English covers

Joan Baez first popularized the English version of the song when she recorded it in 1960, retitled as "Donna Donna". This version is still popular today with over 10 millions streams on Spotify.

Ola & the Janglers version Later, Swedish band Ola & the Janglers covered it in 1966, originally having heard the version by Kodesh & Schwartz.^[11] Unlike many artists that had previously covered "Donna, Donna", the Janglers were not known as folk artists, and had previously only released rock songs.^[12] Owing to this, they slightly changed the arrangement of the song, to better fit the group.^[12] They added a harpsichord part played by group keyboardist Johannes Olsson along with bass guitar by Åke Eldsäter.^[12] Though drummer Leif Johansson was left out, a harmony part by Ola Håkansson, Claes af Geijerstam and Eldsäter was added during the chorus.^[12] The group recorded it and the B-side "Come and Stay with Me" during a session in 1966, with their regular producer Gunnar Bergström present.^[11]

Initially intended to mark the introduction of guitarist af Geijerstam, who had recently replaced Christer Idering,^[13] "Donna, Donna" was chosen as the A-side of the single.^[12] However, during the time the single sleeves with "Donna, Donna" as the A-side were being printed, Pye Records released Donovan's version of the song as a single in Sweden.^[12] Fearing that the two singles would compete, their record label Gazell decided to switch the running order, with "Come and Stay with Me" becoming the A-side once the 7-inch single was being pressed.^[12][14] This meant that the sleeve and single had contrasting A-sides, which led to confusion by some of their fans and several radio stations, who were unaware of what side to plug.^[12]

"Come and Stay with Me" managed to reach number 13 on Kvällstoppen and number three on Tio i Topp in April 1966.^[15][16] "Donna, Donna" was still specifically asked about in record stores,^[12] which led to it gaining a chart position on Kvällstoppen as well.^[15] It entered on April 12, 1966 at a position of number 19, and was last seen on April 19 at the same position, coincidentally the same date "Come and Stay with Me" entered the chart.^[15] This led to the Janglers having three singles simultaneously during this date; "Love Was on Your Mind", "Donna, Donna" and "Come and Stay with Me".^[15]

Both sides of the single were among the first attempts at a Swedish rock band releasing a song in a folk rock vein.^[12] It was originally included on their second studio album Patterns, released in June of that year.^[17] It has since become a staple on most of their compilation albums, including Best Sounds (1969)^[18] and Ola & the Janglers, 1964–71!.^[19]

French covers

Claude François cover

In 1964, the song was recorded in French language by French singer Claude François as "Donna, Donna" reaching the top of the French Singles Charts for two consecutive weeks in December 1964. François co-wrote the French lyrics with Vline Buggy. The song also known by its longer title "Donna, Donna (Le Petit Garçon)" is a completely revamped version lyricwise, as it no longer describes a helpless calf being led to its slaughter, as in the original Yiddish version, but is rather about the troubles of an aspiring young boy growing up dreaming about his own future. In the last verse, in an autobiographical twist, Claude François alludes to himself by singing the verse as "ce petit garçon que j'étais" (this small boy that I was...).

Other French covers

• In 1998, the French boyband C4 released a French dance version as "Donna, Donna" (YouTube video) on Polygram having a minor hit on French Singles Charts reaching number 25 and staying 12 weeks on the chart.^[24]

Other versions

• The song was recorded in Yiddish by Aviva Semadar for the German radio show Folklore Around the World on WDR, on November 4, 2002.^[25]
• "Dana Dana" has been translated from Yiddish into Hebrew as "Lama Dona" and interpreted by Rika Zaraï. Zaraï went on also to launch a French oriental dance version in her album Hava.
• The song has also been recorded in many other languages as well, including German, Swedish, Japanese, Russian, Italian, Catalan and Vietnamese. In Vietnamese, the title was "Tiếc thương" (Mourning) by the musician Tuấn Dũng (of Mây Trắng group) in the 1960s, and the lyrics were shifted to expresses the mourning of a man whose lover died at a young age, making the song's impact on Vietnamese music. In Trần Tiến's version (1990s), the lyrics were translated metaphorically from French and performed by a girl-band named Tam Ca Áo Trắng (Trio of Schoolgirls). There is also a less popular Vietnamese version called "Tiếc thương" (Mourning) that expresses the mourning of a man whose lover died at the young age. A version in Japanese is included in episode 16 of the 1997 TV anime series Revolutionary Girl Utena.