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Istanbul (Not Constantinople) Lyrics
Artist: They Might Be Giants
Album: Flood
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
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Comments/Interpretations
amazing
This song is so magnificently annoying... I sing it in class just to piss off the people around me, and you should, too!
o.O why would people be pissed off about this? it is nothing but the truth.
it sucks!It's always been Constantinople.Long live Greece!
COSTNTINOPOLI COSTANTINOPOLI NOT ISTANBUL
We're doing this song in a broadway camp and I love it so much!
thanos and antonio it is difficult to accept for you :)sad for you. FOREVER ISTANBUL...
I could as well claim New York City as New Amsterdam, being a Dutchman ^^.
i love it!!
constantinople just souns better then istanbul
like the song says it was once constantinople now its istanbul and its nobodys business but the Turks!
it's Konstantinoupoli in greek d.kiz. get this?? go back to egypt and live this city to its owners!
now...today...tomarrow...and yesterday...everytime...its istanbul..=)nobody can change it..=)
yes its always istanbul and it will be always istanbul
forever istanbul accept that oyu bastards oyu cant get back ahuahhaahuahauha
forever istanbul accept that oyu bastards you cant get back ahuahhaahuahauha
what a stupid and meaningless song.
It may be meaningless, but not stupid... it always makes me smile and I like it.
hey greeks don't be jelaous;) it's over just shut up,we always conquer;)
you are all stupits..i am turk..its' turkish is istanbul and its' greek is constantinople..everyone can call it what they want..it doesnt change the thruth that istanbul now belongs to turks..bye
Sure are a lot of trolls around here
that is one of the coolest songs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
song's been around a long time. first recorded by the Four Lads in 1953. also by Bette Midler, The Residents, and Monsieur Camembert from Australia. i like the fast TMBG klezmer version the best.
whether it's Istanbul or Constantinople, there're no deserts and camels in this city :) it's kind of funny actually. But cute song.
Kosovo is Serbia ~ Constantinople=Hellas
I love this song. My teacher played it for the class once, and I fell in love with it. It's catchy. :)
For those of you who obviously have not had a World History class...Constantinople belonged to the Romans!! I believe it was named after emperor Constantine in like the 300's. It DID NOT belong to Greeks!!!!
Just thought I'd point out that the source of the Turkish name "Istanbul" is from the Greek phrase "eis ton polin" meaning "in the city"... so... Greek people should stop getting upset about it.
its Constantinople.....MALAKA!!!!!!!!!!
FOREVER AND EVER ISTANBUL NOT ANYTHING ELSE!!!
guys,i see that this song has been a discussion subject now.greeks are angry about the city's name but,they have to know that turks were having many other cities in the world which don't belong to turks now.and those cities names were different.so why don't turks demand the old names of the cities which belong to them many years ago,but greeks demand it?
That song telling helpless of Europe and Greekss hahaha:D
It's an AMERICAN song so no Turks or Greeks for that matter should even be listening to it. Get your own songs and piss off.
its constantinople not istambul
hej hej there is no meaning to discuss..I was in Istanbul last year..ticket to Istanbul from Stockholm or anywhere that u come from..And turkish people really great and friendly...dont upset but there is really too many turkish in Istanbul..whether city belongs to people...HEJ guysss JAG alskar DIG :))
Actually I believe it was Roman and then Byzantium
please just someone speaks who is know anytnhg about turkish people and turkish cultere! STANBul Forever!!
Many countries like france, england and russia wanted to conquer stanbul but they couldn't beacause the turkish soldiers were very conceited and they didn't let others to occupy our glamorous and flamboyant city. So stanbul is not Constantinople!
this is very incredible stupid song, and theres no Constantinopol, its Istanbul....
just peace ! I love both of them
SINCE 1453 ISTANBUL FOREVER
I am in middle school and we already learned about this. U r sad people. LOOK IT UP!
hey lala and the others like her..see the truths and wake up:) constantinople is just a dream..also only your grandgrandgrandmums could see it;)please open your eyes to 21. cenctury for the name of istanbulll:D
This song is amazing!
always the same thing with the greeks. they want palces that doesn't belong to them.Istanbul belongs to turks and its wonderful as Saranda belong to albanians.
istanbul rocks!!!!And the song also.!lol...They might be giants! :)
Great song, accept it or not its ISTANBUL
Also it's a stupid song because no "Giant" can tell me how to call the city of my childhood. If I go to the UN I will say Istanbul, but in my daily life I say whatever I want.
we had to listen to this in class and ill start to hum it and IT IS STUCK IN ME HAED AND CANT GET IT OUT
Why don't we just agree to change the name to "Atlantis" thus solving a bunch of complicated problems in one swell foop?
