Istanbul (not Constantinople) By: Jimmy KennedyJimmy Kennedy Adam Phillips – Block 6
Lyrics IstanbulIstanbul was Constantinople Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople Been a long time gone, Constantinople Now it's Turkish delight on a moonlit night Every gal in Constantinople Lives in Istanbul, not Constantinople So if you've a date in Constantinople She'll be waiting in IstanbulConstantinople Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople Been a long time gone, ConstantinopleTurkish delight So if you've a date in Constantinople She'll be waiting in Istanbul
Lyrics (continued) Even old New York Was once New Amsterdam Why they changed it I can't say People just liked it better that way Even old New York Was once New Amsterdam Why they changed it I can't say People just liked it better that way So take me back to Constantinople No, you can't go back to Constantinople Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople Why did Constantinople get the works That's nobody's business but the Turks' No, you can't go back to Constantinople Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople Why did Constantinople get the works That's nobody's business but the Turks'
Bibliography Bayazit, Michael. "Authentic Turkish Delight." Advertisement. Turkish- Delight. Bayco Confectionary, Web. 14 May Bratton, Eva. "Biography of Jimmy Kennedy." Teddy Bears. Eva Bratton, n.d. Web. 14 May Brosnahan, Tom. "Turkish Delight (Lokum)." Turkey Travel Planner. N.p., Web. 27 May "Byzantine Empire." Encyclopædia Britannica Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 27 May
Bibliography (cont.) Cavazzi, Franco. "History of Constantinople." Roman Empire. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May Constantinople. N.d. nates studying page. N.p., Web. 1 June "Fall of Constantinople." Mlahanas. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May Istanbul. N.d. About Turkey. Kusadasi Properties, n.d. Web. 1 June
Bibliography (cont.) Manhattan Island. N.d. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 June "New Amsterdam History (New York)." History of Holland. N.p., Web. 1 June Sansal, Burak. "History of Istanbul." All About Turkey. N.p., Web. 14 May "Turkish Delight Display." Wikimedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 June
THE END
Now it's Istanbul This line is an example of repetition. This is repeated many times throughout the song to get the idea across to the listener that Constantinople is no longer around and now it is Istanbul., not Constantinople Back
Istanbul Istanbul is a city located in modern day Turkey. It is the capital of Turkey and is a center of culture because of how Turkey is in both Asia and Europe. Istanbul Back
Constantinople Constantinople was the capital of the Eastern area of the Roman Empire, later known as the Byzantine Empire. Constantinople Back
Been a long time gone Constantinople fell on May 29, 1453 to the Ottoman Turks. Because of this, the city fell over 550 years ago. Constantinople fell on May 29, 1453 to the Ottoman Turks. Back
Why they changed it I can't say This topic is the main theme of the whole song. The song talks about different reasons why they could’ve changed it and how nobody knows exactly why. Back
Now it's Istanbul Constantinople was originally the capital of the Byzantine Empire (the eastern half of the Roman Empire). It was then captured by the Ottoman Empire in The Ottomans were led by Sultan Mehmet II who then changed the name of Constantinople to Istanbul and also made it the capital of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire then fell in during World War One and became the Republic of Turkey. Today, the capital of Turkey is still Istanbul and is a center of culture because of how Turkey is in both Asia and Europe. Byzantine Empire Back, Not Constantinople
Turkish Delight Turkish delight has been made since the 15 th century and was originally made by the Ottoman Empire from mixing molasses, flour, honey, and water. The reason why it is in this song is that he Ottoman Empire conquered Constantinople; therefore, they will now make Turkish delight in Istanbul since it was a trademark of the Ottoman Empire. Turkish delight Back
Jimmy Kennedy Jimmy Kennedy was born in Northern Ireland in He grew up in Ireland and eventually went to Dublin’s Trinity College. After college he moved to London where he taught until 1927 when he became a civil servant. While he was a civil servant, he wrote and published his first song in 1931, “The Barmaid’s Song.” It was a complete success and set him up for a lasting career in the music industry. Other hits of his include “Istanbul (not Constantinople)” in 1953, “Red Sails in the Sunset” in 1935, and “Teddy Bears’ Picnic” in Jimmy Kennedy Back
So if you've a date in Constantinople She'll be waiting in Istanbul This is yet another way to say that Constantinople is no longer around. Constantinople and Istanbul are the same place but run by two different empires. Constantinople was run by the Byzantine Empire until the 15 th century, and then the Ottoman Turks invaded and defeated them. Once the Turks took over, they renamed the city Istanbul. Back
Even old New York Was once New Amsterdam Before Britain took control of New York, it was known as New Amsterdam since the Dutch had control of it. Once the British received the territory from the Dutch, it was renamed New York.New Amsterdam Back
People just liked it better that way This is a possible reason why they changed the name from Constantinople to Istanbul which is the theme of the song. When he wrote that people just liked it better that way, he was referring to the fact that most of the time, when cities are taken over by foreign countries, the names of the cities are changed. This happened in cases such as when New Amsterdam became New York and when Fort Orange became Albany, New York. Back
you can't go back to Constantinople This line is another way to say how it is impossible to go back to Constantinople. Nobody can go back to Constantinople since it is officially no longer Constantinople. Now it is known as only Istanbul ever since the Turks took over. No, Back
Why did Constantinople get the works That's nobody's business but the Turks' This line refers to how there is really no known reason why the name change occurred which again is the main theme of the song. All that is known is that it happened and that it has happened in other places as well such as New York. This shows that “people just like it better that way.” Back