10 Gangnam Style Parodies You Have to See

Gangnam style parodies are the new Gangnam Style. I’m actually shocked at the lack of Gangnam fever in the Listverse community. As of this week, the original Gangnam Style has even surpassed the view count of the number one video on Youtube, Justin Bieber’s “Baby”. The immensely popular single by South Korean artist PSY has accumulated over 840 million views since it was uploaded four months ago.

We can all agree that this song has a catchy beat, an amusing dance and some humorous moments, but what in Thor’s name does Gangnam mean? Gangnam is a wealthy neighborhood in the South Korean city of Seoul – and it’s the party district of Korea. In the song, PSY describes the kind of guy he is, as well as the kind of girl he wants. The video depicts the crowds that inhabit Gangnam.

This booming popularity has spun many parodies. These Gangnam style parodies range, in their subject, from political messages to gaming culture. Here’s a list of ten parodies you should watch, if you want to be acquainted with the trend that’s rather absurdly taking the world by storm. First, here’s the original – just in case you were lost in the woods for the past four months, and still haven’t seen it:

How do you get young adults to take interest in politics these days? CollegeHumor, a comedic website, found just the solution. Let’s grab the most popular song on YouTube and make fun of one of the presidential candidates. In this spoof, former presidential candidate Mitt Romney is depicted as a wealthy, out-of-touch, republican elitist. The video also makes reference to Romney’s private comment to donors that 47% of Americans “believe they are victims” and “will vote for this president [Obama] no matter what.” In one scene, the Romney lookalike sticks a “47%” sign on a waiter’s back.

With all the attention on South Korea, the North has become a little jealous. Kim Jong Un is feeling a bit left out. This Key of Awesome version makes fun of North Korean life, and depicts it as harsh, oppressive, and full of miserable citizens. The Key of Awesome has always been the number one spoofer in my opinion. If you aren’t familiar with their work, check them out!

MineCraft is a popular indie game that can be played on a PC or Xbox 360. The objective of the game is, essentially, to build things for strategic purposes. This is one parody that will fly right over you if you have not played the game – for those who have, however, it’s a real gem.

The 2012 Summer Olympics wasn’t filled with as many memorable moments as the previous one in Beijing, but there was one thing that did come out of London: an explosion of internet memes. There was the McKayla-not-impressed face, the Angry-Queen face, several funny-diver faces, and the yelling-Swedish-King face memes, to name a few.

Now, the Olympics has added something else to internet culture: Olympic Style. This version makes fun of NBC sportscaster Bob Costas, and the over-the-top obsession of the NBC television network with the Olympics.

Admirers of the film “Big Trouble in Little China” by John Carpenter will most certainly enjoy the hell out of this one. Number five on this list features the infamous villain from the film, Lo Pan. Once again – if you haven’t seen the film, you aren’t going to understand the references. All the same, the video remains funny and entertaining for the whole family.

Throughout every single one of these United States, government professors and high school teachers obliged their students to watch the presidential debates. I’m sure most of the information flew right over their heads. So where can you get an abridged and layman’s version of the issues and topics? Look no further, because Obama Style is here!

Can we ever get enough of Obama?! As far as the definition of a parody goes, this video doesn’t exactly fit the bill. I wanted to include this one because it’s amazing how well the lookalikes resemble their real counterparts. When I first watched it, I actually thought they had convinced the real Michelle to play the part. After all she is running a campaign to encourage kids to be more active, and what better way to be active than to do an hour of dancing to our favorite viral song. Another reason why I like this video: they actually put in their own dance moves! As well as the small tribute to Michael Jackson at the end.

The final spot on this list is a homage to the (arguably) most amazing video game, Halo 4. The Halo franchise has had its share of YouTube channels and podcasts, now to add to that list is a K-pop remix of the popular game.

Immensely awkward, or comedy at its best? I’ll leave that for you to decide. Gangnam Style isn’t necessarily one of those things you either love or hate – but I’m fairly sure that after ten different versions of the song, you’ll fall pretty well into one of those categories. At number two, we have Gangnam Style as heard by a non-Korean speaker. Depending on your sense of humor, the results are hilarious.

To finish things off with a touch of controversy, we have to include the Nazis. Hitler in his bunker has gone crazy – to the questionably appropriate tune of Gangnam style. Two of the most parodied videos on youtube are now merged in a blissful union. This could well be what future generations will remember of us, when we are gone.