# Oppa Gangnam Style - awesome Korean music video **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 9, 2012, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919 "2012-08-09T00:50:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Labtrash](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/labtrash/32/528_2.png) [@Labtrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labtrash)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2012, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/141 "2012-11-25T12:47:23Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > So, will it be the first Youtube video to break a billion, or will it lose steam? It was at 809 mil when I watched it last night. It’s at 815 mil now. I say it’ll make it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ashley\_Pomeroy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c68b51/32.png) [@Ashley\_Pomeroy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashley_Pomeroy)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2012, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/142 "2012-11-25T13:26:24Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > how much did Psy end up making from this hit? That’s been a bone of contention. He probably made a lot of money from physical sales and official downloads, but Youtube is notoriously stingy when it comes to royalties. Pete Waterman, who wrote and produced “Never Gonna Give You Up”, famously got [a royalty cheque of £11 in 2009](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/5130427/Pete-Waterman-I-was-exploited-by-Google.html) for one hundred and forty million views of the song (and presumably Rick Astley got a tiny fraction of that). In this case the Gangnam Style video is on Psy’s official channel, so he might get more. The Guardian has an article on the topic [here](http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/oct/10/music-streaming-songwriters-youtube-pandora). _“Ellen Shipley, the co-writer (with a 50% share) of Belinda Carlisle’s Heaven Is a Place On Earth reported receiving $38.49 for the 2,118,200 streams the track had accumulated on YouTube in the last quarter. For the over 330,000 hits her 'N Sync track I Drive Myself Crazy had on the video site, she received $4.31. “I can’t even buy a pizza for that,” she pointed out.”_ Of course Psy has other means of bringing in revenues; songwriters who don’t perform have it a lot harder. And Youtube-specific novelties like Rebecca Black or Tay Zonday (for example) probably get pennies. A shufty on the internet throws up lots of “how to earn $100,000 on Youtube” articles, with a list from 2009 of ten artists who earn more than that per year - mostly comedians - but they all seem very detail-free and a bit suspicious. Youtube is apparently going to have a net revenue of $1.1bn this year. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2012, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/143 "2012-11-25T13:33:00Z")
I’m sure Psy has earned quite a tidy sum from all the Korean tv ads he’s been hired to do after Gangnam Style hit the charts. ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2012, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/144 "2012-11-25T14:44:47Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I appreciate the song, but have long gotten sick of it. What I find interesting about it is that it sounds like a mash-up of all the dance music pop hit cliches of the last twenty or so years. I swear, I hear Technotronic in there, Who Let the Dogs Out, some Ricky Martin song, and a bunch of other dance hits that I can’t quite put my finger on. It looks and sounds like it was grown in a laboratory. I don’t understand the hold it has over such a vast chunk of the human race. I’m probably never going to get it, but at least I was hoping to find some sort of explanation that would get me nodding my head and thinking, “ok, I don’t care for it but I can sort of see why about a billion people might.” My wife loves it, even my 2 year old autistic son loves to watch it and try to dance. I really feel like I am from another planet. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2012, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/145 "2012-11-25T15:10:40Z")
> [@Maeglin](#): > > It looks and sounds like it was grown in a laboratory. I don’t understand the hold it has over such a vast chunk of the human race. I’m probably never going to get it, but at least I was hoping to find some sort of explanation that would get me nodding my head and thinking, “ok, I don’t care for it but I can sort of see why about a billion people might.” My wife loves it, even my 2 year old autistic son loves to watch it and try to dance. I really feel like I am from another planet. I have to say, though, it is an earworm. Just reading the title of this thread has the song’s chorus looping endlessly in my head. ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2012, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/146 "2012-11-25T15:22:34Z")
> [@Maeglin](#): > > It looks and sounds like it was grown in a laboratory. I don’t understand the hold it has over such a vast chunk of the human race. I’m probably never going to get it, but at least I was hoping to find some sort of explanation that would get me nodding my head and thinking, “ok, I don’t care for it but I can sort of see why about a billion people might.” My wife loves it, even my 2 year old autistic son loves to watch it and try to dance. I really feel like I am from another planet. [Why “Gangnam Style” is Actually a Study in Mind Control](http://www.cracked.com/blog/why-gangnam-style-actually-study-in-mind-control/) 😛 ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2012, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/147 "2012-11-25T18:02:26Z")
I’d ask again if this was over yet, but apparently it’s not. Anyway I have some admiration for the guy. He shows something special in setting this dubious record, he’s played his hand well. So congrats Psy, you’re a thing. Better you than Bieber or Buble. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2012, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/148 "2012-11-25T18:38:30Z")
