributed the growing popularity of “Gangnam Style” to its daring dance moves.[41] Mesfin Fekadu of the Associated Press wrote that PSY is “currently having a pop culture moment.” PSY’s dance moves are “somewhat bizarre” but the music video is full of “colorful, lively outfits.” He also remarked that Psy “is excited his colorful style is being celebrated in the United States, and around the world.”[42]
Matt Miller, a host from the business and financial news broadcaster Bloomberg Television, played “Gangnam Style” during his show, because “it’s just a super hot video that has gone astronomically viral.” He also said that PSY did say on CNN that he wants to make people laugh even in the midst of all these global economic slowdowns, “so that’s the Wall Street tie-in” he needed.[32]
Although “Gangnam Style” has been met with largely positive reactions, some have found it wacky or even vulgar.[43] Matt Buchanan and Scott Ellis of The Sydney Morning Herald wrote that the video “makes no sense at all to most Western eyes” and it “makes you wonder if you have accidentally taken someone else’s medication.”[44] Paul Lester of The Guardian labelled it as “generic ravey Euro dance with guitars”.[45] and Robert Myers of The Village Voice called it “an inspired piece of silliness”.[46]
Other national daily newspapers and public broadcasting networks that have reported on “Gangnam Style” include:
| Country | Reporter/Journalist Source |
Quote |
|---|---|---|
 Belgium |
Gunter Van Assche De Morgen |
Het onzichtbare paard in het dwaze dansje zou een metafoor zijn voor de bezits-drang van de mens[47] [ The invisible horse in this silly dance is like a metaphor that represents man’s desire to be rich ] |
 Chile |
La Nación | Las locaciones escogidas fueron el frontis de La Moneda, la Plaza de Armas…[48] [The chosen locations (of a Gangnam Style flashmob “for the education“) were the La Moneda façade, the Plaza de Armas… ] |
 China |
People’s Daily | 韩国歌手Psy的“神曲”《江南style》…[49] [ 《Gangnam Style》, a “legendary song” by Korean singer Psy… ] |
 Finland |
Ilta-Sanomat | Unohtakaa Macarena, tässä tulee hevostanssi![50] [ Forget about “Macarena“, here comes the horse dance! ] |
 France |
Stéphane Lagarde Radio France Internationale |
“Gangnam Style”, la très addictive danse du cheval[51] [ “Gangnam Style”, the highly addictive horse dance ] |
 Germany |
Jan Augustiny Stern |
Er (Psy) sieht aus wie Kim Jong-Il…[52] [He (Psy) looks like Kim Jong-Il…] |
 Guatemala |
Prensa Libre | …la clásica historia de “chico busca chica” adaptada al acomodado barrio de Gangnam[53] [ …the classical tale of “boy looking for a girl” adapted to the wealthy district of Gangnam ] |
 India |
Shonali Muthalaly The Hindu |
He’s (Psy’s) willing to laugh at the world, and himself. And this sharp subversive humour is what elevates the song from catchy to memorable.[54] |
 Israel |
Lahav Harkov The Jerusalem Post |
Gangnam Style – the Korean pop hit that took the world by storm. Israeli artist Agent K made his own version, “Jewish Style”, which borders on offensive with its extensive use of stereotypes[55] |
 Mongolia |
Khash Erdene The UB Post |
Of course, it’s just a music video, and a silly one at that.[56] |
 Montenegro |
Mirela Hodžić Vijesti |
“Najpoznatiji i najpopularniji svjetski jezik je muzika”, kaže PSY “[57] [ “The most popular foreign language is music”, says PSY ] |
 Paraguay |
La Nación | …flashmob sobre ‘Gangnam Style’ surgió de una reunión informal de los productores del programa K-Chang[58] [ The “Gangnam Style” flashmob was suggested in an informal meeting between producers of the K-Chang show (Local K-Pop radio show) ] |
 Peru |
Radio Programas del Perú |
G-Dragon celoso pero orgulloso del éxito de PSY con Gangnam Style[59] [ G-Dragon is jealous but also proud of PSY’s success with Gangnam Style ] |
 Poland |
TVN24 | Zobacz jak “Gangnam Style” tańczyło całe “Dzień Dobry TVN“[60] [ Look how our crew at Dzień Dobry TVN (TV Programme) danced to “Gangnam Style” ] |
 Portugal |
Pedro Fernandes Rádio e Televisão de Portugal |
Ehhh Passos Coelho… Gamar com style”[61] [ Ehhh Passos Coelho (Portuguese Prime Minister)… steal with style ] |
 Qatar |
Al Jazeera | K-pop diplomacy: South Korea’s soft power goes Gangnam Style.[62] |
 Russia |
Boris Barabanov Kommersant |
За этот короткий срок Сай успел стать не только рекордсменом, но и любимцем всей музыкальной индустрии[63] [ In this short amount of time, Psy has not only become a record-holder, but also a darling of the entire music industry ] |
 South Africa |
Jakie May The Sunday Times |
The crazily cheesy music video ‘Gangnam Style’ opens with a beautiful young woman fanning a man’s chubby face[64] |
 Sweden |
Hanna Fahl Dagens Nyheter |
En världshit med välproducerat dansgolvsbeat och oemotståndligt klistrig refräng – på koreanska[65] [A worldwide hit with a well-produced dance floor beat and an irresistable, inescapable refrain – in Korean] |
[edit]Music video
The music video shows Psy performing a comical horse-riding dance and appearing in unexpected locations around the Gangnam District, such as an outdoor yoga session and a hot tub. He wears several distinctive suits and black sunglasses with a mindset of “dress classy and dance cheesy”.[66] It features a “skewering [of] the Gangnam image” by the “non-Gangnam PSY”; this parody would be recognizable to viewers familiar to Korean culture.[67]
In K-pop, it is routine to have cameos by celebrities in a music video, such as in the dance scenes in the elevator and the parking garage.[27] Making appearances in the music video are:
