Gangnam Style

The music video of "Gangnam Style" has been met with positive responses from the music industry and commentators, who drew attention to its tone and dance moves, though some found them vulgar.[57] Another notable aspect that helped popularise the video was its comical dance moves that can be easily copied, such as the pelvic thrust during the elevator scene.[58] The United Nations hailed Psy as an "international sensation" because of the popularity of his "satirical" video clip and its "horse-riding-like dance moves."[59] As such, the music video has spawned a dance craze unseen since the Macarena of the mid-1990s.[60][61]

The World Bank's lead economist David McKenzie remarked that some of Psy's dance moves "kind of look like a regression discontinuity,"[62] while the space agency NASA called "Gangnam Style" a dance-filled music video that has forever entered the hearts and minds of millions of people.[63] Melissa Locker of Time noted that "it's hard not to watch again ... and again ... and again,"[64] while CNN reporter Shanon Cook told the audience that she had watched "Gangnam Style" about 15 times.[65]

The German news magazine Der Spiegel attributed the popularity of "Gangnam Style" to its daring dance moves,[66] a sentiment similarly voiced by Maura Judkis of The Washington Post, who wrote, "'Gangnam Style' has made an extraordinarily stupid-looking dance move suddenly cool."[67] The video was also positively reviewed by Steve Knopper from Rolling Stone, who called "Gangnam Style" an astoundingly great K-pop video that has all the best elements of hypnotically weird one-hit wonders and hopes that "PSY gets filthy rich from this."[68]

Mesfin Fekadu of the Associated Press wrote that Psy's dance moves are "somewhat bizarre" but the music video is full of colorful, lively outfits.[69] Matt Buchanan and Scott Ellis of The Sydney Morning Herald wrote that the video "makes no sense at all to most Western eyes" and it "makes you wonder if you have accidentally taken someone else's medication"[70] whereas Deborah Netburn of the Los Angeles Times called it "one of the greatest videos ever to be uploaded to YouTube." Kim Alessi from Common Sense Media considered the music video for "Gangnam Style" worth seeing for its caricature of contemporary Asian and American urban lifestyles, but also warned that "Gangnam Style" contains sexually suggestive images and "degrading messages" which could be inappropriate for children and teenagers.[71]

The music video is directed by Cho Soo-hyun, who later directed the video for Psy's follow-up single "Gentleman" and the video for "This Love" by Shinhwa.[76] It shows Psy performing a comical horse-riding dance and appearing in unexpected locations around the Gangnam District, such as an outdoor yoga session and a hot tub. He wears several distinctive suits and black sunglasses with a mindset of "dress classy and dance cheesy."[77] It features a "skewering [of] the Gangnam image" by the "non-Gangnam Psy"; this parody would be recognizable to viewers familiar with Korean culture.[78][79] Although there are more than ten different locations featured, only two of the scenes are filmed in the Gangnam district proper. The sauna scene, elevator scene, and bathroom scene were filmed elsewhere in the greater Seoul region,[80] and some shots were filmed in World Trade Center Seoul and the Songdo International Business District, which includes Songdo Central Park and International Business District Station.[81] The video was shot over 48 hours in July 2012.[74][75]

In K-pop, it is routine to have cameos by celebrities in a music video, such as in the dance scenes in the elevator and the parking garage.[72] Guest appearances in the music video include:

• 4Minute member Hyuna, who dances in the subway car and attracts Psy's attention.[75][79]
• Hwang Min-woo, a 7-year-old boy who dances at the beginning of the video. During an interview with CNN, Psy stated that "the night before the music video shoot, I was watching Korea's Got Talent and saw him dance to Michael Jackson. His moves were ridiculous. So we called him up and asked him to be in the music video, which was shooting the very next day, and he came and it all worked out."[17][75] He has been praised for his eye-catching dance moves that have received a lot of attention from viewers.[82][83]
• Comedian/television personality Korea's Nation MC Yoo Jae-suk, who engages in a dance duel with Psy.[75][79]
• Comedian/television personality Noh Hongchul, who does his trademark pelvis-thrusting dance in an elevator while Psy raps underneath him.[75][79]

As the song's popularity continued to rise, it caused the share price of the song's music label YG Entertainment to gain as much as 50% on the Korea Exchange. DI Corporation, whose executive chairman Park Won-ho is Psy's father, saw its share price increase by 568.8% within a few months of the song's release despite making a year-over-year loss.[120][121] Soon, "Gangnam Style" began to attract the attention of several business and political leaders, including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon who recognized the song as a "force for world peace."[11] During his meeting with Psy at the United Nations Headquarters, he commented, "We have tough negotiations in the United Nations. In such a case I was also thinking of playing Gangnam Style-dance so that everybody would stop and dance. Maybe you can bring UN style."[122][123]

