Psy from the Psycho World!

Last updated

Psy from the Psycho World!
Psy from the Psycho World.png
Studio album by
Psy
ReleasedJanuary 19, 2001
Recorded2000
Genre
Length1:04:19
Language Korean
Label Cream Records
Psy chronology
Psy from the Psycho World!
(2001)		 Ssa2
(2002)
Singles from Psy from the Psycho World!
  1. "Bird"
    Released: January 19, 2001
  2. "The End"
    Released: January 19, 2001

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. [1] 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. [2]

Contents

Release and controversy

The full-length debut album is of the rap genre [3] [4] with songs such as "I Love Sex" that include candid lyrics. [5] The title of the album refers to his stage name, a derivative of "psycho", [6] [7] and the album was made just after he attended Berklee College of Music and had returned to South Korea. [3] On his choice of music, he listed rappers Eminem, 2Pac, Jay Z, and Dr. Dre as his musical influences. He said, "When I was a kid I was just a noisy boy, and I preferred to be in front of people when I was young all the time," and "At that time I was not a good singer; still I'm not a good singer. So when I see the rappers (I thought), 'Oh, talk can be music? Wow. That's for me." [7]

In a 2001 interview with The Dong-a Ilbo, regarding the title of the album and his self description of himself as a "psycho and third-class citizen", he replied that " since the koreans are two-faced and judgemental based on their academic credentials and lineage, they cannot be first class citizens who are honest, thus should be looked in the perspective of a psycho". [8] He criticized the custom of lip-synching in the song "intro". [8] The album was very controversial in South Korea because of the "content, dance moves and even his appearance", [9] and could not be sold to minors due to the "vulgarity of the lyrics". [4] His "blatantly aggressive" lyrics appealed to the younger generation of Korean music fans, but five months after the album was released, civic groups stopped its sales citing it as a negative influence for youth, [10] and he was fined for the explicit language. [3] [11]

The songs, which he wrote and produced, have sensational titles such as "Sae (Bird)", "Upskail Phenomenon", "Shocking, Yanggajip Kyusu (a girl from a respectable family)" and the lyrics "mock people with fortunes and their distorted lives". [7] [12]

Adult content

About four months after its release, the album was labelled explicit in South Korea and unsuitable for children due to the album booklet containing pictures of condoms, male genitalia, nipples and female underwear. [13]

Title track and music video

The title track "Bird" was released with a music video that revealed him as a performer with his own style and fashion unlike the stereotypically good-looking male K-pop singers who danced so well. [10] In the video, he is a "thinner, younger Psy" than his later years, and dedicates the song to 'Party Lady', one of the nightclub characters in the video he interacts with, "stealing kisses and cigarettes from". [14] It featured a provocative chorus, setting the tone for his debut to the music scene at a time when social media and the internet were embracing new trends and Korean culture was welcoming "bizarre" things, to his advantage. His "outspoken and uninhibited lyrics" poked fun at current Korean society and cultural norms. [6] During a 2012 interview with Marlow Stern of Newsweek, Psy described the music video as a "huge phenomenon" in South Korea due to its flashy outfits and outrageous dance moves, gaining him the nickname "The Bizarre Singer" from the press. [3]

After "Gangnam Style" generated attention, music critics discussed his performance style in both that music video and this earlier one "Bird", debating whether to call it "comedy hip-hop", a genre that blends humor with rap, like icons Digital Underground and The Fat Boys, or more generally comic or pop oriented. [11]

Critical reception

The album received multiple reviews in 2012 after "Gangnam Style" was released. Of the debut single "Bird", Jeff Benjamin of Billboard said, "[it] established him as a true force of entertainment" and "nicely set up a successful career with the opening declaration, "PSY-cho world, this is PSY!" [15] Houston Press's Corey Deiterman said of "Bird", "this ridiculously catchy bit of funky hip-hop sounds something like an updated version of the American new jack swing movement." [14] Joseph Lapin of OC Weekly said the two tracks "I Love Sex" and "Bird" "echo early '90s rap and R&B beats reminiscent of a strange amalgamation of Busta Rhymes, Cypress Hill and Destiny's Child", and said, "similar to' 90s rappers, Psy had to pay fines for his lyrics, because they were considered inappropriate content....Inappropriateness and controversy are just more reasons to like Psy." [16] Gil Kaufman of MTV News said of the album, "That CD opened the world on his oddball dancing antics and lyrics that turned him into a target of censorship in his country due to content that officials thought might negatively influence young listeners." [17]

