Dragostea din tei
"Dragostea din tei" | |||||||
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Single by O-Zone | |||||||
from the album DiscO-Zone | |||||||
B-side | "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross radio RMX) | ||||||
Released |
August 1, 2003 (Romania) April 19, 2004 (Worldwide) | ||||||
Format | CD single, CD maxi, 12" maxi | ||||||
Recorded | 2003 | ||||||
Genre | Eurodance, pop | ||||||
Length | 3:34 | ||||||
Label |
Ultra Polydor | ||||||
Writer(s) | Dan Bălan | ||||||
Producer(s) | Dan Bălan | ||||||
O-Zone singles chronology | |||||||
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"Dragostea din tei" (pronounced [ˈdraɡoste̯a din tej], "Love from the lindens"),[1] also informally known as "Numa Numa" or "Mai Ya hee" (see lyrics), is the most successful single by the Moldovan pop group O-Zone, sung in Romanian. It shot to the number one spot on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it remained for 12 weeks between June and early September 2004.[2] It topped the single charts in Germany and France for over three months, reached three in the United Kingdom and 72 on the U.S. Pop 100. A popular cover of the song was made by Romanian pop singer Haiducii, which also charted in many countries, especially Italy and Sweden where it topped the singles charts. The original song was made notable in the United States by the viral video of Gary Brolsma dancing to the song, calling it "Numa Numa".
O-Zone version
Lyrics
The best-known lyrics are the repeated line "nu mă, nu mă iei" from the chorus, hence the name "Numa Numa song". "Nu mă, nu mă iei" (literally "no me, no me take") is typically translated as "you don't want to take me". The full chorus, which also includes the title of the song, runs:
Vrei să pleci dar nu mă, nu mă iei,
Nu mă, nu mă iei, nu mă, nu mă, nu mă iei.
Chipul tău și dragostea din tei,
Mi-amintesc de ochii tăi.
which translates as:[3]
- (You) want to leave but don't want to take me,
- Don't want to take me, don't want don't want to take me
- Your face and the love from the linden trees,
- Remind me of your eyes.
Background and writing
The song was written and composed by Dan Bălan, and the original version was sung by Bălan, Arsenie Todiraş, and Radu Sârbu. The single was first released in 2003 in Romania, where the group lived and produced at that time, and in the spring of 2004 in most other European countries, where it became a summer hit. In as late as 2006, the song was still in the lower reaches of some Eastern European singles charts.
O-Zone's version was the most popular across Europe, with the exception of Italy, where it was only known by discogoers.[citation needed] A cover version of the song performed by the Romanian singer Haiducii, who released the song in Europe around the same time, was more popular in Italy and Sweden (it reached #1 in the singles charts).
"Dragostea din tei" has also inspired a number of parody videos distributed over the Internet, most notably Gary Brolsma's popular "Numa Numa Dance" video in 2004. The "Numa Numa Dance", which first appeared on the flash site Newgrounds.com, has become so notable that it has sparked numerous parodies of the video itself in the United States over the years since 2004.[4]
English-language version
The American release of DiscO-Zone features an English version of the song performed by Dan Bălan and Lucas Prata. This version focuses on the "It's me, Picasso" lyric from the original to provide a theme of an artist who has lost his muse. Bălan and Prata performed the English recording of "Dragostea din tei" entitled Ma Ya Hi on The Today Show on February 22, 2005. Unlike the original recording, however, this version was not as successful, charting at 72 on the Billboard Charts.
