I knew of the song that kept repeating the word Istanbul and tracked it down to this song by the four lads. It could not be more fitting as a tribute for my time in Istanbul. The largest city in Turkiye. I also finally read the lyrics and never knew that Istanbul was formerly known as Constantinople under the Romans.

“Istanbul (Not Constantinople)” was originally recorded by the Canadian vocal quartet 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. It was the group’s first gold record. The song were later re-released by several other artists.