Volare comes from Domenico Modugno's 1958 Italian song Nel blu, dipinto di blu, which became an international hit under its shorter, better-known title. Its chorus, built around the word volare, meaning to fly, and its joyful oh-oh refrain, helped it cross language barriers and enter popular culture far beyond Italy. The melody has since been covered and sampled many times, and short clips of the chorus now circulate as a shorthand for romance, travel and carefree happiness in videos and memes.