Psy has opened up a whole new world of dance music to the mainstream. Psy songs are usually upbeat, and you just can’t resist dancing when you listen to his music. Inspired by his music videos, more Kpop artists are adopting his dancing theme including Twice, Red Velvet, Exo, and BTS. The Kpop revolution is just around the corner and Psy knows how to attract the world with music. From “Gangnam Style” to “That That”, Psy has collaborated with various Kpop artists including BTS, and Blackpink to deliver what his fans want to hear.
Psy has released tons of songs over the years, some more successful than others in terms of views, sales, and popularity. In this article, we review and rank the best Psy songs based on ratings and votes from the users. Let’s get started!
New Face [2017]
“New Face” was released on the 10th of May 2017 as the lead single from his eighth studio album 4 X 2 = 8, released the same day. The song was written by PSY with producer Yoo Gun-Hyung, who also produced the track. Though not as big as the album’s second single “I Luv It” (or, for that matter, his international smash hits “Gangnam Style” and “Gentleman”), the song has proven popular around the world, reaching over 268 million views on YouTube till date.
For full effect, it’s probably best to describe the track in conjunction with its video. The track features PSY wearing a range of outfits, from his familiar tailored suit to a hotel bellboy outfit, a maître d”s tuxedo (complete with mustache), a chef’s whites, and an eccentric artist’s print shirt and neckerchief. This concept is a visual pun on the song’s lyrics (which are sung in both Korean and English), which describe PSY’s attraction to a ‘new face’; someone he hasn’t seen before.
나팔바지 NAPAL BAJI [2015]
Psy, after his internationally hit 2012 single “Gangnam Style”, released “Napal Baji” on November 30, 2015. It is the second single from his seventh studio album “Chiljip Psy-da” which was released on December 1, 2015. “Napal Baji” was released the same day as the lead single “Daddy”.
“Napal Baji” translates from Korean as “trumpet trousers” and is the usual name for flares in the country. The song experiments with the funky sound of the 70s and is full of the same era glam. In Korea, “Napal Baji” peaked at number 2 on the charts.
Almost everyone in the music video sports flares and other attire typical of the 70s. Similar to his 2013 video “Gentleman” where Psy incorporated in his dance a movement by the Korean girl band “Brown Eyed Girls”, in “Napal Baji” he also uses a dance move very close to what girl band T-ara did in their “Roly Poly”.
DADDY [2015]
Psy released “Daddy” on November 30, 2015. It is his 22nd overall and lead single from his seventh studio album “Chiljip Psy-da” which was released on December 1, 2015, a day after the single. Psy participated in the production of the song that also features singer CL from the Korean girl band 2NE1.
The song which sold 4000 downloads in its first week, debuted at number 6 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic Songs. This is the fourth time Psy enters this chart, each time making it to the top ten. He also entered Billboard Hot 100 at number 97. In Korea “Daddy” made it to the top of the charts.
As it is usually the case, in the music video that was released through YouTube, Psy shows some entertaining, if a bit uncustomary, choreography. Another entertaining element is that besides appearing in the video as his regular self, Psy has his face CGI attached to a body of a child who plays his son.
Gentleman [2013]
“Gentleman” was released in Korea and worldwide as a digital download on April 12, 2013. Walking in the footsteps of “Gangnam Style” it belongs to the genre of K-pop and has mixed English and Korean lyrics.
Immediately after release, PSY’s “Gentleman” became the most downloaded song on various South Korean music streaming services. According to the marketing strategy, the song was released at midnight in each time zone and many fans tried to access it from earlier releases, though not always successfully. The next day PSY performed the song live at the Seoul World Cup Stadium. When asked why he released the song before the live performance he answered on his Twitter “cause We Gotta Sing Along”. He also requested the fans to come to the show dressed in white.
PSY claims that the video was shot in two days without any sleep. In the music video, his character plays ungentlemanly pranks on people he meets until he comes along a female who plays the same pranks on him. The female part is performed by a member of the Korean girl band “Brown Eyed Girls”. Accidentally or not, the dance performed by PSY in the video is also based on the dance moves used by “Brown Eyed Girls” for their 2009 hit “Abracadabra”. As stated by PSY, everyone in Korea is familiar with the dance as it is a modernized version of traditional dance, however, nobody outside Korea has seen it before.
That That [2022]
“That That” is the latest Psy song premiered on April 29, 2022, on YouTube and got over 150 million views within two weeks of its release. The man who arguably started the international K-pop craze is trending once again with his new track. This time, he has collaborated with Suga, a member of the star group BTS, and the whole K-pop world (and beyond), who seems to have turned out to get a glimpse of what they have produced.
The MV is set in a Western Style town in front of a saloon where both Psy and Suga battle it out as cowboys and cowgirls dance in unison behind them. It is, as expected, exceptionally visually appealing and an energy fest from start to finish.
Gangnam Style [2013]
K-pop was getting popular outside of South Korea but Psy wasn’t an international star until the release of “Gangnam Style”. Psy’s Gangnam Style not only became a global hit, but it also took the world by storm. Gangnam Style sparked a global breakthrough and created a viral sensation that contributed to further popularizing K-pop worldwide. The music video was released on July 15, 2013, and is viewed over 4.5 billion times on YouTube by 2022. Gangnam Style is what gave Psy a big break and ultimately became his best and most selling song ever released.
It’s Art [2011]
It’s Art is really an artistic song from Psy with a fusion of Korean pop culture and modern style. Like his other popular songs like Gangnam Style and the latest That That, Psy hasn’t done much of rapping here. Rather he sings in a soothing melancholic tune with a voice that will leave you emotional. The music video for “It’s Art” was released on February 7, 2011, and has over 120 million views on YouTube.
Right Now [2010]
Right Now was Psy’s first music with the YG Entertainment released in 2010 and a third single from the album PsyFive. The single, however, was banned for audience groups under 19 by the South Korean government over the lyrics dispute. Regardless, Right Now went on to be a huge hit and Psy received awards during Mnet Asian Awards and Melon Music Awards (2011)
Hangover [2014]
“Hangover, hangover, hangover, hangover-over-over (bend over) / Hangover, hangover, hangover, hangover-over-over (bend over) / Party’s over, it ain’t over.” Handover is probably Psy’s most underrated song. The single features Snoop Dogg and its music video was first broadcasted on Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2014. The hangover was also used in the 2018 Marvel movie “Black Panther”. The music video of Hangover has over 360 million views on YouTube as of 2022.
I Luv It [2017]
Released on May 10, 2017, through YG Entertainment, “I Luv It” is one of the most loved songs by Psy. Co-written by South Korean songwriter Zico, the music video for the song was released alongside the MV for “New Face”. “I Luv It” is a lead single from Psy’s eighth studio album 4×2=8. The music video for the track has over 120 million views on YouTube by 2022.
