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Monday, January 14, 2013
Monday, January 7, 2013
Happy B'day BIPS
Bipasha Basu turns 34: Her journey from 'Ajnabee' to 'Race 2'
Bipasha Basu was born on January 7, 1979 in New Delhi. The actress has turned 34.
Rajinikanth goes on hunger strike for Tamil film industry
Images: Mind it! Rajinikanth goes on hunger strike for Tamil film industry
Superstar Rajinikanth and leading actors and technicians from the Tamil film industry went on a fast in Chennai on Monday against the service tax on the entertainment industry. The South Indian Artists' Association, which led the fast, said that the tax was a huge burden on small-time actors and companies that were struggling for survival. Film actors such as Vijay, Vishal, Jiva, Jeyam Ravi, Sarathkumar, Radhika and Prakash Raj participated in the fast.
Superstar Rajinikanth and leading actors and technicians from the Tamil film industry went on a fast in Chennai on Monday against the service tax on the entertainment industry. The South Indian Artists' Association, which led the fast, said that the tax was a huge burden on small-time actors and companies that were struggling for survival. Film actors such as Vijay, Vishal, Jiva, Jeyam Ravi, Sarathkumar, Radhika and Prakash Raj participated in the fast.
Priyanka Chopra is my favourite actress: Arjun Kapoor
Priyanka Chopra is my favourite actress: Arjun Kapoor
Mumbai: Actor Arjun Kapoor is in complete awe of Priyanka Chopra and her performance in ‘Barfi!’, and says she is his favourite actress of the year.
Priyanka also happens to be the cousin sister of Parineeti Chopra, who was Arjun`s co-star in his debut film ‘Ishaqzaade’, which released last year.
In ‘Barfi!’, Priyanka played an autistic girl Jhilmil. The ease with which she essayed the part won her a lot of appreciation and critical acclaim.
Asked about his favourite song from the last year, Arjun said: "My favourite song has been `Deva shree Ganesha` from ‘Agneepath’. I think that song has helped me a lot in my workout. Everyday I workout listening to that song. So that`s my favourite."
Arjun shed 40 to 50 kg for ‘Ishaqzaade’.
Currently, he is shooting for Ali Abbas Zafar`s ‘Gunday’.
Latest Salman khan's Gossip
‘I don’t think there is any groupism’
There have been a lot of rumours about the conflict between the two big Khans of Bollywood — Salman and Shah Rukh, but Salman has scoffed these claims, saying there’s no feud between the two. In fact, he adds that there is no groupism in the film industry at all.
“I do my own work. I don’t think there is any groupism. I don’t follow anyone’s life. If anyone comes to talk to me or meet me, I will talk to them or meet them nicely. I don’t care who is whose friend. It doesn’t matter to me at all,” Salman says.
A spat between Shah Rukh and the Dabangg star a few years ago had set tongues wagging on a growing chasm between the two top guns.
In fact, gossip mills have been doing overtime reporting that Shah Rukh’s close friend, Karan Johar, is apparently showing an interest in working with Salman.
Even Priyanka Chopra, who is considered to be close to Shah Rukh and banners like Yash Raj Films, seems to be warming up to Salman.
The latest twist to the tale came in the form of SRK-loyalist Arjun Rampal — there are reports that Arjun is going to be on Salman’s show ‘Bigg Boss’.
Arjun reportedly missed Shah Rukh’s New Year bash held in Dubai and also praised Salman for his brilliant performance in Ek Tha Tiger.
Arjun, who delivered hit films like Om Shanti Om, Don and Ra.One with Shah Rukh, seems to be gravitating
towards the other Khan of the industry.
But when asked if someone who picks a fight with Shah Rukh becomes his friend or vice versa, Salman replies, “I don’t think it is that way at all. I am not even aware if there is any fight or whatever
(between Shah Rukh and Arjun). I don’t think (that Arjun is closer to me). I just met him at
Sanjay
Diwan’s party. We just spoke for two minutes.”
“I do my own work. I don’t think there is any groupism. I don’t follow anyone’s life. If anyone comes to talk to me or meet me, I will talk to them or meet them nicely. I don’t care who is whose friend. It doesn’t matter to me at all,” Salman says.
A spat between Shah Rukh and the Dabangg star a few years ago had set tongues wagging on a growing chasm between the two top guns.
In fact, gossip mills have been doing overtime reporting that Shah Rukh’s close friend, Karan Johar, is apparently showing an interest in working with Salman.
Even Priyanka Chopra, who is considered to be close to Shah Rukh and banners like Yash Raj Films, seems to be warming up to Salman.
The latest twist to the tale came in the form of SRK-loyalist Arjun Rampal — there are reports that Arjun is going to be on Salman’s show ‘Bigg Boss’.
Arjun reportedly missed Shah Rukh’s New Year bash held in Dubai and also praised Salman for his brilliant performance in Ek Tha Tiger.
Arjun, who delivered hit films like Om Shanti Om, Don and Ra.One with Shah Rukh, seems to be gravitating
towards the other Khan of the industry.
But when asked if someone who picks a fight with Shah Rukh becomes his friend or vice versa, Salman replies, “I don’t think it is that way at all. I am not even aware if there is any fight or whatever
(between Shah Rukh and Arjun). I don’t think (that Arjun is closer to me). I just met him at
Sanjay
Diwan’s party. We just spoke for two minutes.”
Being naked was nerve-racking: Helen Hunt
Being naked was nerve-racking: Helen Hunt
In her new film, Helen Hunt plays a sex surrogate who transforms a paralysed man's life and the actress says staying naked on the sets most of the time was "nerve-racking".
But the 49-year-old Oscar winner overcame her inhibitions because she wanted to be part of such a beautiful story, reported Daily Mail.
Hunt said she spent much of her screen time "utterly naked. My jaw dropped at the prospect. But then I thought, 'Do I care about what people think of my body or do I care about being part of a story that is beautiful?' At the end of the day I cared more about that."
Set during the 1980s in Berkeley, California, the film is based on the true story of journalist and poet Mark O'Brien who was paralysed with polio, and confined for hours every day to an iron lung.
Aged 38, Mark (played by John Hawkes) decided he wanted to experience sex for the first time and hired a sex surrogate, Cheryl Cohen Greene (played by Helen).
Murder is back, but not Emraan
Murder is back, but not Emraan
The first look of Murder 3 which is the third instalment of the hit franchise Murder is out and it took us by surprise when we didn't see Emraan Hashmi on the poster. It is actor Randeep Hooda who has taken his place in the sequel of the 2011 film, Murder 2. Releasing on February 15, 2013, the movie is a thriller directed by Vishesh Bhatt and produced by Mahesh Bhatt.
Actress Aditi Rao Hydari of Rockstar and London, Paris, New York fame will play the female lead. Pakistani actress and model Sara Loren makes her debut with the film.
a praiseworthy couple!
