Dragostea din tei

Template:Short description Template:Good article Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Template otherTemplate:Main other "Dragostea din tei"Template:Efn (; Romanian: "Love From the Linden Tree") is a song recorded by Moldovan group O-Zone, released around June 2003Template:Efn in Romania by Media Services as the lead single from their third studio album DiscO-Zone (2003). It was written by band founder Dan Balan and produced by Template:Ill, with the latter eventually initiating an unsuccessful lawsuit where he claimed that his alleged contribution as a songwriter had remained uncredited. "Dragostea din tei", a 1980s-inspired dance-pop, Eurodance, Eurodisco, Europop and synth-pop song, is performed in Romanian, with its lyrics about having sexual intercourse under trees according to Balan. Music critics have described the lyrics as nonsensical or as being about a phone conversation with a love interest. Alongside elements of camp, the track also prominently features a yodelling sequence.

Reviewers have praised the catchy nature of "Dragostea din tei", while also noting that the song's melody and rhythm had a universal appeal in spite of the language barrier imposed on international audiences by the use of the Romanian language. At the 2005 Echo Music Prize in Germany, "Dragostea din tei" won in the Single of the Year category. Commercially, it first topped the Romanian Top 100 in late 2003 before attaining worldwide success throughout 2004 and into 2005, reaching number one in Austria, Wallonia, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Switzerland, which was something unprecedented for a song in Romanian. Among others, it was certified diamond by the French Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique (SNEP) and quadruple million by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ). It stands as one of the best-selling singles of all time with sales of over 12 million copies as of October 2007.

Multiple observers have opined that the song's international success was fueled by a dance cover released by Italy-based Romanian singer Haiducii in December 2003 by Universo. It first topped the Italian singles chart in early 2004 and eventually also reached number one in Austria and Sweden. Haiducii competed with O-Zone's original version in several territories, while also either impacting the charts before the original or outpeaking it in some regions. Haiducii's cover was involved in a controversy in which Balan claimed that it was released without his permission. The original "Dragostea din tei" was further popularized by a Japanese animated video circulating on the Internet, which in turn inspired American vlogger Gary Brolsma to use the song in his video "Numa Numa Dance" in December 2004. Featuring him sitting in a chair in front of his computer and dancing to "Dragostea din tei" in a cheerful manner, the clip went viral, with it standing as one of the most-viewed Internet videos of all time and consolidating the song's status as a meme.

The original "Dragostea din tei" was accompanied by a music video directed by Dmitri Voloshin, which mainly sees the members of O-Zone in the cockpit of a plane, as well as dancing to the song inside it and on one of its wings. For further promotion the group also gave several live performances of the song in Europe, Russia and Japan. In the United States, Balan appeared on Today to sing "Ma Ya Hi",Template:Efn an English language-version of "Dragostea din tei" released exclusively to that region as a collaboration between him and American musician Lucas Prata. Over the years "Dragostea din tei" has been used in several other works, which have experienced varying levels of commercial success. In 2008 American rapper T.I. and Barbadian singer Rihanna sampled and interpolated it in "Live Your Life", which topped the North American and British charts. It was also interpolated in French DJ David Guetta and American band OneRepublic's successful 2024 single "I Don't Wanna Wait", among others. Furthermore, "Dragostea din tei" was featured in several films, including Chicken Little (2005) and Happy Feet Two (2011).

Background and writing

Portrait of Dan Balan gazing directly at the camera, standing against a light background and wearing a grey sweater.

Dan Balan (pictured), O-Zone's founder, was involved in a lawsuit with Template:Ill over the song's songwriting credits in 2004.

O-Zone is a Moldovan Eurodance group founded in 1999 by Dan Balan. It initially consisted of the latter and Petru Jelihovschi, with them previously having been part of the gothic and doom metal band Inferialis in the 1990s. Their aim for a more commercial sound resulted in O-Zone's debut studio album Dar, unde ești… in 1999, which was successful in Moldova, but was followed by Jelihovschi leaving the project to pursue a career in television.

In 2001, Balan casted two new band members, Radu Sîrbu and Arsenie Todiraș, and moved to neighboring Romania one year later in search of a bigger music market. The move was facilitated by the lack of a language barrier between Romania and Moldova, since Romanian is spoken in both countries. That same year, the band found success in Romania with their singles "Numai tu" and "Despre tine", with the latter reaching number one on the Romanian Top 100 in February 2003. In April 2003, the group recorded the follow-up "Dragostea din tei" at the MOF Records studio with the assistance of Template:Ill. It was written and composed by Balan, while the production was handled by Popoiag; the latter also mastered the track.

Authorship dispute

Around September 2004, Popoiag filed a lawsuit against Balan and Media Services, the label that signed O-Zone, at the Template:Interlanguage link, claiming that he had not received credit for his alleged contribution as a composer of the song. Balan countersued for defamation, and won the case, with Popoiag ordered to award him 60 million ROL after failing to present evidence for his claims. Balan announced that he would donate the money to the winner of a songwriting competititon.

Release and marketing

Portrait of Lucas Prata smiling at the camera while wearing a blue shirt.

An English language-version of the song, titled "Ma Ya Hi", was released in the United States in 2004 and features American musician Lucas Prata.

"Dragostea din tei" was first released as the lead single from O-Zone's third studio album DiscO-Zone (2003) in Romania by local label Media Services. Although the exact release date is unclear, the song opened on the Romanian Top 100 chart in June 2003, indicating that it had received radio airplay by that time. Furthermore, mentions of "Dragostea din tei" in Romanian media date back to at least July 2003, and its copyright was Template:Interlanguage link in August 2003. A CD of the song was released in Romania in 2003 by Cat Music, also containing the music videos of previous singles "Numai tu" and "Despre tine".

Upon its Romanian release, "Dragostea din tei" was eventually licensed to Italian label Time Records, who in turn authorized various labels in Europe to issue the song as part of an almost 100,000 euro-deal. Throughout 2004, "Dragostea din tei" was physically released in several other countries, including France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom. In France, the track was first released on 14 April 2004 and was aided by an advertising campaign on local television channels and radio stations. The song received a similar treatment in Germany, with it additionally being advertised at half-time during soccer matches and O-Zone partnering with travel agencies. As part of the 2004 international reissue of "Despre tine", "Dragostea din tei" was featured as the B-side on CDs released in selected regions.

