Sunday, December 14, 2008
sorry... but this blog is closed...
thanks for your interest and I do hope people who find this blog from now on will enjoy it but please do not submit comments -- I have not an will not read any further comment submitted for this blog (same for any other closed blog of mine; e.g.). Thanks for your understanding and take care! D.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Alright! I've had enough of this topic...
so have I accomplished what I set out to do? not exactly:)... but it was fun looking at these things; I just got a bit too negative at the end for no good reason... so I'm ending this blog with a somewhat unrelated existential song, that I found in the most unlikely place: Romanian rap! "[Life is a] bad joke!" by Parazitii/The parasites (the lyrics are just horrendous but... the message redeems the song for me... although I wouldn't listen to this song more than once:) --> great message!
Delia
P.S. a reminder to self that I should be spending more time on my existential blog. D.
Delia
P.S. a reminder to self that I should be spending more time on my existential blog. D.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
The adventures of Crazy Loop
MORE: again, it could have been much better if the lyrics for Johanna, for instance, would have been clarified... what's the point of stringing song after song of supposedly non-sense lyrics? how long can people take this? D.
Dan Balan sees this project as "the adventures of Crazy Loop" I(2:30 time frame) -- there should be more songs coming in the following months (if the meaning is going to be distorted in favor of commercial interests, I may just skip th rest of this project... -- did he ran out of money so that he *needs* to do this?
Delia
P.S. as far as I can tell the quality of the slow songs is much better... D.
Dan Balan sees this project as "the adventures of Crazy Loop" I(2:30 time frame) -- there should be more songs coming in the following months (if the meaning is going to be distorted in favor of commercial interests, I may just skip th rest of this project... -- did he ran out of money so that he *needs* to do this?
Delia
P.S. as far as I can tell the quality of the slow songs is much better... D.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Dan Balan: De la mine / From me [to you]
STILL MORE: oops! this was actually an O-zone song, but in the version on U-tube Dan is the only on that can be heard singing... so did he "remake" som of th O-zone songs with his new band (him soloist and the other instruments only?) D.
EVEN MORE: I suspect Dan (knowingly or unknowingly) had this poem by the Romanian poet Eminescu as a starting point, assumed the role of "Lucifer" and imagined having a short but heartfelt liaison with a mortal... (while I understand the point of the Romanian-into- English translator expressed on the top of the page, I disagree with the translation "Lucifer" because of the strong negative connotations that I do not believe are present in the Romanian version; the whole point appears to be a desired but doomed relationship between a mortal and an immortal -- which can be in itself symbolic of a relationship between an idealist and a pragmatist individual, for instance). D.
MORE: may be just as utterly untranslatable as the song "Intr-un cer violet" /On a violet sky -- I mean it's translatable at some level... "on a violet sky, if I could find the moon, it would be a silvery stain..." that's a perfectly translatable beginning but I doubt anyone could really explain the real meaning of the song -- you either feel it or you don't...
I'm trying to figure out what this is... it's tagged with "Crazy Loop" and it appears to be only on U-tube (no lyrics, no anything elsewhere on the web...); seems to be relatively recent (the instruments, guitar in particular give this away -- I think that's his Moldovan band he brought with him to the US); was this meant for his rock project or is it more recent than that? it was uploaded on U-tube 2 month ago...
Delia
EVEN MORE: I suspect Dan (knowingly or unknowingly) had this poem by the Romanian poet Eminescu as a starting point, assumed the role of "Lucifer" and imagined having a short but heartfelt liaison with a mortal... (while I understand the point of the Romanian-into- English translator expressed on the top of the page, I disagree with the translation "Lucifer" because of the strong negative connotations that I do not believe are present in the Romanian version; the whole point appears to be a desired but doomed relationship between a mortal and an immortal -- which can be in itself symbolic of a relationship between an idealist and a pragmatist individual, for instance). D.
MORE: may be just as utterly untranslatable as the song "Intr-un cer violet" /On a violet sky -- I mean it's translatable at some level... "on a violet sky, if I could find the moon, it would be a silvery stain..." that's a perfectly translatable beginning but I doubt anyone could really explain the real meaning of the song -- you either feel it or you don't...
I'm trying to figure out what this is... it's tagged with "Crazy Loop" and it appears to be only on U-tube (no lyrics, no anything elsewhere on the web...); seems to be relatively recent (the instruments, guitar in particular give this away -- I think that's his Moldovan band he brought with him to the US); was this meant for his rock project or is it more recent than that? it was uploaded on U-tube 2 month ago...
Delia
The Power of shower -- Crazy Loop (aka Dan Balan) dancing
I'm really not feeling this... (but that's just *me*)
Delia
P.S. maybe could take some ideas from Petrisor Ruge? D.
Delia
P.S. maybe could take some ideas from Petrisor Ruge? D.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Dan Balan aka Crazy Loop: Johanna (shut up!): dissapointed...
looks like the grown-up meaning of the song was intentionally obscured so he could get the kids interested, instead... (and market "Crazy loop" dolls to them)
Delia
P.S. I think it's a mistake -- he is alienating what could be a much larger market for his music D.
Delia
P.S. I think it's a mistake -- he is alienating what could be a much larger market for his music D.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
The Power of Shower: Dan Balan aka Crazy Loop, promotion in Germany
whatever happened with his "crazy dancing"? -- it's very different... did that fall have something to do with it? (is this what th doctor recommended?) D.
Friday, October 3, 2008
it's worse than I though...
MORE: during a live performance in Romania Dan asks the audience to imagine it's 1972 all over again...