Shah Rukh Khan and wife Gauri Khan – a praiseworthy couple!
New Delhi: The world knows how loving Shah Rukh Khan is as a husband to his better half Gauri but the actor is an inspiration when it comes to wearing his heart on his sleeve.
Charcoal Project happens to be Hrithik Roshan’s wife Sussanne Roshan`s interior design store. Both Sussanne and Gauri are designers for the Charcoal Project.
Earlier in an interview to Notch magazine, Gauri had said that her hubby Shah Rukh inspires her. Now that’s what we call a made-for-each-other couple.
Vishwaroopam's DTH is direct-to-hotel
| Vishwaroopam's DTH is direct-to-hotel | ||||
| Hotels to make a quick buck on Kamal Haasan's 'innovative' idea of pre-releasing movie on DTH
Cinema halls might be stubbornly shunning actor-director Kamal Haasan’s latest movie, Vishwaroopam, over his attempt to pre-release it on direct-to-home ( DTH), but, at the same time, some hotels are becoming makeshift cinema halls, by screening it on their DTH, bundled with drinks and dinner.
This new form of piracy, via mini-public screenings, was much dreaded by the producers. The veteran actor, who has won many national awards, as well as acclaim for his offbeat movie, is also attempting to revolutionise the movie distribution model.
While this has drawn criticism from cinema exhibitors, it has turned out to be an opportunity for hotels to make a quick buck and attract customers. Some plan to offer the movie screening at a discounted rate. One such hotel has advertised an offer of screening the movie with buffet dinner, for Rs 300 per person, on January 10 between 9 pm and 11 pm. This is a very popular model with cricket matches and other sports.
Already, Haasan’s decision has alienated cinema exhibitors, who argue that once the movie is out on DTH, consumers will not go to theatres to watch it. The Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners’ Association has threatened none of Haasan’s films would be released in any theatre across the state as it would set a precedent, leading to the closure of theatres.
Some producers also share the same fear. “While it seems an innovative idea in the long run, the immediate shortcoming is that you cannot control who is watching the movie and where. This could give rise to mini-screenings and the economy of cost per eyeball will lose all the balance,” a senior executive of a film studio said.
| ||||
New ranbir shockwave
Ranbir to perform with mom
Ranbir came together with Screen editor Priyanka Sinha Jha and Colors CEO Raj Nayak at a press conference on Monday. “I will perform to a medley of songs picturised on various actors from the Kapoor clan, including my grandfather Raj Kapoor and grand-uncle Shammi Kapoor. Mom will join me for ‘Parda hai parda’ from Amar Akbar Anthony, which was shot with her and my father Rishi Kapoor,” said Ranbir.
While his performance will be the key attraction of the evening, several other acts by other prominent film industry members, will enthrall the audience.
Actor Shah Rukh Khan and his filmmaker friend Karan Johar will be the key hosts of the 19th edition of the annual awards function. They will be joined by actors Deepika Padukone, Ayushmann Khurana and Vidya Balan. The lead actors of Johar’s Student of the Year too will join their director on the stage.
Actor Ranveer Singh, who made an impression with his role in Band Baaja Baarat in 2010, which won several awards that season, will also be among the main performers. The current favourite after a successful year with three blockbusters in 2012 — Rowdy Rathore, Son of Sardar and Dabangg 2 — Sonakshi Sinha will take to the stage as well on January 12.
... contd.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Gangnam style continues...................
Gangnam Style
| "Gangnam Style" | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Single by PSY | ||||||||||||||||||||
| from the album PSY 6 (Six Rules), Part 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Released | July 15, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Format | CD single, digital download | |||||||||||||||||||
| Genre | K-pop[1][2] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Length | 3:39 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Label | YG, Universal Republic, School Boy | |||||||||||||||||||
| Writer(s) | Park Jae-Sang, Yoo Gun Hyung[3] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Producer | Park Jae-Sang, Yoo Gun Hyung[4] | |||||||||||||||||||
| PSY chronology | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| "Gangnam Style" | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | 강남스타일 |
| Hanja | 江南스타일 |
| Revised Romanization | Gangnamseutail |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kangnamsŭt'ail |
"Gangnam Style" (Korean: 강남스타일, IPA: [kaŋnam sɯtʰail]) is a K-pop single by the South Korean musician PSY. The song was released in July 2012 as the lead single of his sixth studio album PSY 6 (Six Rules), Part 1, and debuted at number one on South Korea's Gaon Chart. On December 21, 2012, at around 15:50 UTC, "Gangnam Style" became the first video in the history of the Internet to be viewed more than a billion times.[5] As of January 1, 2013, the music video has been viewed over 1.10 billion times onYouTube, and it is the site's most watched video after surpassing Justin Bieber's single "Baby".[6]
The phrase "Gangnam Style" is a Korean neologism that refers to a lifestyle associated with the Gangnam District of Seoul. The song and its accompanying music video went viralin August 2012 and have influenced popular culture worldwide since then. "Gangnam Style" received mixed to positive reviews, with praise going to its catchy beat and PSY's amusing dance moves (which themselves have become a phenomenon) in the music video and during live performances in various locations around the world. In September 2012, "Gangnam Style" was recognized by Guinness World Records as the most "liked" video on YouTube.[7] It subsequently won Best Video at the MTV Europe Music Awards held later that year.[8] It became a source of parodies and reaction videos by many different individuals, groups and organizations while also inspiring dance mobs in Paris, Rome andMilan with tens of thousands of participants each. On the New Year's Eve of 2012, more than a million people witnessed and attempted a live "Gangnam Style" performance in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.[9]
By the end of 2012, the song had topped the music charts of more than 30 countries including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Although its reception in Japan remained lukewarm, "Gangnam Style" topped China's Baidu 500 download list and was labelled by state-controlled media as having a "divine melody."[10][11][12]
As the song continued to rapidly gain popularity and ubiquity, its signature dance moves were attempted by many notable political leaders such as the British Prime Minister David Cameron, U.S. President Barack Obama, and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, who hailed it as a "force for world peace".[13] Its influence on political activism was exemplified by the short film Gangnam for Freedom, produced by the British sculptor Anish Kapoor to advocate the freedom of expression with the support of various human rights organisations such as Index on Censorship and Amnesty International.[14] According to the United Nations' news division, PSY has become an "international sensation" through his song "Gangnam Style".[15]
Contents[hide] |
Background and release
"Gangnam Style" is a Korean neologism that refers to a lifestyle associated with the Gangnam District[16] of Seoul,[17] 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.[18] PSY likened the Gangnam District to Beverly Hills, California, and said in an interview that he intended in a twisted sense of humour 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.[19]
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.—PSY[20]
The song talks about "the perfect girlfriend who knows when to be refined and when to get wild."[21] The song's refrain "오빤 강남 스타일 (Oppan Gangnam style)" has been translated as "Big brother is Gangnam style", with PSY referring to himself;[22][23] "Oppa" is a Korean expression used by females to refer to an older male friend or older brother.[24] During an interview with The New York Times, PSY revealed that the Korean fans have huge expectations about his dancing, so he felt a lot of pressure. In order to keep up with expectations, he studied hard to find something new and stayed up late for about 30 nights to come up with the "Gangnam Style" dance.[25] Along the way, he had tested various "cheesy" animal-inspired dance moves with his choreographer, including panda and kangaroo moves,[26] before settling for the horse trot, which involves pretending to ride a horse, alternately holding the reins and spinning a lasso, and moving into a legs-shuffling side gallop.[27]