On 22 June 2004, the original Romanian version of the song was digitally released in the United States by Media Services, under the name of "Mai Ai Hee (Dragostea din tei)". Also in 2004, Ultra Records issued two 12-inch vinyls there that included "Ma Ya Hi",Template:Efn an English language-version of "Dragostea din tei" featuring American musician Lucas Prata; one of the vinyls additionally featured the Valentin RemixTemplate:Efn of "Ma Ya Hi". "Ma Ya Hi" was recorded in Milan, Italy, and was written by both Balan and Prata. It included only Balan out of the other band members, and media reports speculated that this caused internal tensions within O-Zone. The Valentin Remix of "Ma Ya Hi" was featured on the North American version of DiscO-Zone and released to radio there in early 2005. It was eventually also included on Prata's studio album Let's Get It On (2006). In 2005, a CD of "Dragostea din tei" was issued in Japan by Avex Trax, titled .

Composition and lyrics

"Dragostea din tei" is a 1980s-inspired dance-pop, Eurodance, Eurodisco, Europop, and synth-pop song, whose instrumentation features synthesized bass and what Rolling Stone Australia described as "robotic stop-start rhythms". BillboardTemplate:'s staff has described "Dragostea din tei" as a novelty song, while several other publications have pointed out elements of camp. The song is set in the key of A minor and has a tempo of 130 beats per minute (BPM). It follows a F-C-G-Am chord progression. "Dragostea din tei" is performed in Romanian and mentions the linden tree (Romanian: "tei"), which is commonly used in Romanian literature. Throughout the song, its title is pronounced in an ambiguous way that could lead the listener to hear the phrase "Dragostea dintâi" (Romanian: "The first love").

While Balan has stated that the lyrics describe having sexual intercourse under trees, other publications have argued that they were nonsensical. The BelieverTemplate:'s Douglas Wolk called them "nonspecific", but elaborated that they were the lyrical subject's side of a phone conversation with their love interest. A Radio Eska editor added that the former appears to vie for the latter's favor, though the one-sided nature of the lyrics leave it ambiguous whether those efforts succeed. The act of beeping is also mentioned throughout the lyrics, which Template:IllTemplate:'s Pietro Minto pointed out as something emblematic of the "adolescent life in the early 2000s". During the song, O-Zone refer to themselves as hajduks and Pablo Picasso. In the English version, "hajduk" is replaced with duke, and Picasso is further referenced through the addition of lines such as "I will paint my words of love / With your name of every wall".

The sequence "Ma-ia-hii, Ma-ia-huu, Ma-ia-hoo, Ma-ia-haha" is prominently yodeled at the beginning and during the track. Analyzing the delivery, Ulf Lippitz of Der Spiegel thought that Balan provided vocals similar to those found in old Romanian folk songs. In the refrain, the words "nu mă, nu mă iei" (Romanian: "won't, won't take me") are repeated as the lyrical subject details their love interest wanting to leave them; this has been perceived as "numa numa yay" by foreign listeners, prompting "Dragostea din tei" to also be referred to as the "Numa Numa Song". In the English version of the track, this sequence is changed to "Oo-aa-oo-aa-ay", which Wolk criticized for not having the "baby-talk singability" of the original.

Critical reception

Music critics have praised the catchy nature of "Dragostea din tei", with The BelieverTemplate:'s Wolk writing that "[t]here's scarcely a second without some extraordinary hook, starting with the wordless keening at the beginning". Alexis Petridis of The Guardian opined that the song "wobbles unsteadily along the line that separates catchy from infuriating". laut.de's Alexander Cordas categorized "Dragostea din tei" as "unpretentious" and "simple light music". Dana Dorian of Jurnalul echoed this thought, writing that the composition was "puerile and very predictable", meant for "the masses, [...] regardless of the language they speak". She further called the voices "thin, not at all technical and studied", but concluded that "neither do they need more".

Another topic of discussion among music critics was the nonsensical nature of the song's lyrics. While this was criticized by LibertateaTemplate:'s Petre Dobrescu, who likened this aspect to the band's other work, Harald Peters of Die Tageszeitung regarded it as something that "Dragostea din tei" had in common with other worldwide hits such as "The Ketchup Song (Aserejé)" (2002) by the Spanish group Las Ketchup. Other reviewers opined that it did not matter for the success of "Dragostea din tei" that the lyrics were written in a foreign language because the song's melody and rhythm had a universal appeal that transcended language barriers. The BelieverTemplate:'s Wolk concluded that the song had a refrain "as big as an abandoned government building" which allowed "huge legions of drunk people [to] sing easily [to]".

Some critics saw "Dragostea din tei" as part of a trend where music by artists originating from the Eastern European countries in the Eastern Bloc, including Russian duo t.A.T.u. and Ukrainian singer Ruslana, would become popular across Europe. Lippitz of Der Spiegel opined that this was facilitated by the 2004 enlargement of the European Union, which allowed said territories to be exposed to Western media and trends. Other reviewers have likened "Dragostea din tei" to works by Austrian singer DJ Ötzi, as well as to the songs "Chihuahua" (2003) by Swiss musician DJ BoBo, and "Sinä lähdit pois" (1997) by Finnish band Ultra Bra.

Accolades

Awards and nominations received by "Dragostea din tei"

Ceremony	Year	Award	Result	Ref.
MTV Romania Music Awards	2004	Best Single	Template:Nom
Echo Music Prize	2005	Single of the Year	Template:Won
Template:Interlanguage link		Foreign Radio Hit	rowspan="2" Template:Nom
		Ringtone of the Year

Commercial performance

"Dragostea din tei" was a commercial success. As of October 2007, it has sold in excess of 12 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time. Among several achievements, it stands as the third-most successful song of the 2000s in Germany, and as the fourth best-selling track of the 21st century in France with 1,170,000 copies moved as of September 2014. At one point, it was Japan's best-selling digital single with four million units sold until surpassed by "Flavor of Life" by Japanese-American singer Hikaru Utada in 2007.

Initial 2003 success in Romania and international recognition in 2004

"Dragostea din tei" first attained commercial success in Romania. It first debuted at number 87 on the Romanian Top 100 in June 2003, and eventually held its number-one position for three consecutive weeks in September 2003, making the song the band's second number-one after "Despre tine" earlier that year. By April 2004, "Dragostea din tei" had sold over 250,000 copies in Romania. In March 2004, the song reached number 17 on the Italian singles chart. One month later, it debuted at number one in Spain―the first country outside of Romania where the song received radio support―reclimbing to the chart's top position on two more occasions in May and June 2004. In April 2004, "Dragostea din tei" further topped the French chart, holding that spot for 15 consecutive weeks. At one point, five versions of the song were present in the top 20 in France—the original, a cover recorded by Romanian singer Haiducii, as well as the parodies "Ma cé ki? Massimo" by Italian media personality Template:Ill, "Le poulailler" by French radio show Template:Interlanguage link and "Argent-Argent" by French host Cauet and Mopral. "Dragostea din tei" was eventually certified diamond in the region by Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique (SNEP).

