The Anatomy Of A Huge Hit: Why Is Psy's 'Gentleman' Such A Big Success?

Psy's "Gentleman" has been out for just over two weeks now, and as the global superstar embarks on his worldwide promotions for the song, let's break down just what makes it such a massive hit.

For starters, Psy already had a huge fan following and international recognition after his breakout hit "Gangnam Style," so the pressure was on to create something equally huge and successful.

He described the week prior to the release of "Gentleman" as "hell," but it paid off. The song smashed new records and continues to climb charts and rack in YouTube views.

Aside from being a catchy tune with a hilarious video, there are many other factors that contributed to the success of "Gentleman."

Controversy

Before it was announced that Psy's sophomore world single would be "Gentleman," the Korean rapper initially released his "Gangnam Style" follow-up would be a song titled "Assarabia." Instantly people began to misinterpret the meaning of the title, assuming it had something to do with a certain body part and an geographical area of the world.

Not wanting to upset fans in the Middle East, and risk losing his star power, Psy decided to change the song and create a new hit in its place.

This got the conversation started early. What was Psy going to come back with? Could he top "Gangnam" and recover from "Assarabia"?

Catchy Dance Beat

After the horse dance from "Gangnam Style" started a craze, the follow-up needed to have a signature dance move, which also meant it needed a beat you could dance to.

"Gentleman" when you take away the lyrics and imagery, is just that. It is easy to picture it pumping through the world's hottest dance clubs.

Arrogance Dance

And just what about those dance moves?

For "Gentleman" Psy borrowed choreography initially made popular by the Brown Eyed Girls' song "Abracadabra" including a sexy hip swivel and then added his own unique brand of dancing to the mix. In the music video's big dance sequence, the arrogance dance suddenly morphs into a sort of 'skipping Thriller' move. Fun!

A Sexy Leading Lady

Speaking of the Brown Eyed Girls - Psy chose member Gain, easily one of the sexiest Korean celebrities, to be the leading lady for the "Gentleman" video.

Gain said that she was chosen because of her uniquely "Asian" appearance, but after watching the video, it is easy to see that her fierce attitude and confidence were a goo choice for the rather un-gentlemanly theme.

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