ISTANBUL!
Go Ottoman Empire! (destroyed in WWI)
When I was a kid & heard this song, I thought it was "gotta e stand bull, can't stand tinople."
And for the sea borders, we should go to some international court or the UN or something, instead of threatening our neighbours. Otherwise you will say this and we will say that, and war is not an option, in our days. :pppp
Don't get me wrong, this is a good song. However, it's just so overused that it's not fun to listen to any more.
Istanbul is the best City (Not Constantinopel)
Yes,Constan..(anyway ;)) is just a dream.OK? Forever to be STANBUL Long time ago was be constantinopolis.. and nobadys cant change istanbul.. thx bye all
!!!ISTANBUL SINCE 1453!!!
Awwwwwwwsummmm!!!!!!XDDD
Greece is little sassy boy of the West. Greece just wants take a beating by Turks. Always. They did and they will. They went down by Ottoman, after by Atatrk, after by Turkish Army (only 30 years ago, Cyprus peace operation). And all of them caused because of them occupancy policy. If they still want, we can civilize them.
I agree with the person above the person above me... except the laughing part, and Constantinople wasn't Greek, it was part of the Byzantine Empire, a thousand years after the Greeks disappeared.
everybody knows that, STANBUL NOT constantinople
Istanbul Since 1453...
oh poor Greek guy thanos.. ITS OURS.your ancestors had met Fatih Sultan Mehmet, I know not in a pleasant way, and you have to live with this :)
i am a turkish girl, and i cant understand the hatred between some turks and greeks! i wish we could live in this city(istanbul/constantinapole) togather
LONG LIVE CONSTANTINOPLE! luv tht name
What a silly and useless discussion have been going on here..We paid the price with our grandfather's blood and changed it.If anyone dare to pay more which i strongly recommend not to do it,we can pay more than you again without any hesitation.If the subject is our land,espacially Istanbul,you can't imagine how mad we can be.Read some history for further information..Since 1453 and until the end of this world,it will be called Istanbul,none of your business,but our's.God Bless You Sultan FATIH...
I still love constantinople. but i get that it is instanbul now. why are people saying tht it should be constantinople?
i agree with wumpscut.
its constantinopal not istanbul long live greece
The world says , ''Istanbul''.Long live Turkey
Burada bile kavga ediliyor aq :D
Wumpscut is right
my geografy/civics teacher sings this song all the time. it gets annoyin
ha ha..This is just a song, people! Relax! :) There are no irrational nations as Greeks and Turks on this planet. Once again, even here about a simple song, it has been approved. When will both parts learn to think rationally?
Im a Greek and i can get its 'Istanbul' now,why cant you my brothers and sisters?
this is the greatest song i ever heard its #1 on my ipod top 25!
i agree with HUMAN and Duarte.
CHILL THE FUCK OUT PEOPLE!!! ITS A SONG!!!
Long live Bagugal Town!
Call the damn city whatever you want guys. Noone gives a shit
that city's name is older than nationalism. call it whatever u want, just dont impose each other. greeks and everyone, come see Istanbul, be our guest.
obviously the song was not written by history teachers, it was just ment to be fanny.The sultans called the city konstadiniya,and had no problem with it's past, or how it's turkish, greek, armenian,jewish,levantine or whatever populace called it. It's kemal attaturk who made it officially istambul, a fascist leader who performed horrible crimes of ethnic cleansing, estamblissing a fascist opresing state,which hopefully is showing some change resently.Clearly the city's full glory is to be seen in the contributions of all it's races, not just the modern turks, who chose another, still greek in origin, name to glorify their dominance.
geçmişlerimiz hangimizin doğru ve temiz bilmem ama ben bu güzelim şehirde doğdum istanbul ancak yaşayanların bilebileceği bir duyğudur buranın havasını ve denizi tatmak anlamak. yinede kim ne derse desin sevdiceğim istanbuldur ismi şehrimin ve böle kalacaktır herkes için. sonsuza kadar...
