What Gangnam Style actually means as iconic song turns 11 today
'Gangnam Style' is 11 years old, but do any of us really know what it actually means?
Eleven years ago to this very day (15 July) a song came out that saw children and adults alike whacking out a dance move which can only be described as making people look like they're performing some sort of over-zealous human dressage.
It didn't take long for the South Korean song to become the most viewed video on YouTube - a title it held for an impressive five years - and parents to be forced to join in on the prancing or risk going mad from their children constantly playing the song on repeat.
However, 11 years on, we may all still hear the tune echoing around in our brains but do we actually know what the song means?
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'Gangnam Style' was released by YG Entertainment as the lead single of his sixth studio album Psy 6 (Six Rules), Part 1.
It didn't take long for the K-Pop album to travel up the charts, reaching the top spot on South Korea's Gaon Chart and number two on the US' Billboard Hot 100.
The song is catchy, and its iconic dance move is wildly addictive, but what is the satirical video actually poking fun of?
Well, 'Gangnam Style' is about the Gangnam District in Seoul.
Psy told NPR: "Gangnam is a territory in Seoul, Korea. I describe it as noble at the daytime and going crazy at the night time. I compare ladies to the territory.
"So - noble at the daytime, going crazy at nighttime—and the lyric says I am the right guy for the lady who is like that."
And if you wanted to know what you've actually been dancing along to, the English translation of the South Korean song reads: "Oppa is Gangnam style. Gangnam style.
"A girl who is warm and humanly during the day/ A classy girl who know how to enjoy the freedom of a cup of coffee/ A girl whose heart gets hotter when night comes/ A girl with that kind of twist
"I’m a guy/ A guy who is as warm as you during the day/ A guy who one-shots his coffee before it even cools down/ A guy whose heart bursts when night comes/ That kind of guy
"Beautiful, loveable/ Yes you, hey, yes you, hey/ Beautiful, loveable/ Yes you, hey, yes you, hey/Now let’s go until the end
"Oppa is Gangnam style, Gangnam style/ Oppa is Gangnam style, Gangnam style/ Oppa is Gangnam style."
And it continues...
"Eh- Sexy Lady, Oppa is Gangnam style/ Eh- Sexy Lady oh oh oh oh
"A girl who looks quiet but plays when she plays/ A girl who puts her hair down when the right time comes/ A girl who covers herself but is more sexy than a girl who bares it all/ A sensable girl like that
"I’m a guy/ A guy who seems calm but plays when he plays/ A guy who goes completely crazy when the right time comes/ A guy who has bulging ideas rather than muscles/ That kind of guy
"Beautiful, loveable/ Yes you, hey, yes you, hey/ Beautiful, loveable/ Yes you, hey, yes you, hey./ Now let's go until the end.
"Oppa is Gangnam style, Gangnam style/ Oppa is Gangnam style, Gangnam style/ Oppa is Gangnam style/ Eh- Sexy Lady, Oppa is Gangnam style/ Eh- Sexy Lady oh oh oh oh
"On top of the running man is the flying man, baby baby/ I’m a man who knows a thing or two/ On top of the running man is the flying man, baby baby/ I’m a man who knows a thing or two
"You know what I’m saying/ Oppa is Gangnam style/ Eh- Sexy Lady/ Oppa is Gangnam style/ Eh- Sexy Lady oh oh oh oh."
The lyrics may be slightly questionable, but at the end of the day, the dance is iconic, so, for old times' sake and its 11 year anniversary, why not bust out some Gangnam Style moves this Saturday night?
Topics: Music, World News, Social Media
Poppy Bilderbeck