"Gangnam Style" is the 18th K-pop single by the South Korean musician Psy. The song was released in July 2012 as the lead single of his sixth studio album Psy 6 (Six Rules), Part 1, and debuted at number one on South Korea's Gaon Chart. On December 21, 2012, the video became the first YouTube video to reach a billion views.
The video was the most viewed video on YouTube from November 24, 2012, when it surpassed the "Baby" by Justin Bieber featuring Ludacris.
YouTube specially marked the video's accomplishments with a cartoon dancing Psy animated icon, added by the site logo, and later next to the video's view counter when it exceeded a billion views.
At its peak, "Gangnam Style" topped the music charts in more than 30 countries including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
With this achievement, in September 2012, "Gangnam Style" was included in the Guinness World Records as the most "liked" video on YouTube.
The song represents a Korean neologism referring the lifestyle associated with the Gangnam District of Seoul.
When it first went viral, it influenced many popular cultures worldwide, and also regarded as one of the most popular internet meme of all time.
Psy's dancing moves also became phenomenal, influencing even political leaders such as British Prime Minister David Cameron, U.S. President Barack Obama, and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who hailed it as a "force for world peace".
When South Korea's President Park Geun-hye visited the White House, Obama cited that the success of "Gangnam Style" is an example of how people around the world are being "swept up" by the Korean Wave of culture.
On July 10, 2017, it was surpassed by the music video for "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth.