Trevor V's Blog

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Korean pop or K-pop has been taken over by the artist known as Psy. He has taken me and most of the world by surprise when his music video “Gangnam Style” went viral. One of the aspects of this music video which many people who have watched it enjoy is the dance. The dance is very funny and boisterous.  Shonali Muthalay describes the dance in his article “Decoding Gangnam Style” by saying, “Hands in front. Gallop. Shuffle. Imaginary lasso. All done Gangnam style.” This surprisingly is very accurate. This dance easier to catch than the common cold, it is very energetic.

The song is also very catchy because it is so out-of-whack compared to what we normally hear on the radio. The song as an object, represents culture bonding and mixing. According to Tom Snee in his article “Gangnam Style and substance”, “the video, especially, is an example of the song’s cross-cultural barrier breaking.” He also continues on to state that their (Korea’s music videos) are exactly like the ones in North America. While it may not look like it, PSY’s Gangnam Style has many A-list celebrities and idols just like the music videos here at home. Imagine if someone were to shoot a music video with the president. How much publicity would you expect the video to get? A bunch should be your answer. That is one of the many reasons this video spread so rapidly.

In the end, the video itself is quite hilarious. Whipped cream, vibrant colors, and even an “iconic horse dance” are all parts of the video which have attributed to its fame.  This video could be the ticket that k-pop needs to succeed in the United States. All music has to start from somewhere right? Why not from an elevator shaft in which a famous dancer is performing pelvic thrusts from above. Oppan Gangnam Style!

- Trevor Venable

Muthalay, Shonali. "Decoding Gangnam Style." Hindu. 17 2012: 1. Web. 15 Nov. 2012. <http://www.thehindu.com/arts/music/decoding-gangnam-style/article3907181.ece>.

Snee, Tom. "Gangnam Style and substance." Iowa Now. 11 2012: 1. Web. 15 Nov. 2012. <http://now.uiowa.edu/2012/11/gangnam-style-and-substance>.