Dragostea Din Tei was released by Moldovan pop group O-Zone in 2003 and became a worldwide hit the following year, with its Romanian chorus travelling far beyond its original audience. It then became one of the internet's first viral songs after Gary Brolsma's 2004 Numa Numa lip-sync video, which turned the chorus into a shared joke across forums and early video sites. Russian-language versions helped keep it alive in Eastern Europe, and the melody still works today because it is instantly recognisable even to listeners who do not know the words.