Going the 'Gangnam' way

Ellen DeGenres is addicted to it; Britney Spears has tried it and Chris Gayle does it all the time — ‘Gangnam Style’ seems to be everywhere. So who is behind the ‘Gangnam Style’?

Well, it is the new Korean pop sensation called PSY, whose video of dancing on an imaginary horse has gone viral.

So much so that within the first 50 days of posting the video on YouTube, it’s managed to get over a 100 million views. It also topped the YouTube charts — beating even Justin Bieber.

Many, in fact, are calling this the Kolavari of Korea. And youngsters from the City say that it has been the funniest and catchiest number they have seen so far. But at the same time, a few critics say that like all other virals, this too is just a phase.

Ankit, a student, says that he is really surprised by how popular the song has become in such a short time. Nevertheless, he says that he loves the vagueness of the video. “It’s a really funny video and the tune is also very catchy. I think the real highlight is the funny steps performed by PSY and his team,” he adds.

The steps are something everyone is addicted to. In fact, when the West Indian cricket team recently won the T20 World Cup, they too celebrated by doing the ‘Gangnam Style’ dance. In an interview, the artiste had mentioned that the key to the dance was to ‘dress classy and dance cheesy’.

Pragnya, a professional, says that the song has become an expression of sorts in her work place. “People actually use it in their sentences as well. When something great or funny happens to anyone they just say ‘lets do the Gangnam style’. It’s might just be a passing phase but I guess there is no denying that he is the flavour of the season,” she adds. History has it that if a video goes viral online, there comes in its wake an array of tributes, spoofs and parodies. Raksha, a professional, is not only amazed by the original but also the spoofs and the many smiley characters based on this theme.

“There is one with the ‘Dark Knight’ doing the ‘Gangnam Style’ which is very funny. I guess in this stressful environment, looking at this video or the variations just brings a smile on the face,” she sums up.