By June 2004, the song had shipped around 500,000 copies in Europe. From June to August 2004, it impacted several other territories. It reached number one in all DACH countries, holding that position for 14 weeks in Germany and Switzerland, and for 13 weeks in Austria. In Germany, it was certified double platinum by Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI). In the Netherlands, the song topped the Dutch Single Top 100. "Dragostea din tei" was also successful in Nordic countries, becoming a number-one hit in Norway and Denmark, as well as peaking at numbers two and three in Finland and Sweden, respectively. The song further topped BillboardTemplate:'s European Hot 100 Singles chart for 12 weeks, at one point being followed by Haiducii's version at number two and "Le poulailler" at number 18. "Dragostea din tei" peaked at numbers one, two and three in Ireland, Scotland and the United Kingdom, respectively, while a remixed version, the "Unu' in the Dub Mix", peaked at number nine on the radio airplay chart in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The song topped the 2004 year-end charts in Austria, France, Germany, Netherlands and Switzerland, as well as the year-end list of the European Hot 100 Singles chart, among others.

Continued success in the United States and Japan in 2005

In the United States, the Lucas Prata version reached number 14 on BillboardTemplate:'s Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart at the end of August 2004, however it was not until March 2005 that the song peaked at number 16 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100, as well as at positions 69 and 72 on the Digital Song Sales and Pop 100 rankings, respectively. As of that month, it had sold over 32,000 digital downloads in the region according to Nielsen SoundScan, and was eventually certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

In his book The Click Moment: Seizing Opportunity in an Unpredictable World, Frans Johansson attributed the song's mediocre performance in the United States to Ultra Records not having "the experience or resources to successfully market [it]", further noting that "Dragostea din tei" had been released there "at a time when techno-based club tracks were ebbing in popularity [...] [and] airwaves were dominated by R&B and hip-hop". According to Johansson, the song's resulting poor sales and radio performance were the reasons for Ultra Records pulling back all promotional efforts and cancelling plans to tour the United States. A March 2005 Billboard article featured WKTU as an example for North American radio stations that were reluctant to play the track since it was "too novelty" for their audience, also in the context of the popularity of "Numa Numa Dance". In Japan, the original version of "Dragostea din tei" peaked at number 72 on the Oricon Singles Chart in June 2005, with the song being awarded quadruple million, platinum and gold certifications by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) across multiple formats.

Virality

On the Japanese Internet

Template:Multiple image In Japan, an anonymous user nicknamed Ikari used "Dragostea din tei" in an animated video that features a character that resembles Monā, a popular cat frequently illustrated with typed symbols by users on the Japanese textboard 2channel. During the clip, Romanian lyrics in the song are purposefully misheard as English or Japanese expressions—for example, "salut" (Romanian: "hello") is accompanied by an image of a "monkey" (Japanese: "saru"), while "fericirea" (Romanian: "happiness") is misheard as "looking up for a skirt" (Japanese: "panchira") and "nu mă, nu mă iei" as "drink, drink, yay" (Japanese: "noma, noma, yay"). The video became popular, prompting other similar clips to be created by fellow users globally. In response, O-Zone's Japanese label Avex Trax launched merchandise depicting what they called the "Noma neko" ("Noma cat").

"Numa Numa Dance"

Having reportedly come across the song through Ikari's video, American vlogger Gary Brolsma lip-synched to "Dragostea din tei" in a video that he posted to website Newgrounds on 6 December 2004. Called "Numa Numa Dance", the clip sees Brolsma sitting in a chair in front of his computer and dancing to the song. Wren Graves of Consequence elaborated: "At times he is almost still, holding his mouth open wide or punctuating a musical moment with a perfectly-timed raised eyebrow. [...] [A]nd then a sudden obliteration of matter — a solid man becoming pure, dancing air. Brolsma captures all the joy of the chorus with a sly humor and full commitment, [...] pump[ing] his fists above his head". Shortly after, the video went viral, with reported views of 700 million as of November 2006, giving Brolsma mainstream media's coverage and inspiring several parodies and remakes. It is regarded as one of the most-watched Internet videos of all time, with "Dragostea din tei" consequently also becoming a meme. Referring to this phenomenon as "numanumamania", The BelieverTemplate:'s Wolk wrote that Brolsma's video was "better advertising for [...] 'Dragostea din tei' than anything a record label could have paid for". Michael Paoletta, writing for Billboard, opined that "Numa Numa Dance" was instrumental in the song gaining traction in the United States.

Promotion

Music video

An accompanying music video for "Dragostea din tei", directed and animated by Dmitri Voloshin, was released in 2004 at the latest. The video opens with Todiraș stretching on a couch as elements of "Despre tine" play. Following this, shots of a fictional futuristic city from the "Numai tu" music video are shown, as well as of a magazine advertizing O-Zone's comeback paired with highlights of the "Despre tine" video. Subsequently, the group is shown running to the exit of a building and towards a plane. They enter its cockpit and take off as "Dragostea din tei" starts playing. They are then seen dancing to the song on one of the airborne aircraft's wings, as well as dancing inside the plane and recording at a studio. All wear white pants and colorful shirts, with Todiraș and Balan's open to the waist and paired with suspenders and glasses.

Computer-generated shots of the flying plane are also shown, with it having a built-in red "on air" sign and engines that turn into speakers. Various animated stills are briefly interspersed throughout the video, among others showing Balan as a cyborg, Sîrbu at a bodybuilding competition, Balan and Todiraș in a laboratory with an alien or them as vampires, Batman, three men of different ethnicities dressed in traditional clothing in front of a dove with an olive branch, and the Moldovan flag. The song ends with an animated shot of the group members in front of a crashed plane in flames, followed by them leaving the site. The video then returns to the opening sequence with Todiraș on the couch as a mellower version of "Dragostea din tei" plays. Balan is seated next to him drawing on his pencil board, and all three members come together smiling to look at Balan's sketch. The clip ends with the reveal of the drawing, which is a storyboard of the music video.

In her book New Media Literacies and Participatory Popular Culture Across Borders, Bronwyn Williams likened the style of the animations to anime and called them "inexplicable", concluding that the video was "eminently forgettable". Minto of Rivista Studio called the clip "spectacular", although noting that the dance scenes were "out-of-context" and the special effects low quality and "botched". In the book Von Hora, Doina und Lăutaren, Marina Cap-Bun elaborates on the possibility that the video alludes to the Zburător myth. In a 2017 interview, Balan retrospectively opined that the video had helped "Dragostea din tei" become a gay anthem, particularly because of the group's outfits and display of affection for each other.

