Istanbul (Not Constantinople)

Istanbul (Not Constantinople) was the title to a song originally performed by The Four Lads in 1953, and was written by Jimmy Kennedy and Nat Simon.

Related Topics:
The Four Lads - 1953 - Jimmy Kennedy - Nat Simon

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The lyrics humorously remind the listener that the city of Istanbul used to be called Constantinople, and profess uncertainty about how and why cities' names change. The song's bewildered claims of the inscrutability of this process (for example, that New York City's name was changed from New Amsterdam because "people just liked it better that way") contrasts amusingly with the efforts of historians to account for such changes.

Related Topics:
Istanbul - Constantinople - New York City - New Amsterdam - Historians

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The song was later covered by the rock group They Might Be Giants, who released it on their their LP Flood in 1990, and on its own EP that same year.

Related Topics:
They Might Be Giants - LP - Flood - 1990 - EP

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~