"Gangnam Style" is the music video by South Korean singer Psy premiered on July 15, 2012, on the video-sharing website YouTube and was later made available to download digitally on October 19.[1] It was directed by Cho Soo-hyun and was filmed in Seoul in July 2012 over the course of 48 hours. In the video, Psy "pokes fun at the style of Seoul's Gangnam District, a flashy district known for its affluence, high rents, high expectations and a focus on the high-status lifestyle".[2] The video is currently the tenth most-viewed video and the eleventh most-liked video on YouTube, as well as the 19th most-disliked. On December 21, 2012, the music video set a record for the first video to surpass 1 billion views on the platform.[3] It subsequently surpassed 2 billion, 3 billion, 4 billion, and 5 billion views in June 2014,[4] November 2017 and March 2021, and December 2023,[5] respectively.
From September 29 to October 1, 2024, the original YouTube video was blocked by SESAC.
Production
The music video is directed by Cho Soo-hyun, who also directed the music video for Psy's follow-up single "Gentleman" and the music video for "This Love" by Shinhwa.[6] It 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 "dress classy and dance cheesy" mindset. It features a "skewering [of] the Gangnam image" by the "non-Gangnam Psy"; this parody would be recognizable to viewers familiar with Korean culture.[7][8] 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 and bathroom scene were filmed elsewhere in the greater Seoul region,[9] and some shots were filmed in World Trade Center Seoul and the Songdo International Business District, which includes Songdo Central Park and International Business District Station.[10] The video was shot over 48 hours in July 2012.[11][12]
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.[13] The guests in the music video include:
4Minute member Hyuna, who dances in the subway car and attracts Psy's attention.[8][12]
Hwang Min-woo, a 7-year-old boy who dances at the beginning of the video. During an interview with CNN, Psy stated that "the night before the music video shoot, I was watching Korea'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."[12] He has been praised for his eye-catching dance moves that have received a lot of attention from viewers.[14][15]
Comedian/television personality Korea's Nation emceeYoo Jae-suk, who engages in a dance duel with Psy.[8][12]
Comedian/television personality Noh Hong-chul, who does his trademark pelvis-thrusting dance in an elevator while Psy raps underneath him.[8][12]
The music was composed by Psy and Yoo Gun-hyung, a producer in South Korea who has also collaborated with Psy in the past. Yoo also arranged the song while Psy was responsible for the lyrics.
Synopsis
Psy and Noh Hong-chul, in the elevator scene in the music video of "Gangnam Style".
The video starts out with Psy, who is lounging at what looks like a sandy beach, under a sun umbrella and holding a cold drink, but the camera zooms out to reveal he is actually at a playground.[13] The video then alternates between the playground, where a boy (Hwang Min-woo) dances next to him; and a row of horses in stalls, where Psy performs his signature "invisible horse dance".[16] As Psy and two girls walk through a parking garage, they are pelted by pieces of newspaper, trash, and snow.[11] At a sauna, dressed in a blue towel, Psy rests his head on a fat man's shoulder while another man covered in tattoos is stretching. He then sings in front of two men playing Janggi (Korean chess), dances with a woman at a tennis court, and bounces around on a tour bus of seniors. The scenes alternate quickly until there is an explosion near the chess players (portrayed by Big Bang members Seungri and Daesung), causing them to jump off the bench. Psy immediately walks towards the camera, pointing and shouting "Oppan Gangnam Style". The chorus starts as he and some dancers perform at a horse stable. He dances as two women walk backwards. He dances at the tennis court, a carousel, and the tour bus. He shuffles into an outdoor yoga session and on a boat. The camera zooms in on a woman's buttocks, then shows Psy "yelling" at it.[11][12]
The chorus ends and he is seen at a parking lot, where Psy is approached by a man (Yoo Jae-suk) in a yellow suit who steps out of a red Mercedes-Benz SLK 200; they have a dance duel. He then appears in an elevator underneath a man (Noh Hong-chul) who is straddling him and thrusting his pelvis. The man in the yellow suit then gets in his car and leaves. The camera pans and it shows Psy in the subway station, where he boards the train and notices a young woman (Hyuna) dancing. At one of the train stops, he approaches the girl in slow motion, and she does the same. They start to embrace. He then tells the girl "Oppan Gangnam Style", and they horse dance along with some others at the train station, commencing the second chorus. He also surfaces from a spa hot tub.[11][12][note 1]
Psy sings to the girl at a night club as people in various costumes walk behind them. He raps in a serious tone in an enclosed space, but when he says "You know what I'm saying" the camera zooms out, and it is revealed that he is actually sitting on a toilet with his pants down.[11] Psy, the girl, and the group of people in costumes do the horse dance and strike a final pose. After a brief reprise of the dance duel, Psy says, "Oppan Gangnam style", and the video finishes with a cartoon graphic of Psy at the stable.
