Neha Patil (Editor)

Yassassin

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Format
  
7″ single

Genre
  
Reggae world

B-side
  
"Repetition" (Netherlands) "Red Money" (Turkey)

Released
  
June 1979 (Netherlands)

Recorded
  
Mountain Studios, Montreux; September 1978; Record Plant Studios, New York City, March 1979

Length
  
3:06 (single version) 4:10 (album version)

"Yassassin" (Bowie's pronunciation /jɑːˈsɑːsɪn/; also known as "Yassassin (Turkish for: Long Live)", and released in Turkey as "Yassassin (Yaşasın)") is a song written by David Bowie for the 1979 album Lodger. "Yassassin" is an incongruous reggae song with a Turkish flavour, and the third single to be released from Lodger, but only in the Netherlands and Turkey.

Contents

The song's title is derived from the Turkish verb used to wish someone a long life, spelled yaşasın (pronounced [jaʃaˈsɯn]), from the verbal root yaşa- 'live' with the third-person imperative ending; therefore yaşasın literally means 'may he/she live'.

RCA PB-9417 (Netherlands)

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

RCA 79.014 (Turkey)

  1. "Yassassin" (Bowie)
  2. "Red Money" (Bowie, Carlos Alomar)

Production credits

  • Producers
  • Tony Visconti
  • David Bowie
  • Musicians
  • David Bowie - vocals, background vocals, synthesizer
  • Dennis Davis - drums, background vocals
  • George Murray - bass, background vocals
  • Carlos Alomar - rhythm guitar, background vocals
  • Tony Visconti - lead guitar, background vocals
  • Simon House - violin, background vocals

    • Cover versions

  • Litfiba - 12-inch single (1984)

    • References

    Yassassin Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA