Istanbul (Not Constantinople)

"Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" is a 1953 novelty song, with lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy and music by Nat Simon. It was written on the 500th anniversary of the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans. The lyrics refer to the official renaming of the city of Constantinople to Istanbul. The song's original release, performed by The Four Lads, was certified as a gold record. A cover of it was released in 1976 by The Ritchie Family and in 1987 by Big Muffin Serious Band, and in 1990 a rock cover by They Might Be Giants was released.

"Constantinople (song)" redirects here. For the Decemberists song, see Picaresqueties. For the Al Stewart song, see 24 Carrots.

Musical influences

The song is said to be a response to "C-O-N-S-T-A-N-T-I-N-O-P-L-E" recorded in 1928 by Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra.[1]

The Four Lads original version

"Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" was originally recorded by the Canadian vocal quartet The Four Lads on August 12, 1953. This recording was released by Columbia Records as catalog number 40082. It first reached the Billboard magazine charts on October 24, 1953, and it peaked at #10. It was the group's first gold record.[2][3]

Cover versions

Frankie Vaughan

Frankie Vaughan's 1954 version for HMV reached the UK charts that year with a peak position of No. 11.[4]

Col Joye's Joy Boys

Col Joye's band recorded an instrumental version under the Festival Records label which peaked No. 16 in November 1960 on the former brand of the ARIA Charts, and ended up as No. 95 for the 1961 year's ranking.[5]

The Big Muffin Serious Band

This group from New Zealand released a cover on their LP "Jabberwocky Goes To Town" in 1987.[6]

They Might Be Giants
"Istanbul (Not Constantinople)"
Single by They Might Be Giants
from the album Flood
B-side"James K. Polk"
ReleasedMay 14, 1990 (1990-05-14)
Genre
Length2:34
Label
Composer(s)Nat Simon
Lyricist(s)Jimmy Kennedy
Producer(s)
They Might Be Giants singles chronology
"Birdhouse in Your Soul"
(1989)		 "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)"
(1990)		 "Twisting"
(1990)
Music video
Istanbul (Not Constantinople) on YouTube

One of the best-known versions of "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" is the cover by the alternative rock band They Might Be Giants (TMBG), who released it on their album Flood in 1990. It was released as the second single from that album in the same year. TMBG's version is at a faster tempo than the original. The music video was featured in the first season of MTV's Liquid Television. An animated version appeared on the series Tiny Toon Adventures' episode "Tiny Toon Music Television", featuring Plucky Duck as a private detective hired to find a missing statue. The single reached number 61 on the UK Singles Chart in 1990.[7] TMBG also later recorded an electronic version of the song for their 2011 compilation album, Album Raises New and Troubling Questions. Their version is also featured in the first season of The Umbrella Academy.

The Sacados

A Spanish language version called "Estambul" was recorded by Argentine synth-pop trio The Sacados in 1990. The song was included on their debut album "Te pido + respeto" (1990).

Bart & Baker

Electro Swing duo Bart & Baker covered the song for their album "The Jet Lag EP" (2012).[8] Another version called "Istanbul 2016" was included on their curation album "Best Of Electro Swing By Bart & Baker" (2016).[9]

Live performance cover versions

The Duke's Men of Yale, an all-male a cappella group at Yale University, perform the song at the end of most of their concerts. The song has been in the repertoire of the Duke's Men since 1953.

During the 2000s, the song was performed live by Australian Klezmer/Gypsy Jazz band Monsieur Camembert, appearing on the album Live on Stage.

References
  1. ""Roll Your Own" Radio Show". bestweb.net. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  2. "Gold & Platinum certification of albums at RIAA". www.riaa.com. Archived from the original on June 8, 2007. Retrieved November 26, 2006.
  3. Whitburn, Joel (1973). Top Pop Records 1940–1955. Record Research. (Source gives 10/17/1953 as the date that it reached the Billboard charts, see p. 23)
  4. Roberts, David (2005). British Hit Singles & Albums (2005 ed.). London: Guinness World Records. p. 531. ISBN 1-904994-00-8.
  5. "AMR Top Singles of 1961".
  6. "Big Muffin Serious Band – Jabberwocky Goes To Town (1987, Vinyl)". Retrieved Apr 25, 2021 – via www.discogs.com.
  7. Roberts, David (2005). British Hit Singles & Albums (2005 ed.). London: Guinness World Records. p. 507. ISBN 1-904994-00-8.
  8. "Bart & Baker – Istanbul (Not Constantinople)". Retrieved Apr 25, 2021 – via genius.com.
  9. "Bart&Baker". Apple Books. Retrieved Apr 25, 2021.
  10. "Jack Benny Program, February 21, 1954" (PDF). Old Time Radio Researchers Group. p. 212. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
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