“Viral Video” GANGNAM STYLE (강남 스타일)

 

About

Gangnam Style (강남 스타일) is a 2012 dance pop single written and performed by Korean pop singer Park Jae Sung, better known by his stage name PSY. Since the release of the song and its highly entertaining music video in mid-July 2012, the video has gained more than 8 million views in the span of two weeks and spawned numerous parodies and copycat dance videos on YouTube.

Origin

The song “Gangnam Style” was written and recorded as the title single of the sixth studio album PSY 6 (Six Rules), Part 1 by Korean singer PSY, who is best known for his quick-witted sense of humor and comical dance moves. The song was released on July 15th, 2012, along with the music video which made its online debut via PSY’s official YouTube channel on the same day.

Upon its release, the song took off on virtually all Korean billboard charts, portal search sites and online music stores, but it began garnering international attention after the video went viral on YouTube during the third week of July 2012. The mass appeal of the music video has been attributed to its signature dance move known as “the horse-riding dance,” which combines the stylistic elements of shuffle dancing and hand movements resembling the posture of a horseback rider. The dance was previously introduced through the debut single of another Korean K-pop girl group Girl’s Day in 2010. 

 

Terminology

“Gangnam Style” is a Korean neologism mainly associated with upscale fashion and lavish lifestyle associated with trendsetters in Seoul’s Gangnam district (강남), which is considered the most affluent part of the metropolitan area. In colloquial usage, it is comparable to the English slang terms “swag” or “yolo”.