Nov 5, 2012 Vol.

147

The World Is Gaga About Gangnam Style

by Theodore Pigott, special correspondent

Its a song. Its a music video. Its a dance craze. Its Gangnam Style, and its taking the world
by storm.
A few months ago, few people had ever heard of Psy, a South Korean rapper, singer, and
entertainer. To be sure, he had achieved some success on the K-pop charts, but he was not yet a
household name around the world.
All of this changed dramatically, however, when the video for his song Gangnam Style was
uploaded to YouTube on July 15. On that first day alone, the video received more than 500,000 views,
and it began to catch the attention of celebrities and Internet commentators, with stars like T-Pain,
Britney Spears, and Tom Cruise tweeting about the video to their followers.
Not long after, the video went viral, and it quickly became an Internet meme. The popularity
of the Gangnam Style video was confirmed on September 20, when the Guinness World Records
declared the video the most liked one in the history of YouTube with 2,141,758 likes. At last count,
the video has been viewed an astounding 450 million times on YouTube.
What has caused Gangnam Style to sweep the world? Some say its the song itself, with its
catchy beat and familiar refrain: Oppan Gangnam style. Others say its the originality of the
music video, with humorous scenes featuring Psy in a variety of situations. Others attribute it all to
Psy himself and his trademark dance moves. As Psy has said, he likes to dress classy and dance
cheesy. This includes his signature dance move that looks similar to a person riding an imaginary
horse and at times twirling a pretend lasso.
Already, the video has sparked countless parodies and response videos. Everyone from
marching band members to sailors from the Unites States Naval Academy has filmed tributes to the
songs. The North Korean government even released its own version of the video with the title Im
Yushin style!
For Psy, the success of Gangnam Style has led to performances on popular television
programs in America, such as Saturday Night Live, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and The Today
Show. Psy has also filmed a commercial for Samsung.
Not bad for an underground South Korean performer who was unknown to most of the world
just a few months ago. How long will this craze last? For now at least, Psy and his Gangnam Style
are definitely in style.

Reading Comprehension
(

) 1. According to the passage, we could know that ________.

(A) the video made a Guinness World Records for the times it had been watched
(B) riding horses became a popular leisure activity after the video got famous
(C) Psy got more job opportunities and more income after the video was released
(D) it is banned in North Korea to watch the video, not mention to respond to it

) 2. The word meme in the fourth paragraph is closest in meaning to ________.

(A) a widely watched film
(B) a pretty amusing topic
(C) the most purchased product
(D) the most creative work

) 3. Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons why the video got so popular?
(A) The special dance moves in it.
(B) The catchy beat and refrain of the song.
(C) The originality of it.
(D) The changing scenes in the music video.

) 4. Which of the following statements about Psy is true?

(A) Before the video released, he was a nobody in Korea.
(B) He and Lady Gaga alike represent the rising weirdo style.
(C) Hed been invited to several American TV programs.
(D) He doesnt care about his appearance at all.

) 5. After reading the passage, we can infer that the video attracted celebrities attention because
of ________.
(A) the worldwide fame of its creator
(B) its extraordinary popularity
(C) the political contention it involves
(D) the original video it imitates

Vocabulary and Phrases

1.
2.
3.
4.

5.

6.
7.
8.

9.
10.

11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.

gaga [] adj.
Lots of teenagers have been gaga about the actress after she starred in that blockbuster film.
craze [] n.[C]
Will has a craze for collecting signed baseballs; he has more than dozens now.
chart [] n.[C]
The national chart-topping artists will perform in the Concert Hall.
commentator [] n.[C]
The political commentator not only writes editorials for several newspapers but also talks
about the current political situation on television.
follower [] n.[C]
The politician is eloquent enough to influence his followers on the issue of building a
nuclear power plant.
astounding [] adj..
To the authors great surprise, his first book was an astounding success.
sweep the world/country/state etc phr.
The first album of that talented singer swept the world as soon as it was released.
catchy [] adj.
Almost every kid can sing the TV commercial song because of its catchy lyrics and tune.
A catchy and creative slogan will help a lot in product promotion.
beat [] n.[C]
The party has begun. Now, follow the beat and dance to your hearts content.
refrain [] n.[C]
The audience joined in singing when the singer started the refrain of the song in the
concert.
originality [] n.[U]
This book lacks originality; the writer just copied from other literary pieces.
attribute [] vt. (+ to)
You will never succeed if you always attribute your failure to bad luck.
imaginary [] adj.
The unicorn does not exist in real world; its just an imaginary animal.
twirl [] vt.
It takes practice to twirl the rope to catch an animal; not everyone could make it overnight.
pretend [] adj.
The kid made everyone laugh by riding a pretend horse and falling off it exaggeratedly.
parody [] n.[C]
Imitation, irony and humor are the major elements of a parody.
version [] n.[C]
The original version of the painting has been treasured and preserved in the museum.

18. commercial [] n.[C]

Movies on HBO wont be interrupted by commercials.
19. definitely [] adv.
Because of the typhoon, we definitely have to cancel our camping plan tomorrow.
20. in/out of style phr.
T-shirts and blue jeans are dressings that will never go out of style.

Words for Recognition

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

(Oppan) Gangnam style n. Style

Psy 2012 7 15
Psy MV

Psy [] n. Psy
1977 12 31 Psy psycho

K-pop n.
Korean popular music

T-Pain n. T-Pain
Faheem Rasheed Najm 2008

Britney Spears n.
Britney Jean Spears

6. Tom Cruise n.
1986
90
7. tweet [] vi.
Twitter 140
8. Internet meme n.

9. Guinness World Records n.

10. YouTube n. YouTube

2005 2 15
2006 Google 16.5

11.
12.
13.
14.

15.
16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

YouTube YouTube 2012

24
classy [] adj.
cheesy [] adj.
lasso [] n.[C]
marching band n.[C]

Naval Academy adj.

North Korean n.
1948 9 9

Im Yushin style! n. Style

Style
1961 18

Saturday Night Live n.

1975 10 11
The Ellen DeGeneres Show n.

2003 9 1,500
The Today Show n.
1952 1 14

Samsung [] n.[C]

2,400 500
South Korean n.
1948 8 15 38

2012 6

Translation
Style
MV style
Psy

style 7 15 Youtube
50 T-Pain

9 20 style
2,141,758 Youtube
4 5
style
style MV Psy
Psy Psy
style MV

style
Psy style

Psy style

C, A, D, C, B