During an interview with Reuters, PSY claimed that "Gangnam Style" was originally produced only for local K-pop fans,[28] and he later said the same thing during a speech at the University of Oxford.[citation needed] On July 11, PSY and his music label YG Entertainmentstarted releasing several promotional teasers for "Gangnam Style" to their subscribers on YouTube.[29][30][31] On July 15, 2012, the full music video of "Gangnam Style" was uploaded onto YouTube and was immediately a sensation, receiving about 500,000 views on its first day.[32] However, in Germany, an ongoing dispute between YouTube and the GEMA (the country's performance rights organization) regarding copyright issues has led to thousands of music videos including "Gangnam Style"[33] being blocked in the country.[34]
K-pop and the Korean Wave
Main articles: K-pop and Korean Wave
According to the news agency Agence France-Presse, the success of "Gangnam Style" could be considered as part of the Korean Wave,[35] a term coined by Chinese journalists to refer to the significant increase in the popularity of South Korean entertainment and culture since the late 1990s.[36]
Korean popular music (K-pop), considered by some to be the most important aspect of the Korean Wave,[37] is a music genre that relies on cultural technology to adapt to the tastes of foreign audiences and has now grown into a popular subculture among teenagers and young adults in many places around the world.[38] Although it has spread to the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and parts of South America,[39] its reception in the Western world has so far been lukewarm.[40] However, social media networks such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter have made it easier for K-pop musicians to reach a wider audience in the West.[41] According to Mark James Russell from Foreign Policy, while the Korean Wave "may not (yet) turn heads in Los Angeles or London," this could soon change because of "Gangnam Style".[39]
Reception
Critical reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| About.com |  [42] |
| Common Sense Media |  [43] |
| Digital Spy | [44] |
The song has received mixed to positive ratings from music critics. Music journalist Bill Lamb from About.com praised the song for "spreading smiles and pure fun around the world in record time." He then writes, "take one part LMFAO's synth-based party music, another part Ricky Martin's Latin dance party and the rest a powerfully charismatic South Korean showman and you have the first worldwide K-Pop smash hit,"[42] while Ian Garland of the Daily Mail called "Gangnam Style" a "bizarre music sensation."[45]
Jeff Benjamin from Billboard became one of the first music critics to review the song when he published an article and reported that "Gangnam Style" has gone viral on the Internet. In his article, Benjamin introduced the reader to a couple of popular K-pop songs and wrote that "Gangnam Style" in particular, plays all the right moves sonically while "borrowing from LMFAO along the way".[17]
The next day, Hallie Sekoff of The Huffington Post quoted from the video's official YouTube video description that the song is characterized by its "strongly addictive beats", and wrote that this is not too far-fetched, considering "how obsessed we've found ourselves."[46] London's mayor Boris Johnson considered the song to be the greatest cultural masterpiece of 2012.[47]
Despite its popularity, a few music critics including Robert Copsey from Digital Spy criticized the song for being monotonous. Cospey wrote that "you could slap an LMFAO tag on the cover and few would know the difference"[44] and Paul Lester of The Guardian similarly labelled it as "generic ravey Euro dance with guitars". Lester described the song as "Pump Up the Jam meets the Macarena with a dash of Cotton Eye Joe"[48] while Robert Myers of The Village Voice dismissed "Gangnam Style" as an "inspired piece of silliness".[49]
South Korea and Japan
Cha Woo-jin, a South Korean music critic, told The Chosun Ilbo that "Gangnam Style"'s sophisticated rendering and arrangement has made it very appealing to the general public.[50] Choe Kwang-shik, the South Korean Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, told reporters that "Gangnam Style" had played an important role in introducing the Korean culture, language, and lifestyle to the rest of the world.[51] However, some have criticized the song for failing to accurately represent South Korean culture. Oh Young-Jin, managing editor of The Korea Times, wrote that the dance has more to do with Americans than Koreans.[52]
In Japan, the song has met with considerable criticism. When "Gangnam Style" first appeared in Japanese TV shows in July, the reaction from viewers was negative. As a result, PSY's Japanese record label YGEX cancelled a previously planned Japanese language re-release of "Gangnam Style".[53] According to The Dong-a Ilbo, a South Korean newspaper, the song's lukewarm reception in Japan could have been caused by a diplomatic conflict between the two countries[54] and the newspaper accused the Japanese media of keeping its people "in the dark".[54] However, Jun Takaku of the Japanese daily newspaper Asahi Shimbun explained that "Gangnam Style" had caused "barely a ripple in Japan" because PSY does not conform to the image of other "traditionally polished" K-pop acts popular in Japan such as Girls' Generation andTVXQ.[55] Erica Ho from Time magazine similarly noted that despite the K-pop musical genre being very popular in Japan, the country seemed to be "immune to PSY Mania" and she advised her readers who dislike the song to "pack your bags for Japan".[56]
Immediately after its release, "Gangnam Style" was mentioned by various English-language websites providing coverage of Korean pop culture for international fans, including Allkpop[57] and Soompi.[58] Simon and Martina Stawski, a Canadian couple living in Seoul who were among the first to parody "Gangnam Style" in late July, wrote that the song has the potential to become "one of the biggest songs of the year".[59] However, during an interview with Al Jazeera a few weeks later, Martina Stawski claimed that the worldwide popularity of "Gangnam Style" has been viewed negatively by some K-pop fans, because "they [the fans] didn't want K-pop being liked by other people who don't understand K-Pop".[60][61] This view is also supported by the British journalist and K-pop fan Promi Ferdousi, who wrote that the song has managed to "find its way into our clubs" while the best K-pop songs are limited to niche groups on social-media websites.[62]
Music video
Synopsis
The video starts out with PSY, who is seen lounging at what looks like a sandy beach,[note 1]under a sun umbrella and holding a cold drink, but the camera zooms out to reveal he is actually at a playground.[63] 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".[64] As PSY (and two girls) walk through a parking garage, they are pelted by pieces of newspaper, trash, and snow.[65] At a sauna, he rests his head on a man's shoulder, dressed in blue, while another man covered in tattoos is stretching. He then sings in front of two men playingJanggi (Korean chess), alternatively dancing with a woman at a tennis court, and bouncing around on a tour bus of seniors. The scenes alternate quickly until there is an explosion near the chess players, causing them to explode. PSY immediately walks towards the camera, pointing and shouting "Oppan Gangnam Style". Afterward, the chorus starts and he and some dancers start to 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 butt, then shows PSY "yelling" at it.[65][66]
The chorus ends and he is seen at a parking lot, where PSY is approached by a man (Yoo Jae-Suk) with a red Mercedes-Benz SLK 200 and a yellow suit; they have a dance duel. He then appears in an elevator underneath a man (Noh Hongchul) 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 a subway cabin, where he notices an attractive 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 stop, commencing the second chorus. He also surfaces from a spa.[65][66][note 2]
PSY sings to the girl at a night club as people in all sorts of costumes walk behind them. He raps, "You know what I'm saying" in a serious voice, in an enclosed space, but when the camera zooms out, he is actually sitting on a toilet with his pants down.[65] PSY and a large group of dancers 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.