Track listings
- CD single
- "Dragostea din tei" (original Romanian version) — 3:33
- "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross radio RMX) — 4:15
- CD maxi
- "Dragostea din tei" (original Romanian version) — 3:33
- "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross radio RMX) — 4:15
- "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross extended RMX) — 6:22
- "Dragostea din tei" (original Italian version) — 3:35
- "Dragostea din tei" (Unu' in the dub mix) — 3:39
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
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Year-end chart
Decade-end charts
Certifications
|
Chart successions
Order of precedence | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by "Rise & Fall" by Craig David featuring Sting |
Romanian Singles Chart number-one single September 1, 2003 - September 22, 2003 (4 weeks) |
Succeeded by "I Know What You Want" by Busta Rhymes featuring Mariah Carey |
Preceded by "Yeah!" by Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris |
French SNEP number-one single April 18, 2004 – July 27, 2004 (15 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Femme Like U" by K-Maro |
Belgian (Wallonia) number-one single May 15, 2004 – July 24, 2004 (11 weeks) | ||
Preceded by "Fuck It (I Don't Want You Back)" by Eamon |
German number-one single June 4, 2004 – September 3, 2004 (14 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Obsesión" by Aventura |
Swiss number-one single June 20, 2004 – September 19, 2004 (14 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Femme Like U" by K-Maro | |
Austrian number-one single June 20, 2004 – September 12, 2004 (13 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Obsesión" by Aventura | |
Eurochart Hot 100 number-one single June 26, 2004 – September 11, 2004 (12 weeks) | ||
Preceded by "Standing Tall" by Kjartan Salvesen |
Norwegian VG-Lista number-one single 27/2004 - 35/2004 (9 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Despre Tine" by O-Zone |
Preceded by "Holiday in Spain" by Counting Crows and Bløf |
Dutch Top 40 number-one single July 10, 2004 - September 18, 2004 (11 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Wat Zou je Doen" by Marco Borsato and Ali B |
Preceded by "Dry Your Eyes" by The Streets |
Irish IRMA number-one single August 12, 2004 (1 week) |
Succeeded by "These Words" by Natasha Bedingfield |
Preceded by "Team Easy on" by Drengene Fra Angora |
Danish number-one single August 27, 2004 (1 week) |
Succeeded by "City of Dreams" by The Loft |
Haiducii version
"Dragostea din tei" | |
---|---|
Single by Haiducii | |
B-side | Remixes + "Spring" |
Released | 9 February 2004 |
Format | CD single, CD maxi |
Genre | Electronic |
Length | 3:33 |
Label | Digidance, Muve |
Writer(s) | Dan Bălan |
A cover version by Haiducii, with a strong dance impact, was charted at the same time as the original version by O-Zone. Although it had a great success in many countries, including Sweden, Austria and Italy, where it topped the chart, it was less successful than O-Zone's version. Haiducii was later sued by O-Zone for copyright infringement, since she had neither obtained permission from O-Zone to record the single nor given due credit to Dan Bălan for being the original writer of the song.[citation needed]
Track listings
- CD single
- "Dragostea din tei" (original mix) — 3:35
- "Dragostea din tei" (Haiducii vs. Gabry Ponte radio version) — 3:42
- "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross 4 the radio RMX) — 4:15
- "Dragostea din tei" (Haiducii vs. Gabry Ponte extended version) — 6:30
- "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross 4 The Club RMX) — 6:22
- CD maxi
- "Dragostea din tei" (original mix) — 3:33
- "Dragostea din tei" (Haiducii vs Gabry Ponte radio version) — 3:43
- "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross 4 Radio Mix) — 4:16
- "Dragostea din tei" (Haiducii vs Gabry Ponte extended version) — 6:32
- "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross 4 club mix) — 6:20
- "Dragostea din tei" (Potatoheadz club mix) — 6:58
- "Spring" — 7:16
Charts and sales
Peak positions
|
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
CertificationsCertifications
|
Chart successions
Order of precedence | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by "Shut Up" by The Black Eyed Peas "Amazing" by George Michael |
Italian FIMI number-one single January 29, 2004 - February 26, 2004 (5 weeks) March 11, 2004 (1 week) |
Succeeded by "Amazing" by George Michael "Left Outside Alone" by Anastacia |
Preceded by "Yeah!" by Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris |
Austrian number-one single May 9, 2004 (1 week) |
Succeeded by "Vorbei" by Christina Stürmer |
Preceded by "Ingen vill veta var du köpt din tröja" by Raymond & Maria |
Swedish number-one single August 20, 2004 - September 17, 2004 (5 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Elegi" by Lars Winnerbäck |
Charts by other versions and derivative works
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|
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- Europe
- A spoof of the song was released by the Romanian metal band Trooper under the name of "Zorzon", as a bonus track on one of their albums.
- An Austrian version with German lyrics was released in 2004 by the artist Antonia aus Tirol. The music was mixed with tuba and accordion sounds, and the lyrics were changed to a story about flirting in the office. The Austrian version is called "Wenn der Hafer sticht."
