It is a pop song which made waves across the world. South Korean singer Psy’s Gangnam Style released in July 2012 as part of his album ‘Six Rules’. By December 2012, it had become the first music video to be viewed more than a billion times on the Internet.
Gangnam is a district in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, and ‘Gangnam style’ is a new phrase or neologism in Korean referring to the way of life of its people.
The song’s peppy, catchy beat and Psy’s unique, entertaining dance moves ensured that the video went viral. The song topped the charts in more than 30 countries including the U.K. and China. It gave rise to numerous parodies and spoofs across the world. While it won ‘best video’ at the MTV Europe Music Awards, Guinness World Records recognized it as the ‘best liked video’ on YouTube.
It inspired a number of flashmobs (spontaneous gatherings of people) with thousands of people in Paris, Milan and Rome dancing ‘Gangnam Style’ together! On New Year’s Eve, the world’s biggest flashmob, consisting of a million people danced ‘Gangnam Style’ at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany.
World leaders like Barack Obama and David Cameron have performed its signature dance moves and some have called the song ‘a force for world peace’.
Picture Credit : Google