This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (February 2007)

"Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" is a swing-style song, written by Jimmy Kennedy and Nat Simon. It is based on the music for "Puttin' on the Ritz", written by Irving Berlin in 1929^{[citation needed]}. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Swing music, also known as swing jazz, is a form of jazz music that developed during the 1920s and had solidified as a distinctive style by 1935 in the United States. ... Jimmy Kennedy (born July 20, 1902, died April 6, 1984) was a songwriter predominently the lyricist putting words to existing music like Teddy Bears Picnic and My Prayer or co writing with Michael Carr or Wilhelm Grosz or Nat Simon among others Jimmy Kennedy was born in Omagh, Northern Ireland... Puttin on the Ritz is a popular song written and published in 1929 by Irving Berlin and introduced by Harry Richman in the musical film Puttin on the Ritz (1930). ... Irving Berlin (May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was an American composer and lyricist, one of the most prodigious and famous American songwriters in history. ... Year 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

It was originally recorded by 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. ^[1] The Four Lads, in a 50s nostalgia concert which aired on PBS. The Four Lads were a singing group. ... is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... See also: 1952 in music, other events of 1953, 1954 in music, 1950s in music and the list of years in music // Events Arthur Bliss replaces Arnold Bax as Master of the Queens Musick. ... Columbia Records is the oldest brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888, and was the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. ... This list presents the numbering systems used by various record companies for single (mainly 7 33 1/3 and 45, and 10 78 rpm) records. ... On January 4, 1936, Billboard magazine published its first music hit parade and on July 20, 1940 the first Music Popularity Chart was calculated. ... is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The lyrics humorously remind the listener of the change of the name of the city Constantinople to the Turkish name of Istanbul, professing uncertainty about how and why the names of cities change. (It doesn't mention the city's first name change, from the Greek name of Byzantium.) The song also mentions, for the sake of comparison, the fact that New York City was originally named New Amsterdam. The city of Istanbul has been known through the ages under a large number of different names. ... This article is about the city before the Fall of Constantinople (1453). ... Istanbul (Turkish: , Greek: , historically Byzantium and later Constantinople; see other names) is Turkeys most populous city, and its cultural and financial center. ... Byzantium (Greek: Βυζάντιον) was an ancient Greek city, which, according to legend, was founded by Greek colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas or Byzantas (Βύζας or Βύζαντας in Greek). ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... This article is about the settlement in present-day New York City. ...

Covers

One of the more recent, better-known versions of the song is the cover by the rock group They Might Be Giants, who released it on their LP Flood in 1990, and on its own EP that same year. TMBG's version is at a faster tempo than the original and contains a distinct klezmer influence, including a violin introduction and some accordion parts. This article is about the musical group. ... A gramophone record, (also phonograph record - often simply record) is an analog sound recording medium: a flat disc rotating at a constant angular velocity, with inscribed spiral grooves in which a stylus or needle rides. ... Flood is the third studio album by They Might Be Giants, and their first with a major label, Elektra Records. ... See also: 1990 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 1990 Record labels established in 1990 list of years in music // January 21 - MTVs Unplugged premieres on cable television with musical guest, Squeeze February 6 - Billy Idol is involved in a serious motorcycle accident, resulting in several broken bones. ... Istanbul (Not Constantinople) was an EP released by They Might Be Giants in 1990, which featured their version of the title song. ... Klezmer (from Yiddish כּלי־זמיר, etymologically from Hebrew kli zemer כלי זמר, musical instrument) is a musical tradition which parallels Hasidic and Ashkenazic Judaism. ... The violin is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. ... This article is about the instrument as a whole. ...

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. The Dukes Men[1] became the youngest male a cappella group at Yale University in 1952. ... This article is about the vocal technique. ... Yale redirects here. ...

The song is on the album Bette Midler Live at Last. Bette Midler (born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress and comedienne, also known to her fans as The Divine Miss M. She is named after the actress Bette Davis although Davis pronounced her first name in two syllables, and Midler uses one. ... Live at Last - released in 1977 Live at Last is an album involving Bette Midler released in 1977 Disc: 1 1. ...

The song was also regularly covered by the klemzer fusion jazz band Hypnotic Clambake. It was featured on many live recordings of the bands which can be found on several internet download sites including www.archive.org

The song is also covered as the opening track on the Ska Cubano album Ay Caramba and recently in the Friends and Family album of Ayhan Sicimoglu (Doublemoon 2006).

Other artists that are known to have covered this song include Edmundo Ros (1953) , The Radio Revellers (1953) , Frankie Vaughan (1954), Caterina Valente (1954), Santo & Johnny (1962), The argentinian pop group The Sacados (1990), the Swiss Folk Group Mad Dodo (1992), and Ac Rock (2000). The Residents have a song called "Constantinople" on their classic 1978 EP Duck Stab based on a rhythm similar to that of "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)," but its lyrics are different, and so it's less a cover than a homage. Frankie Vaughan, CBE (3 February 1928-17 May 1999) was a singer of traditional pop music in the United Kingdom, who issued more than 80 recordings in his lifetime. ... The two faces of Caterina Valente: lady and tomboy. ... Santo & Johnny were an American rock and roll duo from Brooklyn. ... For other uses, see Resident. ... See also: 1970s in music. ... The Residents album Duck Stab/Buster and Glen was another stop-gap effort released due to delays with the Eskimo album. ...