Through social networks like Facebook, many small, unofficial fan-organized flash mobs have been held in universities and colleges throughout the world. The earliest flash mobs were held in Pasadena, California,[124] and Sydney, Australia.[125] On September 12, 2012, Times Square in Manhattan was filled with a dance mob dancing to the music of "Gangnam Style" during ABC's Good Morning America.[126] Major flash mobs (those with more than 1,000 participants) were also held in Seoul (South Korea),[127] South Sulawesi (Indonesia),[128] Palermo (Italy), Milan (Italy),[129][130] and Paris (France).[131]

The song has been mentioned in tweets by the United Nations,[133] the United Nations Children's Fund,[134] and the American space agency NASA;[135] by a reporter during a U.S. State Department briefing;[136] and referenced by the president of the International Criminal Court Song Sang-Hyun during his speech in front of the UN Security Council.[137][138][139] On October 9, the mayor of London Boris Johnson held a speech at the 2012 Conservative Party Conference where he told the audience that he and the British Prime Minister David Cameron have danced "Gangnam Style."[140] During a Google Earnings call, Larry Page, the CEO and co-founder of Google, hailed the song as a glimpse of the future of worldwide distribution through YouTube.[141]

The American Council on Exercise estimated that dancing "Gangnam Style" will burn 150–200 calories per half-hour.[142] Swype, an input method for Android operating systems, included "Gangnam Style" in its list of recognized words and phrases.[143]

U.S. President Barack Obama revealed possible plans to privately perform "Gangnam Style" for his spouse Michelle Obama.[144][145][146][147]

In November 2012, a Māori cultural group from Rotorua performed a version of the Gangnam Style dance mixed with a traditional Māori haka in Seoul, celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations between South Korea and New Zealand.[148]

In Thailand, officials from the Dan Sai municipality in Loei Province shot a video of people wearing masks and performing "Gangnam Style" during the Phi Ta Khon "ghost" festival. According to the Thai newspaper The Nation, villagers and spiritual leaders from Loei province felt "uneasy" and also "greatly offended" about this "Gangnam Style" performance which tarnishes the image of a 400-year-old tradition.[149] Another controversial incident was sparked by a "Gangnam Style" parody by officers from the Royal Thai Navy, which was not well received by some high-ranking commanders. Although Vice Admiral Tharathorn Kajitsuwan from the Third Naval Area Command insisted that "we had no intention to insult or make fun of navy officers in uniform," some senior officers called it "improper." Kajitsuwan claimed that his subordinates had the right to upload the video to YouTube, although he did not expect them to do so. On October 1, 2012, he issued an apology to his colleagues. Commander Surasak Rounroengrom believed an investigation was unnecessary because the video caused no damage to the navy, but he admitted that there was some impropriety about military officers doing their "fancy stepping in uniform."[150]

On September 18, 2012, the North Korean government became the first to use "Gangnam Style" for political activism when it uploaded a parody with the title "I'm Yushin style!" onto the government website Uriminzokkiri.[151] The parody mocks the South Korean ruling conservative party president-elect Park Geun-hye. It shows a Photoshopped image of the presidential candidate performing the dance moves of "Gangnam Style" and labels her as a devoted admirer of the Yushin system of autocratic rule set up by her father, Park Chung-hee.[152][153] A few weeks later, "草泥马 style" (literally, "Grass Mud Horse Style"; the Chinese characters are a homonym for a vulgar slur) was uploaded onto YouTube and other Chinese websites by the political activist and dissident Ai Weiwei.[154] In his parody, Ai Weiwei dances "Gangnam Style" with a pair of handcuffs as a symbol of his arrest by Chinese authorities in 2011. According to the Associated Press, government authorities had removed the video from almost all Chinese websites the next day.[154]

South Korean President Park Geun-hye took office on February 25, 2013. At her inauguration, Psy performed "Gangnam Style" and "Champion", one of his first hits in his native country.[155]

In order to show his solidarity with Ai Weiwei and to advocate freedom of expression, the British sculptor Anish Kapoor produced the video Gangnam for Freedom, which features other prominent British artists as well as human rights activists from various international organisations including Index on Censorship and Amnesty International.[156] A few days prior, the global grassroots network Students for a Free Tibet had uploaded a parody of "Gangnam Style" to show its support for the Tibetan independence movement. According to Max Fisher from The Washington Post, this parody of "Gangnam Style" was likely filmed in Dharamshala, the home of Tibet's government-in-exile in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.[157]

Greenpeace announced that it was "Going Gangnam, Greenpeace Style" in order to raise public awareness about illegal and unsustainable fishing practices off the coast of Mozambique. Activists from Greenpeace had parodied "Gangnam Style" on board the organization's excursion yacht Rainbow Warrior.[158]

