Yassassin

"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 the English singer-songwriter David Bowie for the 1979 album Lodger. "Yassassin" is an incongruous reggae song with a Turkish flavour.^[2]

B-side

• "Repetition" (Netherlands)
• "Red Money" (Turkey)

ReleasedJuly 1979^[1] (Netherlands)

RecordedMountain, Montreux, September 1978; Record Plant, New York City, March 1979

Length3:06 (single version)
4:10 (album version)

Quick facts Single by David Bowie, from the album Lodger ...

"Yassassin"
Single by David Bowie
from the album Lodger
B-side	"Repetition" (Netherlands) "Red Money" (Turkey)
Released	July 1979[1] (Netherlands)
Recorded	Mountain, Montreux, September 1978; Record Plant, New York City, March 1979
Length	3:06 (single version) 4:10 (album version)
Label	RCA PB-9417 (Netherlands) 79.014 (Turkey)
Songwriter	David Bowie
Producers	David Bowie Tony Visconti
David Bowie singles chronology
"D.J." (1979) "Yassassin" (1979) "Look Back in Anger" (1979)

Close

The title of the song 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'. The phrase “Yaşasın” is in most cases used as “Hurray!” in Turkish.

"Yassassin" was released as the third single from Lodger, but only in the Netherlands 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) compilation (2017).^[3]