The song’s creation was a written to coincide mathematically with the 500th anniversary of the Fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire (which took place in 1453).
The lyrics poke fun at a real-world administrative update that caused constant confusion for international postal services at the time.
Although the Ottomans had controlled the city since the 15th century, the legal name change from Constantinople to İstanbul was not officially enforced for international mail until March 1930 by a decree from Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
The song served as a catchy, lighthearted geography lesson reminding Western audiences that the ancient Byzantine name was officially a thing of the past.