Production
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".[67] It features a "skewering [of] the Gangnam image" by the "non-Gangnam PSY"; this parody would be recognizable to viewers familiar with Korean culture.[68][69] 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,[70] 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.[71] The video was shot over 48 hours in July 2012.[65][66]
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.[63] Making appearances in the music video are:
- 4minute member Hyuna playing PSY's love interest and appearing in the two final dance sequences.[66][69]
- Big Bang 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.[72][73][74]
- Hwang Min-Woo, a 7-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 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."[20][66] He has been praised for his eye-catching dance moves that have received a lot of attention from viewers.[75][76]
- Comedian/television personality, Korea's Nation emcee Yoo Jae-Suk, in a dance duel with PSY.[66][69]
- Comedian/television personality, Noh Hongchul, dancing in an elevator with his trademark pelvis-thrusting, with PSY rapping underneath him.[66][69]
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. According to The Guardian, PSY has waived his copyright to the music video. Although this has not been officially confirmed, Arwa Mahdawi of The Guardian reported it was likely that PSY had simply refrained from taking legal action against parodies of his video. "Gangnam Style" is therefore a video that is "born to spawn".[77]
Viral spread
 | Wikinews has related news:'Gangnam Style' becomes most watched YouTube video ever |
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.[16][78] On September 1, it overtook Girls' Generation's "Gee" to become the most viewed K-pop video on YouTube.[79] 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. This is mainly because "Call Me Maybe" remained largely a North American trend, whereas the popularity of "Gangnam Style" is not confined to the United States.[80] 61.6 percent of viewers were male, and those aged between 13 and 17 represented the biggest group.[81]
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,[48] 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.
The earliest video that caught the attention of media networks outside South Korea is "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.[90] 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.[82]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'".[91]
On September 3, 2012, the number of daily views generated by "Gangnam Style" went past the five-million mark.[92] By the end of September, it had topped the iTunes charts in 31 countries.[93] The Dong-a Ilbo, a South Korean newspaper, quoted the following statement released by YouTube, "From July 15, when the music video was uploaded on the site, to September 28, the video was accessed by people in 222 countries, more than the 193 member countries of the U.N."[54]
One billion views and 2012 doomsday hoax
"Gangnam Style" reached the milestone of one billion YouTube views on December 21, 2012. A spoof documentary by videographer Simon Gosselin[102] 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.[103] On December 21, at around 15:50 UTC, the video's YouTube page updated with 1,000,382,639 views.[104] YouTube specially marked the video's accomplishments with a cartoon dancing PSY animated icon, added first by the site logo,[105] and later next to the video's view counter when it exceeded a billion views.[106]
Reviews
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, with some finding it vulgar.[107] 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.[108] The United Nations hailed PSYas an "international sensation" because of the popularity of his "satirical" video clip and its "horse-riding-like dance moves".[109] As such, the music video has spawned a dance craze unseen since the Macarena of the mid 1990s.[110][111] It was chosen by readers ofBillboard as the "Best Music Video of 2012".[112]
The World Bank's lead economist David McKenzie remarked that some of PSY’s dance moves "kind of look like a regression discontinuity",[113] 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.[114] Melissa Locker of Time noted that "it's hard not to watch again ...and again ...and again",[115] while CNN reporter Shanon Cook told the audience that she had watched "Gangnam Style" about 15 times.[116]
The German news magazine Der Spiegel attributed the popularity of "Gangnam Style" to its daring dance moves,[117] 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".[118] 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".[119]
Mesfin Fekadu of the Associated Press wrote that PSY's dance moves are "somewhat bizarre" but the music video is full of colorful, lively outfits.[120] 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"[121] whereas Deborah Netburn of the Los Angeles Times called it "one of the greatest videos ever to be uploaded to YouTube."[122] Kim Alessi from Common Sense Media considered the music video for "Gangnam Style" worth seeing for its caricature of contemporary Asian and American urban lifestyles, but also warned that "Gangnam Style" contains sexually suggestive images and "degrading messages" which could be inappropriate for children and teenagers.[43]
Live performances
Asia
Following the release of "Gangnam Style", PSY made several performances on television and at concerts in Korea. Among the first of such performances include his appearance on the weekly South Korean music program, The Music Trend.[17] PSY also performed at several concerts prior to his departure to the US, including during "The Heumbbeok Show"[141] and the Summer Stand Concert in Seoul.[142] After returning to South Korea, PSY performed "Gangnam Style" during a free concert that he held outside the Seoul City Hall. More than 80,000 fans attended the event, leading to the closure of a part of the city center and an increase in subway operations.[143][144] While PSY was in the US, it was announced that he, as ambassador of the Formula One Korean Grand Prix, would perform "Gangnam Style" at the event during the 2012 edition.[145] At the event PSY taught Formula One drivers Mark Webber andSebastian Vettel how to perform the dance.[146]
During the 2012 Mnet Asian Music Awards held in Hong Kong on November 30, PSY delivered a performance of the song on stage, joined by the video's co-star Hyuna and Yoo Jae-Seok look-alikes in yellow suits.[147]
Oceania
In early October 2012, PSY travelled to Sydney, Australia and performed "Gangnam Style" on The X Factor, a reality TV music competition; where he would be joined by Melanie Brown to perform the "horse dance" on stage.[148] The following day, he performed on breakfast TV show Sunrise in Martin Place, Sydney.[149]
Europe
PSY's first public performance in Europe occurred on November 5, 2012 in France, where he joined 20,000 fans to dance "Gangnam Style" in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris during a flashmob organized by NRJ Radio.[150] Then, he travelled to Oxford and performed a short rendition of "Gangnam Style" with students from the Oxford Union, before moving on to the Yalding House in London where he danced "Gangnam Style" with the BBC's radio DJ Scott Mills.[151] Shortly afterwards, PSY left for Cologne and met up with the German comedian and television host Stefan Raab during the popular late-night show TV total, where PSY gave an interview and performed "Gangnam Style" for Raab.[152] During the 2012 MTV Europe Music Awards held in Frankfurt on November 11, PSY delivered a performance of "Gangnam Style" which featured a David Hasselhoff appearance and backup dancing of PSY look-alikes.[153]
North America
Following the viral success of his music video, PSY left for the United States and preformed "Gangnam Style" in various locations. On August 20, PSY posted on Twitter "Bringing #GangnamStyle to the Dodgers–Giants game this evening". Dodger Stadium presented a segment called "PSY Dance Cam" where they showed clips of the music video, followed by live shots of baseball fans dancing, and then PSY, who waves and does the dance.[154] Two days later, PSY appeared on VH1's Big Morning Buzz Live show, and taught television hostsCarrie Keagan and Jason Dundas how to dance "Gangnam Style".[101][155]
On September 6, PSY appeared at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards performing his "Gangnam Style" dance alongside comedian Kevin Hart.[156] After the event, he would make several more appearances on US TV programs. On September 10, he appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in Burbank, California, introducing himself as "PSY from Korea", before teaching Britney Spears the dance. He described the dance as "pretending to bounce like riding on an invisible horse"[67][157][158] and when Ellen told Britney she would have to remove her high-heeled shoes to perform the dance PSY protested that no, the point was, 'to dress classy, and dance cheesy.' On September 14, he appeared on NBC's morning program Today in New York City for its Toyota Concert Series, where he performed the song and also taught the anchors the dance.[159][160] The September 15 season premiere episode of Saturday Night Live featured a sketch based on the song and its video.Bobby Moynihan portrayed PSY, but was joined mid-sketch by PSY himself.[161] He also made his second appearance on The Ellen Show's September 19 episode to perform the song alongwith his backup dancers.[162] On September 22, PSY made an appearance at the iHeartRadio Music Festival to perform "Gangnam Style".[163] PSY, dressed in a black jacket, blue pants, two-tone shoes and his signature shades, appeared on the US national TV show The View on October 25 and performed the song for Barbara Walters and the ladies of the show who donned sunglasses and got out of their seats.
