On this day in 2012, the music video for Gangnam Style by Kpop artist Psy was published to Youtube. It quickly gained popularity online and became the most watched video on Youtube, an honor which it held for almost 5 years.
The Song
“Gangnam Style” is a South Korean neologism that refers to a lifestyle associated with the Gangnam District of Seoul, 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. Psy likened the Gangnam District to Beverly Hills, California, and said in an interview that he intended in a twisted sense of humor 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:
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 very hard to be something that they're not.
The song talks about “the perfect girlfriend who knows when to be refined and when to get wild.” The song’s refrain “오빤 강남 스타일 (Oppan Gangnam style)” has been translated as “Big brother is Gangnam style,” with Psy referring to himself.
The man behind it
Psy (real name Park Jae-sang) was born and raised in the Gangnam district of Seoul, in 1977. In 2001, he released his debut album. He was conscripted into mandatory military service in 2002. That same year, he performed at a concert staged in opposition to 37,000 U.S. troops stationed on the Korean Peninsula. Psy took to the stage in gold-face paint and a glittery red outfit, then lifted a model U.S. tank over his head before smashing it to pieces on the ground. The performance was a response to the death of two Korean schoolgirls killed in an accident with an American military vehicle. The video is here although with an incorrect date.
In 2004, Psy was featured on a song called Dear American in which he rapped in Korean,
"Kill those fucking Yankees who have been torturing Iraqi captives
Kill those fucking Yankees who ordered them to torture
Kill their daughters, mothers, daughters-in-law and fathers
Kill them all slowly and painfully"
In 2007, state prosecutors accused Psy of “neglecting” his work, holding concerts and appearing on local television networks during his period of prior employment. On October 12, 2007, the Seoul Administrative Court decided that Psy must be redrafted. Two months later, Psy was re-drafted into the military where he served as a signalman in the 52nd Army Infantry Division before being released from duties in July 2009.
On April 13, 2013, Psy attended a press conference where he expressed regret about his country’s conflict with North Korea and described the situation as a “tragedy”. He also expressed hope that North Koreans would one day be able to enjoy his music before elaborating that his job is to make everyone, including North Koreans, laugh. Right before the start of a concert in Seoul, Psy added: “Tonight me and 50,000 Korean people… we are going to sing out loud. We are going to shout out loud and we are really close to them, so they [the North Koreans] can hear.”
In an interview with The Daily Beast, Psy was asked to give his take on Kim Jong-un’s recent threats against South Korea and the United States, to which he replied: “Well, as an entertainer, I don’t want to talk about politics. As a Korean citizen, I want peace. That’s all I can say. I want permanent peace.”
The Impact
Gangnam Style was certainly the first Kpop song I ever heard. It was the first song not primarily in English that I ever heard played on the radio. It brought Kpop into the mainstream in a very big way and arguably paved the way for more Korean culture being popular in the West. The dance became extremely popular and I remember doing it as part of a school rally. Parodies were made by every celebrity and group under the sun. Of particular note is the parody Mitt Romney Style which while not my personal favorite was a sign of just how much the Internet and pop culture would make its way into elections.
Psy still remains popular today and is on his 9th studio album.
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