Hello all,
I do not know how to drop the youtube video here. I went to a place this saturday and the famous song “Gangnam Style” was playing… and everyone was dancing to it. (also singing if that applies) It made me think of Connie’s comment about language not being always a barrier for communication. I do not know the lyrics of the song, and I also never googled the lyrics to figure out what it means. Usually, if I really love a song sand in another language I try to figure out its meaning. I just assume that this song is a happy song. I found it a great example on how sometimes through music language is not a problem.I am sure most of you know this song and dance to it whenever it comes on.
Now let’s be clear, this is not the traditional chinese folk music. If it was, what are the odds that we would not even hear of it? what are your thoughts?
Stephanie Joseph
I think this is a Korean song. Wikipedia
It is a happy and fun song for everyone and his dance moves are great but with the context it is actually kind of a social commentary on the wealthy Koreans and those who try to act wealthy.
Wow I didn’t even know it was Korean. Well, Thank you!
I did not even know the song was Korean. I did not even ask about the meaning of the song. Thank you for shedding light on the matter.
“Gangnam style” is a great example of a cultural mashup, and why you don’t necessarily need to understand the language someone speaks in order to get a sense of what they are saying. It has been remixed in an infinite number of ways (you probably saw the Super Bowl commercial that turned it into an ad for pistachios). My favorite is a comment on the huge gap between North and South Korea, retitled “Pyongyang Style” — the song is exactly the same but the images show life in the communist military dictatorship of North Korea:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYBCgV6a5kE