It is ISTANBUL! Constantinople was hundred years ago, you Greeks are jealous get over it. I read many articles about Turiksh people and you and the thing I found: You are jealous of Turkish people. You want to show world that many Turkish drinks and dessert are yours! Now is it time to say Constantinople instead of Istabul?
This has to be the most entertaining thread I have EVER read. Thanks for the Turk V. Greek entertainment!!! (p.s. it's all just one global village!)
:):):):):) nice song and truth
i like this song it is very very very awesome i like how they sing high and low that is very cool and why do you say turks at the end is it because it is from turkey and why do you say gal at the end because it is cool cool and cool.
You idiot greek people. Still trying to say its not istanbul.. We are Turco guys , Turk ;)
hey greeks guess u r living in 1100's or u want this :D
"They Might Be Giants" just did a cover, the original was lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy and music by Nat Simon 1953
ananin ami "nazim"!!! ayrca nazim'in adini kullanmayi da haketmiyorsun pis akp'li seni!!!
great tune.
senin begenmediğin Atatrk olmasaydı senin babanın adı John olup her hafta Pazar gfnleri aforoz ıkarırdın. Senin gibileri sreceksin bu lkeden sizler layık değilsiniz bu lkede yaşamaya ok beğenmiyorsan ananıda alıp sevdiğin arap yada avrupaya git
Greeks and Turks never gonna be friends. Because of this. You greeks never gonna understand , ISTANBUL BELONGS TO TURKEY. Ok ? When we are gonna spoil you from Aegean Sea "AGAN", u r gonna understand who is have STANBUL and THE WORLD !!!
well poor you just speak you will never get Istanbl back. You shouldn't speak too much if you dont want us to all EU haha poor you you could never beat us and u ll never too haha haha and haha again poor people
wow! there was a stupid girl who says turks had come from egypt?!! yes we had egypt but we came from middle asia! and we are not arabs of course! before saying anything on the internet you better look up for it... at least on wikipedia...
@pelin: you were nomads in central Asia. No civilisation no alphabet, nothing, just tentes, desert and animals. Through your way to the place you live today you stole elements from big ancient civilisations, made a "Frankenstein" and you call it "Turkish civilisation". Everything: architecture, food, alphabet is mix 'n match from all big ancient civilisations. The same with land: you stole parts of all countries around you and n amed them "Turkey".
Katerina...baby you know me ha :))
First of all the Turks were Islamic so this the wrong language then there is the fact of the singing camels.
Wow, lol. It was never greek. It was ORIGINALLY Byzantium. Rome conquered it. Constantine moved capital to Byzantine, renamed it Constantinople after himself. Turks invaded. Turks renamed it. Used to be Constantinople, but isn't anymore. That's what the song is getting at.
As a Spaniard, I want to say that what that Andy person said above is false: no one calls the place Constantinopla unless they are talking about its history. It's Estambul nowadays for everyone and there's not a question that it's Turkish.
come on guys,stop fighting,we don't live in the medieval anymore.i'm greek and i don't give a shit how i'm going to call it, istanbul or costantinoupolis.i can tell the same thing for my city, in turkey they call it ''selanik'', and here in greece we call it ''thessaloniki''.it's the history,it's our history,we can't change it,it's done.enough blood from our ancestors.stop talking about war in our days it's stupid.we can live in peace both countries.we've done it so far.however we call it, istanbul or costantinoupolis i will always love you and visit you and it will always be the most beautiful ''CITY'' in the world,whoever conquered you.
