From 'Gangnam Style' To 'Daddy': Psy's Viral Timeline

By Staff Writer Dec 09, 2015

The most watched man on YouTube is back with a new song, but how does Psy's "Daddy" stack up in comparison to his earlier hits?

In 2012, the Korean rapper Psy made history with "Gangnam Style," the most watched video on YouTube ever. He achieved similar success on the video-viewing website 2013 follow-up track "Gentleman," but now he's back with "Daddy."

So how does the success compare between Psy's songs.

There's really no way to deny it; "Gangnam Style" has been seen over 2 billion times. But while "Gangnam Style" may be Psy's biggest hit, it also can't compare to the viral attention granted to the singles of his latest music videos, largely as a result of people trying to see what the artist has released next.

Virally, "Daddy" is Psy's third song to really garner international attention. Since being released on Nov. 30, "Daddy" has been watched over 157 years worth of time, according to YouTube's official statistics (as of Dec. 8,) or been viewed roughly 29 million times.

In comparison, "Gangnam Style" took more than a month to achieve over 40 million views; "Gangnam Style" was released on July 15, 2012, but only was viewed 9 million times by the end of the month.

The momentum that kicked off the success that is "Gangnam Style" really began in August, when the song began gathering attention from international outlets like CNN. In comparison, "Daddy" and "Gentleman" achieved international attention from the moment of their releases.

"Gentleman" is the clear winner, with over 100 million views during its first week of release, but "Gangnam Style" and "Daddy" hardly lack their own viral success.

Let's see how the momentum stacks up between these three Psy songs:

"Gangnam Style"

Released July 15, 2012

July 15-July 31, 2012- Viewed over 9 million times

Aug. 15, 2012- Viewed over 28 million times

August 20, 2012 - Viewed over 40 million times

Sept. 4, 2012- Viewed over 100 million times

Sept. 2012- Certified by Guinness World Records as most "liked" video on YouTube

Nov. 24, 2012- Overtakes Justin Bieber's "Baby" as most viewed video on YouTube (Still applicable)

Dec. 21, 2012- 1 Billion views

May 30, 2014- 2 Billion Views

Dec. 2014- YouTube needs new view counter because of "Gangnam Style"