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The New Psy Song

Psy, the world's second most-famous, second oddest Korean, created the greatest music meme of 2012, and now has leaked his Justin Bieber entourage-created follow-up wannabe-meme, 'Gentleman'.  The only similarity, aside from the plodding-galloping beat, is that both songs share a G in their title, and also, I suppose, the Orientalising yelps of half-imprecise English declamations, which add poignancy and eccentricity, to Psy's work.

I like the new song fine, but, bereft of its still-secret video, without the new dance, it is impossible to gauge how this virus will spread.  The new song is not as silly, joyous, or wildly unexpected, as 'Gangnam'.  But neither is it utter crap.  It has an intriguing claim in "I'm a mother father gentleman" which has a bit of Lennon wisdom in it.  He is trying to be a universal dance-pop artist, and be fun about it, across cultures and languages.  He deserves some credit for this.

I wish him well, and hope his third song is his 'Power of Love' moment - in the sense that FGTH had two hits based on videos, and 'Two Tribes' was a downturn, but their third, Christmas number one was a last triumph before they sputtered out from grand flamboyant centrality to shooting stars drowned in the Mersey.  That was 30 years ago, more or less, and the new MTV is Youtube.  Psy is not Frankie, and he is not Elvis either.  But he may keep us entertained if not destroyed in a thermonuclear attack.  We need gentle men on that peninsula now. 
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