> [@Ashley\_Pomeroy](#): > > That’s been a bone of contention. He probably made a lot of money from physical sales and official downloads, but Youtube is notoriously stingy when it comes to royalties. Pete Waterman, who wrote and produced “Never Gonna Give You Up”, famously got [a royalty cheque of £11 in 2009](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/5130427/Pete-Waterman-I-was-exploited-by-Google.html) for one hundred and forty million views of the song (and presumably Rick Astley got a tiny fraction of that). > > In this case the Gangnam Style video is on Psy’s official channel, so he might get more. The Guardian has an article on the topic [here](http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/oct/10/music-streaming-songwriters-youtube-pandora). > _“Ellen Shipley, the co-writer (with a 50% share) of Belinda Carlisle’s Heaven Is a Place On Earth reported receiving $38.49 for the 2,118,200 streams the track had accumulated on YouTube in the last quarter. For the over 330,000 hits her 'N Sync track I Drive Myself Crazy had on the video site, she received $4.31. “I can’t even buy a pizza for that,” she pointed out.”_ > Of course Psy has other means of bringing in revenues; songwriters who don’t perform have it a lot harder. And Youtube-specific novelties like Rebecca Black or Tay Zonday (for example) probably get pennies. A shufty on the internet throws up lots of “how to earn $100,000 on Youtube” articles, with a list from 2009 of ten artists who earn more than that per year - mostly comedians - but they all seem very detail-free and a bit suspicious. Youtube is apparently going to have a net revenue of $1.1bn this year. Don’t know how much its helping Psy, but its sent shares of his father’s stock [through the roof](http://www.scmp.com/business/money/markets-investing/article/1070475/chart-week-gangnam-style-father-son-link-spurs-di). His dad is the chairman of DI Corporation which makes computer parts for Samsung. Psy’s fame sent shares of DI trading up 500%. I bet he’s getting a pretty good Christmas present from dad this year! ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2012, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/149 "2012-11-25T18:59:24Z")
There’s listening to the song and then there’s dancing it. Psy is fairly easy to mimic and so it ends up being a song that packs the floor like “Cha Cha Slide” or “Cupid Shuffle.” It’ll even get the gay cowboys out doing it at my club, with their hats and boots and everything. I watched the video about 10 times, but that was mainly to focus on and practice the dancing. And I bought it; it was only $0.50 on Amazon, why not? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2012, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/150 "2012-11-26T01:05:52Z")
I was walking through Siam Paragon last week, one of the largest shopping centers in Southeast Asia, if not _the_ largest, and saw children doing that horse dance while following their parents. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2012, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/151 "2012-11-26T01:10:06Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I’d ask again if this was over yet, but apparently it’s not. Anyway I have some admiration for the guy. He shows something special in setting this dubious record, he’s played his hand well. So congrats Psy, you’re a thing. Better you than Bieber or Buble. Why do you hate Canadians? ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2012, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/152 "2012-11-26T04:24:43Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > (South) Korea has been the new Japan in Thailand for several years now. (See thesis [The Korean Craze among Thai Urban Youth: Thai Culture in Transition](http://www.google.co.th/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCQQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cotseal.net%2Fcotseal%2Fpages%2Fnewsletter%2F01_march09%2FAAS_2009_Sereebenjapol_v2.pps&ei=36prUL3jOoqnrAeD74DgDA&usg=AFQjCNGiCqOz_gcjSIAvyC5-EN8D6omFXw)at Northern Illinois University.) You mean I coulda gotten a grade for a 25 page Powerpoint presentation? Okay, it woulda been a neat trick in '75, what with needing to practically invent the personal computer and definitely to invent Powerpoint, but still. :mad: But thanks for the NIU plug, **Sam**. For that I will sing the fight song, to the extent anybody ever bothered to learn it. Huskies, Northern Huskies, _sound of can opening_ glug-glug-glug-glug-glug. Huskies, Northern Huskies, glug-glug-glug-glug-glug. _Sound of taking a pull off a joint or a cigarette, then rushing to catch up_ Huskies, Northern Huskies, win-fight-win-fight-win! Brrrap! ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2012, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/153 "2012-11-26T09:47:16Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Better you than Bieber. I skimmed the thread so I don’t know if this has been addressed (probably), but Bieber’s manager (Scooter Braun) is also Psy’s, as well as the Wanted’s manager. And Bieber is Carly Rae Jepsen’s. He is 18 and has a record label: “Schoolboy Records”. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2012, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/154 "2012-11-26T10:48:08Z")
> [@Una\_Persson](#): > > It’ll even get the gay cowboys out doing it at my club, with their hats and boots and everything. Wait… getting gay cowboys to mime riding a horse is _difficult_? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2012, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/155 "2012-11-26T14:13:12Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > But thanks for the NIU plug, **Sam**. For that I will sing the fight song, to the extent anybody ever bothered to learn it. > > Huskies, Northern Huskies, _sound of can opening_ glug-glug-glug-glug-glug. > Huskies, Northern Huskies, glug-glug-glug-glug-glug. > _Sound of taking a pull off a joint or a cigarette, then rushing to catch up_ > Huskies, Northern Huskies, win-fight-win-fight-win! > Brrrap! I’m imagining this sung to the tune of “Oppa Gangnam Style.” ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/156 "2012-11-28T03:37:06Z")
And perhaps the scariest one of them all: [Thai prisoners dancing to it](http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/323359/gangnam-style-in-bangkok-prison). Of all the horror stories I’ve heard about Thai prisons, this could be the worst. Looks like Psy is in town now, and his concert tonight (Wednesday night) will be free, as the eight sponsors will pay his fee. ---
**Author:** ![MegaBee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@MegaBee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaBee)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/157 "2012-11-28T16:10:42Z")
Now the song is available as downloadable content for Dance Central 3. It is HARD. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/158 "2012-11-28T16:18:45Z")
I must be the last person in America to see this video… but I’ve seen it 3 or 4 trillion times in the past week, along with the Oregon Duck and Minecraft parodies. My son found out about it from his cousins over the Thanksgiving holiday, and he won’t stop playing it!!! ---
**Author:** ![Chanteuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/159 "2012-11-29T02:13:40Z")
I love [this mashup](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOyo7JD7hjo) with MC Hammer’s 2 Legit 2 Quit! ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Imp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Imp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Imp)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919/160 "2012-11-29T07:55:14Z")
I swear I don’t just come to this thread to post parodies, but since I’m here, have some [Whitby Gothic Style](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_NqVd5Wqv0) 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oppa-gangnam-style-awesome-korean-music-video/630919.md?page=9)