Efforts to understand that cultural moment from our own very different context, like translating South Korean song lyrics into English, are always going to be clouded by ambiguity. In addition, the songs chorus hook 'Oppan Gangnam Style' quickly became an in-joke among the English-speaking audiences for its misheard lyrics erroneously referred to as 'Open Condom Style' or 'Open Gundam Style,' which also went onto inspire several image macros and top-voted comments on the YouTube video page. Psy's 2004 performance came at a sensitive moment in South Korea, one when anti-American sentiment was widespread for reasons that are not always easy to understand from the other end of the Pacific Ocean.
But the ambiguity goes beyond just the challenge of close-reading song lyrics or of translating them across languages the problem is also translating them across two very different cultures. The content of the lyrics is waaaaaaay different than the video-clip. for 'Inflammatory and Inappropriate' Anti-American Lyrics, MTV News. After all, these are four lines of song lyrics by a mid-tier South Korean heavy metal band clear and precise lyrics are not exactly hallmarks of the metal genre in any country. Jason Leong - Open Condom Style A parody version: Cimorelli - Gangnam Style A parody version. By 2014, Gangnam Style surpassed 2,147,483,647 views, forcing YouTube to reset. The rapper recently unveiled plans for his next song in an interview with CNN, saying the lyrics would be a mix of English and Korean.Though several Koreans and Americans who volunteered their translations independently raised the possibility that we might be dramatically misreading those 2004 lyrics and accusing Psy of saying something that he didn't, most said the exact meaning is unclear.
South Korea sees popular culture as a potent export force providing international exposure for a country that still feels overlooked in comparison to neighbours China and Japan.
The quirky star, whose real name is Park Jae-Sang, has won adulation in his homeland for the global hit and was this month awarded one of South Korea's highest cultural honours, the Okgwan Order of Cultural Merit. It has spawned numerous tribute videos and been imitated by an impressive roster of big names, including Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei and London Mayor Boris Johnson. Psy's song, which is a tribute to an upmarket neighbourhood in Seoul, has topped charts from Britain to Australia and has been name-checked by global notables including US President Barack Obama and UN chief Ban Ki-moon. "Gangnam Style" on Saturday became YouTube's most-watched video of all time, registering more than 803 million views to overtake "Baby" by Canadian heartthrob Justin Bieber.ģ4-year-old rapper Psy has rocketed to fame since his "Gangnam Style" video- in which he performs his now famous horse-riding dance- became a worldwide hit following its release in July.Įarlier this month the song ousted Jennifer Lopez's dance hit "On the Floor" from second place on YouTube, and on Saturday it overtook Bieber's hit.
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