On November 13, he joined the American singer-songwriter Madonna on stage during her concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City and they performed a mashup of the song and her 2008 hit "Give It 2 Me". PSY later told reporters that his gig with Madonna had "topped his list of accomplishments".[164][165] On November 18, PSY, who rocked out in traditional Hammer pants, closed out the 40th American Music Awards show with a performance of "Gangnam Style", joined by surprise guest MC Hammer who brought in his own moves and PSY's horse-riding dance as the song mashed into his 1990s hit "2 Legit 2 Quit".[166] Jason Lipshutz of Billboardcommented that "PSY's feverish rendition of 'Gangnam Style' accomplished what so few award show performances can: a palpable sense of excitement. The combination of the K-pop star and MC Hammer [...] was a stroke of genius that very few could have seen coming", choosing it as the best performance of the night.[167] The Tonight Show with Jay Leno did a special Thanksgiving broadcast with an all-military audience on November 22, and PSY dropped by as the musical guest. The singer sang the song and danced alongside the soldiers, going into the crowd for part of his performance.[168]
On December 9, PSY―wearing an all-red outfit including a sparkling, sequined top―performed "Gangnam Style" at TNT's Christmas in Washington special, attended by the US President Barack Obama and his family, and held at the National Building Museum.[169] On December 16, he performed the song at the halftime show of the NFL game between the Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks inToronto.[170] During the Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest event at Times Square in New York City on December 31, he was joined on stage by characters (Yoo Jae-Seok, Noh Hong-chul) from the song's video for the first part of the performance before MC Hammer appeared to perform a mash-up of the song and "2 Legit 2 Quit".[171][172]
Cultural impact
Main article: Gangnam Style in popular culture
After the release of "Gangnam Style", the American talent manager Scooter Braun, who discovered Justin Bieber on YouTube, asked on Twitter "How did I not sign this guy (PSY)".[173] Soon afterwards, it was reported that PSY had left for Los Angeles to meet with representatives of Justin Bieber, to explore collaboration opportunities.[16][107] On September 3, Braun made a public announcement that was later uploaded onto YouTube, saying that he and PSY have decided to "make some history together. [To] be the first Korean artist to break a big record in the United States." On September 4, it was confirmed that PSY was signed to Braun's School Boy Records.[174]
The music video for the song has gone viral and is an Internet meme.[175] Although PSY attributed the song's popularity to YouTube and his fans while at the same time insisted that he is not responsible for the song's success,[176] the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognized the singer for "increasing the world's interest in Korea" and announced its decision to award PSY with a 4th Class Order of Cultural Merit.[177]
The phrase "Oppan Gangnam Style" was entered into The Yale Book of Quotations as one of the most famous quotes of 2012.[178]
Social
As the song's popularity continued to rise, it caused the share price of the song's music label YG Entertainment to gain as much as 50% on the Korea Exchange. DI Corporation, whose executive Chairman Park Won-Ho is PSY's father, saw its share price increase by 568.8% within a few months of the song's release despite making a year-over-year loss.[179][180] Soon, "Gangnam Style" began to attract the attention of several business and political leaders, including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon who recognized the song as a "force for world peace".[13] During his meeting with PSY at the United Nations Headquarters, he commented, "We have tough negotiations in the United Nations. In such a case I was also thinking of playing Gangnam Style-dance so that everybody would stop and dance. Maybe you can bring UN style."[181][182]
Through social networks like Facebook, many small, unofficial fan-organized flash mobshave been held in universities and colleges throughout the world. The earliest flash mobs were held in Pasadena, California,[183] and Sydney, Australia.[184] On September 12, Times Square in Manhattan was filled with a dance mob dancing to the music of "Gangnam Style" during ABC's Good Morning America.[185] Major flash mobs (those with more than 1,000 participants) were also held in Seoul (South Korea),[186] South Sulawesi (Indonesia),[187]Sicily and Milan (Italy),[188][189] and Paris (France).[190]
| Date | Location | Country | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 6, 2012 | Seoul | South Korea | 15,000[186] |
| October 14, 2012 | Makassar, South Sulawesi | Indonesia | 12,000[187] |
| October 21, 2012 | Piazza del Duomo, Milan | Italy | 20,000[189] |
| November 5, 2012 | Jardins du Trocadéro, Paris | France | 20,000[190] |
| November 10, 2012 | Piazza del Popolo, Rome | Italy | 15,000[191] |
The song has been tweeted by the United Nations,[192] the United Nations Children's Fund,[193] the American space agency NASA,[194]mentioned by a reporter during a U.S. State Department briefing[195] and referenced by the President of the International Criminal CourtSong Sang-Hyun during his speech in front of the UN Security Council.[196][197][198] On October 9, the Mayor of London Boris Johnsonheld a speech at the 2012 Conservative Party Conference where he told the audience that he and the British Prime Minister David Cameron have danced "Gangnam Style".[199] A few days before the conference, they had performed the dance at Chequers Court in Buckinghamshire.[200] During a Google Earnings call, Larry Page, the CEO and co-founder of Google, hailed the song as a glimpse of the future of worldwide distribution through YouTube.[201]
The American Council on Exercise estimated that dancing "Gangnam Style" will burn 150–200 calories per half-hour[202] and the song was used by Northampton General Hospital to promote hand washing as part of the 2012 Global Handwashing Day on October 15.[203]Swype, an input method for Android operating systems, included "Gangnam Style" in its list of recognized words and phrases.[204]
U.S. President Barack Obama revealed possible plans to privately perform "Gangnam Style" for his spouse Michelle Obama.[205][206][207][208]
In November 2012, a Maori cultural group from Rotorua performed a version of the Gangnam Style dance mixed with a traditional Maori haka in Seoul, celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations between South Korea and New Zealand.[209]
In Thailand, officials from the Dan Sai municipality in Loei Province shot a video of people wearing masks and performing "Gangnam Style" during the Phi Ta Khon "ghost" festival. According to the Thai newspaper The Nation, villagers and spiritual leaders from Loei province have felt "uneasy" and also "greatly offended" about this "Gangnam Style" performance which tarnishes the image of a 400 year-old tradition.[210] Another controversial incident was sparked by a "Gangnam Style" parody by officers from the Royal Thai Navy, which was not well received by some high-ranking commanders. Although Vice Admiral Tharathorn Kajitsuwan from the Third Naval Area Command insisted that "we had no intention to insult or make fun of navy officers in uniform", some senior officers have called it "improper". Kajitsuwan claimed that his subordinates had the right to upload the video to YouTube, although he did not expect them to do so. On October 1, 2012, he issued an apology to his colleagues. Commander Surasak Rounroengrom believes an investigation is unnecessary because the video caused no damage to the Navy, but he admits that there was some impropriety about military officers doing their "fancy stepping in uniform".[211]
Popular culture
...it has taken over the world,
it has taken over the intrawebs,
and now it's time for it
to take over Times Square.
