"Yassassin" (Bowie's pronunciation ; also known as "Yassassin (Turkish for: Long Live)", and released in

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

as "Yassassin (Yaşasın)") is a song written by English singer-songwriter

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

for the 1979 album '' Lodger''. "Yassassin" is an incongruous

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

song with a Turkish flavour. The title of the song is derived from the Turkish verb used to wish someone a long life, spelled ''yaşasın'' (), from the verbal root ''yaşa-'' 'live' with the third-person imperative ending; therefore ''yaşasın'' literally means 'may he/she live'. "Yassassin" was released as a single – the third single to be released from ''Lodger'' – but only in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and Turkey. The Dutch single edit of the song was included on ''Re:Call 3'', part of the ''

A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982) ''A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982)'' is a box set by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released on 29 September 2017. A follow-up to the compilations '' Five Years (1969–1973)'' and '' Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976)'', the set ...

'' compilation (2017).

Track listing

RCA PB-9417 (Netherlands)

# "Yassassin" (David Bowie) – 3:06 # "Repetition" (Bowie) – 2:58

RCA 79.014 (Turkey)

# "Yassassin" (Bowie) # "Red Money" (Bowie,

Carlos Alomar Carlos Alomar (born 7 May 1951) is a Puerto Rican guitarist. He is best known for his work with David Bowie from the mid-1970s to the early 2000s, having played on more Bowie albums than any musician other than pianist Mike Garson. He has als ...

)

Personnel

According to Chris O'Leary: *

– lead and background vocals, synthesiser *

– rhythm guitar, background vocals *

Tony Visconti Anthony Edward Visconti (born April 24, 1944) is an American record producer, musician and singer. Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers. His first hit single was T. Rex's " Ride a White Swan" in 1970, the first of man ...

– acoustic guitar, background vocals * George Murray – bass, background vocals *

Simon House Simon House (born 29 August 1948 in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England) is a British composer and classically trained violinist and keyboard player, perhaps best known for his work with space rock band Hawkwind. Career Before his time with Ha ...

–

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

, background vocals *

Dennis Davis Dennis Davis (August 28, 1949 – April 6, 2016) was an American drummer and session musician best known for his work with David Bowie, playing on ten albums - including seven successive studio albums - during the singer's classic mid- and lat ...

– drums, tambourine, background vocals Technical * David Bowie – producer * Tony Visconti – producer

Cover versions

* The song was covered by new wave band

Litfiba Litfiba was an Italian Rock music, rock musical band, band formed in Florence, Italy, in early 1980. The band evolved from British-influenced new wave rock to a more personal rock sound influenced by Mediterranean vibes; their songs are mostly ...

in 1994. * American

indie rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...

band

Shearwater Shearwaters are medium-sized long-winged seabirds in the petrel family Procellariidae. They have a global marine distribution, but are most common in temperate and cold waters, and are pelagic outside the breeding season. Description These tub ...

performed a version of the song in May 2016 for ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

'' A.V. Undercover series, and again as part of a live performance of the entire

Berlin Trilogy The Berlin Trilogy consists of three studio albums by English musician David Bowie: '' Low'', '' "Heroes"'' (both 1977) and '' Lodger'' (1979). The trilogy originated following Bowie's move from Los Angeles, California, to Europe to rid himsel ...

for

WNYC WNYC is the trademark and a set of call letters shared by WNYC (AM) and WNYC-FM, a pair of nonprofit, noncommercial, public radio stations located in New York City. WNYC is owned by New York Public Radio (NYPR), a nonprofit organization that ...

in 2018.

References

Sources

* David Bowie songs 1979 songs Songs written by David Bowie Song recordings produced by David Bowie Song recordings produced by Tony Visconti RCA Records singles British reggae songs {{1970s-song-stub