Dragostea Din Tei


"Dragostea Din Tei", also informally known as "Maya Hi" and "Numa Numa ", is the most successful single by the Moldovan pop group O-Zone. It received positive reviews from critics and shot to the number one spot on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it remained for 12 weeks between June and early September 2004. It topped the single charts in France, Germany and Austria for over three months, reached three in the United Kingdom and 72 on the US Pop 100. The song became the fourth-best-selling single of the 21st century in France, with 1,170,000 units sold.
The original song was made notable in the United States via the viral video "Numa Numa" in which vlogger Gary Brolsma dances to the song. A remix entitled "Numa Numa 2" by Dan Balan featuring Marley Waters was posted on YouTube on September 12, 2018.

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 iei" is typically translated as "you just won't take me". The full chorus, which also includes the title of the song, runs:
which translates as:

Background and writing

The song was written and composed by Dan Bălan, and the original version was sung by Bălan, Arsenie Todiraș, 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.
"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, so named because of the line "nu mă nu mă iei". 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.
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.
Part of the chorus is inspired from Mozart Piano Sonata No. 17 Allegro.

English-language version

The American/British/Australian 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 22 February 2005. Unlike the original recording, however, this version was not as successful, charting at 72 on the Billboard Pop 100.

Track listings

CD single
  1. "Dragostea Din Tei" – 3:33
  2. "Dragostea Din Tei" – 4:15
CD maxi
  1. "Dragostea Din Tei" – 3:33
  2. "Dragostea Din Tei" – 4:15
  3. "Dragostea Din Tei" – 6:22
  4. "Dragostea Din Tei" – 3:35
  5. "Dragostea Din Tei" – 3:39

    Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Haiducii version

A cover version by Italian-Romanian singer 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.

Track listings

CD single
  1. "Dragostea din tei" – 3:35
  2. "Dragostea din tei" – 3:42
  3. "Dragostea din tei" – 4:15
  4. "Dragostea din tei" – 6:30
  5. "Dragostea din tei" – 6:22
CD maxi
  1. "Dragostea din tei" – 3:33
  2. "Dragostea din tei" – 3:43
  3. "Dragostea din tei" – 4:16
  4. "Dragostea din tei" – 6:32
  5. "Dragostea din tei" – 6:20
  6. "Dragostea din tei" – 6:58
  7. "Spring" – 7:16

    Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Charting in other versions

"Ma cé ki? Massimo" by Massimo Gargia
Chart Peak
position
Belgian Singles Chart13
French SNEP Singles Chart9
Swiss Singles Chart38

"Le Poulailler" by Le 6/9
Chart Peak
position
Belgian Singles Chart8
French SNEP Singles Chart2
Swiss Singles Chart30

"Wenn der Hafer sticht" by :de:Antonia aus Tirol|Antonia aus Tirol
Chart Peak
position
Austria 7
-

"Argent Argent" by Cauet featuring Mopral
Chart Peak
position
French SNEP Singles Chart14

Cover versions and derivative productions

Americas