Accolades

Music program awards
SongProgramDate
"Bird" MBC's Music CampApril 7, 2001
April 14, 2001
April 21, 2001
April 28, 2001
KBS2's Music Bank April 19, 2001
April 26, 2001
May 3, 2001
SBS's Inkigayo May 6, 2001
"The End"MBC's Music CampJune 9, 2001
June 16, 2001
SBS's InkigayoJune 24, 2001

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Intro"Psy1:50
2."Lady"Psy3:43
3."새 (Bird) [lower-alpha 1] "Psy3:13
4."끝 (The End)"Psy3:51
5."나에게 맡겨봐 (Leave it to Me)"Psy3:20
6."Life [lower-alpha 2] " (featuring Ray Jay, Yota, Digital Masta, Small)Psy, Ray Jay, Yota, Digital Masta, Small4:29
7."동거동락 (Living and Enjoying Together) [lower-alpha 3] "Psy3:30
8."Freedom"Psy3:38
9."성냥팔이 소녀 (The Little Match Girl)"Psy3:19
10."No. 1"Psy3:22
11."I Love Sex [lower-alpha 4] " (featuring Cho PD)Psy, Cho PD 3:51
12."쇼킹! 양가집 규수 (Shocking! Modest Lady)"Psy3:08
13."성공의 어머니 (The Mother of Success)"Psy3:41
14."놀아보자 (Let's Play )"Psy3:30
15."2세의 처 (2nd Generation Wife)" (featuring Ray Jay, Digital Masta, Small)Psy, Ray Jay, Digital Masta, Small3:47
16."불륜 (Adultery)"Psy3:28
17."계집녀 (Bitch)"Psy3:30
18."Upskail Phenomenon"Psy3:28
19."Modern Times"Psy3:27
20."Outro"Psy2:14
Total length:64:19

Charts and sales

Sales

RegionSales
South Korea (RIAK)124,656 [2]

Notes

  1. ↑ The song samples Venus (Shocking Blue song).
  2. ↑ The song samples the string section in the intro of Rest in Peace (song).
  3. ↑ The song samples the main theme from the movie Enter The Dragon.
  4. ↑ The song is a rearrangement of the song "I Love X", from Lee Jung-hyun's 1999 album Let's Go to My Star.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyuna</span> South Korean singer (born 1992)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psy</span> South Korean rapper (born 1977)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gangnam Style</span> 2012 single by Psy

"Gangnam Style" is a K-pop song by South Korean 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.

<i>Psy 6 (Six Rules), Part 1</i> 2012 EP by Psy

Psy 6, Part 1 is the first extended play by South Korean pop rapper Psy, though it is treated as his sixth major album release due to the cancellation of the release of his part 2. It was released on July 15, 2012, the same day "Gangnam Style" was released as the lead single. The EP has sold 106,594 copies in South Korea.

"Gangnam Style" is a single released by South Korean rapper 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psy discography</span>

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".

<i>Ssa2</i> 2002 studio album by Psy

Ssa2 is the second album by South Korean singer Psy, released on January 16, 2002. The album contains 14 songs and was later released worldwide through iTunes. Commercially, the album had sold nearly 74,000 copies by the end of 2002 and was the 76th best-selling album of the year in South Korea.

<i>3 Mai</i> 2002 studio album by Psy

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.

<i>Ssajib</i> 2006 studio album by Psy

Ssajib is the fourth album by South Korean singer Psy. The album was released on July 24, 2006, through his own label Yamazone Music and distributed by Seoul Records. Ssajib was later released worldwide through iTunes. The album contains 14 songs including the main single "Entertainer". By the end of 2006, the album sold over 50,000 copies in South Korea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gentleman (Psy song)</span> 2013 single by Psy

"Gentleman" is a K-pop song by South Korean musician 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daddy (Psy song)</span> 2015 single by Psy featuring CL

"Daddy" is a song by South Korean musician 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gangnam Style (music video)</span> 2012 music video

"Gangnam Style" is the music video by South Korean rapper and singer Psy premiered on July 15, 2012, on the video-sharing website YouTube and was later made available to download digitally on October 19. 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". 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. It subsequently surpassed 2 billion, 3 billion and 4 billion views in June 2014, November 2017 and March 2021, respectively.