I am the genie from the movie Alladin, and you all suck!
i had to do a music video on this it is so cool i sing it over and over and over again.
i taked long enough but there is alot to prove my point that there is no point of arguing!!! this city was never been only one nations city and never had only one name since now. now it is istanbul and it is certainly an international metropolitan. only a few decates age nearly 1-2 million of greek people (we say "rum" to them which means roman) was living here and they are as istanbulian as any others. and they can call their city whatever they want. noone has any rights to force them not to say otherwise, couse this is their city too
Turks and Greeks love each other when they actually meet and when their minds are not filled with political crap. I like Greek people, I wish we didn't have all these mental and physical restrictions and boundaries.
OMG that is the greatest song I've ever heard! Thanks to my lovely twin I got to meet this song not in Turkey - you heard me- but in the USA :) Istanbul bu haliyle daha guzel :)
Greek vs Turks, this is just like a terrie barking to a danua. :D
It is STANBUL :=) ... constantinopolis not exists anymore ... by the way i'm a TURK ... :D ... we capture constantinople very long time ago... i said that cause of some humanbegins still can't realize that :=) ....
Lyrics explain everything.You can call what ever you want
All Turks out there; let them call whatever they wanna call it. let them call Smyrna to zmir, jungabungapolis to stanbul, etc. We are also saying the names that we used to say when we had their cities under control. Everyone is free to want the best and the most prestigious thing for their own country
does anyone know a cover of this tune that was sung by a british-sounding singer in maybe the 70s? At least that was when I heard the recording. It was part of a great album that I am looking for, but I don't recall his name. It was a great cover version tho.
It still new amsterdam not newyork. Long live netherland..:)))))
everyone can call it however they want in their own language !
No offence people, but some of you take the lyrics too serious. Just enjoy the catchy melody and listen to the song! ^.^
When it was Constantinople it was progressive and glorious, then lay in filth and ruins, until Turkey woke up that it was a tourist attraction and gee-wiz maybe they should clean it up and start looking eligible to become part of the European community (what a joke that is). If I were a Turk which thank God/Allah I am not, I would be more worried about cleaning up the barbarity that concerns your long history of ethnic genocide so that the global community might actually one day see you to be human. Even the name Istanbul is not Turkish but a Turkish bastardisation of the word Is Tin Poli - which if you look it up is actually Greek for the phrase "To the City". But I guess education and enlightenment is not a strong point with you guys. Constantinople is was and one day will be. There is no way you will ever be considered eligible to join the EU and will always be seen to be the barbarians you have always been.
To Geo: And if it wasn't for the Americans pumping money into your economy in exchange for your allowing their military bases on your soil, you economy would be getting nowhere fast either. By the way it's "fighting" not "fitting". There are free online dictionary "resources" to help you spell. What are your natural resources? Opium.
It is a freaking song. Go debate this whole issue somewhere else. I mean really? There have been the Ottoman Empire, Prussia, Holy Roman Empire(which was not actually Roman) and so many other names in Europe that have changed becuase they lost their power. If the Greeks wanted Constantinople/Istanbul then they should man up and take it. But they can't so the Turks have it now. Everything in the world is changing because of the balance of power and Greek lost their power so the Turks had every right to take Constantinople/Istanbul. It is a man eat man world and you better do something rather than spewing useless words at each other.
Look people, this is just a song to remind you people names change you know clear things out, not to kill each other! I mean Mexico's capital is Mexico City, not Tenochitlan anymore.
You kno the saddest date in history is 1453.
I am sorry greek friends, but it is ISTANBUL. You can not name what is not belong you...You should be glad you have your own YUNANISTAN now....
well u no what.. CONSTANTINOPOLE will always be greek no matta what you turkish barbarians think. Greece might not have an arms as big as yours but we have our dignity. one day we WILL get our land back.. all the ancient runis in '' istanbul '' are GREEK. the big '' mosque '' in ''istanbul'' is GREEK ayia sophia and we WILL have it back. so you can think what u like.. but im warning you now.. THE GREEKS WILL GET THEIR LAND BACK. u enslaved us for 400 years, killed our men and children & raped our women, and u expect us 2 respect you barbarians.
did not you make the same in izmir? so whats done is done. lets learn to live like human in peace. vengence is endless. both of my turk and greek brothers and sisters.
