Despre tine

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"Despre tine"
Cover for the 2004 re-release
Single by O-Zone
from the album Number 1 (reissue) and DiscO-Zone
LanguageRomanian
ReleasedDecember 2002[A]
RecordedSeptember 2002
StudioMOF Records studio (Bucharest, Romania)
GenreDance-pop
Length3:49
LabelMedia Services
SongwriterDan Balan
ProducerBalan
O-Zone singles chronology
"Numai tu"
(2002) 		"Despre tine"
(2002) 		"Dragostea din tei"
(2003)
Music video
"Despre tine" on YouTube

"Despre tine" (Romanian: "About You") is a song recorded by Moldovan group O-Zone, released in Romania around December 2002[A] by Media Services as a single. Written and produced by the band's founder Dan Balan, it was included on a reissue of their second studio album Number 1 (2002) and later on their third studio album DiscO-Zone (2003). Work on "Despre tine" spanned three weeks in September 2003 and its recording took place at the MOF Records studio with the assistance of Bogdan Popoiag. Following the international success of O-Zone's 2003 single "Dragostea din tei", "Despre tine" was re-released in select European markets in August 2004. Musically, it is a dance-pop track performed in Romanian.

At the MTV Romania Music Awards 2003, "Despre tine" won Best Song and Best Dance, and received a nomination for Best Dance-Pop Song at the Radio România Actualități Awards the same year. Commercially, the track achieved success, though on a smaller scale than "Dragostea din tei". It topped the Romanian Top 100 in 2003 and later reached number one in Norway in 2004, while also charting within the top 10 in Austria, Wallonia, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. The song was certified double gold in Romania and gold in France. A music video to promote "Despre tine" was also released in 2004 and portrays O-Zone performing the track at a club among a dancing crowd. The group also gave select televised live performances of the song, including appearances on Hit Machine in France and on Top of the Pops in Germany.

Background and release

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O-Zone was a Moldovan Eurodance group formed in 1999 by Dan Balan.[1] The original lineup included Balan and Petru Jelihovschi, both of whom had previously performed in the gothic and doom metal band Inferialis during the 1990s. Seeking a more commercially viable sound, the duo released O-Zone's debut studio album Dar, unde ești... later in 1999. The album found success in Moldova, however, Jelihovschi subsequently departed the project to pursue a career in television.[2] In 2001,[1] Balan cast two new members—Radu Sîrbu and Arsenie Todiraș—and, in 2002, relocated the group to neighboring Romania in search of a larger music market.[3] The move was facilitated by the absence of a language barrier, as Romanian is spoken in both countries, as well as by their sense of unity due to their shared history.[4]

Label Media Services issued "Despre tine" as a single in Romania.[5] While the precise release date remains unclear, the track debuted on the Romanian Top 100 chart in December 2002, suggesting that it had received radio airplay by that time.[6] It was subsequently included on a same-year reissue of O-Zone's second studio album, Number 1 (2002).[7] A remix of the song, subtitled "Unu' in the Mix", appeared on the Romanian edition of the group's third studio album, DiscO-Zone (2003),[8] while the original version was included on the album's 2004 and 2005 international releases.[9]

Following the widespread success of O-Zone's 2003 single "Dragostea din tei", "Despre tine" began receiving international radio airplay as early as July 2004.[10] On Latvian radio stations, the track was reportedly broadcast under the title "Mă înec în ochii tăi" (Romanian: "I Am Drowning in Your Eyes")—a phrase derived from its refrain.[11] The single was re-released in late August 2004 across select European markets,[12] with physical editions issued in countries including France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Sweden.[13] The cover artwork used for most versions was designed by French illustrator Gil Formosa.[14]

Recording and composition

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"Despre tine" was written, composed and produced by Balan. Recording took place at the MOF Records studio with the assistance of Bogdan Popoiag, who also handled mixing and mastering.[15] Work on the track spanned three weeks in September 2002 according to Popoiag, who later claimed that he had made substantial contributions to the track's composition that remained uncredited.[16] Musically, "Despre tine" is a dance-pop song performed in Romanian.[17] Andrei Vulpescu of Curentul likened it to the group's "Dragostea din tei",[11] and identified the lyric "Nu-mi răspunzi la SMS" (English: "You don't answer my SMS") as a well-known line from the song among the Romanian public.[18] Libertatea's Petre Dobrescu observed that this lyric coincided with the rising popularity of mobile phones in Romania at the time.[19]

