Gangnam Style has become the first video to clock up more than one billion views on YouTube. The South Korean dance track was posted online in July, propelling pop star Psy to worldwide fame. It has inspired hundreds of parody clips, from members of the British army, Thai navy and Minecraft gamers, among others.

‘The power of K-pop’

YouTube’s owner, Google, said the video had been watched seven million to 10 million times a day on average. It overtook the previous record holder – Justin Bieber’s music video Baby – on 24 November. One industry watcher said the fact so many people continued to post their own versions of Gangnam Style had played a huge part in the clip’s success.

Sir Martin Sorrell – chief executive of advertising giant WPP – paid tribute to the achievement by making a link between Psy and one of the west’s most influential economists.

“Another great example of Theodore Levitt’s ‘globalisation’ and the power of K-pop,” he told the BBC.

‘Most ‘liked’ YouTube video of all time’

Scott Mills, the BBC Radio 1 DJ who championed the song on his show, said he was amazed by the phenomenon that the song had become.

“The thing that interests you in the video is the fact that you don’t understand the lyrics… The first time I saw it was on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in America and I just thought it was a bit of fun, but I didn’t expect it to be as big as it was… Psy came into my Radio 1 show and The Guinness World Records presented him with a plaque for the most ‘liked’ YouTube video of all time and the amazing thing is he is just a guy, he hasn’t tried to do any of this.”

Are you one of those one billion people who viewed Psy’s “Gangnam Style” on YouTube? Tell us what you find most interesting about this video!

Source: Rory Cellan Jones,  BBC News

Image: The Guardian