..
how could people not get basic things such as the fact that the *Disco clothes* in the O-zone performances (e.g. Despre tine / About you) were meant as *props*? this is NOT a cultural issue, I'm afraid... unless we are talking looking down upon and assuming the worst of other cultures...
Delia
P.S. was quite disappointed with Abe Tran
re: (4th comment; #c131)
Hi, Abe!
hmmm... I don't particularly like the "Eurotrashy" reference (especially since you previously said you liked the song). Otherwise, not a bad entry... you made sense of what's been happening and put the phenomena in good perspective for your readers.
Delia
P.S. I believe the best translation of "Dragostea din tei" into English is "Romantic Love." Dan Balan took quite a bit of poetic license when he called it "Dragostea din tei" (it's a stretch, and a big one, even in Romanian). D.
(6th comment, #c138)
if you think it's trash... (Euro or not), I wouldn't waste my time with it if I were you. I mean, there are plenty of other things to do... doesn't seem like a very good choice.
Delia
P.S. I don't think it's trash... Not the song, not the outfits. I just think it's creative... it's art! (and not bad at all)
I suspect you are referring to the song "Johanna." The girls in the video wear, doll-like short dresses; I believe that was a very good choice given that the real message of the song -- as far as I see it -- is that the girl in the relationship that ended-up breaking up was acting like a demanding doll and that had driven Crazy Loop (aka Dan Balan) to exasperation.
http://thenumanumathing.blogspot.com/2008/02/power-of-shower-johanna-johanna-shut-up.html
P.P.S. I wouldn't be surprised if this was "inspired by real life" (actually happened to Dan Balan). D.
(10th comment; #c135)
"Eurotrash" is derogatory, Abe -- any way you spin it... And no, it does NOT mean merely metrosexual (which is *not* a derogatory term) and it definitely does NOT mean gay. Your personal interpretation is just incorrect...
I would not go around calling people "Eurotrash" any more than I would call Vietnamese people "gooks"... nor would I try to argue that the term "gooks" is NOT derogatory -- it *is*, even if you might be able to find someone who believes otherwise.
Delia
P.S. oh, and you appear to have completely missed the purpose of wearing the kind of cloths the O-zone members wore while performing songs that were *intended* to be a throw back to the Disco times (same idea as having the girls that were part of the performance of the song "Johanna" wear "doll dresses")
P.S. anyways, take care! D.
..
how could people not get basic things such as the fact that the *Disco clothes* in the O-zone performances (e.g. Despre tine / About you) were meant as *props*? this is NOT a cultural issue, I'm afraid... unless we are talking looking down upon and assuming the worst of other cultures...
Delia
P.S. was quite disappointed with Abe Tran
re: (4th comment; #c131)
Hi, Abe!
hmmm... I don't particularly like the "Eurotrashy" reference (especially since you previously said you liked the song). Otherwise, not a bad entry... you made sense of what's been happening and put the phenomena in good perspective for your readers.
Delia
P.S. I believe the best translation of "Dragostea din tei" into English is "Romantic Love." Dan Balan took quite a bit of poetic license when he called it "Dragostea din tei" (it's a stretch, and a big one, even in Romanian). D.
(6th comment, #c138)
if you think it's trash... (Euro or not), I wouldn't waste my time with it if I were you. I mean, there are plenty of other things to do... doesn't seem like a very good choice.
Delia
P.S. I don't think it's trash... Not the song, not the outfits. I just think it's creative... it's art! (and not bad at all)
I suspect you are referring to the song "Johanna." The girls in the video wear, doll-like short dresses; I believe that was a very good choice given that the real message of the song -- as far as I see it -- is that the girl in the relationship that ended-up breaking up was acting like a demanding doll and that had driven Crazy Loop (aka Dan Balan) to exasperation.
http://thenumanumathing.blogspot.com/2008/02/power-of-shower-johanna-johanna-shut-up.html
P.P.S. I wouldn't be surprised if this was "inspired by real life" (actually happened to Dan Balan). D.
(10th comment; #c135)
"Eurotrash" is derogatory, Abe -- any way you spin it... And no, it does NOT mean merely metrosexual (which is *not* a derogatory term) and it definitely does NOT mean gay. Your personal interpretation is just incorrect...
I would not go around calling people "Eurotrash" any more than I would call Vietnamese people "gooks"... nor would I try to argue that the term "gooks" is NOT derogatory -- it *is*, even if you might be able to find someone who believes otherwise.
Delia
P.S. oh, and you appear to have completely missed the purpose of wearing the kind of cloths the O-zone members wore while performing songs that were *intended* to be a throw back to the Disco times (same idea as having the girls that were part of the performance of the song "Johanna" wear "doll dresses")
P.S. anyways, take care! D.
Monday, September 8, 2008
what would I do if I were Dan Balan
EVEN MORE: please see comments
....
MORE: there was really a lot of depth to his Romanian songs (the slow ones, in particular); it's such a waste of talent to have the English-speakers think of him as the guy with the silly /crazy lyrics -- there should be no need for an alter-ego, especially not a "crazy" one... (re: Crazy Loop) D.
...
I'd drop everything for six moths to a year and focus on acquiring as good a command of English as possible, and not just the language, the cultural subtleties -- at this point, after having been in the U.S. for a couple of years, nobody should be wondering what on earth could he be meaning? -
Delia
P.S. this would significantly enlarge the market for his music D.
....
MORE: there was really a lot of depth to his Romanian songs (the slow ones, in particular); it's such a waste of talent to have the English-speakers think of him as the guy with the silly /crazy lyrics -- there should be no need for an alter-ego, especially not a "crazy" one... (re: Crazy Loop) D.
...