- In Spain, the comedy duo "Los Morancos" made a spoof version called Marica tú (queer you), also sometimes referred to as "pluma pluma gay" (literally "feather feather gay"), which contained several references to homosexuality. It became popular in many clubs across South America.[42]
- A popular video named Numa Numa posted on Newgrounds features a man named Gary Brolsma singing the song while dancing.[43]
- Hungarian Minisztár released a Dragostea Din Tei music video in 2005.
- Portuguese "Onda Choc" released "Sem Drama Aguardarei" in 2006.
- Asia
- In Israel, the song was translated and used as a theme song for the children's show Festigal.
- There are also there versions sung in Mandarin: Singapore's Jocie Kok (郭美美) wrote "Bu Pa Bu Pa" (不怕不怕, "Not Afraid, Not Afraid").,[44] Taiwan's 2moro wrote "Shabu Shabu", and Elva Hsiao(蕭亞軒) wrote "Lian Ai Feng" (戀愛瘋, "Crazy Love").
- In South Korea, Hyun Young, a Korean model/actress/singer, released a Korean version of the song, titled "누나의 꿈" (Nuna-ui Kkum; eng. Sister's Dream) which ranked among the top on various Korean charts in March 2006, within weeks from release.[45] The song preserves the “ma-ia-hii” and “nu mă, nu mă iei” choruses from the original; however, while the “ma-ia-hii” does not carry any meaning, but is merely used as a rhythmic interjection, the "nu mă iei" is approximated as "누나의" (nuna-ui, often pronounced nuna-e), which means "elder sister's".[46] "Nuna" is also an affectionate title a Korean man calls a woman who is older than he is. The lyrics of Sister's Dream are about a romance between a younger man and an older woman.
- In Japan, Gille sampled the "ma-ia-hii" chorus for her debut single "Girls".[47]
- Vietnam's Vu Ha, Vietnamese "Người Tình Mai Ya Hee" (Mai Ya Hee, The Lover).[48]
- A Japanese version of the song was released by comedian Maeda Ken on August 24, 2005 under the artist name Maeken Trance Project (his drag alter-ego), titled "Koi no Buchiage Tengoku: Koi no Maiahi~Chihuahua~Banzai "(恋のブチアゲ 天国:恋のマイアヒ~チワワ~バンザイ, "Love's High Tension Paradise: Love's Maiahi~Chihuahua~Hurrah"), fusing the original song with popular Japanese Eurobeat song Banzai and part of the 2002 ad Coca-Cola commercial-related hit by DJ Bobo titled "Chihuahua". It should be noted that although this is a Japanese release, the "Dragostea din tei" section of the medley is sung in Romanian.
- On November 11, 2005 another Japanese version under the same title "Koi no Maiahi" was released on the compilation album of Avex record label artists "Girl's Box ~Best Hits Compilation Winter~" (AVCD-17769) by the singers Hasebe Yu (長谷部優) from girlgroup "dream", Iwasaki Mai (岩崎舞), and Takimoto Miori (瀧本美織) both from girlgroup "SweetS". The group also did a nectar and crystal remix of this song.
- In Thailand, "Oh! Chao Nee" in Thai "โอ้เจ้าหนี้" which means "Oh, my creditor" by Prasong "Yai" Tungtua is a very famous song in the country.
Americas and Africa
- In Brazil, the singer Latino created his own version of "Dragostea din tei". Called "Festa no Apê" (Party at the Apartment), talking about a party (held by the singer himself) that became wild. The song resembles "Dragostea din tei" only in rhythm and melody.[49]
- The song's opening lyrics are sampled in the 2008 song "Live Your Life" performed by T.I. and Rihanna.[50]
- In 2011, Hank Azaria covered the song as the character "The Mighty Sven" for the animated film Happy Feet Two.
- A South African version, "Net Die Een Vir My", was sung in Afrikaans by Nicholis Louw and Shine 4.[51]
- A remix/cover with the words Rabbi Nachman, Nachman Me'uman is popular among many Jewish youth.
References
- ↑ Alan Feuer; Jason George (February 26, 2005). "Internet Fame Is Cruel Mistress for a Dancer of the Numa Numa". New York Times. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
- ↑ Blunt Maintains Pole-Position On Euro Chart | Mediterranean > France from AllBusiness.com
- ↑ "The Miya Hee Song! The Numa Numa Song!". Archived from the original on 2011-07-11.
