Crotch thrusting, booty shaking and furious hip grinding: this music video has every necessary ingredient to be a pop hit.
So it may come as some surprise to learn it is the product of an until now little-known South Korean rapper known as PSY (short for “psycho”).
PSY, who also goes by the name Park Jae-Sang, has become South Korea’s most successful pop export and has already signed a deal with American talent manager Scooter Braun, who manages Carly Rae Jepsen and Justin Bieber.
Doing it Gangnam Style: PSY shows off some slick moves
As The Korea Herald points out, the video broke the 130-million mark on YouTube in just 58 days.
It adds: "It took more than three months for world star Justin Bieber to break that with his hit-song 'Boyfriend'. It was three years before the music video for Lady Gaga’s 'Poker Face' broke the 130 million mark."
YouTube figures chart PSY's global ascent
The 34-year-old appeared at the recent MTV Music Awards and even Britney Spears has been inspired by his eclectic dance moves.
The popstrel was given an impromptu dance lesson during an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show recently, after expressing an interest in learning the moves via Twitter.
As PSY himself explained: "The mindset of this dance is: 'Dress classy and dance cheesy.'"
According to Wikipedia, “Gangnam Style” is a colloquialism referring to the affluent lifestyle associated with the country’s Gangnam district.
PSY's satirical take lays it on thick with an array of tuxedos, hot chicks and tons of cash.
The video has already sparked a flurry of imitations, most notably as a wedding dance, by newlyweds Stephani Nguyen and Jeremy Ueno.
The pair enlisted the help of Lightbulb Videography to shoot the video in various locations across San Francisco, as well as during their September 2 nuptials.
Another spoof shows a group of friends reenacting the entire video as Chatroulette users look on, while another redo of the video resulted in the firing of 14 lifeguards in California.