So Gangnam Style has just become the most watched video in the world...

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ShadowKatt

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Wintermute said:
I generally enjoy watching garbage, B movies and terrible Youtube videos that make no sense at all and such, but this is something else. The choreography is awful, I have no idea what he's saying, the guy looks like a total asshole, I could go on.

People I know, however think the video is funny. How is it funny?

The guy is worldwide famous though so good for him.
Okay, as far as not liking it...fair enough. Everyone has an opinion. However, as far as your technical points...

The choreography is actually spot on. There are some bits that are simply not done to the beat, mostly the one-off clips like the pool, however the rest is on. The kid dancing in the beginning is dancing in time, the walk through the horse stables, every step is on the downbeat. And the dance numbers on the chorus are, of course, set.

As far as not understanding it, it's in Korean. If you discount the music just because its in another language then you're going to be knocking out a LOT of good music right out the gate. Instead, treat the vocals like another instrument and just enjoy the music for what it is. Look for the harmonys, dissonances, and changes in timing. Vocals add a percussive beat that tends to compliment the drum kit.

And his looks...again, opinion. Can't argue opinions.
 

Quazimofo

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wombat_of_war said:
k pop goes world wide. funny how its a video and song dissing fake people when alot of them are blindly bopping to it not having a clue what it means
well, part of why nobody knows what it means, is because the lyrics MAKE ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE AT ALL!
 

Djcian

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psy actually had an AMA on Reddit answering some of the questions being asked here, seemed like a nice guy.
http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/120oqd/i_am_south_korean_singer_rapper_composer_dancer/

I've also never actually seen his song, or any Justine Beiber song, or Rebecca Black but psy seems more respectable and less of a joke then them so good for him. He managed to become popular on the internet without being a laughing stock.
 

Quazimofo

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poiumty said:
Sure is catchy, at least.

Baby's REALLY old guys, it was bound to stop being popular. Fad in, fad out and all that.
yeah, though it was also far less entertaining, which is likely a factor in why Gangnam style has beaten it, and is continuing to gain views as we speak (it had another 2 million by the time the OP saw it and when i responded).

"Baby" spawned a good few parodies though. Still was a worse song.
 

The Iconnorclast

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Mar 31, 2010
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I don't really have anything against the song, the video isn't bad either.

My only problem is now it's literally played everywhere for any occasion all the time, makes me get tired of the song really quick.

Still, better than Bieber. Though it is damning evidence that most of my generation doesn't give a krap about the lyrics or meaning of a song so long as its catchy and has a funny video. Not that every song needs do be deep and profound, but still.
 

tautologico

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Apr 5, 2010
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Hollyday said:
I'm happy.

It's not the best music video I've ever seen. It's not the best song. It's not the funniest video. However, it knows it. It's entertainment in it's purest form - catchy, pointless, ridiculous and fully aware of itself. I absolutely love it.
It's silly and catchy, and doesn't take itself too seriously, yes. But it's not completely pointless. It's a satire of people that try to appear rich and stylish (Gangnam Style, Gangam is one of the richest neighborhoods in Seoul), hence the ridiculousness.

Tony said:
wombat_of_war said:
k pop goes world wide. funny how its a video and song dissing fake people when alot of them are blindly bopping to it not having a clue what it means
Really? The song isn't about dissing fake people, it's about the type of girl PSY wants in his life (Wild but elegant) and how great Korea is. (Particularly, the Gangnam district)
On a literal level, yes, that's what the lyrics say: about the kind of man he is and the kind of woman he likes and so on. But it's probably not intended to be read only in this superficial level. As someone else said it, the lines about coffee are probably a reference for korean jokes about people (especially women) who eat cheap in order to afford expensive coffees in stylish coffeehouses. It's very subtle, indeed, but considering PSY has run into problems with government censorship before, it's probably wise of him to be subtle. The biggest evidences we have that the song is intended as satire is the video.