I'd drop everything for six moths to a year and focus on acquiring as good a command of English as possible, and not just the language, the cultural subtleties -- at this point, after having been in the U.S. for a couple of years, nobody should be wondering what on earth could he be meaning? -
Delia
P.S. this would significantly enlarge the market for his music D.
Dan balan aka Crazy Loop: the making of "Johanna/Shut Up!"
well... this Mark guy may be great as a director but he's definitely missed the opportunity of clarifying the meaning of the song...
Dan Balan (aka Crazy Loop): my best summer
song from upcoming album
Delia
P.S. not clear if Dan will release it under the "Crazy Loop" alter-ego D.
Delia
P.S. not clear if Dan will release it under the "Crazy Loop" alter-ego D.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
(blast from the past) Ozone, in the Dan-Petru formula: Timpul trece fara noi/Time passes in spite of us
all that's left are memories that are now meaningless... sad but romantic song... D.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Akcent (O-zone's primary competitor back in the day) lost a member
MORE: Marius Nedelcu's first song without Akcent: Rain (seems familiar... some comments claim he "borrowed" a lot from an existing song); Akcent's first song without Marius Nedelcu: umbrela ta / your umbrela (child-like, when compared with prior Akcent songs)
STILL MORE: apparently, this also split-up Morandi (the replacement had been one of the two singers of that band: Marius Moga)
EVEN MORE: English version (no relationship to the Romanian version, lyrics-wise)
MORE: their first song: Ti-ai promis (I promised [to take you with me]: it's a break-up song, the guy decides to break his promise because he realizes his girlfriend was in the relationship not because she cared but because of the advantages the relationship was bringing her)
... Marius Nedelcu
STILL MORE: apparently, this also split-up Morandi (the replacement had been one of the two singers of that band: Marius Moga)
EVEN MORE: English version (no relationship to the Romanian version, lyrics-wise)
MORE: their first song: Ti-ai promis (I promised [to take you with me]: it's a break-up song, the guy decides to break his promise because he realizes his girlfriend was in the relationship not because she cared but because of the advantages the relationship was bringing her)
... Marius Nedelcu
Friday, August 15, 2008
Arsenie Toderas (aka Arsenium): Rumadai
MORE AGAIN: Arsenie explains his song to the German media
MORE: made the Romanian top hits 2008 (so did a couple of Dan's songs: "Take me higher" -- is this part of the Electro house project he did with that Italian DJ, DJ Ross, ; Crazy Loop; Johanna)
STILL MORE: live performance? (it *is* reminiscent of the numa numa song, as someone mentions in the comments-- 9th comment)
EVEN MORE: there is one line in Romanian" o.35 time mark: "Sa zburam cu toti pe luna" literal translation: "Let's all fly to the moon!"; meaningful translation: "Let's have a blast!"
MORE: definitely a "party song"... not bad... upbeat and somewhat funny -- the apparently non-sequitur parts (e.g. chorus: "everybody, lets dance in the Disco (...) I wanna take you from Paris to San Francisco" (...) "I feel so high" ... hmmm...now *that* might explain it:) just kidding...
looks like people already love it: fan video
...
another song from his upcoming album, to be released in the fall... D.
MORE: made the Romanian top hits 2008 (so did a couple of Dan's songs: "Take me higher" -- is this part of the Electro house project he did with that Italian DJ, DJ Ross, ; Crazy Loop; Johanna)
STILL MORE: live performance? (it *is* reminiscent of the numa numa song, as someone mentions in the comments-- 9th comment)
EVEN MORE: there is one line in Romanian" o.35 time mark: "Sa zburam cu toti pe luna" literal translation: "Let's all fly to the moon!"; meaningful translation: "Let's have a blast!"
MORE: definitely a "party song"... not bad... upbeat and somewhat funny -- the apparently non-sequitur parts (e.g. chorus: "everybody, lets dance in the Disco (...) I wanna take you from Paris to San Francisco" (...) "I feel so high" ... hmmm...now *that* might explain it:) just kidding...
looks like people already love it: fan video
...
another song from his upcoming album, to be released in the fall... D.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
(Radu Sirbu: Mr.&Ms. ) His new project has taken off
EVEN MORE: not in top 100 at this point (Crazy Loop, Dan's single is still hanging in...)
MORE: the songs on the album were inspired by the relationship with his wife and it is meant to be "rock influenced"
...
Romanian version :Dragostea-i o parte din noi=Love is a part of us [an integral part]
a couple of interviews: Maniacii, Antena
the making of
fan video: Astaire dancing? interesting idea...
MORE: the songs on the album were inspired by the relationship with his wife and it is meant to be "rock influenced"
...
Romanian version :Dragostea-i o parte din noi=Love is a part of us [an integral part]
a couple of interviews: Maniacii, Antena
the making of
fan video: Astaire dancing? interesting idea...
Friday, August 1, 2008
(Radu Sirbu; Dan Balan) RadU is RadU no more...
MORE: his new project
...
his last song (Daun-daha; 6:00 time stamp) as "RadU"...
Delia
P.S. bad blood between Dan and Radu (Radu was hurt and considers unfounded Dan's assertion to the Romanian media-- HappyHour, same tv show (.48 time mark) -- that Ozone could not have gone much further because his fellow band members just couldn't go through the growth process necessarily to continue to be successful as a band... "something like that"...) D.
...
his last song (Daun-daha; 6:00 time stamp) as "RadU"...