- 4minute member Hyuna playing PSY’s love interest and appearing in the two final dance sequences.[68][69]
- BIGBANG members Daesung and Seungri appear in the video as two old men playing a board game in the park; they are the two men flying in the background after the explosion.[70]
- Hwang Min-woo, a 5-year-old boy who is seen dancing at the beginning of the video. During an interview with CNN, PSY stated that “the night before the music video shoot, I was watchingKorea’s Got Talent and saw him dance to Michael Jackson. His moves were ridiculous. So we called him up and asked him to be in the music video, which was shooting the very next day, and he came and it all worked out.”[16][69] He has been praised for his eye-catching dance moves that has received a lot of attention from viewers.[71]
- Comedian/television personality, Korea’s Nation emcee Yoo Jae-Suk, in a dance duel with PSY.[68][69]
- Comedian/television personality, No Hongchul, dancing in an elevator with his trademark pelvis-thrusting, with PSY rapping underneath him. Although some viewers found it offensive, it was only intended to be funny.[68][69]
The music video shows PSY dancing at various locations in Gangnam.[68] Although there are more than ten different locations featured, only two of the scenes are actually filmed in the Gangnam district. The sauna scene, elevator scene, bathroom scene were filmed in places including Gyeonggi Province or Incheon.[72]
According to The Guardian, Psy has waived his copyright to the music video. Although this has not been officially verified, it is likely that Psy has simply refrained from taking legal action against parodies of his video. This stands in high contrast to many western hip-hop stars who are reluctant to relinquish control of their intellectual property in the same way. “Gangnam Style” is therefore a video that is “born to spawn”.[73]
[edit]Effect of social media
Deborah Netburn of the Los Angeles Times called it “one of the greatest videos ever to be uploaded to YouTube.”[74]
The video was uploaded on July 15, 2012.[2] It overtook Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” to reach the number one position on the YouTube Top 100 Music Videos during the week of August 28, 2012.[12][75] On September 1, it overtook Girls’ Generation‘s “Gee” to become the most viewed K-pop video on YouTube. Although “Call Me Maybe” has had unusually strong staying power, averaging over 1.5 million views each day, “Gangnam Style” increased to an average of over 9 million views per day within just 2 months. This is mainly because “Call Me Maybe” remained largely a North American trend, whereas “Gangnam Style”‘s popularity is not confined to the United States.[76] On September 13, 2012, Gangnam Style became the most liked video on YouTube with over 1.6 million likes,[77] beating LMFAO‘s “Party Rock Anthem” for the number one spot.[78] On September 20, 2012, “Gangnam Style”, with 2,141,758 likes, was officially recognized by theGuinness World Records as the most “liked” video in YouTube history.[11]
About 47% of the views came from the United States, 7% from the United Kingdom, 6.8% from Canada and 4% from South Korea.[79] During the time period from September 11 to September 18, the number of Facebook and Twitter shares of the “Gangnam Style” music video almost quadrupled from about 200,000 to more than 700,000. [80] By the end of September 2012, out of the 10 most viral videos in the Internet, five were videos related to “Gangnam Style”.[81]
[edit]Celebrity tweets and comments
According to The Wall Street Journal, T-Pain was among the first to have “sent [the video] to the stratosphere” when he tweeted about it on July 29.[82][83] It was then picked up by Neetzan Zimmerman from the social blog Gawker, who asked “Did this underground Hip Hop artist from South Korea just release the Best Music Video of the Year?”[84] on July 30.
This was soon followed by Robbie Williams,[85] Britney Spears,[86] Katy Perry,[45] Tom Cruise,[87] Joseph Gordon-Levitt[88] and William Gibson[89], who have either commented about or shared the video with their fans via Twitter.
Reaction videos and parodies have been made for or with the music respectively. Some of these user generated videos have received international media recognition. Among the earliest videos that have caught the attention of the media was “PSY Gangnam Style MV Reaction”, which was uploaded by Katy and Mindy Anderson on July 18, 2012, and thus was the earliest notable reaction video.[90] “Gangnam Style”-related videos have also been uploaded by Cody Simpson,[91] Nelly Furtado,[92] Seungri,[93] Latino,[94] Fine Brothers,[95] Barely Political,[96] the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheerleaders,[97] The Ohio University Marching 110,[98] and The Annoying Orange.[99]
The earliest notable parody of “Gangnam Style” was “Kpop Music Mondays : Psy ‘Gangnam Style'”, which was uploaded on July 23 uploaded by Simon and Martina Stawski.[82] As the song became mainstream, numerous other parodies were uploaded, including one by North Korean government under the title “I’m Yushin style!” at the government website Uriminzokkiri.[100] A parody of South Korea’s ruling conservative party presidential candidate Park Geun-hye, it shows a photo-shopped image of her performing the horse-riding dance, and mocks her as a devoted admirer of the “Yushin” system of autocratic rule set up by her father, Park Chung-hee.[5][101]
Tradisional Indonesia 