OH WOW FOR ALL THE CLUELESS CONSTANTINOPLE IS GREEK AND ISTANBUL IS TURKISH NOW CAN WE ALL ENJOY THE SONG PLEASE
Alright. Greeks should call it Constantinople and Turks should call Istanbul and end this discussion. Just dance with the song :)
why make a song like this ? who are you mocking ? (I know its old). Constantinople was the name fo the town, before that it was Byzantion. It was occupied Greece until 1922 when the Turks "won" it in a brutal war and then changed the name. Greeks to this day laemnt over the loss of it's history of such an important historical and beloved place. It's always puzzles me why someone would make a song mockng the name Constantinople
constantinople sounds more coool :P
I love this song so much
500,1000,1500 years, more? One day the flags of Greece will be all over Constantinople next to the mongol corpses of the current inhabitats.
It's all God's lands...what are we fighting for?
Also zmir not Smyrna :D
Byzantium!
Look This song was NOT ment as a belittling or demeaning lyric towards anyonethe song came about because one of the Four Lads in 1947 Went to Turkey and had a date he set up with a girl to meet in Constantinople Thinking it was the proper name because in the Western world the city was still refered to as Constantinople on maps. When he arrived in what he thought was constantinople he was greeted by a man who said "welcome to Istanbul". Confused about his location he left the city to look for constantinople unaware that he was in what the west still refered to as constantinople until bout 1963. THAT is the story behind the song its not a political referance or anything so get the hell over it
you turks should try and respect the greek calling istanbul consantinople, they call it for centuries even after mehmet rename the city, is that wrong? even the european recognize istanbul as constanttinople until the 20th century there's nothing wrong with that, is there? you turks continue calling thesaloniki selanik, whats wrong with greek calling istanbul constantinople? its still istanbul you ppl are just racist :P
greek people are idiots. look at the first comments & see who is making a fuss about even a simple song. because of wasting time on things like this, greece is in crisis now. and I am very happy about it, you lazy assholes deserve it. even eu is fed up with your laziness and being a jerk all the time. and accept the fact that you have more turkish blood then greek blood, your women sucked turkish men's dicks for 600 years.
although greece is almost 10 times bigger that istanbul, it has a population of only 11 million, while istanbul has a population of 13 million. you know this is why? because majority of greek men are either gay or useless heroin addict losers. that's why every greek girl I met are dying to get into bed with me. it's in their genes, they know greek men are useless and turkisn men rocks!
btw I know this is a stupid discussion on a lyrics page, but it is always idiot greeks who start it. even on food listing sites they are posting messages of hatred against turks. so I am sick of this greek-turkish friendship bullshit. greek people are useless, I don't give a shit what happens to them. I hope they never recover, stupid lazy bastards.
istanbuuuuuuuuuulll
I LOOOOOOOVE Turkish food!!
istanbul or konstantinople, does not matter....both words are greek...
Constantinapole had only 35.000 population before Ottomans invaded. It now has 15million population and all of them are turk. Now who can claim that istanbul is greek???
Unlike some of you guys, I'm gonna enjoy the song. Please stop fighting over something that's over. Either like the song or not. As simPle as that. I could really care less av
For us Scandinavians, the town is always MIKLAGRD and will never be anything else!
funny song...haha i laugh! it did help me answer a question in class.(what did new york used to be) haha love it...
S, esta cancin es muy divertida, aunque ya que estoy en Espaa, slo puedo entender un poco. mis amigos de america me lo cont, y yo me ro de ello, es estpido. jajaja
S, esta cancin es muy divertida, aunque ya que estoy en Espaa, slo puedo entender un poco. mis amigos de america me lo cont, y yo me ro de ello, es estpido. jajaja
If you listen the song and find this lyrics page, we have some common things. Have you ever think about it? OMG! this is great. My Scandinavian friend, Harald, whatzup? You're the best. So, come on guys, you did smth whatever. Let them go.. We all have friends, family and we like them. Why i cant like someone that idk? Like sum1 as a human. We're sharin the same sky. Being ally is harder than being enemy. So do best! Do hardest thing. Cya guys, i know i wont come back, dont reply me. I like all of you. ^^
Istanbul is a nice name that derives,as mentioned above,from Greek words'eis tin polin'.Constantinopolis was/is often mentioned as Poli.Anyway,the song is quite fun!