bluepotatosack said:
Vault101 said:
Tony said:
Really? The song isn't about dissing fake people, it's about the type of girl PSY wants in his life (Wild but elegant) and how great Korea is. (Particularly, the Gangnam district)
actually its about how F****ed the gangnam district is in terms of everyone trying to live the rich and famous lifestyle without actually being able to afford it

like I heard the line about coffee is how people aparently spend rediculous amounts on expensive expressos ans stuff for image (or somthing)
The idea that the song is about people trying to maintain an image based lifestyle they can't afford is shown by some of the imagery in the video, too. For example, the opening scene starts with Psy lounging on what looks like a beach. Then the camera pulls out to show that it's actually a playground sandbox.
Actually, a lot of the imagery in the video shows PSY trying to appear richer and/or more stylish than he is. The opening scene in the beach that is actually a sandbox sets the tone, but there are many others:
- his "nighclub" is actually a tour bus for middle-aged women
- he's in a sauna but sharing it with gangsters (note the tattoos) instead of executives or businessmen
- he emerges from water like he's swimming in a pool, but it's actually a public bath
- he finds his girl not in an expensive bar or nightclub, but in the metro
- he's singing from a "throne" like in a P. Diddy video but he's actually in the bathroom

Even the dance gives this idea: he never appears actually riding a horse, only mimicking it with the silly dance (he also rides a toy horse in a merry-go-round).
 

Exius Xavarus

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I rather like Gangnam Style. Watching the music video while listening to it, to me, is utterly hilarious. So +1 PSY.
 

II2

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I'm not super suprised, since if you break down the numbers just on the youtube views, 1/12th of the planet's population had seen it by mid 2012.

Maybe this is what the mayans spoke of. /kidding

I like it, but I've definitely had enough by this point. Guy's royalty checks must be through the roof.
 

LetalisK

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I'd rather the top view be a video that doesn't take itself serious and knows it's all a joke rather than its predecessor that took itself seriously and wasn't aware it was a complete joke.
 

excalipoor

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One fad replaces another. You know, if I had to choose between listening to either Baby or Gangnam Style again, I'd pick Baby. How fucked up is it that saying this here makes me feel like a giant hipster?
 

Queen Michael

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poiumty said:
Sure is catchy, at least.

Baby's REALLY old guys, it was bound to stop being popular. Fad in, fad out and all that.
Sure, but once it's got 800,000,000 views it doesn't really matter if not a single soul watches it, because that's still 800 million views to beat.
 

Kyr Knightbane

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Jan 3, 2012
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Don't get me wrong, Gangnam Style is good, but this is far superior:


The treadmill dance made me laugh pretty hard, it was good.
 

II2

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Queen Michael said:
II2 said:
Guy's royalty checks must be through the roof.
Nope, the record company takes pretty much every won.
Yes, it's rather common household knowledge that record labels are evil handwringing executive types, but artists DO get paid...

Without knowing the financials of his contract, he's probably getting about 5-15 cents on every $USD monetized from the song. The mechanics of royalties themselves (including mechanical royalties themselves), are not simple: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royalties

Even from a jilted, gangster-ethics business angle, it's fair to assume that song's going to be making him what some might call "mad bank".
 
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OhJohnNo said:
Tony said:
wombat_of_war said:
k pop goes world wide. funny how its a video and song dissing fake people when alot of them are blindly bopping to it not having a clue what it means
Really? The song isn't about dissing fake people, it's about the type of girl PSY wants in his life (Wild but elegant) and how great Korea is. (Particularly, the Gangnam district)
Not quite. The whole thing is a parody of people from outside the elite Gangnam district who say they're "Gangnam style" and look ridiculous. Hence the whole "dress classy dance silly" thing.
Except for the part where it's not a parody as confirmed by PSY himself when someone asked him if it was a critique in his Reddit AMA: http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/120oqd/i_am_south_korean_singer_rapper_composer_dancer/c6r8wm4