TIME Picks 'Gangnam Style' As Top 10 Song, Viral Video For 2012 | The Manila Bulletin Newspaper Online

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin

MANILA, Philippines - TIME.com has released its Top 10 Everything of 2012 lists and it picked Korean rapper Psy's "Gangnam Style" as one of the Top 10 Songs and Top 10 Viral Videos of the year.

Psy was also chosen by TIME as the No. 1 Fleeting Celebrity.

Clockwise from top left) Usher, Psy, Carly Rae Jepsen and Taylor Swift.
(Photos courtesy of www.amas365.com, American Music Awards, Dick Clark Productions)

"Roll your eyes if you must. The fact is that 20 years from now, you’re going to remember this as the song of 2012," wrote TIME.

Usher's "Climax" is No. 1 on the Top 10 Songs list, followed by "Gangnam Style," Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe," Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," Parquet Courts' "Master of My Craft," Skrillex's "Bangarang," Nicki Minaj's "Roman in Moscow," Pussy Riots' "Putin Lights Up The Fires," The Belle Brigade's "No Time to Think," and Can's "Graublau."

"The YouTube meme, a good-natured, mind-bendingly catchy lampoon (in Korean!) directed at a particular neighborhood of Seoul, turned into a global obsession. Now, how many curious listeners are going to track down more K-pop and Korean hip-hop? Probably not many — but if you’re one of them, you might want to start with G-Dragon’s 'Crayon' video," TIME said of "Gangnam Style."

The music video that launched Psy's international career was also chosen by TIME as No. 2 on the Top 10 Viral Videos of 2012.

TIME said, "Rarely does a song in a foreign language make such a stomp in the United States, but Korean rapper Psy’s video has become a hit of epic proportions, thanks partly to its invisible horse dance that has sparked thousands of copycats. Psy has noted he was inspired by the flamboyant showmanship of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, and he’s been able to draw crowds just as large as the famed British band, amassing 80,000 people for a public concert in Seoul in October."

Topping TIME's list is the Kony 2012 video followed by "Gangnam Style" (which has accumulated 889 million views to date), bullied bus monitor Karen Klein, Felix Baumgartner’s space jump, dad Tommy Jordan shooting his daughter's laptop, Wisconsin TV anchor Jennifer Livingston answering on-air a bully's comment about her weight, Senate Republican candidate Todd Akin's "legitimate rape" comment, live lip-dub marriage proposal, US President Barack Obama singing Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" and Cookie Monster's "Share It Maybe" music video.

But despite all his success, TIME chose Psy as No. 1 on its Top 10 Fleeting Celebrities.

"Park Jae-sang  is a 34-year-old South Korean who planned to study business before he began tinkering with music. On American shores he is better known as Psy, the rapper-songwriter-producer behind the monster hit 'Gangnam Style,'" TIME wrote.

TIME added, "Released in July, the viral sensation mocking Korean-pop clichés has racked up over 800 million views on YouTube, surpassing Justin Bieber’s 'Baby' video to become the most-viewed video of all time. The married father of two is the first Korean solo artist to have a top single in the U.S., and he is planning to record his next single in English. If it hits big, Psy may no longer be just a fleeting celebrity."

Following Psy on the list are Beyonce and Jay-Z's first baby, Blue Ivy Carter; Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's wife, Priscilla Chan; Jack Russell terrier Uggie; Invisible Children founder Jason Russell, British director Rupert Sanders, racehorse I'll Have Another, American gymnast Jordyn Wieber, North Korea leader Kim Jong Un's wife Ri Sol Ju and the Harvard baseball team, which became famous after uploading their "Call Me Maybe" music video.

Link to my original article on Manila Bulletin online: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/384554/time-picks-gangnam-style-as-top-10-song-viral-video-for-2012