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When people think about Istanbul and music, the song "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" springs to mind. This catchy tune, sung by the Canadian quartet The Four Lads, is world-famous. Bing Crosby and Ella Fitzgerald sang it as a duet in the 1950s, Bette Midler performed a version in the 1970s, and They Might Be Giants featured it on their first album "Flood" in 1990. It was even used in the 2003 movie "Mona Lisa Smile" starring Julia Roberts, when the Trevor Horn Band performed it live in a cafe scene.
What many people don’t know is that this song, written as a novelty number and first recorded in 1953, came out 500 years after the conquest of Istanbul, also known as the Fall of Byzantium. Even less well known is the fact that it’s believed to have been penned in response to an earlier novelty number called "Constantinople." "Constantinople" was a big band foxtrot with music and tongue-twisting comic words written by Harry Carlton.
The song "Constantinople" was first recorded in the U.K. in 1928 by the likes of Jack Hylton and his Orchestra on His Master’s Voice, two years before the city of Constantinople was officially renamed Istanbul. It gained worldwide fame with recordings in countries like Belgium, France and America. It was released as "Konstantinopli" in Greece, in Greek, and was even a hit in Australia, my place of birth.
Despite its reach, "Constantinople," the song was soon forgotten, unlike Istanbul, both the song and the city. As anyone who’s been here knows, Istanbul has a certain je ne sais quoi, an elusive can’t-quite-put-your-finger-on-it something, and this has inspired musicians from very different scenes.
Take American singer-songwriter Tom Waits, whose eclectic works cross over rock, jazz, blues, opera, cabaret and experimental styles. As with many of his songs, the story behind his 1987 number "Telephone Call from Istanbul" isn’t clear. On the surface, it seems to be about his sweetheart calling to let him know she's coming home from Istanbul, but he doesn’t sing that outright. Maybe someone else is calling him from Istanbul, and, by coincidence, his baby's coming home today. Perhaps it’s about something else entirely. Whatever the case, I love the melancholy in his gravelly voice and the piercing cry of the saxophone.
Best known as the lead vocalist of the synth-pop/new wave duo Soft Cell, English-born singer-songwriter and musician Marc Almond released "She Took My Soul in Istanbul" in 1988. In this haunting melody set in a minor key, he whisper-sings of love lost when, "Once in a night I spent in Istanbul, I had a dream of a forbidden world where even angels fear to look upon a place where all of love is doomed to die." It’s extremely poetic but also heartbreaking, much as living in Istanbul can be at times.
In 2007, the Scottish rock band Franz Ferdinand performed in Istanbul as part of the Rock’n’Coke Music Festival lineup. Some fans found their energy lacking, but being here inspired lead singer Alex Kapranos to write "Lucid Dreams" with Serra Petale, a songwriter with Turkish roots. The original version came out as a digital download in 2008, but by the time it appeared on their 2009 album "Tonight: Franz Ferdinand," it had been cut down in length and had its lyrics rearranged. This was not appreciated by their fans.
English singer Morrissey is another artist who sings about Istanbul in a song of the same name. It came out on his 2014 album "World Peace Is None of Your Business." The song kicks off with a call to prayer recorded on the streets of Istanbul by guitarist Jesse Tobias, before a story of loss plays out amidst lyrical descriptions of the city. Morrissey delivers in his trademark monotone, dirge-like style (I’m not a fan), but I love the way the song is used as the backdrop for this fabulous video made up of historical footage of Istanbul.
In 2018, Romanian singer Bianca Nita, known as Brianna, represented her country at the sixth Europa Song Contest with the song "Lost in Istanbul." She came sixth, earning 233 points. If you listen carefully, the lyrics don’t have much to do with the city other than the words “I’m lost in Istanbul" but the setting makes for great optics. The official video shows Brianna walking along Istiklal Street, spinning around in Cicek Pasaj and singing on Galata Bridge next to Turkish fishermen. There are glimpses of Galata Tower, windows packed with Turkish delight, or lokum, a mandatory glance at a mosque, and, of course, a ubiquitous cat shot.
Given that the city of Istanbul has been alive with love, hope, and passion for almost 16 centuries, it’s not surprising that it has been a major source of inspiration for these creatives. Looking to the future, I can hear many more songs being played.
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