<i>Billboard</i> K-Town Online magazine column about K-pop

Billboard K-Town is an online magazine column presented weekly, on various days, by Billboard on its Billboard.com site. The column, launched on January 29, 2013, reports on K-pop music; artists, concerts, chart information and news events. Billboard and its website had reported on K-pop for a number of years, following the evolution of K-pop, increasing the number of articles with the spike in 2009, and finally culminated in a column specifically for the genre after Psy's July 2012, "Gangnam Style" hit made K-pop history and doubled online viewership. K-Town was created as part of the popular music publication's website relaunch, with new features for fans, and the goal of providing more on-site reporting of festivals, award shows, and other major music events.

<i>Chiljip Psy-da</i> 2015 studio album by Psy

Chiljip Psy-da is the sixth studio album and seventh major release by South Korean singer Psy. The album was released on December 1, 2015, by KT Music, YG Entertainment, School Boy, and Republic. The lead singles included "Daddy" and "Napal Baji".

<i>4×2=8</i> 2017 studio album by Psy

4×2=8 is the seventh studio album by South Korean singer Psy. The album was released digitally on May 10, 2017, by YG Entertainment, School Boy Records, and Republic Records.

Lee Ju-sun is a South Korean choreographer and dancer. He is best known as the creator of the "horse-riding dance" from Psy's viral music video "Gangnam Style".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">P Nation</span> South Korean entertainment company

P Nation (Korean: 피네이션) is a South Korean entertainment company. The company operates as a record label, entertainment agency, and concert production company founded in 2018 by singer Psy. As of November 2022, the label had ten artists signed to the label. The record label is located in the Gangnam area.

<i>Psy 9th</i> 2022 studio album by Psy

Psy 9th is the eighth studio album by South Korean singer Psy. It was released on April 29, 2022, through School Boy, Republic, P Nation, and distributed by Dreamus Company. This album is Psy's first release in five years since 4×2=8 (2017) and his first to be published under his label, which was established in January 2019. It is the first Psy album without the involvement of YG Entertainment since his departure on May 15, 2018, the album has twelve tracks including the lead single, "That That", featuring Suga of BTS, alongside various other guest appearances including Sung Si-kyung, Heize, Jessi, Hwasa, Crush, and Tablo.

References

  1. ↑ "Psy From The Psycho World!". iTunes Store. n.d. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 2001년 가요음반판매량 [2001 Album Sales Figures] (in Korean). Music Industry Association of Korea. Archived from the original on February 28, 2009. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Stern, Marlow (October 29, 2012). "Psy Talks Gangnam Style, Growing Up, and His Next Single". Newsweek . Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  4. 1 2 Jie Ye, Ye-eun (April 21, 2017). "Psy to return in May". Kpop Herald . Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  5. ↑ Kallen, Stuart A. (2014). K-Pop: Korea's Musical Explosion, page 45. Twenty-First Century Books. ISBN   9781467720427 . Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  6. 1 2 Wi, Tack-whan (October 10, 2012). "PSY, the man behind the name". Korea.net . Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  7. 1 2 3 "Gangnam Style: 'Uncool' Korean star Psy goes viral". News18 India . August 27, 2012. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  8. 1 2 "[대중음악]싸이, 파격적인 랩에 담긴 '세상 비틀기'".
  9. ↑ Rashid, Sam (October 2, 2012). "Everything you need to know about Psy, the man behind Gangnam Style". National Post . Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  10. 1 2 "Artists Search, Psy (싸이)". KBS World Radio . Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  11. 1 2 Shilpa Dave, LeiLani Nishime, Tasha Oren (2016). Global Asian American Popular Cultures, Chapter 19 "Hybrid Hallyu" (Crystal S. Anderson), page 297. NYU Press. ISBN   9781479815739 . Retrieved May 5, 2017.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ↑ Cho Chung-un and Julie Jackson (September 25, 2012). "Psy: Call me international star, not world star". The Korea Herald . Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  13. ↑ "싸이 1집 앨범 '연소자 이용불가' 판정". Yonhap news. May 26, 2001.
  14. 1 2 Deiterman, Corey (November 1, 2012). "5 Great Songs by Psy Besides 'Gangnam Style'". Houston Press . Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  15. ↑ Benjamin, Jeff (October 4, 2012). "Top 5 PSY Songs 'Gangnam Style' Fans Should Hear". Billboard . Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  16. ↑ Lapin, Joseph (September 24, 2012). "Why the Hell is Psy So Popular?". OC Weekly . Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  17. ↑ Kaufman, Gil (September 6, 2012). "Who Was That VMA Surprise Guest Psy?". MTV News. Archived from the original on December 19, 2014. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  18. ↑ 2001.04월 – 가요 음반 판매량 [2001.04 – Sales volume] (in Korean). Music Industry Association of Korea. Archived from the original on September 2, 2004. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.