Following its July 15 release, "Gangnam Style" 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.[17] On September 1, it overtook Girls' Generation's "Gee" to become the most viewed K-pop video on YouTube.[18] 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 nine million views per day within just two months. Sixty-two percent of viewers were male, and those aged between 13 and 17 represented the biggest group.[19]
The earliest video to catch the attention of media networks outside South Korea was "Psy Gangnam Style MV Reaction", which was uploaded by Katie and Mindy Anderson on July 18, 2012. The Andersons were subsequently interviewed by Evan Ramstad from The Wall Street Journal a few weeks later.[28] In his article published on August 6, 2012, Ramstad also included "Kpop Music Mondays: PSY Gangnam Style", a review and parody of "Gangnam Style" uploaded on July 23 by K-pop video bloggers Simon and Martina Stawski, a Canadian couple living in Seoul. This makes the Stawski's video the earliest parody featured in an American newspaper.[20] On August 8, 2012, Ramstad appeared on WSJ Live, and he mentioned the Andersons and the Stawskis again, before claiming that "a lot of Koreans are also making their own parodies of 'Gangnam Style'".[29]
On September 3, 2012, the number of daily views generated by "Gangnam Style" went past the five-million mark.[30] By the end of September, it had topped the iTunes charts in 31 countries.[31]
1) Earliest notable reaction video by K-pop fans Katie and Mindy Anderson, uploaded to YouTube on July 18, 2012 2) Earliest notable parody by K-pop bloggers Simon and Martina Stawski, uploaded on July 23 3a) Shared on the social news website Reddit, July 28 3b) Earliest celebrity comment by Robbie Williams on his personal blog, July 28 3c) Featured in the foreign tabloid newspaper Ilta-Sanomat, in Finland, July 28 4) First celebrity tweet by T-Pain, July 29 5) Picked up by Neetzan Zimmerman from the social blog Gawker, July 30 6) Picked up by the British political commentator Andrew Sullivan, who blogs about the video on The Daily Beast, August 1 7) Featured in CNN International and The Wall Street Journal, August 3 8) Nelly Furtado performs "Gangnam Style" at her concert in the Philippines, August 16 9) Psy performs "Gangnam Style" at Dodger Stadium, August 20. This marks his first public appearance in the United States 10) Katy Perry shares the "Gangnam Style" music video with her 25 million followers on Twitter, August 21 11) Psy appears on VH1 with Carrie Keagan and Jason Dundas, August 22. This marks his first appearance in a US television show
Video views per week, illustrating viral growth to peak viewership in the eleventh week.[39]
Cumulative views for the first year, leading to stable long-term growth rate[39]
"Gangnam Style" reached the unprecedented milestone of one billion YouTube views on December 21, 2012. A spoof documentary by videographer Simon Gosselin[40] was posted on YouTube and had promoted 2012 doomsday rumors across social media services such as Facebook and Twitter that linked "Gangnam Style" to a fake Nostradamus prophecy.[41] On December 21, at around 15:50 UTC, the video's YouTube page updated with 1,000,382,639 views.[42] YouTube specially marked the video's accomplishments with a cartoon dancing Psy animated icon, added first by the site logo,[43] and later next to the video's view counter when it exceeded a billion views.[44] On April 6, 2013, the video on YouTube reached 1.5 billion views.[45] On June 1, 2014, the music video reached two billion views.[46]
On December 3, 2014, the video reached 2.1 billion views (close to the largest representable number in a 32-bit binary system), and YouTube jokingly wrote on Google+ that it had to change the view counting system to prevent an integer overflow.[47][48] In fact, YouTube had already updated to a 64-bit integer months before.[49][50] On January 19, 2016, the video reached 2.5 billion views. On November 25, 2017, the video surpassed 3 billion views.[51]
