When I first came to Romania, I was confronted with a wild and dazzling array of different kinds of music, most of which I had never heard before. It also didn’t help that I couldn’t understand the words either. In fact, due to my odd memory, I can tell you exactly which song I heard in Romanian first, an old and very popular ballad by … Continue reading Music in Romania
Oh my lord, I’m sure I’m the only English-speaking person on the planet who finds certain manele songs delightful but so it is :P Here’s a superior product from Nicolae Guta and the incomparable Roxana, Printesa Ardealului aka Roxana, the Transylvanian Princess. First of all, on a highly personal note, The Woman is openly aware of my fascination and admiration of Printesa Ardealului so it’s … Continue reading Mi-A Venit Barbatul Acasa
I’ve been wanting to break down this song for a long time – it’s full of hilarious Gypsy slang and is a funny, silly song by Nicolae Guta. It has ALL the classic elements of a good Guta video: showing off money (wife slipping Euros in her pocket), total over the top brazenness (putting a radar detector on his horse’s muzzle), gypsies dancing and having … Continue reading Deconstructing Manele – Nu-i Carutza Ca Mertanu
Yes ladies and gentlemen, time to learn about Nicolae Guţă (NEEK-OH-LIE GOOTSA), the man who was King of All Romanians before I came along. To understand Romania, you must understand who this man is and the kind of music he sings, known as manele. If you walk up to any normal Romanian and say “hey that manele song is really catchy. It’s got a beat … Continue reading Nicolae Guta, (Ex) King of all Romanians!
All Things Romania 