Borrowed Nostalgia - Dragostea Din Tei

Okay, now I have to include this one.  I wondered what to put up for my own nostalgia about  JA and Chris, who came to America in 2001, when they were 16 and 14. The original of this song didn't come out until 2003, but we had connections with it because three sons worked in Beius, Romania in the summer of 2005, and one developed a minor obsession with the song. In the US we knew it as "The Numa-Numa Song" and it tended to get sung at sporting events, but it was a big deal worldwide, not just Romania.  From the Wikipedia page. "Overall, the single reached number one in over 27 countries and went on to sell upwards of 12 million copies worldwide." Not bad for a country no one cares about and is the size of Oregon.

Looking for a nostalgia song for the two Romanians I thought of this immediately (there were other possibilities, such as Mos Craciun, "Father Christmas") and was planning to use the original Moldovan boy-band version by O-Zone. Which looks pretty much like you would expect a Romanian boy-band in 2004 to look like.  But it was great fun, which is why it caught on absolutely everywhere.

This version seems to come from something like Ukraine's Got Talent, but they are speaking some Romanian here, so frankly, I don't know what is up. It fits that voice-competition genre, somewhat overdone, but for me it was charming that the song has gone on to be recognised by the next generation as some sort of traditional oldie. I am picking it up at about the 2.30 mark.  I didn't realise until later that one of the judges, Dan Balan, was part of the band that did the original years ago. He is the one who joins her for the second time singing it. Great to watch.

My translation of the original; she does a little different version of it here (because female), and starts with the second verse.

 

Hello? Greetings.  It's me, an outlaw.

And I ask you my love to receive happiness.

Hello, Hello, it is me, Picasso!

I sent you a beep (message) and I am masculine,

But you know I do not ask anything of you.

 

You are going away, but

You won't take, won't take me. (Nu ma, nu ma iei= not me, not me, take)

Won't take, won't take me,

Won't take, won't take, won't take me.

Your face and the love under the lindens

Remind me of your eyes.

 

I call you to tell you now

Hello, my love, it's me, your happiness.

Hello, hello, It is me again, Picasso.

I sent you a message and I am masculine,

But you know I don't ask anything of you.