GCF Songdo Style

Songdo, a ubiquitous city 40 miles (65 km) west of Gangnam, was among five cities vying for the right to host the Green Climate Fund (GCF), a project developed by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to channel $100 billion a year from developed countries to help developing countries combat climate change.[159] During its campaign to win the right to host the GCF, the country's Presidential Committee on Green Growth produced a promotional video entitled "GCF Songdo Style by Psy" in which Psy recommends Songdo as the host city for the GCF. He announces that a "new paradigm" will begin at Songdo with the GCF and the video heralds "The beginning of Songdo Style" while "Gangnam Style" plays in the background.[160][161] On October 20, 2012, the board of the GCF announced that Songdo had won the right to host the fund.[162]

In December 2012, the Department of Health in the Philippines launched a "Gangnam Style" dance campaign against the use of firecrackers to celebrate the New Year.[163] Janine Tugonon, 2012 Miss Universe first runner-up, joined and danced in one of their campaigns at Pandacan, Manila.[164] According to the department's assistant secretary, Dr. Eric Tayag, the popularity of the song will attract people especially children to use safer means of celebration such as dancing to "Gangnam Style".[163] In contrast, the Philippine National Police was confirming intelligence reports about a firecracker named "Gangnam bomb," which supposedly produced by illegal firecracker makers in Bocaue, Bulacan and apparently riding on the popularity of the song.[165] According to Chief Superintendent Raul Petrasanta, director of the Firearms and Explosives Office of the Philippine National Police, he did not know what the possibly dangerous[166] "Gangnam bomb" looks like.[165]

Muhammad Rahim al Afghani, a close associate of Osama bin Laden currently held at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, had also used the song to demonstrate his ability to gain access to popular cultural trends despite being confined within a top secret prison. In a letter to his lawyer, Muhammad wrote, "I like this new song Gangnam Style. I want to do the dance for you but cannot because of my shackles."[167]

"Gangnam Style" as parodied in a comic strip published by Dyess AFB, an airbase of the U.S. Air Force[168]

Reaction videos and parodies have been made for or with the music respectively. Some of these user generated videos have received international media recognition. "Gangnam Style"-related videos have also been uploaded by the CPDRC Dancing Inmates,[169][170] Cody Simpson,[171] Seungri,[172] Latino,[173] Fine Brothers,[174] WAVEYA Dance Group,[175] Barely Political,[176] and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheerleaders.[177]

Numerous parodies have been spawned on college campuses. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology's version ("MIT Gangnam Style") featured Donald Sadoway, recognized in Time magazine as one of 2012 "Top 100 Most Influential People in the World"; Eric Lander, who is co-chairman of President Barack Obama's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology; and linguistics pioneer Noam Chomsky.[178][179] The Maccabeats, an a cappella group from Yeshiva University, parodied the song as "What's Next? Sukkos Style?" with group members waving the four species.[180] In addition, there have been parodies from The Ohio University Marching 110,[181] York University,[182] McMaster University,[183] University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign,[184] Boston University,[185] Dartmouth College,[185] Stanford University[186] Eton College,[138] and the University of Michigan.[187]

The American space agency NASA uploaded an educational parody shot by its students at its Mission Control Center in Houston, Texas. The video features cameo appearances by astronauts Tracy Caldwell Dyson, Mike Massimino, Michael Coats, Ellen Ochoa, and the International Space Station's Expedition 15 flight engineer Clayton Anderson, who dances "Gangnam Style" halfway through the video.[188][189] Shortly after its upload, the parody was retweeted by the European Space Agency[190] and the SETI Institute.[191]

The song was also parodied by cadets from the United States Military Academy,[192][193] United States Merchant Marine Academy,[194] United States Naval Academy,[195][196] United States Air Force Academy,[197] and the Royal Military College of Canada;[198] soldiers from the 210th Fires Brigade, the 2nd Infantry Division, service members from an undisclosed unit and location in Afghanistan,[199] and service members from the China Coast Guard's Jiangsu division,[200] as well as high-ranking officers from the Royal Thai Navy.[201] CollegeHumor uploaded "Mitt Romney Style," while What's Trending uploaded "Obama Style."[202] During the two weeks before August 7, 2012, nearly 1,000 videos with the word "Gangnam" in the title were uploaded onto YouTube.[29]

The Portuguese public broadcaster RTP1 spoofed the song in its late-night show 5 Para A Meia-Noite as Gamar com Style, sung by the comedian Pedro "Pacheco" Fernandes, criticizing the Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho, the European Union, the IMF, and the 2010–13 Portuguese financial crisis.[203]

There are many "Gangnam Style" parodies used for education. One such parody includes "Conjugation Style," a parody used to teach students about the conjugation of -er verbs in the French language.[204]

YouTube comedian cs188 uploaded a YouTube Poop of the song's iconic video, called "[PSYTP] OPPA GODDAMN STYLE." The video has received more than 15 million views since its upload on October 11, 2012.[205]

On June 6, 2017, the Kyrgyz songwriter Sezdbek Iskenaliev made a parody on the song named "Мына Минтип" (Mina Mintip) in Kyrgyz.[206]

Psy performing "Gangnam Style" during Future Music Festival Asia 2013 at Sepang.

