仿佛一夜之间，韩国胖大叔PSY的单曲《江南Style》红遍全球。到底是怎样的神奇，让《江南Style》能超越阿黛尔、贾斯汀·比伯等当红欧美歌手的成绩？
《江南Style》:
–被《吉尼斯世界纪录》认定为YouTube历史上最受欢迎的歌曲。截至10月19日，在YouTube上拥有超过4.9亿次的点击。
was recognized by Guinness World Records as the most “liked” video in YouTube history and has been viewed over 490m times on YouTube as of Oct 19, 2012.

–摘得iTunes全球单曲榜冠军。
charted No 1 on the iTunes Music Video Charts.

–成为首个在英国单曲榜夺冠的韩国歌曲，榜单表现甚至超过阿黛尔的《邦德》主题曲。
was the first South Korean song to reach No 1 on the UK singles chart, beating Adele’s Bond theme.

–夺得美国公告牌百强单曲榜亚军。此前保持的韩国艺人最高记纪录是少女时代的”Nobody”，列第76位。
has soared to No 2 in the US Billboard Hot 100 (Best South Korean performance before is No 76 by Wonder Girls’ “Nobody”).

–夺得澳大利亚、加拿大、丹麦、德国等国的音乐榜冠军。
claims No 1 chart spot in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, etc.
对于《江南Style》的走红，歌曲本身的独特魅力以及社交媒体传播和明星效应等外在因素都功不可没。
在副歌部分，PSY反复吟唱一句话：”Oppa Gangnam style!”它的意思是：”哥就是江南范儿！”韩语里，女孩管兄长和比自己大的异性叫Oppa (哥哥)。
The song’s refrain “Oppa Gangnam style” has been translated as “Big brother is Gangnam style”, with PSY referring to himself; “Oppa” is a South Korean expression used by females to refer to an older male friend or elder brother.

尽管大家都知道PSY在唱一个具体的地方，但很多人不禁会问：江南在哪儿？”江南范儿”是什么范儿？
While lots of fans are aware PSY is singing about a place, many are still wondering: Where exactly is Gangnam and what is its style?

[为什么是江南]
江南是韩国首都首尔的一个区，位于汉江以南。江南区有”首尔的比弗利山庄”之称，因高端时尚、遍及美食和奢侈品店林立而闻名。
Gangnam literally means “south of the river”, referring to its location relative to the Han River, which flows through the South Korean capital. The district has often been called the “Beverly Hills of Seoul” for its high-end fashion, fine dining and posh stores selling luxury brands.
[歌曲中的讽刺]
在韩国，有些女孩宁肯节衣缩食，只为了能省下钱来买奢侈品，满足虚荣心。对她们来说，面子更重要——显然，江南区的人更是如此。当PSY在歌中自诩为”江南范儿”女孩的最佳恋爱对象时，其实暗藏了反讽意。PSY自曝：”这首歌其实就是在嘲笑那些费尽心力装模作样的人。”
In South Korea, some girls cut their spending on basic essentials in order to buy luxury items or vanity products. Image is important here – apparently even more so in Gangnam. PSY sings about how he is the guy for these Gangnam Style girls. In fact, there is sarcasm behind the scene. “This song is actually poking fun at those kinds of people who are trying so hard to be something that they’re not,” said PSY.

PSY当然不属于”江南范儿”。无论是他的歌曲、舞蹈、外形还是音乐录影带，都距离所谓的”高端”差远了。MV先是让他穿梭于奢华富贵场所，随后又告诉观众这其实都是幻觉。比如，他慵懒惬意的沙滩镜头，等镜头放大了人们才发现，原来所谓的”沙滩”不过是操场内的一个沙坑。
PSY is a decidedly non-Gangnam style character. Everything about the song, dance, looks, and the music video is far from being of such a high class. The video shows him in a number of the places associated with wealth and luxury, only to then reveal that it’s an illusion. We see him lazing decadently on a fancy beach, for example, only for the camera to pan out and show that he’s actually in a sandpit in a playground.
[社交媒体推波助澜]
尽管PSY制作这首歌时的目标受众是韩国人，但因为网络的存在，它获得了世界影响力。
Although PSY directed his song at Koreans, it gained world attention, thanks to the Internet.

仅在9月11日至18日这几天，Facebook和Twitter上对这首歌的分享就从20万次增至70多万次，几乎翻了两番。最近几周，这首歌数以百计的恶搞和致敬改编版在网上疯传。
During the time period from Sept 11 to Sept 18, the number of Facebook and Twitter shares of the “Gangnam Style” music video almost quadrupled from about 200,000 to more than 700,000. In recent weeks, hundreds of parody and tribute versions of the song have popped up on the Internet.

罗比·威廉姆斯、小甜甜布兰妮、凯蒂·佩里、汤姆·克鲁斯等明星在社交媒体上的互动助推了这首MV的广泛传播。
Many stars on social media helped promote the video including Robbie Williams, Britney Spears, Katy Perry and Tom Cruise.
《江南Style》的火爆引发了一系列连锁反应，甚至无形中进一步提升了韩国软实力。
*对韩国音乐
《江南Style》在韩国流行音乐与外国观众之间架起了一座桥梁。一位身在美国的韩国人Sun Taylor称，她觉得这首歌会提升更多韩国艺人的知名度。
With “Gangnam Style”, Korean pop – K-pop for short – may have found a bridge to cross over to audiences in other countries. “I think it’s going to make Korean artists more noticeable,” said Sun Taylor, a South Korean in the US.

*对当地旅游业
这首歌对韩国旅游业起了巨大的宣传作用。位于纽约的韩国观光公社市场部经理Luis Maravi表示，很多人正表现出对首尔江南区的兴趣，营运人员正在研究相关的旅游线路。
The video’s been great publicity for Korean tourism. “A lot of people are wanting to visit that district of Seoul and tour operators are developing tours around it,” says Luis Maravi, marketing manager for the Korea Tourism Organization in New York.