According to a research by Eötvös University and Ericsson Research in Hungary; and Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States, the geographical source of the viral spread of the video is the Philippines and not in South Korea where the video was produced.[52][53] The researchers concluded the origin of the viral spread after analyzing data in Twitter and verifying the spreading pattern through Google Trends.[54][53]
Records
The video has held five records in YouTube history: most-viewed video (held for 1,689 days; surpassed on July 10, 2017, by Wiz Khalifa's "See You Again"), most-rated video (surpassed on February 19, 2017, by "See You Again"), most-discussed video (current), most-liked video (held for 1,444 days; surpassed on August 27, 2016, by "See You Again"), and fastest video to reach 1 billion views (surpassed on January 18, 2016, by Adele's "Hello")
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Critical reception
The music video of "Gangnam Style" has been met with positive responses from the music industry and commentators, who drew attention to its tone and dance moves, though some found them vulgar.[56] Another notable aspect that helped popularise the video was its comical dance moves that can be easily copied, such as the pelvic thrust during the elevator scene.[57] The United Nations hailed Psy as an "international sensation" because of the popularity of his "satirical" video clip and its "horse-riding-like dance moves".[58] As such, the music video spawned a dance craze unseen since the Macarena of the mid-1990s.[59][60]
The World Bank's lead economist David McKenzie remarked that some of Psy's dance moves "kind of look like a regression discontinuity",[61] while the space agency NASA called "Gangnam Style" a dance-filled music video that has forever entered the hearts and minds of millions of people.[62] Melissa Locker of Time noted that "it's hard not to watch again ...and again ...and again",[63] while CNN reporter Shanon Cook told the audience that she had watched "Gangnam Style" about 15 times.[64]
The German news magazine Der Spiegel attributed the popularity of "Gangnam Style" to its daring dance moves,[65] a sentiment similarly voiced by Maura Judkis of The Washington Post, who wrote, "'Gangnam Style' has made an extraordinarily stupid-looking dance move suddenly cool".[66] The video was also positively reviewed by Steve Knopper from Rolling Stone, who called "Gangnam Style" an astoundingly great K-pop video that has all the best elements of hypnotically weird one-hit wonders and hopes that "PSY gets filthy rich from this".[67]
Mesfin Fekadu of the Associated Press wrote that Psy's dance moves are "somewhat bizarre" but that the music video is full of colorful, lively outfits.[68] 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",[69] whereas Deborah Netburn of the Los Angeles Times called it "one of the greatest videos ever to be uploaded to YouTube."[70]
As of January 2015, Billboard named the video as one of the 20 best music videos of the 2010s (so far).[71]
↑ In the Rolling Stone interview, Psy says he copied the spa surfacing scene from the music video for Lady Gaga's "Poker Face".
Related Research Articles
Gangnam District is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea. The term Gangnam translates to "South of the [Han] River". Gangnam District is the third largest district in Seoul, with an area of 39.5 km2 (15.3 sq mi). As of the 2024 census, Gangnam District had a population of 556,570. There is a high concentration of wealth in the district, with prices for an apartment as of 2024 more than double those in the rest of Seoul. Gangnam District is part of Gangnam School District Eight, along with the Seocho District. This district shares half of Gangnam-daero Gangnam Station area with Seocho District, which is one of the most crowded places in South Korea.