Following the release of "Gangnam Style," Psy made several performances on television and at concerts in Korea. Early performances included his appearance on the weekly South Korean music program, The Music Trend.[14] Psy also performed at several concerts prior to his departure to the United States, including during "The Heumbbeok Show"[207] and the Summer Stand Concert in Seoul.[208] After returning to South Korea, Psy performed "Gangnam Style" during a free concert that he held outside the Seoul City Hall. More than 80,000 fans attended the event, leading to the closure of part of the city center and an increase in subway operations.[209][210] While Psy was in the US, it was announced that he, as ambassador of the Formula One Korean Grand Prix, would perform "Gangnam Style" at the event during the 2012 edition.[211] At the event Psy taught Formula One drivers Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel how to perform the dance.[212]

On November 28, 2012, Psy visited Thailand and held his concert "Gangnam Style Thailand Extra Live" at the SCG Stadium in Muang Thong Thani, Bangkok. At the show, a part of celebration for the 85th birthday of Thai's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, he performed the song along with his other hits.[213][214] During the 2012 Mnet Asian Music Awards held in Hong Kong on November 30, he performed the song on stage, joined by the video's co-star Hyuna and Yoo Jae-Seok look-alikes in yellow suits.[215] The track was one of three-song setlist on Psy's free showcase, held at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore on December 1, 2012.[216]

On February 11, 2013, Psy arrived at the Malaysian state of Penang and performed "Gangnam Style" at a concert in front of more than 100,000 guests, including the Prime Minister of Malaysia Mohd Najib Abdul Razak as well as other high-ranking politicians from the country's ruling Barisan Nasional party.[217]

In early October 2012, Psy travelled to Sydney, Australia, and performed "Gangnam Style" on The X Factor, a reality TV music competition, where Melanie Brown joined him in performing the "horse dance" on stage.[218] The following day, he performed on breakfast TV show Sunrise in Martin Place, Sydney.[219]

Psy's first public performance in Europe was on November 5, 2012, in France, where he and 20,000 fans danced "Gangnam Style" in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris during a flashmob organized by NRJ Radio.[220] Then, he traveled to Oxford and performed a short rendition of "Gangnam Style" with students from the Oxford Union, before moving on to the Yalding House in London where he danced "Gangnam Style" with the BBC's radio DJ Scott Mills.[221] Shortly afterward, Psy left for Cologne and met up with the German comedian and television host Stefan Raab during the popular late-night show TV total, where Psy gave an interview and performed "Gangnam Style" for Raab.[222] During the 2012 MTV Europe Music Awards held in Frankfurt on November 11, Psy delivered a performance of "Gangnam Style" which featured a David Hasselhoff appearance and backup dancing of Psy look-alikes.[223]

In early 2013, Psy returned to France for the 2013 NRJ Music Awards at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, where he began performing "Gangnam Style" on the red carpet before finishing the rest of the choreography on stage and leaving the ceremony with three awards.[224]

Psy performs Gangnam Style at the KIIS-FM Jingle Ball concert in Los Angeles

Following the viral success of his music video, Psy left for the United States and performed "Gangnam Style" in various locations. On August 20, 2012, Psy posted on Twitter "Bringing #GangnamStyle to the Dodgers–Giants game this evening." Dodger Stadium presented a segment called "Psy Dance Cam" where they showed clips of the music video, followed by live shots of baseball fans dancing, and then Psy, who waves and does the dance.[225] Two days later, Psy appeared on VH1's Big Morning Buzz Live show, and taught television hosts Carrie Keagan and Jason Dundas how to dance "Gangnam Style."[95][226]

On September 6, Psy appeared at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards performing his "Gangnam Style" dance alongside comedian Kevin Hart.[227] After the event, he made several more appearances on US TV programs. On September 10, he appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in Burbank, California, introducing himself as "Psy from Korea" before teaching Britney Spears the dance. He described the dance as "pretending to bounce like riding on an invisible horse"[77][228][229] and when DeGeneres told Spears she would have to remove her high-heeled shoes to perform the dance, Psy protested that no, the point was "to dress classy, and dance cheesy." On September 14, he appeared on NBC's morning program Today in New York City for its Toyota Concert Series, where he performed the song and also taught the anchors the dance.[230][231] The September 15, 2012, season premiere episode of Saturday Night Live featured a sketch based on the song and its video. Bobby Moynihan portrayed Psy, but was joined mid-sketch by Psy himself.[232] He also made his second appearance on The Ellen Show's September 19 episode to perform the song along with his backup dancers.[233] On September 22, Psy made an appearance at the iHeartRadio Music Festival to perform "Gangnam Style."[234]

