Gangnam Style is no longer the most viewed video on YouTube
The song ‘See You Again’ by rapper Wiz Khalifa is currently the most viewed video on video platform YouTube with almost three billion views. With this it dethrones the singer Psy, who has taken the place since 2012 with the internet sensation ‘Gangnam Style’.
American rapper Wiz Khalifa and singer Carlie Puth performed the song “See You Again” together for the soundtrack of the movie Furious 7. The song is the biggest-selling digital song of 2015 and has sold 21 million times online. During the production of the film, actor Paul Walker died unexpectedly in a car accident; he played one of the leading roles in the film series. Walker’s scenes were completed using CGI technology. The song is dedicated to the late actor; this helped make the video so popular.
‘Gangnam Style’, by Korean singer Psy, was released in 2012 and quickly became a worldwide hit with its bizarre dance steps and catchy lyrics, most of which didn’t know what they meant, but which everyone liked to sing along. Partly because of this, Psy pushed pop idol Justin Bieber from the first place in the YouTube ranking at the end of 2012.
The Korean internet hit garnered so many views that YouTube had to adjust the view counter: the website first used a 32-bit integer that could only display numbers up to just over two billion. With a revamped 64-bit integer, YouTube can display up to nine trillion views. Presumably this gives the website enough time before they have to switch to a 128-bit integer.
It’s probably only a matter of time before Wiz Khalifa is allowed to hand in the title again. Many cite the song “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee as a possible successor to the Furious 7 soundtrack. The music video for ‘Despacito’ has only been on YouTube since January but already has almost 2.6 billion views. By comparison, ‘See You Again’ has racked up three billion views over a relatively long two-year period. For now, however, the American rapper can still enjoy his place at the top.