- ↑ "Newgrounds search for 'numa numa'". Newgrounds.com. Retrieved 2012-11-11.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 5.9 "Dragostea din tei" by O-Zone, in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved April 10, 2008)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "Dragostea din tei" by O-Zone, in various singles charts Acharts.us (Retrieved August 1, 2008)
- ↑ Top Music Charts - Hot Dance Airplay (Retrieved March 30, 2009)
- ↑ Top Music Charts - Pop 100 (Retrieved 30 March 2009)
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 2004 Austrian Singles Chart Austriancharts.at (Retrieved April 19, 2008)
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 2004 Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart Ultratop.be (Retrieved April 19, 2008)
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 2004 Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart Ultratop.be (Retrieved April 19, 2008)
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Single top 100 over 2004" (PDF) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
- ↑ 2004 French Airplay, Club and TV Charts Yacast.fr (Retrieved May 14, 2008)
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 2004 French Singles Chart Disqueenfrance.com (Retrieved April 19, 2008)
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Single Jahrescharts 2004" (in German). MTV. Retrieved 16 January 2010.
- ↑ 2004 Irish Singles Chart Irma.ie (Retrieved December 11, 2008)
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 2004 Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch (Retrieved April 19, 2008)
- ↑ 2004 UK Singles Chart ChartsPlus (Retrieved April 19, 2008)
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Die ultimative Chart Show | Hits des neuen Jahrtausends | Download". RTL.de. Retrieved 2012-11-11.
- ↑ "Austrian single certifications – O-Zone – Dragostea Din Tei" (in German). IFPI Austria. Enter O-Zone in the field Interpret. Enter Dragostea Din Tei in the field Titel. Select single in the field Format. Click Suchen
- ↑ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – 2004" (in Dutch). Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch.
- ↑ "Gold og platin i september". IFPI Denmark. 2004-10-14. Retrieved 2013-04-27.
- ↑ "French single certifications – O-Zone – Dragostea Din Tei" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
- ↑ "Les Singles Diamant :" (in French). Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
- ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (O-Zone; 'Dragostea Din Tei')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
- ↑ "Japanese single certifications – オゾン – 恋のマイアヒ" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
- ↑ "Dutch single certifications – O-Zone – Dragostea Din Tei" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers.
- ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2004" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
- ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (O-Zone; 'Dragostea Din Tei')". Hung Medien.
- ↑ "American single certifications – O-Zone – Mai Ai Hee". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
- ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 31.3 31.4 31.5 31.6 31.7 31.8 31.9 "Dragostea din tei" by Haiducii, in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved April 10, 2008)
- ↑ "Dragostea din tei" by Haiducii, in various singles charts Acharts.us (Retrieved August 1, 2008)
- ↑ "Austrian single certifications – Haiducii – Dragostea Din Tei" (in German). IFPI Austria. Enter Haiducii in the field Interpret. Enter Dragostea Din Tei in the field Titel. Select single in the field Format. Click Suchen
- ↑ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – 2004" (in Dutch). Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch.
- ↑ "French single certifications – Haiducii – Dragostea Din Tei" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
- ↑ "Les Singles Argent :" (in French). Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
- ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2004" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
- ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Haiducii; 'Dragostea Din Tei')". Hung Medien.
- ↑ "Ma cé ki? Massimo", in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved April 18, 2008)
- ↑ "Le Pouilailler", in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved April 18, 2008)
- ↑ "Argent Argent", in French Singles Chart Lescharts.com (Retrieved April 18, 2008)
- ↑
- ↑ "Numa Numa Dance". Newgrounds.com. Retrieved 2012-11-11.
- ↑ Warner Music Singapore - Warner Music Official Web Site
- ↑ "Daum 미디어다음 - 뉴스" (in (Korean)). News.media.daum.net. Retrieved 2012-11-11.
- ↑ http://www.iol.ie/~fuzzy/download/Noona's_Dream.mpg
- ↑ http://natalie.mu/music/news/76443
- ↑
- ↑ "Latino's Festa No Apê cover of O-Zone's Dragostea Din Tei". WhoSampled. Retrieved 2012-11-11.
- ↑ "T.I. feat. Rihanna's Live Your Life sample of O-Zone's Dragostea Din Tei". WhoSampled. Retrieved 2010-06-03.
- ↑ "Nicholis Louw's Net Die Een Vir My cover of O-Zone's Dragostea Din Tei". WhoSampled. Retrieved 2012-11-11.
External links
- (Japanese) O-Zone Official Japanese Website
- (German) O-Zone Official German Website