On November 13, he joined Madonna on stage during her concert at Madison Square Garden in New York , where and they performed a mashup of the song and her 2008 hit "Give It .Me." Psy later told reporters that his gig with Madonna had "topped his list of accomplishments."[235][236] On November 18, Psy, who rocked out in traditional Hammer pants, closed out the 40th American Music Awards show with a performance of "Gangnam Style" joined by surprise guest MC Hammer, who brought in his own moves and Psy's horse-riding dance as the song mashed into his 1990s hit "2 Legit 2 u.it."[237] Jason Lipshutz of Billboard comme:that "Psy's feverish rendition of 'Gangnam Style' accomplished what so few award show performances can: a palpable sense of excitement. The combination of the K-pop star and MC Hammer ... was a stroke of genius that very few could have seen coming," and chose it as the best performance of the night.[238] The Tonight Show with Jay Leno did a special Thanksgiving broadcast with an all-military audience on November 22, and appearedd by as the musical guest. The singer sang the song and danced alongside the soldiers, going into the crowd for part of his performance.[239]

Psy performed "Gangnam Style" during the second night of KIIS-FM Jingle Ball concert at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on December 3, 2012.[240] Wearing an all-red outfit including a sparkling, sequined top, he sang the song at TNT's Christmas in Washington special, attended by the US President Barack Obama and his family, and held at the National Building Museum On December 9.[241] On December 16, he performed the song at the halftime show of the NFL game between the Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks in Toronto.[242] During the Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve event at Times Square in Manhattan on December 31, 2012, more than a million people witnessed a live "Gangnam Style" performance by Psy as he was joined on stage by characters (Yoo Jae-Seok, Noh Hong-chul) from the song's video for the first part of the performance, before MC Hammer appeared to perform a mash-up of the song and "2 Legit 2 Quit".[243][244][245]

During the five-day Carnival in Rio attended by more than five million people, Psy performed "Gangnam Style" with singers Claudia Leitte and Gilberto Gil to mark the 50th anniversary of the start of Korean immigration to Brazil.[246]

The song and its accompanying music video currently hold, or have attained, the following records:

• Most viewed K-pop video on YouTube[283] – On September 1, 2012, it overtook "Gee" by the 9-member K-Pop idol-group Girls' Generation with 89 million views.
• Most liked video on YouTube – On September 13, 2012, it overtook "Party Rock Anthem" by the American electro recording duo LMFAO upon receiving 1.57 million "likes", and subsequently won its first Guinness World Record one week later.[283][284]
• First K-pop song to top the UK Singles Chart – On October 6, 2012, the song reached number one of the UK singles chart and Psy became the first South Korean musician to achieve that feat.[285][286]
• Most viewed video on YouTube – On November 24, 2012, it overtook "Baby" by the Canadian singer-songwriter Justin Bieber after receiving more than 803 million views.[287]
• First video in Internet history to be viewed more than a billion times[7] – On December 21, 2012, it acquired its billionth view at around 15:50 UTC.[288]
• First video in Internet history to be viewed more than two billion times[289] – On May 31, 2014, it acquired its 2 billionth view.[289] A second dance animation was added next to the view counter.[290] They were removed in July 2014.[291]

"Gangnam Style" was ranked No. 25 on the Rolling Stone's 50 best songs of 2012 list[292] and No. 8 on SPIN's 40 best songs of the year.[293] The song also took the No. 8 spot on the 2012 Billboard 20 best K-Pop songs list by Jeff Benjamin and Jessica Oak, who commented "[the song] stands out not only for its slick, electronic production but also for its deeper critique on high-class society."[294] According to MTV's list of the 2012 best songs, the song was ranked No. 8 with MTV news staff James Montgomery's comment: "'Gangnam' is either the track we, as a culture needed right now, or the track we, as a culture, deserved."[295] Time magazine chose it as the second best song of 2012 after Usher's "Climax," writing "The YouTube meme, a good-natured, mind-bendingly catchy lampoon [...] turned into a global obsession."[296][297] The song was one of the best songs of the year on The New York Times pop critics' list[298] and E! Online's No. 1 pick on the top 10 pop songs of 2012 list.[299] Digital Spy ranked the song No. 20 among the 20 best singles of the year.[300] It was voted the 12th best single of 2012 by The Village Voice's 40th annual Pazz & Jop critics' poll.[301] Music critic Robert Christgau placed "Gangnam Style" as the No. 2 single on his 2012 Dean's List.[302]