Live performances

O-Zone performed "Dragostea din tei" in Germany on The Dome 30 on 21 May 2004, on the television show Wetten, dass..? on 3 July 2004, and on the local version of Top of the Pops on 8 January 2005. In France, the group performed the song on the show Hit Machine on 24 April 2004, and further sang it during the fourth season of Star Academy on 22 October 2004. O-Zone also performed "Dragostea din tei" during the fifth season of Fabrika Zvyozd in Russia in 2004, and on Top of the Pops in both the United Kingdom and the Netherlands on 25 and 31 December 2004, respectively. In Japan, the group sang the track on shows such as Music Station and SMAPxSMAP throughout 2005, and Balan also appeared with Prata to sing the Valentin Remix of "Ma Ya Hi" on Today in the United States on 22 February 2005, having been invited to the show due to the virality of Brolsma's "Numa Numa Dance". Before disbanding in 2005 due to internal disagreements, O-Zone gave a performance of "Dragostea din tei" at the Romanian Golden Stag Festival in September 2005. They also performed it during their reunions for Europe Day on 9 May 2017 at University Square in Bucharest, and on the occasion of New Year's Eve at the Constitution Square in 2019 in the same city.

Legacy

"Dragostea din tei" is the first song in Romanian to have achieved international success.Template:Efn While Libertatea wrote that it had "done more for Romania's image than all politicians put together", Balan stated in an interview that, for him, "the greatest pride is the fact that [he] promoted the Romanian language". Paul Sexton of Billboard wrote how "Dragostea din tei" served as a "reminder of music's power to connect across borders", further noting that it "managed to convey uninhibited joy better than any phrase in the English language probably could". Rivista StudioTemplate:'s Minto views the song's "conquest of the West [...] in a language atypical of contemporary pop" as a "very rare event", likening it to the popularity of South Korean rapper Psy's 2012 single "Gangnam Style" performed in Korean.

Minto further regards "Dragostea din tei" as a precursor to modern virality, writing that "[t]he cultural diffusion of the song – and its mutation into a 'catchphrase' – can be placed at a point of transition between [Los del Río's 1993 single] 'Macarena' – which exploded in a pre-mass Internet era – and 'Gangnam Style' – which instead blossomed on the now high crests of global social networks". Elaborating on the impact of "Dragostea din tei", The BelieverTemplate:'s Wolk opined that "not even the words but the sound of the recording [are] now part of the fabric of the Internet. It's bypassed the monolithic American entertainment industry to become a standard".

Listicles

Listicle inclusions of "Dragostea din tei"

Publication	Year	List	Rank	Ref.
Rolling Stone	2015	50 Greatest Boy Band Songs of All Time	18
Billboard	2018	100 Greatest Boy Band Songs of All Time	82
Rolling Stone Australia	2020	75 Greatest Boy Band Songs of All Time	27

Use in popular media

"Dragostea din tei" has been adapted in over 35 languages. Among several parodies created, "Le poulailler" by Le 6–9 and "Ma cé ki? Massimo" by Gargia released in 2004 were both top 10 hits in France and competed with the original version and Haiducii's cover on the charts there. In 2008, American rapper T.I. and Barbadian singer Rihanna released "Live Your Life", which samples and interpolates "Dragostea din tei". The song became an international success, topping the US Billboard Hot 100 and peaking at number two in the United Kingdom, among others.

Balan covered the song in 2006 on "Sugar Tunes Numa Numa" with his band Balan, and in 2008 on "Numa Numa 2" for his project Crazy Loop as a B-side to the single "Mm-ma-ma". He also used the refrain of "Dragostea din tei" on the identically named, but unrelated "Numa Numa 2" featuring American singer Marley Waters in 2018. In 2024, French DJ David Guetta and American band OneRepublic interpolated "Dragostea din tei" on their single "I Don't Wanna Wait", which reached the top 20 in multiple territories including Germany and the United Kingdom. Acts such as Romanian singer Inna and American band Bloodhound Gang have covered or parodied "Dragostea din tei" live, with the song also having been covered by various artists on Your Face Sounds Familiar internationally.

The original or alternative versions of "Dragostea din tei" have been used in multiple films, including in Chicken Little (2005) for a reported payment of one million US$, Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (2005), Happy Feet Two (2011), and It's Only the End of the World (2016), as well as throughout the telenovela Triunfo del amor (2010–2011), and the series Stargate Universe (2009–2011). The song was furthermore included on the dance video game Just Dance 2017, as well as used for commercials by companies such as Yakult, and Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG).

Comprehensive list of notable derivative recordings

Key

Template:‡	Indicates cover, with original or rewritten lyrics
Template:Hash tag	Indicates sample and/or interpolation

