英闻天下——146 2012 Review: Gangnam Style

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　　The success did not stop there. By the end of the year, the song had topped the music charts of more than 30 countries and regions, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Russia, Spain, and here in China. It also topped the iTunes chart in the United States, a market notoriously difficult to crack open even for British artists who share the same language as their American counterparts.

 

　　With "Gangnam Style" now entering most non-Korean speakers' vocabulary, one question becomes inevitable⁴: Just what exactly is "Gangnam Style"? Well, here's the definition:

 

　　Gangnam Style noun

 

　　A lavish⁵ lifestyle associated with the Gangnam district in Seoul, which is considered the most affluent⁶ area in South Korea. People there are trendy, hip⁷ and exude⁸ a certain supposed "class".

 

　　This all sounds fine and dandy, but what does it have to do with the general public? According to scholars and analysts⁹, the song is great social satire¹⁰ and pokes¹¹ fun at the rich and famous, and that's why people everywhere can relate to it.

 

　　Zhou Heyang, a pop culture enthusiast¹² with a special focus on Asia, has a slightly different take.

 

　　"I think when he was in the music video, PSY seemed very happy and cheerful, so perhaps the message of the video isn't so much that the Gangnam Style is hollow and meaningless, but it's really about living large, it's more about attitude. And in a society like Korea, or more or less in China, that is obsessed¹³ with money, status, power, and consumerism, it is a reminder¹⁴ that the best things in life are free, or at least don't require maxing out your credit cards."

 

　　Wang Wei, a long-time fan of rap music, agrees. He says while a social message can be the icing on the cake, it's not the necessary component¹⁵ of a successful rap song. What attracts listeners is usually the attitude, and of course, the beat.

 

　　"Sometimes it is just the tune² and the feel that catches you, but not really the meaning of the lyrics¹⁷, especially when it comes to rap music and hip-hop music. Most people just don't have a clue what they are talking about in the beginning, until they really fell for the song, and then they dig out all the lyrics. So basically people have this trend to listen to songs just because of their catchy¹⁸ tunes³."

 

　　In various newspaper articles, PSY himself has admitted that the song is not that deep. With the current woeful economic climate, he simply wants to make people forget about their troubles and be happy for a minute with the fun beats and crazy dance moves.

 

　　Clearly, he has achieved his goal.

 

　　"I liked it. Oh, it was funny. I just do, I just like it so much! I like the beat, I can dance to it. The way you feel about it, is just like awesome¹⁹. Made me feel very good. Very child-like. Happy! That's uplifting. Upbeat, alive, fantastic. I loved it!"

 

　　Perhaps there lies the biggest contributing factor to PSY's phenomenal success. He is more than willing to use self-deprecating humor to make people laugh. And that is a lesson for Chinese artists if they want to overcome the language barrier and be embraced by a global audience.

 

　　And while PSY does not take himself too seriously, he does take his country and fellow Koreans seriously. And this only adds to his charm, and in turn, makes him more popular and successful.

 

　　"I can speak English, but still, if I have a chance, I want my music, lyric¹⁶ to be Korean, because Gangnam Style's working right now, right? The world's most famous and popular language is music, so if we have some sort of, like, solution with this kind of dance moves and this kind of music video so that I can use Korean if possible, then it's really huge history for my country. So I'm thinking about that too."

 

　　As Gangnam Style continues to gain popularity and ubiquity, its signature dance moves have been attempted by notable world leaders such as British Prime Minister David Cameron, U.S. President Barack Obama, and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, who hails the song as a "force for world peace".

 

　　Hopefully in the not-too-distant future, we will be able to witness some Chinese success stories as big as, or even bigger than PSY and his "Gangnam Style".

 

　　For CRI, I'm Liu Yan.

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