Delia
P.S. bad blood between Dan and Radu (Radu was hurt and considers unfounded Dan's assertion to the Romanian media-- HappyHour, same tv show (.48 time mark) -- that Ozone could not have gone much further because his fellow band members just couldn't go through the growth process necessarily to continue to be successful as a band... "something like that"...) D.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Arsenie Toderas (aka Arsenium): Wake up
well... he's certainly still out there... trying something "different"... D.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Dan Balan aka Crazy Loop: Crazy Loop and Johanna Shut up! (The Power of Shower)
relatively new promotion on Romanian TV
Saturday, June 7, 2008
(upcoming performances) Dan Balan aka Crazy Loop: june 28th in Mamaia, Romania -- actually May 28th...
... errata: oops... this was supposed to be on May 28th
(on the Back Sea Coast): Club Crush one hour for 5,000 Euros...
Delia
P.S. that should help with those doctor bills:)... D.
(on the Back Sea Coast): Club Crush one hour for 5,000 Euros...
Delia
P.S. that should help with those doctor bills:)... D.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Thursday, May 1, 2008
(Romanian male dancers) Petrisor Ruge
oops! looks like it's not all fun and games...
EVEN MORE: tango; paso doble, musical
MORE: free style, vals
gets even better!
EVEN MORE: tango; paso doble, musical
MORE: free style, vals
gets even better!
Friday, April 25, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Dan Balan: takes a trip down Memory Lane...
MORE: Italian version: Mina and Adriano Celentano: "Parole, Parole," parody
STILL MORE: the French had quite a different sensibility at the time: e.g. early 70s: Dalida and Alain Delon: "Parole, Parole"/"Words, just words..."(Dan wasn't around when these songs first came out but they remained popular in Europe for much longer than hits tend to stay popular in the U.S.) D.
EVEN MORE: from the same period: Suzy Quatro (e.g. She's in love with you; If you can't give me love) ; Bee Gees (e.g. How deep is your love?)
MORE: more recently he has acquired an interest in Electro House (techno dance music) -- collaborated with DJ Ross in Italy (for a single?); DJ Ross also did a remix for Dragostea din tei
....
some music he grew up with in today's Republic of Moldova (formerly part of the USSR): Indian Bollywood movies, dance and music (e.g. I Am A Disco Dancer, Jimmy Adja), Smokie (e.g. Living next door to Alice; parody) , Chris Norman (e.g. Midnight Lady)
Delia
P.S. similar with what was popular in Romania at the time D.
STILL MORE: the French had quite a different sensibility at the time: e.g. early 70s: Dalida and Alain Delon: "Parole, Parole"/"Words, just words..."(Dan wasn't around when these songs first came out but they remained popular in Europe for much longer than hits tend to stay popular in the U.S.) D.
EVEN MORE: from the same period: Suzy Quatro (e.g. She's in love with you; If you can't give me love) ; Bee Gees (e.g. How deep is your love?)
MORE: more recently he has acquired an interest in Electro House (techno dance music) -- collaborated with DJ Ross in Italy (for a single?); DJ Ross also did a remix for Dragostea din tei
....
some music he grew up with in today's Republic of Moldova (formerly part of the USSR): Indian Bollywood movies, dance and music (e.g. I Am A Disco Dancer, Jimmy Adja), Smokie (e.g. Living next door to Alice; parody) , Chris Norman (e.g. Midnight Lady)
Delia
P.S. similar with what was popular in Romania at the time D.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Dan Balan: looking for four women...:)
... dancers ! (to join him in performances around the world); he is hoping all four will end-up being Romanian but the selection process will take place in the U.S. also.
Delia
P.S. interested? you need to be in Bucharest at club Maxx on Apritl 7th, local time, at 10 -- good luck!:) ... D.
Delia
P.S. interested? you need to be in Bucharest at club Maxx on Apritl 7th, local time, at 10 -- good luck!:) ... D.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Arsenie sings "Love me tender"...
he packs a lot of emotion in his voice! (more than Elvis -- a surprise to me...) D.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
and so is Radu...
MORE: this is part of an album (Mr. & Ms.) he is said to launch internationally (starting with Russia) this April, different in style and everything from his 2006 album called "Alone," which was meant for the Romanian market
...
Love is not a reason to cry D.
...
Love is not a reason to cry D.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
other foreign influences: French
Patricia Kass and Nana Mouskouri (Greek, just singing in French, also German and English) were both very popular.
Delia
P.S. also Julio Iglesias, Spanish (yeah, long long time...) D.
Delia
P.S. also Julio Iglesias, Spanish (yeah, long long time...) D.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
RadU Sirbu: the slow songs
e.g. Leave me alone, Fly remind me of the style of some Italian singers that were popular in Romaina
80s Toto Cutugno: L'Italiano, Serenata
(much older although still around0: Adriano Celentano: Azzuro (for a much faster rhythm: La Dolce Vita)
80s Toto Cutugno: L'Italiano, Serenata
(much older although still around0: Adriano Celentano: Azzuro (for a much faster rhythm: La Dolce Vita)
Friday, March 7, 2008
(Dan Balan aka Crazy Loop) The Power of Shower: what's going on?
well.. we are well into March and there is some activity on the internet (like people posting videos on you tube) but I don't see much of a traditional buzz from outside of Romania.
Delia
Delia
Monday, March 3, 2008
Morandi and 3 Sud Est
Thursday, February 28, 2008
The Beach Boys: the ultimate feel-good music
never quite made it in Romania...
Delia
P.S. hard to tell why...
P.P.S. wondering if TM prompted Brian's mental problems D.
Delia
P.S. hard to tell why...
P.P.S. wondering if TM prompted Brian's mental problems D.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
"Romanian pop dance" music (started in late 90s): possible influences
80s: Modern Talking,CC Catch (you see the same kind of "complaint comments" O-zone gets: "gay" for Modern Talking; and "playback" for CC Catch...)
