Line #13 Music/GangnamStyle


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/opa_gangnam_style.png]]
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3	-> ''"Heeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyy, sexy lady!"''
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5	"Gangnam Style" is a 2012 song by UsefulNotes/{{South Korea}}n recording artist Music/{{PSY}}. The song was released in July 2012, and soon became ridiculously popular. From November 24, 2012 to January 10, 2017, it was the #1 most viewed video on Website/YouTube (surpassing "Baby" by Music/JustinBieber and replaced by "See You Again" by Music/WizKhalifa featuring Music/CharliePuth). On December 21, 2012, it became the first [=YouTube=] video in history to reach 1 billion views. Just a year and a half later, on May 31, 2014, it reached 2 billion views. On December 1, 2014, it forced [=YouTube=] to rewrite its view systems by reaching [[{{Cap}} 2,147,483,647]] views.
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7	The title of the song refers to the Gangnam District, a neighborhood in the South Korean capital UsefulNotes/{{Seoul}} that is well-known for being affluent and extravagant. In Korean, the term "oppa" means "big brother", and it is a term of endearment used by women to refer to their boyfriend. Therefore, when Psy says "oppa Gangnam style" in the chorus, he is really saying "[Your] big brother has Gangnam style" -- so basically, he is referring to himself in the third person, and telling ladies to come check him out because he "has Gangnam style", meaning that he is wealthy and spectacular like the inhabitants of the Gangnam District. Fitting, since Psy himself is actually from there.
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9	!!This song -- and the accompanying music video -- provides examples of the following:
10	* AffectionateParody: It's one giant parody of K-Pop, featuring many k-pop artists (that giant random crowd dancing in a disco isn't just a face of nobodies) and a beat that's a take-off on a lot of k-pop songs. Given that PSY's style prior to his international fame is considered K-Pop...
11	* BoastfulRap: A parody of the genre. The narrator brags about his luxurious lifestyle, while the music video reveals him to be trying waaay too hard.
12	* TheCameo: "Gangnam Style" includes several Korean celebrities, naturally lost on international viewers. For the curious:
13	** The two chess-playing cough old men are [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daesung Daesung]] and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seungri Seungri]] from Music/BigBang.
14	** The yellow-suit-wearing guy from the parking lot is TV host and comedian [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoo_Jae-Suk Yoo Jae-Suk]].
15	** The pelvis-thrusting elevator dude is actor [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noh_Hong-chul Noh Hong-chul]].
16	** The girl dancing on the subway is Korean singer [[Music/{{Hyuna}} Kim Hyun-A]]. [[note]]PSY later returned the favor by appearing in the video for her song [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlWZluzBNxM "Ice Cream"]].[[/note]]
17	** The massive disco crowd at the end is comprised of various K-pop stars.
18	** Even [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hwang_Min-Woo the little boy at the beginning]] is from ''Korea's Got Talent''!
19	* GratuitousEnglish:
20	** "Heeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyyy, sexy lady!"
21	** "You know what I'm sayin'!"
22	* InformedAttribute: The subway station in the video is repeatedly stated (even on this very page) to be "dirty" and "dingy." Perhaps this is the case by Korean standards, but it's relatively tame by western standards.
23	* LighterAndSofter: Bright and happy compared to PSY's older works, which were dark and gritty, with a lot of sarcastic jabs and BlackComedy.
24	* MaleGaze: When the camera zooms in on the assets of women exercising.
25	* MeadowRun: Played for laughs when PSY and [=HyunA=] do this... in a grimy subway train.
26	* MockMillionaire: The song is, in part, a skewering of people who try to seem wealthy.
27	* ModestyTowel: PSY and two other men sport one in the sauna scene; however, [[RuleOfFunny PSY wears his around the chest]].
28	* NouveauRiche: "Gangnam Style" is a satire of young Koreans who are either filthy rich or [[GoldDigger want to be]] filthy rich.
29	* StealthParody:
30	** Behind the catchy tune, it is a critique of those who imitate South Korea's [[ConspicuousConsumption upper-class citizens]], specifically the posh upper-class Gangnam neighborhood of Seoul (think a Korean [[UsefulNotes/LosAngeles Beverly Hills]] or [[BigApplesauce Manhattan]]). Psy has said that the song is making fun of posers who ''say'' they are "Gangnam style", and it takes shots at women into shallow, materialistic trendiness... and the guys who buy into it to impress chicks.[[note]]Materialism is considered a growing problem in South Korea, to the point where nosejobs as sweet sixteen presents and slang for women who'll starve themselves to buy fancy clothes and furniture are common.[[/note]]
31	** PSY appears to be lounging on beach, but he's actually on a playground; he admires the horses in a ritzy stable, but winds up on a merry-go-round; he struts in a suit with a babe on each arm while being pelted with garbage and fake snow; and he spends the whole song talking about how he wants a classy lady for a girlfriend, but when he meets his true love in melodramatic slo-mo, they're both on a dingy subway train. He even brags about his wealth while [[ToiletHumour sitting on the can]].
32	* StealthInsult: Like many of PSY's songs, this song turns a social phenomenon into SarcasmMode. In this case, the NouveauRiche society in Gangnam district.
33	* StuffBlowingUp: Right before the first chorus hits, an explosion inexplicably goes off behind PSY.
34	* SwanBoats: Swan-shaped boats appear in the music video.
35	* ToiletHumour: A literal example: one shot in the music video features PSY rapping while sitting on the toilet, adding on to the overarching joke about materialist tryhards.
36	* UnflinchingWalk:
37	** In the beginning, PSY and two women walk while an excessive amount of wind blows trash and fake snow. The women try their best to keep it out of their faces. PSY... doesn't.
38	** Right before the first chorus, an explosion blows away chess players behind PSY... who simply walks up to the screen and introduces 'Gangnam Style' to the viewer.
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40	->''YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYIN'? Oppa Gangnam Style!''

Context Music / GangnamStyle