Gangnam Style
A 2012 K-pop song by South Korean musician Psy, known for its satirical lyrics, viral music video, and signature horse-riding dance.
Psy: A South Korean rapper and singer-songwriter whose stage name is Psy. He wrote and performed the song, shaping its comic delivery and public persona.
Horse-riding dance: A comic dance gesture that mimics riding a horse with alternating arm movements and rhythmic steps. Its repeated motion became the song’s instantly recognizable physical signature.
Satire: A form of expression that uses humor, irony, or exaggeration to criticize people, institutions, or social norms. The song exaggerates status-seeking associated with Gangnam to make its central joke.
Billboard Hot 100: A United States singles chart ranking songs by a combination of sales, radio airplay, and streaming. The song reached number two, a rare peak for a Korean-language track at the time.
K-pop: Popular music from South Korea, encompassing diverse genres and multimedia performance practices. The song emerged from K-pop’s polished production and international ambitions.
Music video: A filmed visual work made to accompany and promote a piece of music. The video turns the song’s satire into a sequence of memorable comic scenes.
Conspicuous consumption: The public display of spending or possessions to signal wealth and social standing. The song lampoons the performance of affluence that its Gangnam setting evokes.
YouTube view count record: A milestone for the most-viewed video on YouTube, tracked as the platform’s view counts grew. The video became the first YouTube video to reach one billion views.
Gangnam: A district in Seoul associated with wealth, fashionable consumption, and South Korean popular culture. The lyrics use Gangnam’s affluent image as the target of their satire.
Viral video: A video that spreads rapidly through online sharing and repeated exposure. Viewers shared the video widely, helping the song cross language and national boundaries.