Reception

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"Despre tine" debuted at number 92 on the Romanian Top 100 in December 2002,[6] before reaching the top position in February 2003, where it remained for three consecutive weeks.[20] The single was certified double gold in Romania later that year.[18] At the MTV Romania Music Awards 2003, "Despre tine" won Best Song and Best Dance, and received a nomination for Best Dance-Pop Song at the Radio România Actualități Awards the same year.[21]

Following the song's international release in 2004, it entered several European charts. Gardianul opined that the overseas success of "Despre tine" dispelled O-Zone's status as one-hit wonders,[22] a label attributed to them by some publications,[23] though Vulpescu of Curentul considered its impact less substantial than that of "Dragostea din tei".[24] In July 2004, "Despre tine" peaked at number eight in Italy.[25] It subsequently reached number four in Denmark and number one in Norway in August of the same year. The single spent ten consecutive weeks in Denmark's top 10, and 11 in Norway, including eight consecutive ones at number one. In the latter country, it became O-Zone's second chart-topping single, replacing "Dragostea din tei" at the summit.[26]

Throughout September 2004, "Despre tine" reached number two in France―remaining in the top 10 for 11 consecutive weeks[27]—as well as number nine in Wallonia and number four in Spain.[28] It earned a gold certification from the French Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique (SNEP) for sales of 250,000 copies.[29] In October and November, "Despre tine" also peaked at number four on Billboard's European Hot 100 Singles chart,[30] number seven in Sweden,[31] and entered the top 10 in all DACH countries (Germany, Austria and Switzerland).[32]

Promotion

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An accompanying music video for "Despre tine" was released in 2004 at the latest.[14] It starts with Sîrbu, Todiraș and Balan materializing one by one onto a dance floor, as seated spectators watch from the sidelines. Each band member is dressed in a black shirt paired with a white blazer and trousers. A subsequent close-up shows Balan's trousers transforming into black fabric embellished with red stars, while a pair of sunglasses appears on his face.[33]

The scene then cuts to a newspaper advertising O-Zone's comeback. The group reappears on the same dance floor, with Balan sporting the aforementioned outfit, and Sîrbu and Todiraș wearing colorful, patterned outfits as they perform the song against shifting lights and a multicolored disco ball. The bystanders from earlier also join the trio and dance alongside them. Additional shots depict the O-Zone members separately singing into a microphone or―following another costume change―playing electric guitars and drums together. The video concludes with the crowd looking downward toward the camera, pointing at it.[33]

For further promotion, O-Zone performed "Despre tine" at select televised events. They appeared on the French program Hit Machine on 4 September 2004,[34] the German Bravo Super Show [de] on 1 October 2004,[35] and Top of the Pops in the same country also that year.[36] Before disbanding in 2005, O-Zone gave a performance of "Despre tine" at the Golden Stag Festival in Romania in September of that year.[37]

Track listings

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Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications for "Despre tine"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
France (SNEP)[29] Gold 250,000*
Romania[18] 2× Gold Unknown

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Release dates for "Despre tine"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Romania December 2002[A] Radio airplay Media Services
[72]
Europe
2004
 CD single
[39]
12-inch single Polydor
[40]
France CD single Universal
[73]
12-inch single
[43]
Germany CD single
  • Time
  • Cat
  • Universal
[14]
Mini CD
[44]
Italy CD single Sony
[45]
12-inch single
  • Time
  • Cat
[46]
Netherlands CD single BMG
[38]
Spain Vale
[47]
Sweden
  • Cat
  • Time
  • Bonnier
[48]
Belgium 13 September 2004 Digital download Media Services
[74]

See also

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References

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Although the exact release date of "Despre tine" is unclear, the song opened on the Romanian Top 100 chart in December 2002, indicating that it had received radio airplay by that time.[6]