it has taken over the intrawebs,
and now it's time for it
to take over Times Square.
“
”
Since September 2012, the dance has been performed by athletes in international competitions. These people include Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao,[213] Uruguayan footballer Edinson Cavani,[214] tennis player Novak Djokovic,[215] and Jamaican cricketerChris Gayle, who danced "Gangnam Style" twice during the West Indies' match againstIreland and then repeated the act during the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 match againstEngland.[216][217] Bangladesh national cricket team also celebrated their ODI series win against West Indies with "Gangnam Style" dance on December 8, 2012.[218]
District3 and Rylan Clark, finalists of the British music competition The X Factor, lip-synced and danced to "Gangnam Style" in a promotion.[219] On September 27, Eric Schmidt, the executive chairman of Google was reported to have danced "Gangnam Style" when he visited the company's office in Seoul. Nick Carbone from Time described it as cringe-worthy because "It's the same reason why you'd never want to see your dad planking on top of the family car".[220] The dance was also shown on the Argentine TV series Graduados, performed by the Argentine-Korean actor Chang Kim Sung.[221] In Fall 2012, a cover version of the song was performed on the Fox TV show Glee in the episode "Thanksgiving".[222]
In mid-September, the Brazilian singer Latino released the song "Despedida de solteiro" (The Bachelor's Party), which is supposed to be a cover of "Gangnam Style". Many felt offended by his disrespectful lyrics,[223] and some have called it a plagiarized copy of "Gangnam Style".[224] While PSY's original lyrics talk about the lifestyle of the Gangnam people, Latino's version is about a man that is enjoying his bachelor's party in a club, wanting (and having) sex with many women, so drunk that he says he does not know if he's really going to get married the next day.[225] Latino had stated that it was an authorized version.[226]
Political and environmental activism
On September 18, 2012, the North Korean government became the first to use "Gangnam Style" for political activism when it uploaded a parody with the title "I'm Yushin style!" onto the government website Uriminzokkiri.[227] The parody mocks the South Korean ruling conservative party presidential-elect Park Geun-hye. It shows a photo-shopped image of the presidential candidate performing the dance moves of "Gangnam Style" and labels her as a devoted admirer of the Yushin system of autocratic rule set up by her father, Park Chung-hee.[228][229] A few weeks later, "草泥马 style" (literally, "Grass Mud Horse Style"),[note 3][230] was uploaded onto YouTube and other Chinese websites by the political activist and dissident Ai Weiwei. In his parody, Ai Weiwei dances "Gangnam Style" with a pair of handcuffs as a symbol of his arrest by Chinese authorities in 2011. According to theAssociated Press, goverment authorities had removed the video from almost all Chinese websites the next day.[230]
In order to show his solidarity with Ai Weiwei and to advocate the freedom of expression, the British sculptor Anish Kapoor produced the video Gangnam for Freedom, which features other prominent British artists as well as human rights activists from various international organisations including Index on Censorship and Amnesty International.[14] A few days before, the global grassroots network Students for a Free Tibet had uploaded a parody of "Gangnam Style" to show its support for theTibetan independence movement. According to Max Fisher from The Washington Post, this parody of "Gangnam Style" was likely to be filmed in Dharamshala, the home of Tibet's government-in-exile in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.[231]
Greenpeace announced that it was "Going Gangnam, Greenpeace Style" in order to raise public awareness about illegal and unsustainable fishing practices off the coast of Mozambique. Activists from Greenpeace had parodied "Gangnam Style" onboard the organization's excursion yacht Rainbow Warrior.[232]
Songdo, a ubiquitous city 40 miles (65 km) west of Gangnam, was among five cities vying for the right to host the Green Climate Fund (GCF), a project developed by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to channel $100 billion a year from developed countries to help developing countries combat climate change.[233] During its campaign to win the right to host the GCF, the country's Presidential Committee on Green Growth produced a promotional video entitled "GCF Songdo Style by Psy" in which PSY recommends Songdo as the host city for the GCF. He announces that a "newparadigm" will begin at Songdo with the GCF and the video heralds "The beginning of Songdo Style" while "Gangnam Style" plays in the background.[234][235] On October 20, 2012, the Board of the GCF announced that Songdo had won the right to host the fund.[236]
In December 2012, the Department of Health in the Philippines launched a "Gangnam Style" dance campaign against the use of firecrackers to celebrate the New Year.[237] Janine Tugonon, 2012 Miss Universe 1st runner-up, joined and danced on one of their campaign at Pandacan, Manila.[238] According to the Department's Assistant Secretary, Dr. Eric Tayag, the popularity of the song will attract people especially children to use safer means of celebration such as dancing "Gangnam Style".[237] In contrast, the Philippine National Police was confirming intelligence reports about a firecracker named "Gangnam bomb", which supposedly produced by illegal firecracker makers in Bocaue, Bulacan and apparently riding on the popularity of the song.[239]According to Chief Superintendent Raul Petrasanta, director of the Firearms and Explosives Office of the Philippine National Police, he did not know what the possibly dangerous[240] "Gangnam bomb" looks like.[239]
Muhammad Rahim al Afghani, a close associated of Osama bin Laden currently held at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, had also used the song to demonstrate his ability to gain access to popular cultural trends despite being confined within a top secret prison. In a letter to his lawyer, Muhammad wrote, "I like this new song Gangnam Style. I want to do the dance for you but cannot because of my shackles."[241]
Other parodies and covers
Reaction videos and parodies have been made for or with the music respectively. Some of these user generated videos have received international media recognition. "Gangnam Style"-related videos have also been uploaded by the CPDRC Dancing Inmates,[243][244] Cody Simpson,[245] Seungri,[246]Latino,[247] Fine Brothers,[248] Barely Political,[249] students at Eton College,[197] and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheerleaders.[250]