List of releases, with origin and selected chart positions

Year	Title Artist	Country of origin	Peak chart positions											Notes
			AUT	BEL (Fl)	BEL (Wa)	CIS	FRA	GER	JPN	NLD	SWI	UK	US
2003	"Dragostea din tei"‡ Haiducii	Romania	1	5	2	—	2	2	—	4	2	—	—Template:Efn	See #Haiducii version
2004	"Allo!"‡ De Feestridders	Belgium	—	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"Argent-Argent"‡ Cauet featuring Mopral	France	—	—	—	—	14	—	—	—	—	—	—	Parody
	"Dragostea din tei"‡ Template:Ill	Germany	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Rock version
	"Dragostea din tei"‡ Fancy		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"Festa no Apê"‡ Latino	Brazil	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Lyrics rewritten in Portugese. Experienced notable commercial success in Brazil.
	"Kumimies"‡ Frederik	Finland	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Lyrics rewritten in Finnish
	"Lekker Lekker (Ga Maar Met Me Mee)"‡ Ome Henk	Netherlands	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"Le poulailler"‡ Template:Interlanguage link	France	—	—	8	—	2	―	—	—	30	—	—	Parody in French
	"Ma cé ki? Massimo"‡ Template:Ill		—	—	13	—	9	—	—	—	38	—	—	Parody
	"Muggen hier, muggen daar"‡ Gebroeders Ko	Netherlands	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	5Template:Efn	—	—	—	Parody
	"Net Die Een Vir My (Maia Hee)"‡ Nicholis Louw and Template:Ill	South Africa	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"Numerakirály"‡ Irigy Hónaljmirigy	Hungary	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Parody in Hungarian. Covered by Metallica in a concert in Budapest in 2018.
	"Nur ma' so"‡ Template:Ill	Germany	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Lyrics rewritten in German language
	"Ra la la (Rudi hier, Rudi da)"‡ Bangman		—	—	—	—	—	41	—	—	—	—	—	Lyrics rewritten to delve on football themes. Used to promote Germany's participation in the UEFA Euro 2004 championship.
	"Rumba rej"‡ Toxic Babe	Czech Republic	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Lyrics rewritten in Czech
	"Unsichtbar"‡ Template:Ill	Austria	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Won the 2004 Kiddy Contest.
	"Wenn der Hafer sticht"‡ Template:Ill		7	—	—	—	—	90	—	—	—	—	—	Lyrics rewritten in German language
	"Я её хой" ("Ya Yeyo Khoy")‡ Template:Interlanguage link featuring Russkiy Razmer and Dmitry Nagiyev	Russia	—	—	—	40	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"Zauberschule"‡ Die Schlümpfe	Germany	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2005	"Dragostea din tei"‡ Minisztár	Hungary	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	‡ Maeken Trance Project	Japan	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Medley of multiple songs, including a cover of "Dragostea din tei".
	‡ Yu Hasebe, Miori Takimoto and Mai Iwasaki		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Lyrics rewritten in Japanese
	"Pluma Gay"‡ Los Morancos de la Triana	Spain	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Also known as "Marica tú" (Spanish: "Gay You"). With lyrics rewritten in Spanish and altered to talk about partying and coming out, the parody attained commercial success in several Spanish-speaking territories and became popular with the LGBTQ community there. Also covered by Argentine band Los Sultanes.
2006	"Sem Drama Aguardarei"‡ Template:Ill	Portugal	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"" ("Sister's Dream")‡ Hyun Young	South Korea	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Experienced commercial success in South Korea.
	"Sugar Tunes Numa Numa"‡ Balan	Moldova	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Grunge version
2007	"Bu Pa Bu Pa"‡ Jocie Guo	Singapore	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Lyrics rewritten to delve on overcoming the fear of cockroaches.
	"Người Tình Mai-Ya-Hee"‡ Template:Interlanguage link	Vietnam	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Lyrics rewritten in Vietnamese. Experienced commercial success in Vietnam. "Dragostea din tei" has also been covered in Vietnamese by Đan Trường.
2008	"Live Your Life"Template:Hash-tag T.I. featuring Rihanna	United States Barbados	5	15	19	49	17	12	—	21	8	2	1	The song's producer Just Blaze came up with the idea of sampling and interpolating "Dragostea din tei" through Brolsma's viral video.
	"Numa Numa 2"‡ Crazy Loop	Moldova	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Not to be confused with an unrelated video of Brolsma's of the same name.
	"Trzech Tenorow"‡ Template:Ill	Poland	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Parody of "Dragostea din tei" and "Time to Say Goodbye".
	"When You Leave (Numa Numa)"‡ Alina	Romania	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—Template:Efn	Released as a remix produced by Swedish artist Basshunter.
2011	"Dragostea din tei"‡ Hank Azaria and Happy Feet Two Chorus	United States	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Recorded in a humppa version and included on the soundtrack of Happy Feet Two (2011).
	"Ma-Ya-Hi"‡ Jamatami	Germany	—	—	—	—	—	84	—	—	—	—	—
2012	"Girls"Template:Hash-tag Gille	Japan	—	—	—	—	—	—	11	—	—	—	—
	"My Life Is a Party"‡ ItaloBrothers	Germany	18	—	—Template:Efn	—	103	43	—	—	62	—	—
2018	"Numa Numa 2"Template:Hash-tag Dan Balan featuring Marley Waters	Moldova United States	—	—	—	78	—	—	64	—	—	—	—	Marketed as a continuation of "Dragostea din tei". Not to be confused with an unrelated video of Brolsma's of the same name. Released under the title in Japan.
2019	"Dragostea din tei"‡ Dan Balan featuring Template:Ill	Moldova Ukraine	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Viral cover performed on Holos Krainy by contestant Begu and juror Balan.
2020	"Dragostea din tei"‡ Mira	Romania	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"Travel the World"‡ Template:Interlanguage link	South Korea	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2021	"Dragostea din tei"‡ Julien Doré featuring Simone and Jean-Marc	France	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"Faded Love"Template:Hash-tag Leony	Germany	11	31	—	—	—	17	—	58	24	—	—
2022	"Dragostea din tei"‡ Feuerschwanz	Germany	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Rock cover. Also performed while competing in the German national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025.
	"Coup de vieux"Template:Hash-tag Bigflo & Oli featuring Julien Doré	France	—	—	3	—	36	—	—	—	—	—	—
2023	"Let's Go MIA"Template:Hash-tag Evangelia	United States Greece	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2024	"I Don't Wanna Wait"Template:Hash-tag David Guetta and OneRepublic	France United States	8	10	4	3	13	10	—Template:Efn	12	7	19	96
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Track listings

• Romanian CD single

1. "Dragostea din tei" – 3:33
2. "Despre tine" (Unu' in the Mix) – 7:38
3. "Dragostea din tei" (Unu' in the Dub Mix) – 3:39
4. "Numai tu" (Music video) – 4:10
5. "Despre tine" (Music video) – 3:53

• DACH CD single

1. "Dragostea din tei" (Original Romanian Version) – 3:33
2. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross Radio Remix) – 4:15
3. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross Extended Remix) – 6:22
4. "Dragostea din tei" (Original Italian Version) – 3:35
5. "Dragostea din tei" (Unu' in the Dub Mix) – 3:39
6. "Dragostea din tei" (Music video) – 4:46

• European and Swedish CD single 1

1. "Dragostea din tei" (Original Romanian Version) – 3:33
2. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross Radio Remix) – 4:15

• European CD single 2

1. "Dragostea din tei" (Original Romanian Version) – 3:33
2. "Dragostea din tei" (Original Italian Version) – 3:35

• French CD single 1

1. "Dragostea din tei" (Original Romanian Version) – 3:33
2. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross Radio Remix) – 4:15
3. "Dragostea din tei" (Original Italian Version) – 3:35
4. "Dragostea din tei" (Unu' in the Dub Mix) – 3:39

• French CD single 2

1. "Dragostea din tei" (Original Romanian Version) – 3:33
2. "Dragostea din tei" (Nectar Remix) – 5:57
3. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross Extended Remix) – 6:22
4. "Dragostea din tei" (Spike Norton Tekmix) – 6:37
5. "Dragostea din tei" (Almighty Mix) – 7:00

