That “Oopa” you typed is almost certainly “Oppa” — the hook line that basically detonated the internet in 2012.

“Gangnam Style” is a Korean-language mega-hit by PSY (Park Jae-sang) that blew past language barriers with pure beat + comedy + iconic dance energy, then rewired what “viral” even meant. 

Fast facts

  • Song: “Gangnam Style” (강남스타일)  
  • Artist: PSY  
  • Released: July 15, 2012  
  • From: Psy 6 (Six Rules), Part 1  
  • Length: 3:39  
  • Genres listed: K-pop, hip hop, dance-pop, EDM  
  • Music video director: Cho Soo-hyun (shot in Seoul)  

What does “Oppa Gangnam Style” actually mean?

“Oppa”

In Korean, 오빠 (oppa) literally means “older brother” as used by a female speaker, and it’s also used as a familiar way for a woman to address an older male (often someone close). 

“Gangnam Style”

“Gangnam Style” is described as a neologism tied to the nouveau riche / high-status lifestyle associated with Seoul’s Gangnam area. 

The video and song are widely framed as poking fun at that flashy image. 

So when the hook hits (“Oppa Gangnam Style”), it’s PSY basically flexing a persona like:

“This ‘oppa’ has that Gangnam swagger.”

Satire + swagger + absurd confidence.

The sound: why it hits so hard

Musically it’s built for maximum stickiness:

  • Up-tempo dance/EDM pulse
  • Simple, repetitive chant hook that’s easy to shout even if you don’t speak Korean
  • A chorus that demands choreography

The “secret sauce” is that it’s not trying to be cool in the usual way — it’s weaponized goofy.

The music video: chaos, comedy, and perfect editing

The video premiered on YouTube the same day as the release and became one of the defining visuals of the 2010s internet era. 

What you actually see (greatest hits):

  • “Beach” opening that zooms out to reveal… a playground
  • The iconic horse stable dance shots
  • Sauna, subway, tennis court, parking garage, elevator gag, and a million quick-cut scenes
  • Cameos include Hyuna, plus various Korean TV personalities  

It was filmed in Seoul in a short, intense production window (reported as 48 hours). 

The horse dance: the move that conquered Earth

That choreography is literally branded into human history.

It’s often described as the “invisible horse dance”: bouncing like you’re riding + hands like you’re holding reins / lassoing. 

PSY himself has summed up the concept as dressing classy but dancing in a deliberately silly way. 

15-second “do it right now” tutorial

  1. Hands: make loose fists like you’re holding reins.
  2. Arms: bounce them up/down in rhythm (small, sharp).
  3. Feet: step-step-hop, step-step-hop (like a gallop).
  4. Add the lasso: one arm circles overhead on the accent.
  5. Face: dead-serious like you’re CEO of the dance floor.

How it went viral: the timeline of a digital earthquake

Here’s the clean “how did it spread so fast?” chain reaction:

  • Jul 15, 2012: Released + video premieres on YouTube.  
  • Aug 2012: Goes viral internationally.  
  • Sep 3, 2012: Daily views pass 5 million/day.  
  • End of Sep 2012: Hits #1 on iTunes in 31 countries (per Wikipedia’s summary of reporting).  
  • Oct 6, 2012: Reaches #1 on the UK Official Singles Chart.  
  • Dec 21, 2012: First YouTube video ever to hit 1 billion views.  
  • 2013: Billboard + Nielsen announce YouTube data will be added into Billboard chart platforms / Hot 100 methodology (a big moment in “streams matter” history).  

Also: reporting credits early social-media ignition to celebrity sharing + blog coverage (T-Pain tweeting it; then being picked up by Gawker). 

Chart domination + awards

Charts

  • US: peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 (its peak era was before YouTube views counted).  
  • UK: hit #1 on the Official Singles Chart.  
  • South Korea: debuted at #1 on Gaon (per Wikipedia summary).  

Major awards (highlights)

It racked up a stack, including:

  • MTV Europe Music Awards (2012): Best Video — won  
  • American Music Awards (2012): New Media Honoree — won  
  • Mnet Asian Music Awards (2012): Best Music Video + Song of the Year — won  
  • Melon Music Awards: Song of the Year — won  

YouTube numbers and records

The “first of its kind” records

  • First video to reach 1 billion views (Guinness lists it at 1,000,382,639 views on Dec 21, 2012).  
  • Became most-viewed on YouTube after surpassing Justin Bieber’s “Baby” around late Nov 2012 (reported widely, including Reuters).  
  • Held “most viewed” crown until it was surpassed in 2017 (Wikipedia details the handoff).  

The legendary view-counter moment

When it approached 2,147,483,647 views (the max for a signed 32-bit integer), it helped trigger a public conversation about YouTube’s counter needing an upgrade; sources note YouTube moved to a 64-bit integer system. 

Where it’s at 

right now

According to Kworb’s tracking page for the official upload, total views are 5,829,618,275 and likes are 31,396,096 (with “most views in a day” listed as 14,924,298 on 2012/12/21). 

(That’s a third-party tracker, but it’s useful for a current snapshot when YouTube pages don’t expose clean static view text.) 

Also: it crossed 5 billion views in late 2023, reported by Korean media. 

Cultural impact: when a song becomes a global inside joke

This wasn’t just “popular.” It became a planetary reference.

  • Endless parodies / covers / flash mobs (schools, militaries, brands, sports teams — everyone copied it).  
  • Political & global culture moments:
    • UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was linked to the dance moment and it was framed as a “world peace” vibe in coverage.  
    • President Obama literally referenced it in an official joint press conference: “my daughters have taught me a pretty good Gangnam Style.”  
  • It even popped up at the 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony, reminding the world it still had juice.  

Why it mattered to music history (not just memes)

“Gangnam Style” proved something the industry couldn’t ignore:

  • A non-English song can dominate global pop culture through platform mechanics + shareability, not just radio.
  • It helped push the idea that YouTube activity is real music consumption — part of why Billboard eventually folded YouTube data into chart methodology in 2013.  
  • More broadly, it became a flagship moment in the global “Korean Wave” narrative.  

If you want to go even harder

Pick one and I’ll fire it off:

  • Teach you the full dance (chorus + lasso + the little shoulder hits), step-by-step.
  • A timeline of the top 20 biggest parodies and why each one worked.
  • A “what to watch next” list: the most iconic K-pop videos that hit with the same energy-per-second as “Gangnam Style.”