College campuses have spawned numerous parodies. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology's version featured Donald Sadoway, recognized in Time Magazine as one of 2012 "Top 100 Most Influential People in the World", Eric Lander, who is co-chairman of President Barack Obama's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, and professor Noam Chomsky.[251][252] In addition, there are parodies from The Ohio University Marching 110,[253] York University,[254] McMaster University,[255] Cornell University,[256] University of Oregon,[256] University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign,[256] Boston University,[257] Dartmouth University,[257] Stanford University[258] and the University of Michigan.[259]
The American space agency NASA uploaded an educational parody shot by its students at its Mission Control Center in Houston, Texas. The video features cameo appearances by astronauts Tracy Caldwell Dyson, Mike Massimino, Michael Coats, Ellen Ochoa, and the International Space Station's Expedition 15 flight engineer Clayton Anderson, who dances "Gangnam Style" halfway through the video.[260][261] Shortly after its upload, the parody was re-tweeted by the European Space Agency[262] and the SETI Institute.[263]
The song was also parodied by cadets from the United States Military Academy,[264][265] United States Merchant Marine Academy,[266] United States Naval Academy,[267][268] United States Air Force Academy,[269] and the Royal Military College of Canada;[270] soldiers from the 210th Fires Brigade, the 2nd Infantry Division, servicemembers from an undisclosed unit and location in Afghanistan,[271] servicemembers from the China Coast Guard's Jiangsu division,[272] 150 officers from the People's Liberation Army Air Force,[273] as well as high ranking officers from the Royal Thai Navy.[274] CollegeHumor uploaded Mitt Romney Style; while What's Trending uploaded Obama Style.[275] During the two weeks before August 7, nearly 1,000 videos with the word "Gangnam" in the title were uploaded onto YouTube.[32]
Consequences
The success of "Gangnam Style" is a result of the build-up of South Korea's music industry that has been in the works for over 20 years,[276] and it has led to other K-pop artists positioning themselves for a similar breakthrough in the U.S. music industry.[277]Frances Moore, chief executive of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, brought up Gangnam Style as an example of how South Korea became one of the "most successful exporters of repertoire".[278]
Increased interest in the Korean wave
According to the news agency Agence France-Presse, the success of "Gangnam Style" has led to the further rise and spread of theKorean wave to other countries.[279] As the song continued to attract worldwide media attention, it also led to various broadcasting networks and national newspapers focusing its attention on K-pop and other aspects of Korean culture. For example, The Daily Telegraph published an article recommending its readers to try out everything from K-Pop to "K-Cars", "K-Phones" and "K-Cuisine".[280]The British multinational grocery and retailer Tesco reported that its total sales of Korean food had more than doubled as a result of the popularity of "Gangnam Style".[281] Kim Byoung-gi, the Korean Ambassador to Lebanon, wrote that "Gangnam Style" has helped bridge Lebanese and Korean cultures.[282] The French-born political commentator Tim Soutphommasane, a Research fellow at Monash University, agrees that the Gangnam phenomenon is "something worth studying". According to Soutphommasane, the world is only beginning to appreciate Gangnam Style as "part of a broader hallyu cultural wave coming out of the country [South Korea]".[283]
South Korea
In 2012, the South Korean government announced that "Gangnam Style" had brought in $13.4 million to the country’s audio sector, and it subsequently lanched a campaign to further expand the K-Pop music industry overseas.[284] According to the Bank of Korea, the country's services account recorded a surplus of USD 2.3 billion in the first nine months of this year, compared to a deficit of USD 4.5 billion last year. This was mainly due to the growing influence and popularity of K-pop songs such as "Gangnam Style".[285] However, the American journalist John Seabrook noted that by "satirizing standard K-pop tropes in Gangnam Style", PSY may have subverted the music genre's chances of making it big in the West.[286]
Music industry
Record executives in the music industry believe that music charts will increasingly be filled with YouTube-driven globalised acts from foreign countries. Sean Carey, a research fellow in the School of Social Sciences at the University of Roehampton, wrote that the flow of popular music will no longer be a single traffic route from North America and Europe to other parts of the globe, but will also move the other way as well.[287] According to Adam Sherwin from The Independent, the global web demand for Gangnam Style had short-circuited the "traditional reluctance" of radio stations to play foreign-language songs.[288] The song is also underlining a shift in how money is being made in the music business.[289] Although PSY earned more than US$60,000 from music sales of "Gangnam Style" in South Korea alone, he and his music label YG Entertainment have raked in almost US$1 million from advertisements which appear on YouTube videos indentified for using "Gangnam Style" in its content. The Harvard Business Review published an article written by Kevin Evers, who explained how "Gangnam Style" had changed Billboard's ranking methodology of its music charts. Instead of relying solely on radio plays and paid purchases, Billboard started to place a heavier emphasis on digital sales and YouTube views.[290] As a result of the change, Gangnam Style moved up to the top position of Billboard's Hot Rap Songs music chart.[291]
Track listing
| Digital download | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | ||||||||
| 1. | "Gangnam Style" | 3:37 | ||||||||
| German CD Single[292] | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | ||||||||
| 1. | "Gangnam Style (Video)" | 4:13 | ||||||||
Accolades and records
Awards and nominations
| Year | Host country | City | Ceremony | Award | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Germany | Frankfurt | MTV Europe Music Awards | Best Video | Won | [8] |
| United States | Los Angeles | American Music Awards | New Media Honoree | Won | [293] | |
| China | Hong Kong | Mnet Asian Music Awards | Best Video | Won | [294] | |
| Song of the Year | Won | [294] | ||||
| South Korea | Seoul | Melon Music Awards | Best Song | Won | [295] | |
| 2013 | United States | Los Angeles | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Music Video | Pending | [296] |
| France | Cannes | NRJ Music Awards | Chanson Internationale de l'année (International Song of the Year) | Pending | [297] | |
| Clip de l'année (Music Video of the Year) | Pending |
Critics pick
The song
