강남스타일 (Gangnam Style)

Note about the video: I have chosen this video - apparently from South Korea's Presidential Inauguration (?) - instead of the official video on purpose. Though the official video has over 1.5 billion views on YouTube, and though I recognize that nearly every one of my students has probably seen it already, I do not recommend it for students to view. Several parts of the video strike me as quite vulgar or inappropriate. The dancing in this version, in my opinion, is not as risqué .

Analysis Method: "MALL"
Key -
M = What is the meaning of the lyrics?
A = The lyrics are clearly against Biblical teaching.
L = I don't know what the Bible says about these lyrics.
L = I can glorify God when I listen to these lyrics.
Some of my thoughts are included in gray.
A word about context: A danger of the "MALL" method is that it can take lyrics out of context. There can be cases where a follower of Jesus might take a lyric out of context to show another possible meaning that would be in line with the Bible, so I have tried to show some different possible readings of the lyrics. With this song, I tried my best to give some lyrics the benefit of the doubt instead of just trashing the whole song.... though in some places I definitely felt like I was stretching.

Lyrics:
오빤 강남스타일

I got Gangnam style

강남스타일

Gangnam style

(Note: Gangnam is a district of Seoul, South Korea. Since I have never been to Seoul, I can't say that I completely understand what this means. But based on the rest of this song, it seems like the "style" - at least what this song is talking about - is clearly against Biblical standards.)

낮에는 따사로운 인간적인 여자

The woman who is warm humane during the day (Tough to translate, I guess)

커피 한잔의 여유를 아는 품격 있는 여자

The elegant woman who knows how to enjoy a cup of coffee

밤이 오면 심장이 뜨거워지는 여자

The woman whose heart gets hot when night comes

그런 반전 있는 여자

The woman that has such turnabouts

나는 사나이

I am a tough man

낮에는 너만큼 따사로운 그런 사나이

The tough man who is as warm as you during the day

커피 식기도 전에 원샷 때리는 사나이

The tough man who drinks coffee bottoms up before it cools down
(This lyric could be debatable, but honestly - I think it is kind of funny. Depending on how a person takes it, there could be problems with it, or it could be fine.)

밤이 오면 심장이 터져버리는 사나이

The tough man whose heart thumps out when night comes

그런 사나이

That kind of tough man

아름다워 사랑스러워

So beautiful and lovely
 (To be beautiful and lovely is certainly not against Biblical standards! But in the context of the rest of the song, I believe the beauty he is referring to goes against how the Bible calls us to live.)

그래 너 hey 그래 바로 너 hey

Yes you, hey, that's right, you, hey

지금부터 갈 데까지 가볼까

Would you go all the way with me?

오빤 강남스타일

I got Gangnam style

Eh- Sexy Lady

(Quite honestly, it troubles me that the ONLY English in this song is "sexy lady," and that phrase has become so acceptable that most people don't seem to see anything wrong with it. Based on the context, though - and also from viewing the video - to me this song seems to encourage people to see women as little more than objects for pleasure.)

정숙해 보이지만 놀 땐 노는 여자

The woman who looks virtuous but enjoys while she plays

이때다 싶으면 묶었던 머리 푸는 여자

The woman who unties her hair if she thinks it's time to do so

(It certainly fits with Biblical standards to not be too rigid, or to "let your hair down," when it is the right time. From the context, though, I DON'T think this is talking about one of those right times.)

가렸지만 웬만한 노출보다 야한 여자

The more erotic woman, even though she wraps her clothes up than a bare one

그런 감각적인 여자

That sensual woman

나는 사나이

I am a tough man

점잖아 보이지만 놀 땐 노는 사나이

The tough man who seems gentle but enjoy while I play

때가 되면 완전 미쳐버리는 사나이

The tough man who goes totally crazy when the time has come

근육보다 사상이 울퉁불퉁한 사나이

The tough man whose idea is more uneven than muscle

그런 사나이

That tough man

뛰는 놈 그 위에 나는 놈

There's always someone better

Baby Baby

나는 뭘 좀 아는 놈

I'm the guy who knows something

(I have a tough time with this bridge section. From knowing some Korean, I know that this is a sort of word play, and I am not sure this is a great translation. See below for the closing thoughts.)

Closing Thoughts
No one can deny how popular “Gangnam Style” is. Both the electronic beat and “horse” dance have been reproduced all over the world.

What bothers me is how many people are hear this song and never stop to think about what the song is saying. In “Gangnam Style,” we see a certain set of characteristics, so the question is: “Are these encouraged or discouraged?” It is important to remember that songs, movies, etc. can talk about bad things, but the point should be to show you why those things are bad.

If we look at the video for this song, I see a wealthy Korean man strutting around with many women. These women are not wearing enough clothes, and they are often dancing in inappropriate ways. Some people may say the song is just trying to be fun or funny, but the problem is that I don't think this song is dealing with a topic that is very funny. I don't see anywhere in the song or video that this sort of lifestyle is discouraged. Instead this incredibly popular song seems to show that people accept this lifestyle and don’t see anything wrong with it.

One of my main problems is that this song does not give a high view of relationships. What I see in this song is that relationships are just objects for pursuit and pleasure. I also think this song tries to create a picture of an "ideal woman" who does not look similar to various Biblical passages that speak of how women should act.

Bottom line: Even though this song is incredibly popular and I see students imitating the dance all the time, there is nothing in this song that I would encourage students to imitate. It is sad to me that such a great country as South Korea is so recognized across the world for this song. "Sexy Lady" as the only English should have been the first clue, and from looking further into the lyrics, I don't think this song will lead people to the sort of life that will bring true satisfaction. "Gangnam Style" is not a style I want for my own life - ever - and it's not a style I want to see my students follow either.