Istanbul (Not Constantinople)

Actually, the first time I heard that song it was on an old 78 RPM record player that belonged to our maternal grandfather in Cochrane, Ontario. If I’m not mistaken, that version was by the Four Lads, and I prefer it to the TMBG version.

And our friend Catherine Hennessey maintains that Charlottetown is properly Charlotte Town.

In fact there was a Johnny Wayne (aka 1/2 of Wayne and Schuster) song called Charlottetown that used that rhyme exactly.

A friend of my brother taught me the song “Charlottetown is burning down, good bye, goodbye…Charlottetown Town is burning down, good bye Liza Jane.” On the first Charlottetown, you say it as all one word…on the second, you say it as two.

Istanbul (Not Constantinople) “Istanbul” 1953 Words by Jimmy Kennedy Music by Nat Simon “It’s Istanbul, not Constantinople now ….” Leave it to Tin Pan Alley to turn centuries of ethnic and religious struggles into a catchy ditty. This song, although copyrighted by Kennedy and Simon, is a direct descendant of the humourous piece, “Al-Bar the Bubul Emir” that could be found in the pages of “Captain Billy’s Whizbang,” an early 20th century precursor to “Mad Magazine.” Lyrics: Istanbul 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 Istanbul 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 Been a long time gone, Constantinople Why did Constantinople get the works That’s nobody’s business but the Turks Istanbul (Istanbul) Istanbul (Istanbul) Even old New York was once New Amsterdam Why they changed it I can’t say People just liked it better that way Istanbul was Constantinople Now it’s Istanbul, not Constantinople Been a long time gone, Constantinople Why did Constantinople get the works That’s nobody’s business but the Turks So take me back to Constantinople No, you can’t go back to Constantinople Been a long time gone, Constantinople Why did Constantinople get the works That’s nobody’s business but the Turks Istanbul Istanbul (Not Constantinople) is the fourth (4th) song on the Flood album and is the eighth (8th) song, in live format, on the Severe Tire Damage album.