70s: ABBA (just fun... doesn't need to make a whole lot of sense...),Boney M (just jump around and... don't worry about it...)
70s: ABBA (just fun... doesn't need to make a whole lot of sense...),Boney M (just jump around and... don't worry about it...)
Friday, February 22, 2008
(Dan Balan aka Crazy Loop) The Power of Shower: includes three songs that don't seem to belong in it...
MORE: a bit odd pronunciation for "roses," for instance (17): it's like he's attempting the British accent (not at all unusual for Europeans given that English teachers are much more likely to have been exposed to the British accent as part of their training then to American English)... still, with some exceptions, his accent is surprisingly good in these songs
very dissimilar to Crazy Loop or Johanna -- if I remember right, they were initially meant for Sugar Tunes (his "rock project"): they were available on Dan's MySpace page under "Sugar Tunes"(17, Tango and 24th letter)
Delia
very dissimilar to Crazy Loop or Johanna -- if I remember right, they were initially meant for Sugar Tunes (his "rock project"): they were available on Dan's MySpace page under "Sugar Tunes"(17, Tango and 24th letter)
Delia
some of them (especially performers) have had broad popularity
e.g. Jean Constantin (Actor, drama and comedy, also stand-up comedy mostly making fun of being Roma -- "Hello, my dear discolored brothers..."); was in many popular Romanian movies, such as "The Immortals"
Thursday, February 21, 2008
manele: what's with all those nasty comments?
EVEN MORE: I don't know if it's actually true but a story was going around that a group of hungry Roma eat the famous black swans from a lake within a public park in Spain...
MORE: Roma were "early adopters" as far as moving West once it became an option. Quite a few Western countries (notably Germany, where Romanian immigration camps were at times set on fire and most recently Italy, which ended up deporting Romanians back to Romania apparently against EU policy after an Italian woman was killed by an ethnic Roma originally from Romania) weren't at all pleased that they found themselves in the position of having to deal with things like petty crimes (or much more severe crimes) and in-your-face begging. No doubt, some ethnic Romanians were probably also causing such problems but percentage-wise, the ethnic Roma group just brought a lot more of these problems.
It didn't help that Western media didn't differentiate between ethnic Roma and ethnic Romanian. Pretty soon, Romanians were seen as persona non-grata in Western Europe and plenty of them were pretty pissed... (and never quite recovered). So for a vocal part of the population, the usual distrust of Roma has turned into an acute us-versus-them mentality. D.
...
you will probably still find those comments (especially the worst of them) reprehensible and they are but I think it helps if you understand the history and the present situation:
Roma have been pretty much the equivalent of blacks, except that they are of dark Caucasian ancestry and they weren't brought to Eastern Europe against their will, they came on their own accord from places like today's India and Bangladesh (some of them ended-up being indentured laborers in monasteries and private households until around 1850); although some of them are doctors and lawyers today, most of those who hold jobs still do menial work and a good portion of them do not hold actual jobs at all; as a group, their rate of incarceration, for instance, is much higher and their education level significantly lower than that of ethnic Romanians.
They have a long history of producing music for countryside and edge-of-town parties. Some of these "bands"/tarafe were very good, particularly when it came to playing instruments (e.g. Taraf de Haiduci - fragment from a movie filmed in a Roma community in Romania)
Although a high percentage of Romanians reportedly listens to "manele" (which is a relatively new form of mostly Roma performed music that can be crude like rap, but it can also be very romantic, like the old Romanian songs) at least occasionally, a vocal portion of the population considers it a disgrace (they charge that the lyrics are puerile and things like grammar are not given much importance).
I get the impression that this is due at least in part part to the belief that it gives foreigners an inaccurate image of Romania and of Romanians (some of these bands have been invited to perform abroad) -- I personally came across a number or relatively educated Americans (one of them was in law school) who were convinced that Romanian people and Roma people were the same...
Poor journalism seems to have given the world this impression and Romania actually passed a law seeking to impose a fine on "irresponsible journalists who damage Romania's image". I don't know how well it succeeded but I did see a number of "documentaries" on Romania that were the equivalent of descending on South Chicago, gathering a group of blacks (exclusively) and saying things like: "These... are the Americans!"
Delia
MORE: Roma were "early adopters" as far as moving West once it became an option. Quite a few Western countries (notably Germany, where Romanian immigration camps were at times set on fire and most recently Italy, which ended up deporting Romanians back to Romania apparently against EU policy after an Italian woman was killed by an ethnic Roma originally from Romania) weren't at all pleased that they found themselves in the position of having to deal with things like petty crimes (or much more severe crimes) and in-your-face begging. No doubt, some ethnic Romanians were probably also causing such problems but percentage-wise, the ethnic Roma group just brought a lot more of these problems.
It didn't help that Western media didn't differentiate between ethnic Roma and ethnic Romanian. Pretty soon, Romanians were seen as persona non-grata in Western Europe and plenty of them were pretty pissed... (and never quite recovered). So for a vocal part of the population, the usual distrust of Roma has turned into an acute us-versus-them mentality. D.
...
you will probably still find those comments (especially the worst of them) reprehensible and they are but I think it helps if you understand the history and the present situation:
Roma have been pretty much the equivalent of blacks, except that they are of dark Caucasian ancestry and they weren't brought to Eastern Europe against their will, they came on their own accord from places like today's India and Bangladesh (some of them ended-up being indentured laborers in monasteries and private households until around 1850); although some of them are doctors and lawyers today, most of those who hold jobs still do menial work and a good portion of them do not hold actual jobs at all; as a group, their rate of incarceration, for instance, is much higher and their education level significantly lower than that of ethnic Romanians.
