"Nessaja" is a German-language song written by Peter Maffay and Rolf Zuckowski from the musical Tabaluga. Performed by Maffay, it was included on the 1983 album Tabaluga oder die Reise zur Vernunft and was released as a single the same year, reaching number 17 on the West German Singles Chart. The song has been covered multiple times, including by dance project Once Again, whose version peaked at number 42 in Germany, and by German band Scooter, whose English-language version became their only number-one single in their home country.
In April 2002, Scooter released a version of "Nessaja" with English lyrics. It appears as a bonus track on the group's first live album, ', and was the first Scooter single to feature new member Jay Frog. The pitch shifted female vocals are performed by Nicole "Nikk" Sukar. "Nessaja" became Scooter's first and only number-one single in Germany and reached number two in Austria, Norway, and Romania. In the United Kingdom, the song peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart.
The music video for "Nessaja" opens with a limousine pulling up outside a large white mansion. Women in dresses and men in suits get out of the car and go inside the house. Many people are waiting for a 'show' to start behind a red curtain. When the music starts, H.P. Baxxter comes out from behind the curtain and starts rapping. The people start dancing and then there are some shots of women dressed in underwear and rabbit ears in the same room (although it is empty). The video comes back to Scooter for a while, then cuts back to the two women, who are now topless. The women are later seen in bathtubs, now wearing bikinis. The rest of the video shows H.P. Baxxter rapping and people dancing and partying. At the end of the video there is confetti on the floor and everyone is asleep, apart from Scooter, who then leave in a limousine.
German CD single
German limited-edition CD single
European CD single
European 12-inch single
UK CD single
UK 12-inch single
UK cassette single
Australian CD single
Scooter's version of "Nessaja" featured in the opening credits of the 2009 film Brüno. The song was also featured in a scene of Episode 6 "GNVQ" of the BBC sitcom "This Country" and in a scene in Season 1, Episode 13 "Pyramid Scheme" of the American remake Welcome to Flatch.