Gangnam Style - PSY

Lore & Background

Psy likened Gangnam to Beverly Hills, California, and said he intended the title as a joke. He studied for about 30 nights to come up with the dance, testing animal-inspired moves before settling on the horse trot. The song and its music video went viral in August 2012. On December 21, 2012, it became the first YouTube video to reach a billion views. The music video was the most viewed on YouTube from November 24, 2012, to July 10, 2017. The dance was attempted by political leaders such as British Prime Minister David Cameron and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. U.S. President Barack Obama cited its success as an example of the Korean Wave.

Reader's Guide

The song's dance involves pretending to ride a horse, alternately holding the reins and spinning a lasso, and moving into a legs-shuffling side gallop. The refrain "Oppan Gangnam style" translates to "Big brother is Gangnam style." The song was originally produced only for local K-pop fans. In Germany, the music video was blocked due to a dispute between YouTube and GEMA until October 31, 2016.

Did You Know?

• The song debuted at number one on South Korea's Gaon Chart.
• It peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, the highest charting song by a South Korean artist at the time.
• By the end of 2012, it topped music charts in more than 30 countries including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
• The song won Best Video at the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2012.
• In Japan, the song was met with considerable criticism, and a planned Japanese-language re-release was canceled.