Gangnam Style (강남스타일) - Single

Editors’ Notes

Even if you still haven’t heard “Gangnam Style,” there's more than a good chance you've heard of the worldwide smash single. Released by South Korean rapper PSY in July 2012, the song’s hyper-produced YouTube video reached 470 million hits just four months later. But even though many people learned about PSY due to the overnight sensation of “Gangnam Style,” it's actually the first single from his sixth studio album, PSY's Best 6th Part 1. According to Time, the song title refers to the "lavish lifestyles in Seoul's Gangnam district." But PSY’s take on that wealthy, trendy neighborhood of Seoul is solely tongue-in-cheek. Over thumping techno beats and sinewy synthesizer tones, his Korean rhymes compare Gangnam to Beverly Hills. But as the song progresses, Korean-fluent listeners will understand that PSY isn’t poking fun of actual Gangnam locals; he’s heckling the tourists and Gangnam wannabes who identify with the area’s penchant for posh taste and retail therapy. And it’s very catchy.