masterwordsmith-unplugged

"Yesterday, after a non-stop five hour yakity-yak session with fellow blogger and dear friend Antares and Arakah (from Singapore), I came home, flopped on the bed and slept for an hour and a half before I woke up. Feeling re-charged and ready to be on the go again. I checked my phone and saw a missed call and a message from a friend who said he would call me later. Shortly after that, he called me and then asked me if I had heard of 'Gangnam'.

"Gang what?" was my response. At first, I thought I heard him say 'Gang Land'.

"The video Gangnam Style that has taken the world by storm," was his response.



He then asked if I would assist him in filming a group of disabled people in their own video production and interpretation of Gangnam Style. Thinking that it was something simple that I could handle with my video application, I agreed despite knowing nothing of the genre. He promised to leave a couple of links on his own wall so that I could have a better idea of what the production entailed.

When I finally viewed those videos after dinner, er....I was stunned and the reality of the production responsibilities hit home *gulps*. Thankful that he had already done the story board, I reminded myself that I am only assisting him and not producing the video. As it is a project spearheaded by a very sincere, mature and genuine friend who is disabled himself, I am looking forward to this video production as I know it will liven up the lives of the other disabled people in the network and give them not only purpose and confidence but also the chance to work together to foster community spirit.

So, what is Gangnam Style?

Gangnam-gu is one of the 25 gu (local government districts) which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the most affluent areas of Seoul and is located in the southeast of the city. It is served by Seoul Subway Line 2, Seoul Subway Line 3, Seoul Subway Line 7, Seoul Subway Line 9, Bundang Line and the Sin Bundang Line.

According to the Urban Dictionary, “Gangnam Style” is a Korean neologism mainly associated with upscale fashion and lavish lifestyle associated with trendsetters in Seoul’s Gangnam district (강남), which is considered the most affluent part of the metropolitan area. In colloquial usage, it is comparable to the English slang terms “swag” or “yolo”.

Gangnam Style (강남 스타일) is a 2012 dance pop single written and performed by Korean pop singer Park Jae Sung, better known by his stage name PSY who is best known for his quick-witted sense of humor and comical dance moves. It is also the title single of PSY's sixth studio album PSY 6 (Six Rules), Part 1. Since the release of the song and its highly entertaining music video in mid-July 2012, the video has gained more than 8 million views in the span of two weeks and spawned numerous parodies and copycat dance videos on YouTube. Following its release, Gangname Style virtually monopolised the top positions of all Korean billboard charts, portal search sites and online music stores. It was only after the third week of July 2012 that the song caught international attention after the video went viral on YouTube.

I trawled the net for significant articles on PSY's "Gangnam Style" and the MOST DEFINITIVE POST on 'Gangnam Style' which really merits your attention and consideration is certainly this one:

Gangnam Style, Dissected: The Subversive Message Within South Korea's Music Video Sensation by Max Fisher, Associate editor at The Atlantic, where he edits the International channel.

According to Max Fisher:

Beneath the catchy dance beat and hilarious scenes of Seoul's poshest neighborhood, there might be a subtle message about wealth, class, and value in South Korean society. 

Park Jaesang is an unlikely poster boy for South Korea's youth-obsessed, highly lucrative, and famously vacuous pop music. Park, who performs as Psy (short for psycho), is a relatively ancient 34, has been busted for marijuana and for avoiding the country's mandatory military service, and is not particularly good-looking. 

His first album got him fined for "inappropriate content" and the second was banned. He's mainstream in the way that South Korea's monolithically corporate media demands of its stars, who typically appear regularly on TV variety and even game shows, but as a harlequin, a performer known for his parodies, outrageous costumes, and jokey concerts. Still, there's a long history of fools and court jesters as society's most cutting social critics, and he might be one of them. 

Now, Park has succeeded where the K-Pop entertainment-industrial-complex and its superstars have failed so many times before: he's made it in America. The opening track on his sixth album, "Gangnam Style" (watch it at right), has earned 49 million hits on YouTube since its mid-July release, but the viral spread was just the start.

The American rapper T-Pain was retweeted 2,400 times when he wrote "Words cannot even describe how amazing this video is." Pop stars expressed admiration. Billboard is extolling his commercial viability; Justin Bieber's manager is allegedly interested. The Wall Street Journal posted "5 Must-See" response videos. On Monday, a worker at L.A.'s Dodger stadium noticed Park in the stands and played "Gangnam Style" over the stadium P.A. system as excited baseball fans spontaneously reproduced Park's distinct dance in the video. "I have to admit I've watched it about 15 times," said a CNN anchor. "Of course, no one here in the U.S. has any idea what Psy is rapping about."   PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THIS REST OF THIS FANTASTIC POST.

The video is refreshingly silly, if there is such a description. Its originality in the crazy scenarios such as the sauna shenanigans, dancing horses and an explosion that kills two people in the earlier part of the clip is entertaining and funny.

Here are the lyrics in case you want to sing along...:-)

The song's phenomenal success is largely due to the music video's mass appeal, especially the signature dance move known as “the horse-riding dance” which combines the stylistic elements of shuffle dancing and hand movements resembling the posture of a horseback rider. Previously, another Korean K-pop girl group Girl’s Day had already introduced this dance move through their 2010 debut single.

Surprisingly, even high-profile celebrities and musicians on Twitter, including British pop singer Count Robbie Williams, American rapper T-Pain and American singer Josh Groban have shown interest in it. Even Britney Spears is into this song and dance. CLICK HERE for more interesting comments from celebrities.

On August 14th, PSY released a spin-off version of the song and the music video starring Hyun-A, a member of the K-POP group 4Minute who appeared in the original music video as PSY’s muse in the subway. Titled “Oppa Is Just My Style,” the music video sets itself apart by putting the female pop singer on the center stage and removing the original chorus “Gangnam Style” altogether. Some have perceived it as a female version of 'Gangnam Style'. For sure, Hyun-A is VERY sexy in this video!!!!!!!!!!!

CLICK HERE for Psy and Sexy Hyuna's version of Gangnam Style

In tribute to PSY’s “Gangnam Style,” dozens of music video parodies have been created such as regional Korean parodies including “Daegu Style” and “Hongdae Style” to lip-synched tributes created by K-POP music fans in Singapore, the United States and many other countries! And soon, I hope to upload Penang's very own version of "Gangnam Style" performed by disabled friends who love music and the joy of grooving to beautiful music in togetherness!

Watch this space!!! :-)

If you have time, do check out the following articles on Gangnam Style:

1. ABC News :South Korean Rapper PSY's 'Gangnam Style' Goes Viral

2. Wall Street Journal: Evan Ramstad's What’s Up With the ‘Gangnam Style’ Video?

3. Korea Realtime: Jaeyoon Woo's Psy Reveals All About 'Gangnam Style'

4. Wall Street Journal: Five Must-See 'Gangnam Style Response Videos