• French 12-inch single 1

1. "Dragostea din tei" (Nectar Remix) – 5:57
2. "Dragostea din tei" (Spike Norton Flymix) – 6:34
3. "Dragostea din tei" (Spike Norton Tekmix) – 6:37
4. "Dragostea din tei" (Almighty Mix) – 7:00

• French 12-inch single 2

1. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross Extended Remix) – 6:22
2. "Dragostea din tei" (Original Romanian Version) – 3:33
3. "Dragostea din tei" (Acapella) – 3:30

• German CD single

1. "Dragostea din tei" (Original Romanian Version) – 3:33
2. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross Radio Remix) – 4:15
3. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross Extended Remix) – 6:22
4. "Dragostea din tei" (Original Italian Version) – 3:35
5. "Dragostea din tei" (Unu' in the Dub Mix) – 3:39

• German mini CD and UK CD single 2

1. "Dragostea din tei" (Original Romanian Version) – 3:33
2. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross Radio Remix) – 4:15

• Italian, Mexican, Dutch and Spanish CD single,
  and Swedish CD single 3

1. "Dragostea din tei" (Original Romanian Version) – 3:33
2. "Dragostea din tei" (Original Italian Version) – 3:35
3. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross Radio Remix) – 4:15
4. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross Extended Remix) – 6:22
5. "Dragostea din tei" (Unu' in the Dub Mix) – 3:39

• Italian 12-inch single

1. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross Extended Remix) – 6:22
2. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross Radio Remix) – 4:15
3. "Dragostea din tei" (Unu' in the Dub Mix) – 3:39
4. "Dragostea din tei" (Original Italian Version) – 3:35
5. "Dragostea din tei" (Original Romanian Version) – 3:33

• Spanish 12-inch single

1. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross Extended Remix) – 6:22
2. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross Radio Remix) – 4:15
3. "Dragostea din tei" (Original Italian Version) – 3:35
4. "Dragostea din tei" (Original Romanian Version) – 3:33

• Swedish CD single 2

1. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Aligator vs. CS-Jay Radio Version) – 3:35
2. "Dragostea din tei" (Original Italian Version) – 3:35
3. "Dragostea din tei" (Original Romanian Version) – 3:33
4. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross Radio Remix) – 4:15
5. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross Extended Remix) – 6:22
6. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Aligator vs. CS-Jay Club Version) – 6:04

• UK CD single 1

1. "Dragostea din tei" (Original Romanian Version) – 3:33
2. "Dragostea din tei" (Almighty Mix) – 6:58
3. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross Extended Remix) – 6:22
4. "Dragostea din tei" (Unu' in the Dub Mix) – 3:39
5. "Dragostea din tei" (Almighty Dub) – 6:01

• UK 12-inch single

1. "Dragostea din tei" (Original Romanian Version) – 3:33
2. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross Extended Remix) – 6:22
3. "Dragostea din tei" (Almighty Mix) – 6:58
4. "Dragostea din tei" (Almighty Dub) – 6:01

• US 12-inch single 1

1. "Ma Ya Hi" (featuring Lucas Prata) – 3:36
2. "Dragostea din tei" (Original Italian Version) – 3:35
3. "Dragostea din tei" (Original Romanian Version) – 3:33
4. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross Extended Remix) – 6:22
5. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross Radio Remix) – 4:15

• US 12-inch single 2

1. "Ma Ya Hi" (featuring Lucas Prata) [Valentin Remix Club Version] – 6:38
2. "Ma Ya Hi" (featuring Lucas Prata) – 3:37
3. "Dragostea din tei" (Original Italian Version) – 3:33
4. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross Radio Remix) – 4:16
5. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross Extended Remix) – 6:23

• Japanese CD single

1. "Dragostea din tei" – 3:39
2. "Dragostea din tei" (Overhead Champion Remix) – 6:46
3. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Kaya & DJ Kousuke Remix) – 5:40
4. "Dragostea din tei" (Eurobeat Remix) – 4:09
5. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross Extended Remix) – 6:23

• Japanese 12-inch single

1. "Dragostea din tei" (Overhead Champion Remix) – 6:46
2. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Kaya & DJ Kousuke Remix) – 5:40
3. "Dragostea din tei" (Original Version) – 3:39
4. "Dragostea din tei" (Eurobeat Remix) – 4:09

• Other official digital versionsTemplate:Efn

1. "Dragostea din tei" (Crystal Mix) – 3:45
2. "Dragostea din tei" (Seb Version) – 3:53
3. "Ma Ya Hi" (featuring Lucas Prata) [Valentin Radio Edit] – 3:34
4. "Dragostea din tei" (Ole Ed Remix) – 2:52
5. "Dragostea din tei" (Radu Sirbu Remix) – 3:35
6. "Dragostea din tei" (W&W Remix) – 2:54
7. "Dragostea din tei" (Besomorph & It's Different Remix) – 2:08

Charts

Weekly charts

Template:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chart

2003–2005 weekly chart performance for "Dragostea din tei"

Chart (2003–2005)	Peak position
CIS (TopHit) Unu' in the Dub Mix	9
CIS (TopHit) DJ Ross Radio Remix	146
Czech Republic (IFPI)	2
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)	1
Europe (European Radio Airplay)	13
Japan (Oricon)	72
Romania (Romanian Top 100)	1
Russia Airplay (TopHit)	72
Russia Airplay (TopHit) Unu' in the Dub Mix	31
Russia Airplay (TopHit) DJ Ross Radio Remix	116
Ukraine Airplay (TopHit) Unu' in the Dub Mix	7
Ukraine Airplay (TopHit) DJ Ross Radio Remix	68
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 (Billboard) Lucas Prata version (Valentin Remix)	16
US Digital Songs Sales (Billboard) Lucas Prata version (Valentin Remix)	69
US Dance/Mix Show Airplay (Billboard) Lucas Prata version (Valentin Remix)	14
US Pop 100 (Billboard) Lucas Prata version (Valentin Remix)	72

2017 weekly chart performance for "Dragostea din tei"

Chart (2017)	Peak position
Ukraine Airplay (TopHit)	103

2024 weekly chart performance for "Dragostea din tei"

Chart (2024)	Peak position
Moldova Airplay (TopHit)	85

Year-end charts

2003 year-end chart performance for "Dragostea din tei"

Chart (2003)	Position
Romania (Romanian Top 100)	12

2004 year-end chart performance for "Dragostea din tei"

