'Gangnam Style' live: New Psy video blows up on YouTube

August 28, 2012|By Deborah Netburn

<p style="text-align: left;">I think we can all agree that K-Pop singer Psy's music video "Gangnam Style" is one of the greatest videos ever to be uploaded to YouTube.</p><p><p style="text-align: left;">Now, a new video for the song is starting to gain traction -- it shows Psy singing his international hit live in concert.</p></div></div><div class="float" style="clear:both;height:1px;line-height:1px;"><img src="/images/pixel.gif" height="1" width="1" alt="" /></div><div id="mod-ctr-lt-in-top" class="mod-latarticlesadcpc mod-adcpc with-fourth-cpc"><script type="text/javascript"> var adSkipCounter = 0; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> //<![CDATA[ var loc = window.location.href + ""; var float = ""; google_hints = "performance video original video new video youtube google";google_ad_client="pub-0227802054925200"; google_ad_output="js"; google_ad_channel="5212128158,6138855783,8321278795,8261105409"; google_ad_type="text"; google_image_size="300x250"; google_safe="high"; google_feedback="on"; google_max_num_ads="2"; google_skip="" + adSkipCounter + ""; google_adtest="off"; google_page_url=document.URL; function google_ad_request_done(ads) { if (ads.length == 0) { return; } // If no ads are returned then dont build the ad block if (ads[0].bidtype == "CPC") { adSkipCounter += ads.length; } // Increment ad skip counter when cpc google_ad_request_done_internal(ads, "", "", "true", "medium_rectangle", "", "", "pgtp=article&pi=34&ci=33455908&cat=arts+%26+entertainment&pe_id=33455908&tv=ap-LA12-G02&rna=pub-0227802054925200&rn=g&rnrci=5212128158&rnrcn=CMI-A-002&rncci=6138855783&rnccn=CMI-A-009&rnpci=&rnpcn=&rntci=&rntcn=&rnlci=8261105409&rnlcn=8261105409&rnp=c&rt=cpc&paidClick=1&placement_id=ctr-lt-in-top", "", "", "", "", "", "ap-LA12-G02", "Los Angeles Times Articles"); } //]]></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/google_ad_request.js.php"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"></script></div><div id="mod-a-body-after-first-para" class="mod-latarticlesarticletextwithadcpc mod-latarticlesarticletext mod-articletext"><p>And if you are wondering whether Psy, <span>also known as Park Jae-sang, can bring the crazy high energy to the live stage, the answer is a resounding "YES!"</span></p><p><p style="text-align: left;">The live performance video loses some of the goofiness of the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0">original video</a> for the song -- which, by the way, has already racked up a Justin Bieber/Lady Gaga-esque 64 million views, but what it adds is video of an amped-up, adoring South Korean crowd screaming along to every single word of Psy's catchy song. </p><p><p style="text-align: left;">They jump up and down, and do his weird pony dance. They wave their glow sticks and just look so transported by the music. In the video, they are like a stand-in for the global community that adopted "Gangnam Style" as a late summer anthem. </p><p><p style="text-align: left;">The video was uploaded by the MBC K-Pop channel, rather than Psy's team. It went up over the weekend and already has more than 750,000 page views. </p><p><p style="text-align: left;">In a previous <a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-psy-gangnam-style-20120803,0,6842309.story">post</a> on Psy's "Gangnam Style" hit, I spoke with someone who provided a loose translation of the first few verses of the song as well as the chorus. The song is basically a guy describing the type of girl he would like to go out with -- someone refined by day, but who likes to party at night. </p><p><p style="text-align: left;">One of the comments on that story provides additional context, that I'm happy to share with you now.</p><p><p style="text-align: left;">As Ed Levi <a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-psy-gangnam-style-20120803,0,6842309.story">wrote</a>, "Well understanding the lyrics is useless without understanding the context. The song is as sarcastic as the video.  Psy is making fun of the self-absorbed hipsters of gangnam who run through life as if everything is about them. While people do their everyday things: taking their kids to the park, playing tennis, riding horseback, even taking a public bath Psy makes himself the fabulous central attraction in every setting.</p><p>"As for the famous catchphrase "oppa gangnam style," imagine the guy at the bar trying to pick up an attractive girl with the line "I'm Hollywood, babe" or "daddy's got swag" and you have an idea of the [donkey butts] Psy is making fun of."</p><p><strong>ALSO:</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-curiositys-descent-to-mars-in-incredible-hidef-20120827,0,6799815.story">Stunning video shows Curiosity descent to Mars</a></p><p><a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-google-plus-birthdays-20120828,0,3685006.story">Google will now bug you with birthdays like Facebook does</a></p><p><a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-psy-gangnam-style-20120803,0,6842309.story">Giddy up! S. Korean rapper Psy's "Gangnam Style" is unstoppable</a></p><p>Follow Deborah Netburn on <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/DeborahNetburn">Twitter</a> or <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/109675776633752908527/posts">Google+</a></p></div><div id="mod-a-body-after-first-para-ad-cpc" class="mod-adcpc"> <script type="text/javascript"> //<![CDATA[ var loc = window.location.href + ""; var float = ""; google_hints = "performance video original video new video youtube google";google_ad_client="pub-0227802054925200"; google_ad_output="js"; google_ad_channel="5212128158,6138855783,9488961041,8261105409"; google_ad_type="text"; google_image_size="600x125"; google_safe="high"; google_feedback="on"; google_max_num_ads="2"; google_skip="" + adSkipCounter + ""; google_adtest="off"; google_page_url=document.URL; function google_ad_request_done(ads) { if (ads.length == 0) { return; } // If no ads are returned then dont build the ad block if (ads[0].bidtype == "CPC") { adSkipCounter += ads.length; } // Increment ad skip counter when cpc google_ad_request_done_internal(ads, "", "", "true", "wide_rectangle", "", "", "pgtp=article&pi=34&ci=33455908&cat=arts+%26+entertainment&pe_id=33455908&tv=ap-LA12-G02&rna=pub-0227802054925200&rn=g&rnrci=5212128158&rnrcn=CMI-A-002&rncci=6138855783&rnccn=CMI-A-009&rnpci=&rnpcn=&rntci=&rntcn=&rnlci=8261105409&rnlcn=8261105409&rnp=c&rt=cpc&paidClick=1&placement_id=a-body-after-first-para-ad-cpc", "", "", "", "", "", "ap-LA12-G02", "Los Angeles Times Articles"); 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