Citations

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  1. ^ a b AllMusic n.d.
  2. ^ Tuomasjukka 2024; Dima 2024.
  3. ^ Tuomasjukka 2024; Dima 2024; Adevărul 2004.
  4. ^ Tuomasjukka 2024; Tomiuc 2004.
  5. ^ Evenimentul Zilei 2004.
  6. ^ a b c Romanian Top 100 2002.
  7. ^ Cat Music 2002b; Cat Music 2002a.
  8. ^ a b Cat Music 2003.
  9. ^ Universal Music Group 2004; Avex Trax 2005.
  10. ^ Vulpescu 2004c.
  11. ^ a b Vulpescu 2004b.
  12. ^ Popescu 2004; Gardianul 2004; Vulpescu 2004a.
  13. ^ Universal Music Group 2004a; Time Records, Cat Music and Universal Music Group 2004b; Sony Music 2004; BMG Rights Management 2004; Cat Music, Time Records and Bonnier Music 2004.
  14. ^ a b c d Time Records, Cat Music and Universal Music Group 2004b.
  15. ^ Cat Music 2002b.
  16. ^ Dobrescu 2004.
  17. ^ laut.de n.d.
  18. ^ a b c Vulpescu 2004d.
  19. ^ Dobrescu 2003.
  20. ^ Romanian Top 100 2003a; Romanian Top 100 2003b; Romanian Top 100 2003c.
  21. ^ Scraba 2010; Vulpescu 2003.
  22. ^ Gardianul 2004.
  23. ^ Gómez Ruiz 2018; laut.de 2025.
  24. ^ Vulpescu 2004e.
  25. ^ a b Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana n.d.
  26. ^ Hitlisten n.d.; VG-lista n.d..
  27. ^ a b Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique n.d.-b.
  28. ^ Ultratop n.d.-c; Productores de Música de España n.d..
  29. ^ a b Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique n.d.-a.
  30. ^ Billboard 2004.
  31. ^ a b Sverigetopplistan n.d.-b.
  32. ^ Ö3 Austria Top 40 n.d.-b; GfK Entertainment n.d.-a; Swiss Hitparade n.d.-a.
  33. ^ a b Cat Music 2011.
  34. ^ M6 2004.
  35. ^ MTV Germany 2004.
  36. ^ RTL 2005.
  37. ^ TVR 2005; Libertatea 2005.
  38. ^ a b BMG Rights Management 2004.
  39. ^ a b Time Records, Cat Music and Universal Music Group 2004a.
  40. ^ a b Polydor Records 2004.
  41. ^ Universal Music Group 2004c.
  42. ^ Universal Music Group 2004a.
  43. ^ a b Universal Music Group 2004b.
  44. ^ a b Time Records, Cat Music and Universal Music Group 2004c.
  45. ^ a b Sony Music 2004.
  46. ^ a b Time Records and Cat Music 2004.
  47. ^ a b Vale Music 2004.
  48. ^ a b Cat Music, Time Records and Bonnier Music 2004.
  49. ^ Ö3 Austria Top 40 n.d.-b.
  50. ^ Ultratop n.d.-a.
  51. ^ Ultratop n.d.-b.
  52. ^ a b c TopHit n.d.-a.
  53. ^ IFPI ČR n.d.
  54. ^ Hitlisten n.d.
  55. ^ Billboard 2004, p. 53.
  56. ^ Musiikkituottajat n.d.
  57. ^ a b GfK Entertainment n.d.-b.
  58. ^ Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége n.d.
  59. ^ Dutch Single Top 100 n.d.
  60. ^ VG-lista n.d.
  61. ^ Romanian Top 100 2003a.
  62. ^ TopHit 2004.
  63. ^ Productores de Música de España n.d.
  64. ^ Swiss Hitparade n.d.-a.
  65. ^ a b Romanian Top 100 n.d.
  66. ^ Ultratop n.d.-c.
  67. ^ TopHit n.d.-b.
  68. ^ Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique n.d.-c.
  69. ^ TopHit n.d.-c.
  70. ^ Sverigetopplistan n.d.-a.
  71. ^ Swiss Hitparade n.d.-b.
  72. ^ Romanian Top 100 2002; Evenimentul Zilei 2004.
  73. ^ Universal Music Group 2004a; Universal Music Group 2004c.
  74. ^ Media Services 2004.

Sources

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