Song: “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)”
A little geography lesson set to music
In 1953, “Instanbul (Not Constantinople)” was a Top 10 hit and certified Gold. It was first recorded by the Canadian vocal quartet, the Four Lads. The song was written by Jimmy Kennedy and Nat Simon on the 500th anniversary of the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans. The city was renamed Istanbul in 1930.
It was covered multiple times, including by Bing Crosby and Bette Midler, before the 1990 cover by They Might Be Giants on their Platinum-selling album Flood. This is perhaps the most famous version of the song now, despite failing to chart in the US and reaching only #61 in the UK.
A faster tempo makes it even more fun to try to sing along.
The Might Be Giants moved on to doing children’s music with Gold albums Here Come the ABCs, Here Come the 123s, and Here Comes Science. They also wrote the theme to Malcolm In the Middle, and music included in SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical.
There’s not much more to say. Enjoy!