Kim Hyun-ah, known professionally as Hyuna, is a South Korean singer-songwriter, rapper and model. She debuted as a member of the girl group Wonder Girls in February 2007. Upon leaving the ensemble shortly after, Hyuna subsequently left JYP Entertainment and joined the girl group 4Minute. The group debuted in June 2009 under Cube Entertainment. In 2010, Hyuna began a solo career with a style she described as "performance-oriented music". Her solo debut single "Change" charted at number-two on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart.
Park Jae-sang, better known by his stage name Psy, is a South Korean rapper and singer-songwriter. Known domestically for his humorous music videos and performances and internationally for his hit single "Gangnam Style", he has received numerous accolades, including an American Music Award, ten MAMA Awards, and a World Music Award.
"Gangnam Style" is a K-pop song by South Korean singer and rapper Psy, released on July 15, 2012, by YG Entertainment as the lead single of his sixth studio album, Psy 6, Part 1. The term "Gangnam Style" is a neologism that refers to the nouveau riche lifestyles associated with the Gangnam region of Seoul.
"Gangnam Style" is a single released by South Korean singer Psy on July 15, 2012. It achieved widespread international recognition and became the most viewed YouTube video, becoming the first video to gain a billion views on December 21, 2012. "Gangnam Style"'s unprecedented worldwide popularity was acknowledged by YouTube, who called it a "massive" hit at a global level "unlike anything we've ever seen before" while Billboard noted that "Gangnam Style" was nothing short of a pop culture phenomenon. As a result, it has influenced worldwide popular culture in many aspects.
"Fantastic Baby" is a song recorded by South Korean boy band Big Bang. It was released as a single for digital download and streaming by YG Entertainment on February 29, 2012, in conjunction with the release of the band's fourth extended play (EP), Alive (2012). The song was written by members T.O.P, G-Dragon and long-time group collaborator Teddy Park, whilst production and composition was handled by the latter two contributors. A boisterous, sonic and dynamic EDM track, "Fantastic Baby" incorporates a multitude of hooks and catchphrases—most notably "Wow, fantastic baby" and "boom shakalaka".
Melting is the second extended play (EP) by South Korean singer Hyuna. It was released on October 21, 2012, by Cube Entertainment. "Ice Cream" was released as the lead single.
This is the discography of the South Korean singer Psy. He is well known for his humorous videos and stage performances, and for his hit single "Gangnam Style", a song about where he came from and which talks about the life of the people of Gangnam, which is a neighborhood in Seoul, South Korea. and his follow-up single "Gentleman".
"Ice Cream" is a song recorded by South Korean singer Hyuna, and it was taken from her second extended play, Melting.
Yoo Gun-hyung is a South Korean record producer. He was credited with production on PSY's 2012 single "Gangnam Style".
Hwang Min-woo is a South Korean teenaged actor, singer and dancer. He is best known for his appearance in the music video for the 2012 international hit single "Gangnam Style".
Psy from the Psycho World! is the debut album by South Korean singer Psy. The album was released on January 19, 2001. The album contains 19 songs and was later released worldwide through iTunes. Track 11 "I Love Sex" is a re-make of Lee Jung-hyun's song "I Love X", featured on her debut album Let's Go to My Star. Commercially, the album had sold nearly 124,000 copies by the end of 2001 and was the 75th best-selling album of the year in South Korea.
3 Mai is the third studio album by South Korean singer Psy, released on September 19, 2002 by Pan Entertainment. It contains 15 songs, including the two singles "Champion" and "Paradise". By February 2003, the album sold over 135,000 copies in South Korea.