They have a long history of producing music for countryside and edge-of-town parties. Some of these "bands"/tarafe were very good, particularly when it came to playing instruments (e.g. Taraf de Haiduci - fragment from a movie filmed in a Roma community in Romania)
Although a high percentage of Romanians reportedly listens to "manele" (which is a relatively new form of mostly Roma performed music that can be crude like rap, but it can also be very romantic, like the old Romanian songs) at least occasionally, a vocal portion of the population considers it a disgrace (they charge that the lyrics are puerile and things like grammar are not given much importance).
I get the impression that this is due at least in part part to the belief that it gives foreigners an inaccurate image of Romania and of Romanians (some of these bands have been invited to perform abroad) -- I personally came across a number or relatively educated Americans (one of them was in law school) who were convinced that Romanian people and Roma people were the same...
Poor journalism seems to have given the world this impression and Romania actually passed a law seeking to impose a fine on "irresponsible journalists who damage Romania's image". I don't know how well it succeeded but I did see a number of "documentaries" on Romania that were the equivalent of descending on South Chicago, gathering a group of blacks (exclusively) and saying things like: "These... are the Americans!"
Delia
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Dan Balan sings "Despre tine"
not sure what happened there but... his live singing is dissapointing...D.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Dan Balan: possible influence (lyrics)
MORE: the English translation can be a problem, especially since it was done a long time ago and some words have acquired very different primary meanings by now... it's actually hilarious, without meaning to be funny, in places...
some of the songs, such as Despre Tine Cant and Oriunde vei fi make me think he is influenced by Eminescu (the kind of romanticism and some specific themes)
Delia
P.S. Eminescu was one of the best and very much loved Romanian poets. D.
some of the songs, such as Despre Tine Cant and Oriunde vei fi make me think he is influenced by Eminescu (the kind of romanticism and some specific themes)
Delia
P.S. Eminescu was one of the best and very much loved Romanian poets. D.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
(Dan Balan aka Crazy Loop) The power of shower: Uhh -Ahh-Yeah
he's definitely got the sound down right! (there were those who said he sounded odd in English and always will... not when he's singing) D.
Semantic Music Annotation and Retrieval
not a bad idea, Doug... it's just that I don't think people can really put their finger on (and thus be able to articulate) what exactly it is that they like about a particular piece of music... and I doubt AI could really do that for them -- "mellow Beatles" may give an idea but I suspect quite a few songs that would fit that description (when you analyze the music) would be disappointing to quite a few of those searching using that criteria...
Delia
P.S. also, if you expect it to be a cross-cultural tool, I would think you'd run into quite a few translation/culture issues
P.P.S. I'd be really impressed if actual appeal of a song could be predicted (e.g. being able to say that "Dragostea din tei," for instance, would have huge appeal to so many people coming from so many different cultures just by analyzing the song...) D.
Delia
P.S. also, if you expect it to be a cross-cultural tool, I would think you'd run into quite a few translation/culture issues
P.P.S. I'd be really impressed if actual appeal of a song could be predicted (e.g. being able to say that "Dragostea din tei," for instance, would have huge appeal to so many people coming from so many different cultures just by analyzing the song...) D.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
(Dan Balan aka Crazy Loop) The Power of Shower: Despre tine cant
interesting... it's a theme that seems to run through quite of few of his songs, including Dragostea din Tei (the confusing -- to foreigners -- "vrei sa pleci dar nu ma nu ma iei, nu ma nu ma iei...": being left behind by somebody he loved deeply -- is this something that actually happened? (may well be...)
Delia
P.S. song is in Romanian (probably will not be included in albums sold outside of Romania) D.
Delia
P.S. song is in Romanian (probably will not be included in albums sold outside of Romania) D.
talking about Romanian male dancers... (not necessarily crazy...)
MORE: won the international equivalent to "Dancing with the Stars" in Mexico
Mihai Petre is hard to beat, but Petrisor Ruge (got his break on the Romanian equivalent to "Dancing with the Stars")is not bad, either... D.
Mihai Petre is hard to beat, but Petrisor Ruge (got his break on the Romanian equivalent to "Dancing with the Stars")is not bad, either... D.
Friday, February 8, 2008
(Dan Balan aka Crazy Loop) The Power of Shower: Famikon
in Japanese...
Delia
P.S. hmmm... looks like it's the Ciao Bambina melody... and now that I think of it, I don't think Dan Balan came up with it in the first place (if I remember right it was a children's song in Romania...I remember something like "ma chiama Rino[my name is Reno]... Ciao, Bambino!" D.
Delia
P.S. hmmm... looks like it's the Ciao Bambina melody... and now that I think of it, I don't think Dan Balan came up with it in the first place (if I remember right it was a children's song in Romania...I remember something like "ma chiama Rino[my name is Reno]... Ciao, Bambino!" D.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Phoenix: possibly *the* liveliest Romanian band
MORE: one of their songs (using an old Romanian incantation) arranged specifically for the Romanian movie "The Immortals"
MORE: impressive solo violin (Manfred Neumann; nickname: Mani), solo drums...(Ovidiu Lipan, nickname: Tandarica) and solo guitar
STILL MORE: they made some pretty interesting innovations, such as adding the traditional Romanian violin to customary rock instruments: Baba Novak
EVEN MORE: Pasarea Pheonix (Pheonix, the bird -- its rebirth from ashes): original version
MORE: original version, same band (better sound quality; came out during Communism)
... it's been around about as long as The Rolling Stones... Andrii Popa (one of their
early songs)
Delia
P.S. they got their inspiration from old (pre Christian) Romanian songs D.
