Dragostea din tei

"Dragostea din tei"
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,[1] pop[1]
Length	3:34
Label	Ultra Polydor
Writer(s)	Dan Bălan
Producer(s)	Dan Bălan
O-Zone singles chronology
"Numai tu" (2003) "Dragostea din tei" (2004) "Despre tine" (2004)
Music sample "Dragostea din tei"

"Dragostea din tei" (pronounced [ˈdraɡoste̯a din tej], "Love from the lindens"),^[2] 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.^[3] 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. The song became the fourth best-selling single of the 21st century in France, with 1,170,000 units sold.^[4] 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 won't 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:^[5]

(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.

The music video features on-screen translated lyrics.

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. 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.^[6]

Overall, the single reached number one in over 27 countries and went on to sell upwards of 8 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time.^[7]

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

1. "Dragostea din tei" (original Romanian version) — 3:33
2. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross radio RMX) — 4:15

CD maxi

1. "Dragostea din tei" (original Romanian version) — 3:33
2. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross radio RMX) — 4:15
3. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross extended RMX) — 6:22
4. "Dragostea din tei" (original Italian version) — 3:35
5. "Dragostea din tei" (Unu' in the dub mix) — 3:39

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (2003–04) Peak position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[8] 1 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[8] 2 Belgium (Ultratop 40 Wallonia)[8] 1 Denmark (Tracklisten)[8] 1 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100 Singles) 1 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[8] 2 France (SNEP)[8] 1 Germany (Media Control Charts)[9] 1 Ireland (IRMA)[9] 1 Italy (FIMI)[8] 17 Netherlands (Mega Single Top 100)[9] 1 Norway (VG-lista)[8] 1 Spain (PROMUSICAE)[8] 1 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[8] 3 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[8] 1 United Kingdom (The Official Charts Company)[9] 3 U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Airplay[10] 14 U.S. Billboard Pop 100[11] 72

Year-end chart Chart (2004) Position Austrian Singles Chart[12] 1 Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart[13] 7 Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart[14] 1 Dutch Top 40[15] 1 French Club Chart[16] 17 French Singles Chart[17] 1 German Singles Chart [18] 1 Irish Singles Chart[19] 9 Swiss Singles Chart[20] 1 UK Singles Chart[21] 28 Decade-end charts Chart (2000–2009) Position German Singles Chart[22] 3 Certifications Region Certification Sales/shipments Austria (IFPI Austria)[23] Platinum 0x Belgium (BEA)[24] Gold 25,000* Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[25] Gold 4,000^ France (SNEP)[26] Diamond 1,101,000[27] Germany (BVMI)[28] 2× Platinum 600,000^ Japan (RIAJ)[29] 4× Million+Platinum+Gold 4,350,000*^ Netherlands (NVPI)[30] Platinum 60,000^ Sweden (GLF)[31] Gold 10,000x Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[32] Platinum 40,000x United States (RIAA)[33] Gold 100,000^ *sales figures based on certification alone ^shipments figures based on certification alone xunspecified figures based on certification alone

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.

Track listings

CD single

1. "Dragostea din tei" (original mix) — 3:35
2. "Dragostea din tei" (Haiducii vs. Gabry Ponte radio version) — 3:42
3. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross 4 the radio RMX) — 4:15
4. "Dragostea din tei" (Haiducii vs. Gabry Ponte extended version) — 6:30
5. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross 4 The Club RMX) — 6:22

CD maxi

1. "Dragostea din tei" (original mix) — 3:33
2. "Dragostea din tei" (Haiducii vs Gabry Ponte radio version) — 3:43
3. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross 4 Radio Mix) — 4:16
4. "Dragostea din tei" (Haiducii vs Gabry Ponte extended version) — 6:32
5. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross 4 club mix) — 6:20
6. "Dragostea din tei" (Potatoheadz club mix) — 6:58
7. "Spring" — 7:16

Charts and sales

Peak positions Chart (2004) Peak position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[34] 1 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[35] 5 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[36] 2 Denmark (Tracklisten)[37] 7 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[38] 4 France (SNEP)[39] 2 Germany (Media Control Charts)[40] 2 Italy (FIMI)[41] 1 Norway (VG-lista)[42] 4 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[43] 1 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[44] 2 US Billboard Hot Singles Sales 60

Year-end charts Chart (2004) Position Austrian Singles Chart[12] 3 Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart[13] 14 Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart[14] 22 Dutch Top 40[15] 82 French Singles Chart[17] 39 German Singles Chart[18] 9 Swiss Singles Chart[20] 9 Decade-end charts (2000–2009) Position German Singles Chart[22] 95 Certifications Region Certification Sales/shipments Austria (IFPI Austria)[45] Platinum 0x Belgium (BEA)[46] Gold 25,000* France (SNEP)[47] Silver 169,000[48] Sweden (GLF)[49] Gold 10,000x Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[50] Gold 20,000x *sales figures based on certification alone xunspecified figures based on certification alone

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

"Ma cé ki? Massimo" by Massimo Gargia Chart (2004)[51] Peak position Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart 13 French SNEP Singles Chart 9 Swiss Singles Chart 38

"Le Poulailler" by Le 6/9 Chart (2004)[52] Peak position Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart 8 French SNEP Singles Chart 2 Swiss Singles Chart 30

"Wenn der Hafer sticht" by Antonia aus Tirol Chart (2004)[53] Peak position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) 7 Germany (Media Control Charts) 90

"Argent Argent" by Cauet featuring Mopral Chart (2004)[54] Peak position French SNEP Singles Chart 14

Europe

• Russian songs "Я её хой" by Professor Lebedinsky with Russkiy Razmer and "Эй, ди-джей, водочки налей" by DJ Slon.
• 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.
• 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", meaning "sissy sissy gay"), which contained several references to homosexuality. It became popular in many clubs across Hispanic America.^[55]
• 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.
• A Indonesian version of this song was released by Indonesian group "Barakatak" with title "Buka-Bukaan" (Open and Open) on 2008.
• 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").,^[56] 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.^[57]  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".^[58] "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".^[59]
• Vietnam's Vu Ha, Vietnamese "Người Tình Mai Ya Hee" (Mai Ya Hee, The Lover).^[60]
• 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, kamehama-honey and crystal remix of this song.

Americas and Africa

• A popular video named Numa Numa posted on Newgrounds features a man named Gary Brolsma singing the song while dancing.^[61]
• 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.^[62]
• The song's opening lyrics are sampled in the 2008 song "Live Your Life" performed by T.I. featuring Rihanna.^[63]
• 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.^[64]

References

External links

• (Japanese) O-Zone Official Japanese Website
• (German) O-Zone Official German Website