"Gangnam Style," a song by South Korean rapper and YouTube sensation Psy, failed to reach the top of an updated Billboard chart released Wednesday.
The song stayed behind Maroon 5's "One More Night" for the second consecutive week in the Billboard Hot 100, according to the Billboard.com.
Billboard said the race was "extremely close," adding "Night" bests "Style" by fewer than 500 overall chart points.
The key to Maroon 5's lead was radio airplay, with the radio run of "Style" still in its early stages, it said.
Billboard pointed out Psy can keep his shirt on at least one more week.
"Clearly, Psy remains in contention for the Hot 100's coveted No. 1 rank next week," it said. "Until then, however, because he's just less than tops on the chart, he'll have to keep his shirt on."
Psy stated that he would go topless to perform "Gangnam Style" in front of crowds if it becomes the No. 1 on Billboard.
Meanwhile, the vogue for Psy in the U.S. has even become a topic at the State Department's daily press briefing, usually dominated by serious issues such as Syria, Iran and territorial disputes.
Victoria Nuland, spokeswoman for the department, said she has yet to watch Psy's music video.
"But I betcha my daughter does (know him)," she said. "She loves Korean pop."
When asked if Psy's popularity here is expected to help promote people-to-people ties between the allies, Nuland said, "Let me be cool enough to have seen it first, and then I'll get back to you." (Yonhap News)