MORE: impressive solo violin (Manfred Neumann; nickname: Mani), solo drums...(Ovidiu Lipan, nickname: Tandarica) and solo guitar
STILL MORE: they made some pretty interesting innovations, such as adding the traditional Romanian violin to customary rock instruments: Baba Novak
EVEN MORE: Pasarea Pheonix (Pheonix, the bird -- its rebirth from ashes): original version
MORE: original version, same band (better sound quality; came out during Communism)
... it's been around about as long as The Rolling Stones... Andrii Popa (one of their
early songs)
Delia
P.S. they got their inspiration from old (pre Christian) Romanian songs D.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
The Power of shower: Johanna (Shut Up!)
MORE: you have to be flexible but in the end I don't think the lyrics are bad at all... I like this part in particular (it conveys a very common situation when someone tells you they got it and that they will stop annoying you and he/she in fact wants to do so ... but it's just a brief stop and then... he/she starts all over again...):
And when she tries to stop
She just stops to start
STILL MORE: just to clarify: the way it is it starts with him frustrated and telling her to shut up, then it goes back in time to tell the story of how it got there and it does that by singing her part, then switches to him briefly talking to the audience and then him talking to her back at the break up scene that started the song
what I'm proposing is: don't change anything in terms of lyrics but have a woman sing the woman's part, then have him sing to the audience and then him sing addressing her...
Him to her:
Shut Up
Shut Up
Shut Up
Shut Up
Her:
Feel me
Touch me
Gimme some more
Please me, please me
stop at the store
And make me nicer, brighter, wiser
Buy me some more, more, more
Feel me, touch me, gimme some more
Call me, text me, answer the phone
And make it faster, faster, listen
Talk to me more, more, mo mo more
Him to the audience:
And when she tries to stop
She just stops to start
Him to her:
Big love needs time, shut up
You better save Big love
For the linden trees
And let me live my life
Shut Up
Shut Up
Shut Up
Shut Up
Johanna, why don’t
Pop, shut it Up
Why don’t you kill me
Pop, shut up
Why don’t you feel me
Pop, shut up
Pop-pop, shut up
Pop-pop, shut up
Shut you Up
Shut you Up
Tup-tu-ru-ru-ru
Tup-tu-ru-ru-ru
Shut you up
Shut you up
Tup-tu-ru-ru-ru
Tup-tu-ru-ru-ru
Her:
Feel me
Touch me
Gimme some more
Please me, please me
stop at the store
And make me nicer, brighter, wiser
Buy me some more, more, more
Feel me, touch me, gimme some more
Call me, text me, answer the phone
And make it faster, faster, listen
Talk to me more, more, mo mo more
Him to the audience:
And when she tries to stop
She just stops to start
Him to her:
Big love needs time, shut up
You better save Big love
For the linden trees
And let me live my life
Shut Up
Shut Up
Shut Up
Shut Up
Johanna, why don’t
Pop, shut it Up
Why don’t you kill me
Pop, shut up
Why don’t you feel me
Pop, shut up
Pop-pop, shut up
Pop-pop, shut up
Shut you Up
Shut you Up
Tup-tu-ru-ru-ru
Tup-tu-ru-ru-ru
Shut you up
Shut you up
Tup-tu-ru-ru-ru
Tup-tu-ru-ru-ru
EVEN MORE: best way to make it clear (as far as I can see): have a woman sing the woman's part (there would be no confusion, then) D.
MORE: why is it so difficult to understand what he means? -- not maintaing the same voice throughout (switching from him-talking to her-talking with no clue given is probably most confusing... again, this is *common* for Romanian songs... but if you are not at all familiar with them or with the culture (3rd paragraph, my "creative translation")... it *seems* to not make any sense...) D.
....
cultural issues, again... (the thing is that... it *does* make sense! but, you have to know *how* to find the meaning)
re: befuddled reactions to the lyrics
Persian1010 (19th comment)
yea i love him but oh my god this song doesnt make any sense. first he says feel me touch me give me some more..then please me stop at the store!?? what does that mean. then buy some more lol. then text me answer the phone and make it faster?? that definitely makes no sense. he tells her to talk to him more, then he says shut up. and his cd name is dumb the power of shower????....
Delia
P.S. as I was saying, it *does* make sense... it's about getting frustrated with somebody you used to like very much, somebody that has just become impossibly demanding so you end up having a bad fight and breaking-up... (pretty common situation, regardless of culture) D.
And when she tries to stop
She just stops to start
STILL MORE: just to clarify: the way it is it starts with him frustrated and telling her to shut up, then it goes back in time to tell the story of how it got there and it does that by singing her part, then switches to him briefly talking to the audience and then him talking to her back at the break up scene that started the song
what I'm proposing is: don't change anything in terms of lyrics but have a woman sing the woman's part, then have him sing to the audience and then him sing addressing her...
