Perhaps it’s just me, but the exuberant Korean viral sensation Gangnam Style by PSY sounds familiar. It’s kinda overplayed now, but I nevertheless really enjoy the video’s satirical, over-the-top insouciance.
I was wondering whether anyone else hears the same auditory likeness that I do? Listen to the catchy buildup and release to the main hook from Gangnam style -- and by ‘hook’ I mean “that chunk of the song that everybody knows and that everybody sings along with, and if you’re on the dance floor you go crazy to it”:
Oppa Gangnam Style - Main hook (~2:23 in; listen for about 20 seconds, then come back)
Compare that with the buildup and hook from LFMAO:
Party Rock Anthem - Every Day I’m Shufflin’ hook (~3:30 in)
And then throw in the syncopated ‘woof!’ chant of Who Let the Dogs Out?... Can you deny the rhythmic similitude to:
“Op, op, op, op... Oppa Gangnam Style”?
I’m not suggesting that they’re the same, or that PSY is in any way derivative. But I think it’s interesting to notice the commonality between these three pop culture hits. What is it about that particular structure of off-beats and pauses that makes it so instantly appealing?
I’d love to hear from anyone who has studied music theory on this.
Update
Turns out I’m not the only one who thinks there is a structural similarity to Party Rock. Check out this mashup:
Some background info here.
