It took the world by storm in 2012, yet many K-pop enthusiasts are still scratching their heads over the true meaning of “Gangnam Style”.
The catchy tune by South Korean sensation Psy was first shared on his YouTube channel and quickly shot to number one on South Korea’s Gaon Charts.
By August 2021, the song and its iconic dance moves had gone viral, hitting number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 and dominating charts across the UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. Moreover, its music video turned into a global craze, scooping up the Best Video award at the MTV Europe Music Awards that year.
Despite its massive success, the essence of “Gangnam Style” remains a mystery to many fans, prompting questions like one Reddit user’s: “What is the story behind PSY’s Gangnam Style and where can I find good information on it?”
Psy himself has explained that the song pays homage to the women of Gangnam, Seoul’s ritziest neighbourhood. He elaborated in an interview, saying: “Gangnam is a territory in Seoul, Korea. I describe it as noble at the daytime and going crazy at the night time. I compare ladies to the territory.
“So – noble at the daytime, going crazy at the night time – and the lyric says I am the right guy for the lady who is like that.”
Reddit users have been dissecting why “Gangnam Style” became such a sensation, with one person saying: “I think it blew up partly because of how relatable it was as a social commentary, not just in Seoul but also in many cities where there is a huge class divide.”
Another user chimed in and mentioned the trend factor, saying: “When Gangnam Style came out, people loved weird, fun, EDM-heavy songs. They were used as memes a lot back then. For example, ‘What does the fox say? ‘ came out in 2013 and also went viral. So did the Harlem Shake. Gangnam Style fit in perfectly with the trends of 2013, so it blew up in popularity.”
Further, a third user pointed to celebrity influence as a catalyst for the track’s explosion, writing: “If I remember correctly, one of the biggest reasons why a lot of people discovered it in the first place was because a bunch of celebs tweeted about the video.
“Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Justin Bieber, etc. Around the same time Justin’s tweet about Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen made it a huge hit. Then a few years later, his tweet about PPAP made that go viral too. Of course, the song and video is fun enough to gain fans on its own, but the early boost from celebs is what got it into the public’s conscious.”
Source: Mirror
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