"Gangnam Style" was ranked #25 on the Rolling Stone's 50 best songs of 2012 list and #8 on SPIN's 40 best songs of the year.[298][299] The song also took the #8 spot on the 2012 Billboard 20 best K-Pop songs list by Jeff Benjamin and Jessica Oak, who commented "[the song] stands out not only for its slick, electronic production but also for its deeper critique on high-class society."[300]According to MTV's list of the 2012 best songs, the song was ranked #8 with MTV news staff James Montgomery's comment: "'Gangnam' is either the track we, as a culture needed right now, or the track we, as a culture, deserved".[301] TIME magazine chose it as the second best song of 2012 after Usher's "Climax," writing "The YouTube meme, a good-natured, mind-bendingly catchy lampoon [...] turned into a global obsession".[302][303] The song was one of the best songs of the year on The New York Times pop critics' list and E! Online's #1 pick on the top 10 pop songs of 2012 list.[304][305] Digital Spy ranked the song #20 on the 20 best singles of the year list.[306]
The video
The music video for "Gangnam Style" was chosen as the best music video of 2012 by TIME. Melissa Locker of the magazine wrote "The catchy song paired with social satire and tongue-in-cheek vibe has spread so quickly it reminds us why videos are called viral. The video has sparked an dance craze and catapulted PSY to international super stardom."[307] Rolling Stone also ranked the video #1 on its "The Best Music Videos of 2012" list, saying "The Korean auteur[PSY] conquered the world with his 'dress classy, dance cheesy' aesthetic, blurring the line between parody and celebration."[308] The video took #4 position on the Digital Spy's list of 10 top pop music videos of the year.[309]
Records attained
The song and its accompanying music video currently holds, or have attained, the following records:
- Most viewed K-pop video on YouTube[7] – On September 1, 2012, it overtook "Gee" by the 9-member K-Pop idol-group Girls' Generation with 89 million views.[79]
- Most liked video on YouTube – On September 13, 2012, it overtook "Party Rock Anthem" by the American electro recording duoLMFAO upon receiving 1.57 million "likes", and subsequently won its first Guinness World Record one week later.[7][310]
- First K-pop song to top the UK Singles Chart – On September 30, 2012, it replaced Hall of Fame by the Irish alternative rock band The Script with a margin of 26,000 extra copies sold.[311]
- Most viewed video on YouTube – On November 24, 2012, it overtook "Baby" by the Canadian singer-songwriter Justin Bieberafter receiving more than 803 million views.[312]
- First video in Internet history to be viewed more than a billon times[5] - On December 21, 2012, it acquired its billionth view at around 15:50 UTC.[313]
Miscellaneousness
The music video came in first with 21% rating in the 2012 Billboard.com's readers poll, beating "Where Have You Been" by Rihanna (19%) and "Beauty and a Beat" by Justin Bieber featuring Nicki Minaj (11%).[314] The song was the most popular song played on New Year's Eve in the United Kingdom.[315]
Charts performance
The song debuted at number six on the Billboard Korea K-Pop Hot 100 for the week of July 28, 2012.[316] It then topped the chart the week after,[17] and remained at number one for five weeks.[317] On the Gaon Single Chart, the song was downloaded 816,000 times in its first week, and was number one for five weeks.
In the United States, "Gangnam Style" debuted at number 74 on Billboard Hot Digital Songs with 23,000 downloads sold in the week ending of September 8, 2012, and two weeks later reached number 25 with 61,000 downloads;[318] previously, 57,000 copies were downloaded in the US up until August 31.[319] The song rocketed to number four for the chart week of September 29, with 188,000 downloads.[320] On the issue date of September 22, it debuted at number 64 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the second K-pop song to enter the chart behind the Wonder Girls' "Nobody" in 2009. In the same week, "Gangnam Style" also debuted on the BillboardPop Songs at number 28.[318] "Gangnam Style" had, by October 11, sold one million downloads in the US.[321] In its second week on the Hot 100, "Gangnam Style" rose to number 11.[320] In its third week on the chart, "Gangnam Style" rose to number two, behind "One More Night" by Maroon 5.[322] For the week of November 24, after seven weeks at number 2, the song dropped to number 5.[323] For the week of December 22, the song fell from number 10 to number 11.[324]
On September 1, 2012, "Gangnam Style" debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number 196;[325] in its second week, the song reached number 61. The next week, the song rose up to number 37. On September 23, the song climbed from 37 to 3. The following week the song reached the number 1 position. Eventually, the song became the 6th biggest selling single in the United Kingdom with 878,000 sales.[326]
On August 21, 2012, "Gangnam Style" charted number one on the iTunes Music Video Charts, overtaking Justin Bieber's "As Long as You Love Me" and Katy Perry's "Wide Awake"; this feat is the first for any South Korean artist.[327] Since early September, the song has also peaked on Billboard's YouTube Music Chart at number one.[328]
Charts and certifications
Charts | Sales and certifications
Year-end charts
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Successions
| [show]Order of precedence |
|---|
Release history
| Country | Date | Label | Format | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | June 15, 2012 | YG Entertainment | Digital download | [398] |
| European Union | September 4, 2012 | School Boy, Universal Music | Digital download | [399] |
| United States | September 6, 2012 | School Boy, Universal Music | Digital download | [400] |
"Oppa Is Just My Style"
| "Oppa Is Just My Style" | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
_Cover.jpg) | ||||||||
| Single by Hyuna and PSY | ||||||||
| Released | August 14, 2012[401] | |||||||
| Label | YG, Universal Republic | |||||||
| Writer(s) | Yoo Gun Hyung, PSY | |||||||
| Producer | Yang Hyun-seok | |||||||
| Hyuna single chronology | ||||||||
| ||||||||
| ||||||||
| Oppa Is Just My Style | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | 오빤 딱 내 스타일 |
| Revised Romanization | Oppan Ttag Nae Seutail |
| McCune–Reischauer | Oppan Ttak Nae Sŭt’ail |
"Gangnam Style" was officially re-released on August 14, 2012, as "Oppa Is Just My Style" (Korean: 오빤 딱 내 스타일), featuring additional vocals provided by Korean singer and 4Minute member Hyuna. Mallika Rao of The Huffington Post wrote that the video was "apparently retrofitted here to work from a woman's point of view, but the main difference we're spotting is less invisible horse riding and more sultry side-eyeing."[402] As of December 2012, the accompanying music video has garnered over 200 million views on YouTube.[403]
See also
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 2012 (Korea)
- List of Internet phenomena
- List of number-one hits of 2012 (South Korea)
Notes
- ^ At the beginning of the video, an airplane towing a sky banner inscribed "Gangnam Style" is seen in the sky. Then a close-up of the lens reflections from a man's sunglasses shows a woman waving a fan at the wearer, PSY.
- ^ In the Rolling Stone interview, PSY says he copied the spa surfacing scene from Lady Gaga's video ("Poker Face").
- ^ The Chinese characters are a homonym for a vulgar slur.
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