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If the upcoming Super Bowl is like many before, the most entertaining part may be the commercials, which will include a chubby South Korean singer hawking “Wonderful Pistachios.” This will mark the rapper PSY’s debut in American advertising, though he’s no stranger to the folks at home. They’ve seen him singing “Gangnam Style,” a satiric take on the “Beverly Hills” of South Korea, viewed more than one billion times on YouTube; celebrating Christmas with President Obama; and starring in a New Year’s television special from Times Square. Following the example of 1996’s “Macarena,” and “Sukiyaki” decades before, PSY has earned the affection, and money, of millions of Americans who have no idea what he’s singing about.

However, many...