Chart (2004)	Position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)	1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)	7
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)	1
CIS (TopHit) Unu' in the Dub Mix	73
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)	1
France (SNEP)	1
Germany (GfK)	1
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)	48
Ireland (IRMA)	9
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)	1
Netherlands (Single Top 100)	1
Russia Airplay (TopHit) Unu' in the Dub Mix	188
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)	15
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)	1
UK Singles (OCC)	28
Ukraine Airplay (TopHit) Unu' in the Dub Mix	26

Decade-end charts

2000–2009 decade-end chart performance for "Dragostea din tei"

Chart (2000–2009)	Position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)	9
Germany (GfK)	3
Netherlands (Single Top 100)	12

Release history

Release dates for "Dragostea din tei"

Region	Date	Format	Label	Version	Ref.
Romania	ca. June 2003Template:Efn	Template:N/A	Media Services	Original
	2003	CD single	Cat
DACH	2004		Universal
Europe			Template:Hlist
France	14 April 2004	colspan="2" Template:N/A
	2004	CD single	Universal
		12-inch single
Germany		CD single	Template:Hlist
		Mini CD
Italy		CD single	Time
		12-inch single
Mexico		CD single	Musart
Netherlands			BMG
Spain			Vale
		12-inch single
Sweden		CD single	Bonnier
United Kingdom	24 May 2004	colspan="2" Template:N/A
	2004	CD single	Time
		12-inch single	Jive
United States			Ultra	Lucas Prata version
				Lucas Prata original version and Valentin Remix
	22 June 2004	Digital download	Media Services	Original
	30 November 2004		Time	Remix EP incl. Lucas Prata original version and Valentin Remix
	Early 2005	Radio airplay	Template:N/A	Lucas Prata version (Valentin Remix)
Japan	2005	CD single	Avex Trax	Original
	2006	12-inch single	Rhythm Republic
Various	Template:N/A	Digital download	Cat	Remix album

Haiducii version

Background and composition

Italy-based Romanian singer Paula Monica Mitrache recorded a cover of "Dragostea din tei" after having been advised to do so by her label Universo, although she had initially opposed to the idea. Her stage name, Haiducii, was inspired by the mention of hajduks in the song. The cover was produced and mixed by Max Minoia at MM Studio in Rome, Italy, and features uncredited vocals by Italian singer Vittorio Centrone, who notably provides the "Ma-ia-hii, Ma-ia-huu, Ma-ia-hoo, Ma-ia-haha" sequence. This dance version was reframed as a conversation between a man and a woman, which Francesco Gerardi of Rivista Studio likened to "Template:Interlanguage link" (1974) by Italian singer Claudia Mori.

Release

"Dragostea din tei" was serviced as Haiducii's debut single in December 2003 in Italy by Universo. It was physically released in various countries throughout 2004, including in France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and the United States. The CDs and vinyls all included a remix produced by Italian DJ and group Eiffel 65 member Gabry Ponte. A remix EP was made available for digital download on 3 August 2004 in various countries. In 2005, a CD was released in Taiwan by Avex Trax under the title of ("Mai A Hi"), featuring cartoon characters on its cover that were used to promote the song in the region. "Dragostea din tei" was eventually included on Haiducii's sole studio album, Paula Mitrache in Haiducii (2008). A remix, titled "Dragostea din tei 2k13", was released in 2012, featuring the contribution of Eiffel 65 lead vocalist Jeffrey Jey alongside Ponte. On 11 August 2023, Haiducii issued a solo re-recording of the song for its 20th anniversary.

Commercial performance

Photo of Gabry Ponte behind his DJ equipment and wearing headphones while performing onstage.

A remix produced by Italian DJ Gabry Ponte significantly aided the song's performance on the Italian charts.

In several territories, Haiducii's version of "Dragostea din tei" impacted the charts before O-Zone's original, including in Germany, Italy, Spain, and France. It debuted atop the Italian singles chart in January 2004 with 200,000 copies sold, outpeaking the original. Significantly aided by the Gabry Ponte remix, the song claimed the top position for a total of six weeks and remained within the top 10 for over four months. In March 2004, Haiducii's version debuted and peaked at number four in Spain, following which she reached numbers one and two in Austria and France, respectively, in April. The track also reached number two in Wallonia in May 2004, being held from number one by the original.

In June 2004, the cover peaked at number two in Germany—behind by the original—and Switzerland, as well as number four in Norway and number six in Flanders. Throughout July, it ranked behind O-Zone's original at number two on the European Hot 100 Singles chart, while also peaking at numbers four, five and seven in the Netherlands, Denmark and Hungary, respectively. In Sweden, Haiducii topped the chart in August, outcharting the original. It held the top spot for five consecutive weeks and spent five months in the top ten. In November 2004, the song peaked at number four on the US Dance Singles Sales chart. For the year of 2004, Haiducii's version of "Dragostea din tei" ended within the top 10 of the best-performing singles in Austria, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, as well as on the European Hot 100 Singles chart. It was further awarded gold certifications in Austria, Belgium, France, Sweden and Switzerland. As of February 2021, the song has sold one million copies in Europe.

Promotion

An accompanying music video was released in 2004 at the latest. It opens with a man entering a hotel room and throwing himself on the bed. He then proceeds to walk through the room and the hallway of the hotel seemingly confused and in search of something. Haiducii, meanwhile sitting in another room, is watching him on a TV that shows the footage of a surveillance camera. The man ultimately finds a hidden camera and walks to Haiducii's room, which is now empty. He watches the footage on the aforementioned TV, which now depicts her leaving through the hallway in a red fur outfit. The video often has its screen split in four, and includes interspersed shots of Haiducii dancing to the song wearing different dresses.

For further promotion, Haiducii performed the song in Italy on the local version of Top of the Pops on 28 February 2004, and appeared as a musical guest at the Sanremo Music Festival 2004 on 4 March 2004. She also sang "Dragostea din tei" in France on Template:Ill on 5 June 2004, as well as in Germany on Template:Interlanguage link on 24 June 2004. In 2020, she appeared on Template:Ill in the same region on 3 January. In 2023, she further performed in Germany on ZDF-Fernsehgarten on 7 May, as well as on Template:Interlanguage link in Italy on 27 September. Haiducii further made an appearance during Centrone's audition on the Italian version of The Voice Senior in 2024 to sing the song with him.