"Gentleman" is a K-pop song by South Korean singer Psy released on April 12, 2013 (KST), serving as his 19th single. The song serves as the follow-up to his international hit single "Gangnam Style", which at the time of "Gentleman"'s release had been viewed on YouTube over 1.5 billion times. The first public performance of the song, with its associated dance, was unveiled at 6:30 pm on April 13 at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul. A poster and Twitter message was released containing the main line of the song "I'm a mother f••••• gentleman", The obscured word was later revealed to be "father". In 2013, Psy stated that he had no plans to release an album including the song or a sequel to it.
"Daddy" is a song by South Korean singer Psy featuring CL of 2NE1. It was originally slated for release in 2014; however, the release of the song was pushed back to November 30, 2015, in order to make further improvements. It was made available to digital outlets through YG Entertainment as the lead single of his sixth studio album Chiljip Psy-da (2015). It samples hooks derived from will.i.am's 2007 song "I Got It from My Mama". An accompanying music video for "Daddy" was posted to his YouTube channel in conjunction with the single's release, and became his third music video to surpass 500 million views on the platform in June 2020.
"Bar Bar Bar" is the second single album, and fourth single overall by Crayon Pop. It was released digitally on June 20, 2013 by Chrome Entertainment and distributed by CJ E&M Music. "Bar Bar Bar" became a viral hit in late July, eventually reaching number one on Billboard's K-Pop Hot 100 chart and number three on the Gaon Digital Chart.
The following is a list of notable events and releases that happened in 2012 in music in South Korea.
References
↑ "Gangnam Style". iTunes. Psy. October 19, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
↑ "Invisible Horse Dance: The Business of 'Gangnam Style'". Knowledge@Wharton High School. University of Pennsylvania. September 27, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2014. The signature move of the video has been called the 'invisible horse dance' because it mimics a bouncing/riding movement with hand gestures of alternating holding reigns and lassoing.
↑ Sullivan, Andrew (August 1, 2012). "Mental Health Break". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on November 14, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
↑ "End of the world: Gangnam Style?". Agence France-Presse. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved August 21, 2014. The only hiccup is this so-called thesis writer is actually Simon Gosselin, a blogger and videographer who invented everything for fun.
↑ "Psy's Gangnam Style indicating Dec 21 doomsday?". India Times. Agence France-Presse. December 5, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2014. An obvious fake, the quote has its origins in a spoof five-minute "documentary" posted on YouTube that has garnered up 1.5 million views and ties Nostradamus and Psy to the December 21 apocalypse prophesied by the Mayans.
↑ Gruger, William (December 18, 2012). "'Gangnam Style' Leads YouTube's Top Trending Videos of 2012". Billboard. Retrieved August 21, 2014. While browsing videos on YouTube the past day you may have noticed that the site's icon in the upper lefthand corner has been taken over by a .gif of PSY and his all too familiar dance.
↑ "Gangnam Style hits one billion views on YouTube". BBC. December 21, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2014. The video's YouTube hit counter added a dancing Psy animation after it hit the one billion milestone
↑ "Justin Bieber to record US version of Psy's 'Gangnam Style'?". MediaCorp Interactive. August 14, 2012. Archived from the original on November 23, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2014. While the music video has been viewed over 28 million times on video sharing site YouTube, and has been praised for its catchy rhythm as well as its wacky 'horse dance', not everyone is impressed – his detractors have labelled his music vulgar.
↑ Buchanan, Matt; Ellis, Scott (August 28, 2012). "Hit video may have a subversive message". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved August 21, 2014. This is an almost Dada-esque series of vignettes that make no sense at all to most Western eyes. Psy spits in the air while a child breakdances, sings to horses, strolls through a hurricane that shoots whipped cream in his face, there's [sic] explosions, a disco bus, he rides a merry-go-round, dances on boats, beaches, in car parks and in elevators and generally makes you wonder if you have accidentally taken someone else's medication.
↑ Netburn, Deborah (August 28, 2012). "'Gangnam Style' live: New Psy video blows up on YouTube". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 21, 2014. I think we can all agree that K-Pop singer Psy's music video 'Gangnam Style' is one of the greatest videos ever to be uploaded to YouTube.
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