The music video for "Gangnam Style" was chosen as the best music video of 2012 by Time. Melissa Locker of the magazine wrote "The catchy song paired with social satire and tongue-in-cheek vibe has spread so quickly it reminds us why videos are called viral. The video has sparked an International dance craze and catapulted Psy to international super stardom."[303] Rolling Stone also ranked the video No. 1 on its "The Best Music Videos of 2012" list, saying "The Korean auteur [Psy] conquered the world with his 'dress classy, dance cheesy' aesthetic, blurring the line between parody and celebration."[304] The video took No. 4 position on the Digital Spy's list of 10 top pop music videos of the year.[305]

The music video came in first with 21% rating in the 2012 Billboard.com's readers poll, beating "Where Have You Been" by Rihanna (19%) and "Beauty and a Beat" by Justin Bieber featuring Nicki Minaj (11%).[306] The song was the most popular song played on New Year's Eve and the most sung song on the day, leaving "Auld Lang Syne" in second place for the first time since 2005, on karaoke company Lucky Voice's online service in the United Kingdom.[307][308] CNN readers picked "Gangnam Style" as the eighth best song of 2012.[309] The Week (US edition) ranked the song's global popularity at No. 6 with the strapline "'Gangnam Style' takes over the world" on the 13 biggest pop culture moments of the year list.[310] The phenomenon of the song and the video was also picked as one of the 2012's most viral moments in music by Wendy Geller of Yahoo! Music,[311] and No. 2 on the 2012 top 20 music moments list after Whitney Houston's death by Billboard, being written "If there's one meme, song and face that has been truly inescapable in the second half of 2012, it's South Korean rapper Psy and his outrageous 'Gangnam Style'."[312]

On December 1, 2014, YouTube announced that "Gangnam Style" had exceeded the number of views that are possible to store using a 32-bit signed integer, that being 2,147,483,647 (2³¹−1, or two billion). As a result, YouTube was forced to upgrade to using 64-bit integers to store view numbers, with a maximum value of 9,223,372,036,854,775,807 (2⁶³−1, or nine quintillion). "We never thought a video would be watched in numbers greater than a 32-bit integer, but that was before we met Psy," stated a YouTube spokesperson.[313][314]

With 132 beats per minute, the song was momentarily forbidden in gyms in South Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic. The country restricted music faster than 120 BPM to avoid Koreans feel energized by the tempo of music, breath more heavily or sweat more intensely.[315]

Upon its release, "Gangnam Style" was an enormous hit. The song went straight to number one on the Gaon Singles Chart on the fourth week of July 2012, with 816,868 digital downloads,[316][317] and spent five consecutive weeks at the top position of the chart, tying it with IU's "Good Day" for the most weeks at number one single in the chart's history.[318] In addition, the song became the first-place winner on various weekly chart shows such as M Countdown (three straight weeks)[319] and Music Bank (a total of 16 weeks including a record 10-consecutive-week).[320] According to the Korea Music Content Industry Association, "Gangnam Style" became the best selling song of 2012 in South Korea with 3,842,109 download sales.[321]

The song debuted at number six on the Billboard Korea K-Pop Hot 100 for the week of July 28, 2012.[322] It then topped the chart the week after and remained at the summit for five consecutive weeks, tying IU's record with "You and I" for the longest running number one song on the chart. The record, however, was broken by Lee Seung-gi's "Return" earned six weeks at the top spot from December 2012 to January 2013.[323][324][325] "Gangnam Style" took number one spot on the 2012 Billboard K-Pop Hot 100 year-end chart.[326]

In Oceania, "Gangnam Style" was a huge success. The single made its chart debut on the New Zealand Singles Chart at number 21 on September 3, 2012.[327] After two weeks, the song reached in the top ten and the following week topped the chart, becoming the first K-pop song and the first foreign language song in three decades to achieve that feat since German band Nena's "99 Luftballons" hit the top spot in March 1982.[328] The song remained atop the chart for two consecutive weeks before being deposed from the top spot by One Direction's "Live While We're Young." After one week of the band's reign, "Gangnam Style" regained its number one position and stayed at the top spot for a further four weeks, tallying a total of six nonconsecutive weeks atop the chart. The track was ranked in the top ten of the chart for 17 consecutive weeks before it fell to number 11 on the January 14, 2013, chart.[327] The song has been certified 4× Platinum with sales exceeding 60,000 by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ).[329] "Gangnam Style" was the second biggest-selling single of 2012 in the country behind Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe."[330]

