Gangnam Style

For the music video, see Gangnam Style (music video).

"Gangnam Style"
A drawing of a horse stable, with Psy performing a dance. The song's title is read in the floor with the album's title (Reading: "Psy 6 (Six Rules), Part 1" in Korean) on a sign on ceiling and the artist on the top right wall. A speech bubble is seen on the first horse on the left saying "Oppan'Gangnam Style'" in Korean.
Single by Psy
from the EP Psy 6 (Six Rules), Part 1
LanguageKorean
ReleasedJuly 15, 2012
Recorded2011–2012
Genre
Length3:39
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Psy singles chronology
"Korea"
(2012) 		"Gangnam Style"
(2012) 		"Gentleman"
(2013)
Psy 6 (Six Rules), Part 1 Disc artwork
Audio sample
"Gangnam Style"
Music video
"Gangnam Style" on YouTube
"Gangnam Style"
Hangul
Hanja
江南스타일
Revised RomanizationGangnam seutail
McCune–ReischauerKangnam sŭt'ail

"Gangnam Style" (Korean: 강남스타일, IPA: [kaŋ.nam sɯ.tʰa.il]) is a K-pop song by South Korean singer and rapper Psy, released on July 15, 2012, by YG Entertainment as the lead single of his sixth studio album, Psy 6 (Six Rules), Part 1 (Ssai Yukgap Part 1). The term "Gangnam Style" is a neologism that refers to the nouveau riche lifestyles associated with the Gangnam region of Seoul.

On July 15, 2012, "Gangnam Style" was released on to Psy's YouTube channel and debuted at number one on South Korea's Gaon Chart, receiving generally positive reviews, with praise for its catchy beat and Psy's amusing dancing during live performances and in various locations around the world in its music video. The song and its music video went viral in August 2012 and have influenced popular culture worldwide. In the United States, "Gangnam Style" peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, which at the time, was the highest charting song by a South Korean artist. By the end of 2012, "Gangnam Style" had topped the music charts of more than 30 countries including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Psy's dance in the music video itself became a cultural phenomenon.

It subsequently won Best Video at the MTV Europe Music Awards held that year. It became a source of parodies and reaction videos by many different individuals, groups, and organizations. On December 21, 2012, "Gangnam Style" became the first YouTube video to reach a billion views.[7] The song's music video was the most viewed video on YouTube from November 24, 2012, when it surpassed the music video for "Baby" by Justin Bieber featuring Ludacris,[8] to July 10, 2017, when it was itself surpassed by the music video for "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth.[9]

Its dance was attempted by political leaders such as British Prime Minister David Cameron and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who hailed it as "a force for world peace".[10] On May 7, 2013, at a bilateral meeting with South Korea's President Park Geun-hye at the White House, US President Barack Obama cited the success of "Gangnam Style" as an example of how people around the world are being "swept up" by the Korean Wave of culture.[11]

  1. ^ Fisher, Max. "Visual music: How 'Gangnam Style' exploited K-pop's secret strength and overcame its biggest weakness". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  2. ^ Cochrane, Greg (January 10, 2012). "Gangnam Style the UK's first K-pop number one". BBC News. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  3. ^ "'Gangnam Style' Sees Veteran Singer Psy Leapfrog K-Pop Bands". The Chosun Ilbo. August 13, 2012. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  4. ^ Wood, Mikael (December 31, 2012). "Psy threatens to retire 'Gangnam Style' on New Year's Eve". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  5. ^ "Psy (Gangnam Style) – 'kẻ tâm thần' một lần vụt sáng rồi chợt tắt". ZingNews.vn (in Vietnamese). November 27, 2018. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  6. ^ "Rap Songs 2012-10-20". Billboard. October 1, 2012. Archived from the original on December 2, 2012. Retrieved October 12, 2012.
  7. ^ Gruger, William (December 21, 2012). "PSY's 'Gangnam Style' Video Hits 1 Billion Views, Unprecedented Milestone". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 16, 2024. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  8. ^ Lipshutz, Jason (November 24, 2012). "PSY's 'Gangnam Style' Now Most-Watched YouTube Video of All Time". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  9. ^ Dresdale, Andrea (July 12, 2017). "'See You Again' Breaks Record for Most-Viewed YouTube Video of All Time". ABC News. ABC News Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on July 12, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference france24 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ "Remarks by President Obama and President Park of South Korea in a Joint Press Conference". whitehouse.gov. May 7, 2013. Retrieved May 7, 2013 – via National Archives.