Andrew Goodwin Analysis Of A Music Video - "Gangnam Style"

The latest pop culture phenomenon of "Gangnam Style" by the Korean artist PSY. The music video itself is unique in a way that most audiences wouldn't have seen before. It has lots of bright colours that are strewn across the screen at all points in the video.

Illustrative -
Although the actual song may not be constantly linked directly by what goes on in the video, there are many moments where the lyrics have a direct link with the video. Many of these moments are when PSY shouts out "sexy ladies" and is then at that moment surrounded by many, young attractive female dancers.

Amplifying -
The colours are very important in this music video, as like the choreography and the lyrics themselves, they are vibrant and "in your face". I believe that the use of many different colours bring new meanings to the video as it tries to show the upbeat side of the song alongside the pace of the lyrics and the dancing. I do not believe that the colours conflict with the song itself, just reinforce its meanings.

Disjunctive -
There are many scenes in this music video that don't seem to flow with the song nor the video itself. For example, many characters in the video seem to be randomly placed and don't really add anything to the video itself apart from the oddness of it. Other smaller scenes like an explosion and shots of the artist, PSY, in various different places like a playground and warehouses don't really add up.

Lyrics & Visuals -
The general feel of  the editing is quick, sharp cuts that go with the upbeat pace of the song. There are some longer cuts which emphasize when the pace of the song slows down. Also many of the camera angles in the video tend to help with the music videos overall strangeness. The uses of bizarre costume also helps to emphasize the characters portrayed and even the song itself.