Gangnam Style Becomes the First Video to Reach a Billion Views

On July 15, 2012, South Korean record label YG Entertainment released Gangnam Style, the lead single from the sixth studio album by the singer Psy. Conceived initially for domestic audiences, the song drew its title from a contemporary Korean neologism describing affluent, fashionable lifestyles associated with the Gangnam district of Seoul. In interviews, Psy said he intended the title as a joke, since everything about the song, the dance, his looks, and the video was far from high class. The music video, directed by Cho Soo-hyun and filmed across forty-eight hours, depicted Psy in distinctive suits and sunglasses performing a horse-riding dance across varied public spaces.

Psy later said he stayed up for 30 nights working out the choreography, trying moves based on animals including the elephant, monkey and kangaroo before settling on the horse trot. This routine combined pretending to hold reins, mimicking the spin of a lasso, and executing a shuffling side gallop. Guest appearances from prominent South Korean figures, including seven-year-old dancer Hwang Min-woo, singer Hyuna, and television personalities Yoo Jae-suk and Noh Hong-chul, filled the video. Psy told Rolling Stone that settings such as a horse stable, a sauna and a parking garage were picked to make the dance look as cheesy and ridiculous as possible.