In Australia, the song debuted at number seven on the ARIA Singles Chart on September 17, 2012, becoming the highest debut for the week. It reached number one on the chart just three weeks after its release, overtaking "Battle Scars" by Guy Sebastian featuring Lupe Fiasco, and spent six consecutive weeks at the summit, making it the second-longest running chart-topper for 2012 behind Flo Rida's "Whistle" remained at the pole position for seven weeks.[331][332] As a result, Psy became the first artist to reach number one on the chart with a foreign-language song since Las Ketchup topped the chart with "The Ketchup Song" in September 2002, and the eighth overall. In addition, "Gangnam Style" was the first Korean song to enter the chart and to climb to the top spot in Australian chart history.[333] After the single spent the first 14 weeks in the top ten of the chart since its chart debut, it dropped to number 11 in its 15th week. The song, however, rebounded from the position to number three on the issue date of December 31, 2012. It descended to number 14 in its 18th week, ending a 16-week in the top ten, and out of the top 20 the following week, placed at number 23.[331] It has been certified 10× Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), with sales exceeding 700,000 copies.[334] "Gangnam Style" was placed at number two on the 2012 ARIA Singles year-end chart behind Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe."[335]

In Europe, the song was successful as well, topping the charts in almost all countries. "Gangnam Style" made its first European chart appearance, entering the Danish Singles Chart at number 40 on August 3, 2012. It reached the top ten in its fifth week, and climbed to number four in its sixth.[336] For the issue dated September 14, 2012, the song became Psy's first number one on the chart, ending the one-week reign of the Danish rock band Nephew's "Hjertestarter."[336] The song remained at the top position for seven consecutive weeks, tying it with "Somebody That I Used to Know" performed by Gotye featuring Kimbra for the longest running number one single on the chart for 2012. In its 24th week, it climbed back to the top, giving it its 8th week in that position. The single spent 22 straight weeks in the top ten of the chart.[336] In January 2013, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI Denmark) certified the single 2× Platinum, denoting sales of 60,000 copies.[337]

The song entered the UK Singles Chart at number 196 on September 1, 2012, and in its fourth week broke into the top 40 at number 37.[338][339] In its fifth week, the song reached the top five on the chart and eventually peaked at number one on the week of October 6, becoming the first-ever K-pop song to achieve that feat. While the track only remained atop the chart for one week before being overtaken by Rihanna's "Diamonds", it spent a further 17 consecutive weeks in the top ten of the chart before it fell to number twelve on the January 26, 2013, chart. The song was the sixth biggest selling single of 2012 with 878,000 sales,[340] and ranked at number 24 among the top 40 most streamed tracks of the year in the United Kingdom.[341] According to Official Charts Company sales data, "Gangnam Style" has become not only the 129th track to sell more than 1 million copies in the history of the UK's Official Singles Chart, but also the first million seller by an Asian music star.[342] On April 9, 2013, the song became 13th most downloaded single of all time in the UK.[343]

Elsewhere in Europe, the song also peaked at number one on the German Singles Chart for two non-consecutive weeks in 2012. For the week of January 11, 2013, it returned to the summit, ending the ten-consecutive-week reign of "Diamonds" by Rihanna, and spent a week at the top. Psy's song remained in the top ten on the chart for a 19th straight week including 15 in the top three position since October 2012.[344] It has been certified 5× Gold by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI), denoting sales of 750,000 copies.[345] In addition, the single remained number one in Austria for four nonconsecutive weeks,[346] Belgium (Flanders) for five consecutive weeks,[347] Belgium (Wallonia) for seven straight weeks,[348] Czech Republic for one week,[349] Finland for four consecutive weeks,[350] France for six non-consecutive weeks,[351] Italy for a week,[352] the Netherlands for two consecutive weeks,[353] Norway for four straight weeks,[354] Scotland for a week,[355] Spain for 12 consecutive weeks,[356] and Switzerland for three nonconsecutive weeks.[357] It additionally placed top five positions in Iceland, Ireland, and Sweden,[358][359] and top ten in Hungary and Slovakia.[360][361]

In the United States, "Gangnam Style" debuted at number 64 the Billboard Hot 100 in the week of September 22, 2012, with 61,000 downloads sold, more than the total number of previous weeks (57,000), becoming the second K-pop song to enter the chart behind the Wonder Girls' "Nobody," which spent a week at number 76 on the October 31, 2009 chart.[362] The following week, the song rocketed to number 11 on the chart with 188,000 downloads, seeing a sales increase of 210% after Psy appeared on various TV shows such as The Ellen DeGeneres Show and NBC's Today.[363] In its third week, it rose to number two on the chart, topping the Hot Digital Songs chart with a 60% increase to 301,000 downloads sold and climbing to number nine on On-Demand Songs chart.[364] After that, the song peaked at the runner-up spot for seven consecutive weeks behind Maroon 5's "One More Night," failing to gain in enough radio audience to ascend to the summit, although it ruled Hot Digital Songs for a fourth week and On-Demand Songs for a fifth week during that period.[365] While "One More Night" dominated the Radio Songs chart for eight weeks, "Gangnam Style" peaked at just number 12 on the chart.[366]