Dispute over legality and impact on the original version

In February 2004, Balan claimed that, although he had been credited as a songwriter, Haiducii's cover was released without his permission. He threatened to sue Haiducii and Universo if they would not pull back her version. According to Balan, they had relied on an Italian law which they alleged allowed the release of covers. However, he concluded that such a law did not exist and would not apply to Haiducii, a Romanian citizen, as well as not to "Dragostea din tei", which had been recorded in Romania first. Gerardi of Rivista Studio wrote that Haiducii "didn't even ask permission" for her cover, but concluded that this was "a practice that was still legal at that time". In a 2016 interview, Haiducii said that no legal action had been taken against her cover.

Multiple observers argued that Haiducii's cover was a key factor in bringing international attention to the original version. Rivista StudioTemplate:'s Gerardi wrote: "[In 2003, 'Dragostea din tei' by O-Zone] had achieved a fair amount of success in Romania and Moldova, only to then be forgotten along with many of the things that happen in the summer. But [...] Universo [...] did not miss the commercial potential of the song. [...] [After Haiducii's success, Balan] called all the people he knew in the music industry to find one who would reissue [the original] 'Dragostea din tei' and give the single global distribution". According to media reports, Haiducii's success was also the reason why O-Zone postponed their intended disbandment in December 2003. Balan saw the coexistence of Haiducii's cover as an impediment in commercializing the original version internationally, since O-Zone "[had] to convince other labels [...] that the original song belong[ed] to [them]".

Other usage

A version of the song titled "Maya Hi, Maya Hu" credited to Swedish animated character Crazy Frog was released in 2009. In 2019, Haiducii and Catholic pastor Don Allessandrou Cosu published "Parliamo di Gesú" ("Let's Talk About Jesus") on YouTube, which is an alternate version of "Dragostea din tei" with rewritten religious lyrics. The accompanying music video, which was filmed in a church, went viral on Italian social media in 2021. In June 2023, Caffellatte and Haiducii released "Troppo Chic (Dragostea din tei)", which uses portions of "Dragostea din tei" that Haiducii re-recorded. They also appeared on the Italian television show Template:Interlanguage link to perfom the song live.

Track listings

• Austrian, Italian, Dutch, US and Taiwanese CD single,
  and Swedish CD single 1

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 Remix) – 4:15
4. "Dragostea din tei" (Haiducii vs. Gabry Ponte Extended Version) – 6:30
5. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross 4 the Club Remix) – 6:22

• Belgian and French 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 Remix) – 4:15

• French 12-inch single

1. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross 4 the Club Remix) – 6:22
2. "Dragostea din tei" (Haiducii vs. Gabry Ponte Extended Version) – 6:30
3. "Dragostea din tei" (Original Mix) – 3:35

• German CD single 1 and Swiss 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 Remix) – 4:15
4. "Dragostea din tei" (Haiducii vs. Gabry Ponte Extended Version) – 6:30
5. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross 4 the Club Remix) – 6:22
6. "Dragostea din tei" (Potatoheadz Club Mix) – 6:55
7. "Spring" – 7:17

• German CD single 2

1. "Dragostea din tei" (Original Mix) – 3:35
2. "Dragostea din tei" (Haiducii vs. Gabry Ponte Extended Version) – 6:30
3. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Friki Remix) – 5:17
4. "Dragostea din tei" (Karaoke Version) – 3:35
5. "Dragostea din tei" (Music Video) – 3:35
6. Kultvideo von DJ Friki – 2:21

• Italian 12-inch single

1. "Dragostea din tei" (Haiducii vs. Gabry Ponte Extended Version) – 6:30
2. "Dragostea din tei" (Haiducii vs. Gabry Ponte Radio Version) – 3:42
3. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross 4 the Club Remix) – 6:22
4. "Dragostea din tei" (Original Mix) – 3:35

• Spanish CD single

1. "Dragostea din tei" (Haiducii vs. Gabry Ponte Radio Version) – 3:42
2. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross 4 the Radio Remix) – 4:15
3. "Dragostea din tei" (Haiducii vs. Gabry Ponte Extended Version) – 6:31
4. "Dragostea din tei" (DJ Ross 4 the Club Remix) – 6:22

• Sweden CD single 2

1. "Dragostea din tei" (Original Version) – 3:35
2. "Dragostea din tei" (Haiducii vs. Gabry Ponte Radio Version) – 3:42

• Other official digital versionsTemplate:Efn

1. "Dragostea din tei 2k13" (Gabry Ponte featuring Haiducii and Jeffrey Jey) [Radio Edit] – 3:26
2. "Dragostea din tei 2k13" (Gabry Ponte featuring Haiducii and Jeffrey Jey) [Extended] – 4:52
3. "Dragostea din tei 2k13" (Gabry Ponte featuring Haiducii and Jeffrey Jey) [Alien Cut & Dino Brown Radio Remix] – 3:38
4. "Dragostea din tei 2k13" (Gabry Ponte featuring Haiducii and Jeffrey Jey) [Alien Cut & Dino Brown Remix] – 5:46
5. "Dragostea din tei" (with Dual Beat and Mr. Frog) [Future Rave Extended Mix] – 5:30
6. "Dragostea din tei" (with Dual Beat and Mr. Frog) [Future Rave Radio Mix] – 3:18

Charts

Weekly charts

Template:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chart

2004 weekly chart performance for Haiducii's version of "Dragostea din tei"

Chart (2004)	Peak position
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)	2
US Dance Singles Sales (Billboard)	4

Year-end charts

2004 year-end chart performance for Haiducii's version of "Dragostea din tei"

Chart (2004)	Position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)	3
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)	14
Belgium (Ultratop Wallonia)	22
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)	9
France (SNEP)	39
Germany (GfK)	9
Italy (FIMI)	3
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)	82
Netherlands (Single Top 100)	28
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)	5
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)	9

Decade-end charts

2000–2009 decade-end chart performance for Haiducii's version of "Dragostea din tei"

Chart (2000–2009)	Position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)	77
Germany (GfK)	95

Release history

Release dates for Haiducii's version of "Dragostea din tei"

Region	Date	Format	Label	Version	Ref.
Italy	December 2003	Template:N/A	Universo	Original
Austria	2004	CD single	Edel
Belgium			ARS Productions
France			Universo
		12-inch single	Bertelsmann
Germany		CD single	Template:Hlist
Italy			Sony
		12-inch single	Spy
Netherlands		CD single	Digidance
Spain			Blanco y negro
Sweden			Template:Hlist
Switzerland			Ministry of Sound
United States			Empire Musicwerks
Various	3 August 2004	Digital download	Template:N/A	Remix EP
Taiwan	2005	CD single	Avex Trax	Original

See also

• List of music released by Moldovan artists that has charted in major music markets
• List of music released by Romanian artists that has charted in major music markets
• List of best-selling singles in Japan
• List of best-selling singles by country