Chris Cracknell wrote a filk version of the song, titled Deep Space Nine (was Terok Nor). In the same manner as the original, this version deals with the Terok Nor being renamed to Deep Space Nine. Ghastlys Ghastly Comic is a webcomic by Chris Cracknell, A.K.A. Ghastly, dealing with anime fetish and paraphilias. ... Filk is a form of music created from within fandom, and performed generally late at night at science fiction conventions. ... This article is about the space station, for the Television show of the same name, see Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. ...

Cultural uses

The They Might Be Giants version of the song was used for a music video in an episode of the animated children's series Tiny Toon Adventures. This article is about the musical group. ... Steven Spielberg Presents Tiny Toon Adventures (also known as Tiny Toon Adventures or Tiny Toons) is an American animated television series created and produced as a collaborative effort between Steven Spielberg and Warner Bros. ...

An episode of The Simpsons in which Homer buys an RV with Marge's "scrimpings", features the TMBG version of the song when the family is invited on the deck of a Turkish Freighter upon which the RV landed. Mobile Homer is the thirteenth episode of The Simpsons sixteenth season; it first aired in the US on March 20, 2005. ... Simpsons redirects here. ... Recreational Vehicle (RV) is a broad term used to describe a large enclosed piece of equipment with wheels designed to be moved from place to place for people to temporarily live in and be protected from the elements while away from their permanent domicile. ...

The song was also featured in the 2003 film Mona Lisa Smile, and the Pierce Brosnan episode of Muppets Tonight. Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mona Lisa Smile is a 2003 American film that was produced by Revolution Studios and Columbia Pictures, directed by Mike Newell, written by Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal, and starring Julia Roberts, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Kirsten Dunst, and Julia Stiles. ... Pierce Brendan Brosnan, OBE [1] (born May 16, 1953) is an Irish actor and producer best known for portraying James Bond in four films from 1995 to 2002: GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day. ... Muppets Tonight was a live-action/puppet television series created by Jim Henson Productions and featuring the Muppets. ...

In 2005, the TMBG version of the song was featured in Konami's Dance Dance Revolution ULTRAMIX 3, for Microsoft's Xbox console. Konami Corporation ) (TYO: 9766 NYSE: KNM SGX: K20) is a leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines and video games. ... Dance Dance Revolution ULTRAMIX 3 will be the tenth home version of Dance Dance Revolution to be released in the United States. ... Microsoft Corporation, (NASDAQ: MSFT, HKSE: 4338) is a multinational computer technology corporation with global annual revenue of US$44. ... The Xbox is a sixth generation era video game console produced by Microsoft Corporation. ...

In the Battlefield Vietnam modification Point of Existence, the song can be played in the radio of the civilian limo in the map Embassy. Battlefield Vietnam is the next computer game in Electronic Arts Battlefield franchise after Battlefield 1942. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

It is reputed that one of the humor pieces found in the 1920s Fawcett Publications' humor magazine Captain Billy's Whizbang, titled "Al-Bar the Bubul Emir", was the inspiration for this Tin Pan Alley song. ^{[verification needed]} Fawcett Publications was an American publishing company founded in 1919 in Robbinsdale, Minnesota by Wilford Hamilton Captain Billy Fawcett (1883-1940). ... Tin Pan Alley is the name given to the collection of New York City-centered music publishers and songwriters who dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century. ...

The lyrics were used in the February 21, 1954 episode of The Jack Benny Program during a sketch about a man trying to buy a train ticket to Constantinople. Jack Benny and Frank Nelson proceed to use the lyrics to dispute where the man can go. is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Jack Benny Program, starring Jack Benny, was a radio-TV comedy series which ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th-century comedy. ... Jack Benny (February 14, 1894 in Chicago, Illinois – December 26, 1974 in Beverly Hills, California), born Benjamin Kubelsky, was an American comedian, vaudeville performer, and radio, television, and film actor. ... Frank Nelson was an American born comedic actor best known for playing put-upon foils on radio and television. ...

The song is featured in the third season of Jeeves and Wooster, during a montage sequence of New York City. Jeeves and Wooster is a humourous television series adapted by Clive Exton from P.G. Wodehouses Jeeves stories, and produced by Carnival Films for Granada Television, and screened on the United Kingdoms ITV network from 1990 to 1993. ... For other uses of the word montage, see Montage. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ...

References

Joel Carver Whitburn (born November 29, 1939 in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin) is an American author and music historian. ...

External links

• Song lyrics