You can call it "sasquatch" as far as I'm concerned, it'll always be COSTANTINOPLE.
When I was in high school, many moons ago, my aquacade club did a water ballet to that tune. The rhythm lends itself well to a numbr like that! A fun song!
Wasn't Constantinople named after the Roman emperor Constantine? I seem to remember reading that somewhere.
Hey guys, even Istanbul comes from the greek indications on the roads of the byzantine empire "is tin poli" meaning "to the city" ;-)
Correct me if I am wrong but I believe that the city was called Byzantium and then Constantine (who was emperor) divided Rome into two sections, one with the capital of Rome and the other was Byzantium, which Constantine renamed after himself, and thus Constantinople was born. Some time later it was changed to Istanbul (I wish I knew more about that change, but alas, I do not).
It's the same shit
I guess that we Greeks should call ''Londino'' London, ''Constanoupoli'' Istanbul, Verolino Berlin, "Angyra" Ankara, "Madriti" Madrid and so on.. Excuse us for having our own language and we express ourselves in it... I did not know that we should call the places as they are originally called. And this is a message from someone whose country is called with its original name only by the Chinese and the Norwegians. It is Ellas or Ellada, not Greece. Should the Greeks start fighting about the fact that most countries actually translated our name?! What is this inferiority complex you have my dear turkish friends? I guess you can't swallow down the fact that our revolution, the last one out of many we had during the 400 hundred years of your barbarian occupation, actually destroyed your medieval and totally uncivillized Ottoman Empire. Now tell me again, what did you offer to the global and European history except of blood? ok Sevyorum!
People have their own languages. Call it what you want. Byzantium, Constantinople, Istanbul- All names for the same city and surrounding land that lies on the Bosphorus Strait connecting Europe and Southwest Aisa, right? An interesting tidbit for you to ponder on: Some people consider the conquest of Constantinople (1453) as the end of the Middle Ages. And that's the same year the 'Hundred' Year's War ended. And did you know there's a dance to this song? We did it in class. 8D
istanbul is not konstantinoupoli everyone should come here...
In fact, Constantinople its a part of Istambul, the zone of the Golden Horn, Galata. Thats the true
Constantine was ass fucked by Fatih's big fat dick. It is historically proven that Constantine liked it. During all the fucking Constantine was yelling is=big tan=fat bul=dick. Hence the name Istanbul.
Contantinople was the capitol city of the Byzantine, the Eastern Roman Empire, founded by Roman Emperor Constantine. They were not Greeks, They were Romans. Then in 1453 Ottoman Turk Mehmet conquered the Region and the city and it became Istanbul, Not Constantinople, but Istanbul.
YOU IDIOTS, INSTANBUL IS A CUT UP WORD FROM A SENTENCE. IN STIN POLI, EVEN THAT WORD IS GREEK ASSHOLES IT JUST MEANS IN THE CITY IN SLANG GREEK. AND WE ARE GOING TO GET IT BACK. WE MAY FORGIVE, BUT WE NEVER FORGET AND MANY DON'T EVEN FORGIVE, AND REVENGE WILL BE THE WORSE JUST LIKE ANYONE WHO GOES TO HELL WILL SUFFER MORE BECAUSE ITS FOREVER!!!!!!!!! I BELIEVE IN KARMA, AND THERE IS NO WAY TO ESCAPE IT. WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND SO ANYTHING YOU DID TO US GREEKS WILL COME BACK TO YOU SOME DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i love stanbul, what makes the difference eighter its greek or turkish city u have to pay for the hotels u stay ;)
What some of you don't realize is that even the name "Istanbul" derives from the Greek. When it was called Constantinople the Turks would hear the Greeks say I am going to " I stin poli". Literal translation of "I stin poli" means " To the city". Sound out the words "I stin poli" together and you have Istanbul. So that is how Constantinople became to be known as Istanbul. really. No real difference if you ask me. haha Sorry Turks.. u need to be better versed in your "own" history!
