Song #46: The Four Lads - "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)"

Song #46: The Four Lads - "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" (1953)

"Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" - Single

"Why did Constantinople get the works? That's nobody's business but the Turks."

If you have any knowledge of classic fifties music, then you know "why did Constantinople get the works?" is one of the most burning unanswered questions in the history of music. "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" is one of my favorite classic fifties songs, reminding me whenever it's played of the days my father and I would take a ride in the city, driving down Archer Avenue in Chicago or down the checkered road of Harlem Avenue. Harlem remains one of my favorite streets, bearing a look that appears as if it the road never left its good-natured, fifties charisma, with diners, several old infrastructures still standing, and numerous vacant lots that look untouched in decades. 

One of my favorite locations on Harlem Avenue was the local Krispy Kreme, which remained one of the last standing Krispy Kremes in all of Illinois. My dad and I would go there, stare at the doughnuts on the conveyor belt, as they were sent in the fryer and eventually glazed heavily before entering a cooling tunnel, before ordering one or two glazed doughnuts for ourselves along with an original Dean's Milk Chug. Eating the doughnut was one of the most memorable parts of all, trying to make sure your hands didn't get too sticky while also making sure more glaze ended up in your mouth than on your plate.

Before I turn this into a personal blog, not a song blog, let me state "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)"'s significance. Mornings like this were scored by WRLL, or Chicago's "Real Oldies 1690AM" station, that was known for playing classic songs of decades past, all the way back to the forties. One of the songs was The Four Lads' "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)," a witty bop-song talking about how Constantinople became Istanbul with no questions asked. When the question "why did Constantinople get the works?" is proposed by one of the singers, "that's nobody's business but the Turks" is the answer he's given.

The song is a terrific example of comedic songwriting and singing, with jivey instrumental I always look forward to hearing. Often it is the songs with the simplest ideas and topics that provide for the most pleasurable listening experience.

Give "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wcze7EGorOk