Him to her:
Shut Up
Shut Up
Shut Up
Shut Up
Her:
Feel me
Touch me
Gimme some more
Please me, please me
stop at the store
And make me nicer, brighter, wiser
Buy me some more, more, more
Feel me, touch me, gimme some more
Call me, text me, answer the phone
And make it faster, faster, listen
Talk to me more, more, mo mo more
Him to the audience:
And when she tries to stop
She just stops to start
Him to her:
Big love needs time, shut up
You better save Big love
For the linden trees
And let me live my life
Shut Up
Shut Up
Shut Up
Shut Up
Johanna, why don’t
Pop, shut it Up
Why don’t you kill me
Pop, shut up
Why don’t you feel me
Pop, shut up
Pop-pop, shut up
Pop-pop, shut up
Shut you Up
Shut you Up
Tup-tu-ru-ru-ru
Tup-tu-ru-ru-ru
Shut you up
Shut you up
Tup-tu-ru-ru-ru
Tup-tu-ru-ru-ru
Her:
Feel me
Touch me
Gimme some more
Please me, please me
stop at the store
And make me nicer, brighter, wiser
Buy me some more, more, more
Feel me, touch me, gimme some more
Call me, text me, answer the phone
And make it faster, faster, listen
Talk to me more, more, mo mo more
Him to the audience:
And when she tries to stop
She just stops to start
Him to her:
Big love needs time, shut up
You better save Big love
For the linden trees
And let me live my life
Shut Up
Shut Up
Shut Up
Shut Up
Johanna, why don’t
Pop, shut it Up
Why don’t you kill me
Pop, shut up
Why don’t you feel me
Pop, shut up
Pop-pop, shut up
Pop-pop, shut up
Shut you Up
Shut you Up
Tup-tu-ru-ru-ru
Tup-tu-ru-ru-ru
Shut you up
Shut you up
Tup-tu-ru-ru-ru
Tup-tu-ru-ru-ru
EVEN MORE: best way to make it clear (as far as I can see): have a woman sing the woman's part (there would be no confusion, then) D.
MORE: why is it so difficult to understand what he means? -- not maintaing the same voice throughout (switching from him-talking to her-talking with no clue given is probably most confusing... again, this is *common* for Romanian songs... but if you are not at all familiar with them or with the culture (3rd paragraph, my "creative translation")... it *seems* to not make any sense...) D.
....
cultural issues, again... (the thing is that... it *does* make sense! but, you have to know *how* to find the meaning)
re: befuddled reactions to the lyrics
Persian1010 (19th comment)
yea i love him but oh my god this song doesnt make any sense. first he says feel me touch me give me some more..then please me stop at the store!?? what does that mean. then buy some more lol. then text me answer the phone and make it faster?? that definitely makes no sense. he tells her to talk to him more, then he says shut up. and his cd name is dumb the power of shower????....
Delia
P.S. as I was saying, it *does* make sense... it's about getting frustrated with somebody you used to like very much, somebody that has just become impossibly demanding so you end up having a bad fight and breaking-up... (pretty common situation, regardless of culture) D.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Dan Balan: why nothing in Russian?
seems like a missed opportunity...
Delia
P.S. looks like Radu released Russian versions for at least some of his songs (e.g. You loved/Doi Straini)
P.P.S. an older song in Russian (appearently very sad, I don't understand Russian...) D.
Delia
P.S. looks like Radu released Russian versions for at least some of his songs (e.g. You loved/Doi Straini)
P.P.S. an older song in Russian (appearently very sad, I don't understand Russian...) D.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
781 Utube entries
MORE: 786??? this is just seconds apart... not bad:)... D.
MORE: 782, now...
for "Crazy Loop" and it's not even February yet(when the album will be released outside of Romania) D.
MORE: 782, now...
for "Crazy Loop" and it's not even February yet(when the album will be released outside of Romania) D.
Friday, January 25, 2008
why??? Dan sings "the Ma Ya Hi song" aka "Dragostea din tei" with Lucas Prata
live at Whitehouse in NY, in the Hamptons
bad idea! it would never match the original version... (Arsenie and Radu DID bring a lot to the interpretation -- they both have very unusual voices and the Romanian version was just so much better to boot....)
Delia
bad idea! it would never match the original version... (Arsenie and Radu DID bring a lot to the interpretation -- they both have very unusual voices and the Romanian version was just so much better to boot....)
Delia
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Cazy Loop: performance in Romania
MORE: I'd stay away from playback if at all possible... D.
pretty lively!
Delia
P.S. wondering if the performance would have been different in the West (it would probably help to take different expectations into account) D.
pretty lively!
Delia
P.S. wondering if the performance would have been different in the West (it would probably help to take different expectations into account) D.
Monday, January 21, 2008
thanks, Crazy Loop! :)
thanks for the correction!
Delia
P.S. feel free to email! (dperiod@comcast.net) I checked-out your blogger profile but it was empty...D.
Delia
P.S. feel free to email! (dperiod@comcast.net) I checked-out your blogger profile but it was empty...D.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
some classic Romanian ballads
MORE: and it wasn't just ballads, there was even some hard rock... e.g. Iris:Trenul fara nas/ The free train...(alusion at the common practice -- during communism -- of not buying a train ticket and bribing the conductor instead)
sung during Communism (live versions, not always best sound quality --> people really knew the lyrics to the songs and was part of the performance,Cenaclu Flacare concerts were extremely popular)
La o cana cu vin/ If all you want to do is have a glass of wine, I won't be there...(full length)
Pustioaico: hmmm... hard to translate, it's close to the French "gamine" but I don't think terms like the English "gal" come close to it... and those who attempt to discribe the character are misleading -- in Romanian it's really and endearing term, it does denote a younger age but not in a negative way like attempted translations turn out...
Si totusi exista iubire/ In spite of all, love hasn't disappeared... (full length)
Delia
sung during Communism (live versions, not always best sound quality --> people really knew the lyrics to the songs and was part of the performance,Cenaclu Flacare concerts were extremely popular)
La o cana cu vin/ If all you want to do is have a glass of wine, I won't be there...(full length)
Pustioaico: hmmm... hard to translate, it's close to the French "gamine" but I don't think terms like the English "gal" come close to it... and those who attempt to discribe the character are misleading -- in Romanian it's really and endearing term, it does denote a younger age but not in a negative way like attempted translations turn out...
Si totusi exista iubire/ In spite of all, love hasn't disappeared... (full length)
Delia
Friday, January 4, 2008
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