@Mehmet. Yes Byzantium was known as the Eastern Roman Empire because it broke away from the Holy Roman Empire. Hence it became a completely different empire. And even though it was called the Eastern Roman Empire it's inhabitants were mostly Greek and Greek speaking people no Romans as you say. Please review your history lessons. Sometimes you Turks actually believe your own propaganda and are truly ignorant. It's a shame really because you are missing out on history.
And why shouldn't the Greeks call Istanbul as Constantinople? We simply use the Greek name for it. Why do the Turks call Greece as "Yunanistan" insetad of Greece or Hellas? You don't see the Greeks making a big to do about that do you????? Btw the Turks call Greece as Yunanistan because it refers to the ancient Ionians. See.. the Turks can't even call us Greeks. That would be too much!!!!
@Sophie- Actually, the Holy Roman Empire was a loose confederation of Germanic states and parts of Italy. The Western Roman Empire fell, and became kingdoms of the various Germanic tribes. Kingdom of the Franks? Became France. The Vandals had north Africa, the Visigoths and Ostrogoths had Italy and most of the Iberian peninsula. The Byzantine Empire was largely a Greek speaking region, not a Latin one.
If the current inhabitants call it Istanbul then it is Istanbul. Wanna call it Constantinople bring back justinian and reconquer it for the byzantine empire.
@Sophia- Ah, OK. Amazing how some people get worked up over something as trivial as a name, isn't it? I personally use either name. It's still the same city, right?
penguin
Константинопољ или Цариград никад Стамбол!!!
Lol i like the "Turks dont know their own history" line. Greeks call themselves greeks. They do not know their own history. You have been Greece for not even 100 years. Before that you were the Ottoman Empire (Ruled by Turks) for 500 odd years, before that you were part of the Byzantine Empire, (Eastern Roman), before that you were Roman empire, and before that a collection of city states. Greeks need to get over themselves. BTW ALL of the higher ranking Roman officials spoke Greek, Latin was the language of the people (Just like French was the language of the ruling classes in the west)
Either I've never ever hear that song like a I'VE NEVER HEAR LOSERS EMPTY CROWDED SONGS!!!
I find it amazing how people claim to be civillized when they go into another people's land and brutally take it. Examples are all over history- Rome extending its influence throughout three continents, Alexander the Great's conquests, the Ottoman Empire's takeover of the Byzantine Empire, the Spaniard's conquest of Tenochtitlan, the German Third Reich, the Japanese Empire, the British Empire... Even America's 'manifest destiny' qualifies.
NO I'M DIRTY DAN
sorry to revive dying thread but HISTORY LESSON: the roman citizens populating byzantium under emperor constantine were HELLENIC aka Greek...constantinople was the capital of the roman empire for 1000 years after the fall of rome. guess what, they were mostly Greeks and other ethnic minorities besides the ancient italians (bulgars, illyrians, hellenized egypt, etc.). Just in response to some people who said stuff like "when it was constantinople the people were romans not greeks" nothing against turks, would be cool if things went differently for us greeks, but now we are at peace so thats good.
Konstantinoupoli what beautiful name
ANKARA IS THE CAPITAL OF TURKEY, BUT ISTANBUL IS THE CAPITAL OF THE WORLD, AND IT BELONGS TO EVERYONE IN THE WORLD.
I loved this song on Bunheads. The dancing was amazing too!
I was a counselor at a Christian summer camp for several years, and we had a kind of line-dance routine for a bunch of different songs, including this one, that we did to keep the kids occupied for break or just before worship in the morning. So now every time I listen to this song I start doing the movements, I can't help myself! LOL it's tons of fun, though. Not to mention great exercise! =D
Byzantium. That's all I've got to say.
ITS CONSTANTINOPLE NOT ISTANBUL
I doubt Constantine the Great would have approved of TMBG's cover version.
I love this song. Whatever you idiots say concerning it using dumb words - "stupid," "pointless," "annoying" - go die in a ditch, because you probably don't even understand the meaning... LOL
It was Constantinople THEN Islambul THEN Istanbul.