*对’韩国制造’
韩国半导体公司D I Corp因为这首歌股指大涨，入账逾1亿美元。而这家公司的主席、控股股东正是PSY的父亲朴元浩。
South Korean semiconductor company D I Corp got a huge stock boost from the song, surging over $100m. The firm’s chairman and controlling shareholder is PSY’s father, Park Won-ho.
[韩国软实力]
《江南Style》成为韩国输出的最知名音乐作品。韩国外交通商部公共外交大使马宁三说，一首像病毒一样流行的歌曲并不是国家品牌计划的组成部分，但它”非常有效，非常重要”。
“Gangnam Style” has become South Korea’s biggest musical export. A viral pop hit was not part of the nation branding plan, but it is “very useful, very important,” says Ma Young-sam, ambassador for public diplomacy at the Foreign Ministry.

英国《金融时报》称，这首歌只不过是”韩流”取得的最新胜利。由9名成员组成的韩国流行音乐组合”少女时代”已打入美国。上个月，《圣殇》成为获得威尼斯电影节最佳影片的首部韩国电影，而申京淑的小说《请照顾妈妈》成为今年的全球畅销书。
PSY’s hit is the latest triumph for what has become known as the Hallyu, or “Korean wave”. Girls’ Generation, a nine-member “K-pop” group, has made inroads into the US, said the FT. Last month, “Pieta” became the first Korean film to win the top prize at the Venice Film Festival, and Shin Kyung-sook’s novel “Please Look After Mother” became a global bestseller this year.
对《江南Style》的评价，在潮水般的支持和赞扬声中，也不乏质疑之声。
[好评]
–一位粉丝表示：”不得不承认，起先我极度受不了这首歌，但当我开始认真看MV，并仔细研究了古怪背后的意义时，我爱上了它。”
“I have to confess that I’ve gone from finding it intensely annoying to actually rather liking it, after I started paying attention to the video and reading up on the meaning behind the weirdness,” said one of its fans.

–笑星Douglas Lim称，PSY的自嘲式幽默让整首歌趣味十足，你可能听不懂其中的语言，但你能看出他的恶搞和自娱自乐的表演。
“PSY’s self-deprecating humor makes the song hilarious. Even if you don’t understand South Korean, you can see that the video is a parody and he is making fun of himself,” said Douglas Lim, a comedian.

–也有人认为是《江南Style》的标志性舞步”骑马舞”令它在全球迅速走红。很多音乐爱好者因为骑马舞的有趣和易学而喜欢它。
The global appeal of Gangnam Style has also been credited to the song’s signature dance move known as “the horse-riding dance”. For many music lovers, it is a hit simply because it is fun and easy to do.
[差评]
–《悉尼先驱晨报》的麦特·布坎南和斯科特·埃利斯认为这首MV “对大多数西方人来说不知所云”，让人有” (表演者)吃错了药”的感觉。
Matt Buchanan and Scott Ellis of The Sydney Morning Herald wrote that the video “makes no sense at all to most Western eyes” and it “makes you wonder if you have accidentally taken someone else’s medication.”

–马来西亚节目主持人Umapagan Ampikaipakan表示，这种MV的疯传让人不解，”可能人们就喜欢看矮胖的外国人大跳荒谬的舞蹈吧。”
To Umapagan Ampikaipakan, a Malaysian program host, no one can really explain the virality of this sort of videos. “It could be that people enjoy watching chubby foreigners dance in a ridiculous fashion.”
[日本抵制]
如果你受够了《江南Style》的如影随形，那么也许你可以收拾行囊去日本。
If you’re tired of “Gangnam Style,” it may be time to pack your bags for Japan.

韩国《东亚日报》称，日本媒体几乎没有对《江南Style》的报道。尽管这首歌登顶中国的百度音乐榜，但截至10月份，它都没能登上日本的全国性音乐榜。该报将原因归结为日本与韩国的外交冲突，并指责日本媒体故意将其国人”蒙在鼓里”。
According to Korean newspaper The Dong-a Ilbo, “Gangnam Style” has hardly been mentioned by the Japanese media. Although the song has topped China’s Baidu music charts, as of October 2012, it has not yet managed to break into Japan’s national charts. The Dong-a Ilbo claimed that this is due to a bilateral diplomatic conflict with South Korea, and it accused the Japanese media of keeping its people “in the dark”.
[那些著名的神曲]
–”Macarena”《马卡丽娜》
流行于上世纪90年代，是一首连续创下13周美国公告牌排行榜首记录的歌，演唱者是西班牙二重唱河边人。

–”Lambada”《兰巴达》
凭借1990年的电影《Lambada》，这种源自巴西的舞蹈迅速传遍世界。影片中由Kaoma(卡欧玛)组合演唱的同名曲红遍全球。

–”Teach Me How to Dougie”《教我如何跳道基》
Cali Swag Distric是美国著名的说唱组合，这首《教我如何跳道基》为2010年公告牌榜上的热门单曲。

–”Party Rock Anthem”《派对摇滚国歌》
美国双人电子组合LMFAO的一首专辑主打歌，曾在英国单曲榜夺冠，在公告牌的2011年年榜获得第二名。

–”The Most Dazzling Folk Style”《最炫民族风》
节奏感十足、鼓点平稳的舞曲旋律，配上众多精彩搞笑的视频，成就了中国民族风的”全球化”演出。

–”Ai Se Eu Te Pego”《假如我捕获了你》
葡萄牙语神曲，曾在YouTube网站音乐点击排行榜上有3亿点击量，排名前十，是C罗庆祝进球的专属音乐。