For the week of November 24, the song dropped to number five on the Hot 100, despite leading in sales with 188,000 downloads.[367] In its 12th week, the single rebounded from number seven to number five with top Digital Gainer accolades, spurred by Psy's show-closing performance of the song with MC Hammer at the AMA. The track returned for a sixth week atop Hot Digital Songs with 229,000 downloads sold including 41,000 stemmed from the duet version, which mixed in Hammer's 1992 No. 5 Hot 100 hit "2 Legit 2 Quit."[368] It was the first song to spend six weeks at number one on the Digital Songs chart without reaching the top spot on the Hot 100 since Miley Cyrus's "Party in the U.S.A." in 2009.[369] After the song stayed in the top ten of the Hot 100 for 11 consecutive weeks, it dropped out of the top ten on the December 22, 2012, chart, falling from number 10 to number 11.[370] The following week, "Gangnam Style" descended to number 18 on the chart but achieved the milestone of 3 million downloads sold in the country, becoming the first and only K-pop song to reach the mark.[371] For the week of January 12, 2013, powered by consumers purchasing some of 2012's most buzzworthy hits and radio airplay recounting the same in year-end retrospectives, the song resurged from number 19 to number six with its best weekly total 400,000 downloads sold, returning to the Hot 100's top ten after three weeks out of the top ten.[372] The track dropped to number 14 in its 18th week, ending a 12-week in the top 10, and number 22 in its 19th week, despite staying in the top ten of Digital Songs chart with 192,000 and 105,000 copies sold, respectively.[373][374] On February 20, 2013, Billboard and Nielsen announced the addition of U.S. YouTube video streaming data to its platforms, which includes an update to the methodology for the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Thanks to the change to reflect online video activity, "Gangnam Style" rebounded from number 48 to number 26 on the Hot 100 for the week of March 2, 2013.[375][376]

On October 11, 2012, Billboard unveiled new methodology for the Hot Rap Songs chart, including digital download sales and streaming data for the first time, along with radio airplay audience impressions as measured by Nielsen BDS. Due to this, "Gangnam Style" soared from number 20 to number one on the October 20, 2012, chart.[377] The song spent eight consecutive weeks atop the chart before being overtaken by Flo Rida's "I Cry." After four weeks of his reign, "Gangnam Style" regained its number one position in the week of January 12, 2013.[378] The track also peaked at number three on the Hot Dance/Club Play Songs chart in the week of November 17, 2012.[379] The song was certified 4× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on April 19, 2013, denoting digital download sales of 4,000,000.[380] According to Nielsen SoundScan, "Gangnam Style" became the 9th best selling song of 2012 in the United States with 3,592,000 download sales.[381] In late January 2013, the song topped the 4 million mark in digital sales, becoming the third comic/novelty song to reach the mark, following LMFAO's "Sexy and I Know It" and Cee Lo Green's "Fuck You!."[382]

In Canada, "Gangnam Style" was a big hit just like the rest of the world. The song entered the Canadian Hot 100 chart at number 71 on the week of September 8, 2012.[383] In its fourth week, it reached in the top ten of the chart, climbing to number three, and the following week hit the pole position.[384] The single spent seven consecutive weeks atop the chart, making it the second longest running number one song of 2012 behind Maroon 5's "Payphone" remained at the top for eight straight weeks.[385] On the week of September 12, 2012, the song debuted at number seven on the Top 20 Digital Tracks chart, based on Nielsen SoundScan data.[386] The following week it topped the chart and spent four weeks at the top spot before giving the summit to "I Knew You Were Trouble" by Taylor Swift.[386] "Gangnam Style," however, was back on top of the chart for the week of October 24, and grabbed the number one position for another four straight weeks, tallying a total of eight nonconsecutive weeks atop the chart.[386] On November 16, 2012, the track was certified 4× Platinum by Music Canada, and as of January 2013 had sold more than 476,000 copies in the country.[387]

On August 21, 2012, "Gangnam Style" charted number one on the iTunes Music Video Charts, overtaking Justin Bieber's "As Long as You Love Me" and Katy Perry's "Wide Awake"; this feat was the first for any South Korean artist.[388] From September 8, 2012, to February 23, 2013, the song has also peaked and stayed at number one on Billboard's YouTube Chart for 22 weeks, until being surpassed by "Stay" by Rihanna for one week; as of April 2013, it had reclaimed its top position for a 30th week.[389]