It's so annoying, but I can't stop listening!
Well said, right to the point! Long live Turkey! Death to Serbs and Greeks! They always fantasize about war and conquering other people's lands.
To that Dutch guy near the top, go Dutch!
TINY TOONS
The 3 evils: Serbia, Russia and Greece.
I love this song :3
why dont we call it constanbul, and get it over with?
I cant belive that they are playing the TECHNO verson now
First of all, it was Constantinopal under the ROMANS. Second of all, you Turkish people need to cry me a river, build a bridge, and get over it. That goes for the rest of you too. It's just a song that was never ment to be taken serriously. (I mean that as in stop trolling)
Wow, they changed New Amsterdam to New York cause the brits took it, not just cause people liked it better.
The Turks overran & settled most of Anatolia in the late 11th Century. They completed their conquest of Anatolia & expanded into Europe under the Ottoman Dynasty in the 14th Century. They conquered Constantinople in 1453, under Mehmet II, who made it his capital, although Mustafa Kamal Attaturk tranferred the capital to Ankara in the early 20th century to get away from traditionalist influences, and because Ankara is well away from the border & therefore safer from foreign attack. Irredentionist Greeks should get over it. They should concede Istanbul & Anatolia are, & should be, Turkish, until such time as humanity begins to come to its senses, giving up the historical anachronism of separate languages & nationalities in favor of world unity. But Greece should have been allowed to annex Cyprus, since that has been mainly Greek from the mid second millenium BC to the present day
I sing this song in the middle of class all the time. Haters can fuck off.
I sing this song in the middle of class all the time.
To "Simply The Best": Exactly!
Great song ^_^ I like it
My teacher played this song in class and now my friends are obsessed with it! I kinda am to now...NOOOO!!!
I can't believe people are still fighting about Constantinople and Istanbul. Just shut the fuck and listen.
Why you still fighting over this, greeks? Fighting on a website over a simple song will not change the name of a historical city! So stop it and enjoy the song. If you are uncomfortable with Istanbul then fuck off and listen your greek march or something
Wow, I came to this site because my mother said there was a song about the names of this city and I was hoping it was going to be all the names it ever had. I am also kind of disappointed in how repetitive the lyrics are; I shouldn't read song lyrics, they're never as good as I hope for. I can't believe I spent 2 hours reading all these comments.
Lol I dance to this song on my Xbox. XD
It's been in my head two days... Can't get the tune, nor the Daffy Duck cartoon its used in out of my mind... I'm screwed...
My World History Teacher will randomly sing this while we are taking a test...Then I will randomly sing it while doing my homework... So now my sister is randomly singing it in the shower. LOL
I love the song, but I hate anything associated with islam and the terrorism that springs forth from allah.
I like the song, but will you stop trolling, please? I think Greeks, Turks and whoever, can call it what they want, Istanbul, Constantinople, Byzantine, whatever, just so long as it is G rated. Neither history, nor the present, can rule our hearts or mouths, and no man should be denied the freedom to call a city what he or she wants to call it.
Your lyrics for Istanbul are wrong in several parts. Check it out on youtube. Search for Istanbul by Four Lads.
There's a lot of comments on here. EVERYBODY, LET'S ADD MORE!!!
Ya'll motherfuckers are as stupid as hell thinking it was always Constantinople. Greece had Byzantium. Then Constantine of Rome renamed it to Constantinople cause he as self-centered as fuck, that prick. Then finally it was Istanbul after the Ottomans took it and named it one of their silly Muslim city names. I should know I was there cause I'm Jesus.
jesus christ people, It's a song thats based on real facts, and it's nobody's business but the turks, who live in the city of Istanbul
exactly
If anyone claims stanbul,We Turks should claim half of Europe,north Africa,middile east..etc. and turn Mediterranean into Turkish lake as it is called before?
I love Istanbul because it has silly words in it :]
i love you guys
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Love it!
i am irish born 1934 and adore music and also reading about you guys debating about naming a city. have you nothing better to do? I remember hearing a pop group singing this song way back anyone know the name of the guys/girs who sang it?