Noun. When white people (see stuff white people like) use a single foreign song that has entered mainstream American
music, generally through movies, to gain cultural entre into the
music of an exotic country/region. By using pandora, related videos feature of
youtube, or other tools for finding similar songs the white person is able to build a small, narrow understanding of
music from a foreign place. The role of the gateway song is vital in the white person'
s understanding of a foreign
music source because it
will be the standard by which all other songs "discovered" in the genre
will be judged. However, it is important to realize that the white person
will never veer far from the gateway song.
Finally, it must be noted that white people are acutely ashamed of the gateway song because it proves that he/she was completely unaware of a genre of foreign music until exposed by the distinctly unauthentic mainstream media. White people would prefer to be exposed to "world" music from browsing non-chain record stores, study abroad programs, and non-white
friends. Bonus would be a combination of a musical "discovery" while falling in love with a foreign person. However, since these more authentic methods of "discovering" "world" music are not always available, gateway songs are a necessary evil for the average white person.
Jai Ho-gateway song to bollywood, anything by Bob Marley-gateway song to reggae, anything by Sean Paul-gateway to
reggaeton,
12 girls band version of Clocks etc.
