President Barack Obama, the British prime minister, and now Madonna - every time someone signals the death of Gangnam Style, up pops another high-profile figure to keep the phenomenon alive.
In the four months since the music video by the South Korean rapper Psy went viral on YouTube, it has been name-checked and imitated by an impressive roster of notables.
While many still believe Gangnam Style will prove to be a one-hit wonder, the song has shown surprising staying power and an unlikely ability to penetrate international corridors of power.
The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called it a force for world peace. On the morning of the US presidential election, Obama told a local radio station that he was confident he could match Psy's dance moves.
The British Prime Minister David Cameron and London Mayor Boris Johnson performed a joint Gangnam Style dance for their wives in September during a private gathering in the premier's country retreat Chequers.
After the Google chairman Eric Schmidt gave a rather awkward horse-riding performance during a visit to Seoul, Time magazine declared the Gangnam Style craze "officially over" - but that was way back in September.
If anything, Psy has since gone from strength to strength, gaining the ultimate showbiz accolade last week by performing a mash-up of Gangnam Style with Madonna during her concert in New York. - AFP