When Psy Broke The Internet
Viral megahit ‘Gangnam Style’, by South Korean pop star Psy, became the first video to reach 2 billion plays on YouTube, on May 31st, 2014.
The EDM/K-Pop banger, released in 2012 as the lead single from Psy’s sixth studio album, parodied the nouveau riche lifestyles associated with the Gangnam region of Seoul. But it was the video, with its iconic horse dance, that became a cultural phenomenon, with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hailing it as a force for world peace.
In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how the song literally smashed YouTube’s views counter; reveal the health risks inherent in imitating its choreography; and reveal what Psy and Peter Kay have in common…
Further Reading:
- ‘PSY’s “Gangnam Style” Changed Pop Music, Whether You Like It Or Not’ (Pitchfork, 2017): https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/psys-gangnam-style-changed-pop-music-whether-you-like-it-or-not/
- ‘Psy’s 'Gangnam Style': Celebrating 10 Years of YouTube’s Billion Views Club’ (YouTube, 2022): https://blog.youtube/creator-and-artist-stories/10-years-of-youtubes-billion-views-club-psy-gangnam-style
• ‘PSY - GANGNAM STYLE(강남스타일)’ (YG Entertainment, 2012): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0
#2010s #Internet #Music #Korea
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The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.
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