* Turkish music conquers the charts *

Since his kiss-hit Şımarık, Tarkan has become a part of the German charts. In 1999, this hugely successful song made it into the Top 10. In spring 2003, another Turkish artist conquered Europe: Sertab Erener wins the 43rd Eurovision Song Contest held in Riga, and her winning song makes it straight in the German Top 20. Another important name in the world of Turkish pop is Sezen Aksu, who has always been someone to discover and launch innovative young artists, such as Tarkan.
One thing cannot be ignored – Turkish music is trendy. Exotic and lively, the rhythms have conquered the European pop world.

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(Early in one morning) The Fairy Tale began

Introduction: Music of Somer Soyata

The pop music adventure begins with the song “Bak Bir Varmış bir Yokmuş” (once upon a time) sung by İlham Gencer and lyrics by Fecri Ebcioğlu. After this song, those singing English-French-Spanish-Italian songs were engaged in this adventure they couldn’t resist it. First Alpay, followed by Tülay German, Erol Büyükburç, Ay-Feri, Gönül Turgut, Ayla Dikmen, Tanju Okan, Başar Tamer and others, making the TUrskih pop music spread all over. The finishing touches to this new genre would be put in the second half of 60ies with the collapse of jazz music. The master of jazz music Ismet Sıral, who had considered this newly-emerging genre to be a “short-term trend; easily-forgotten, temporary fashion” admitted that he was wrong and told his friends that “You are free to sing Turkish songs”. After this declaration, a very experienced and productive group including Ayten Alpman and Özdemir Erdoğan took part in the world of pop. This is what made pop music stronger in Tukey.

60ies: Let me be your golden microphone, wind me up to your waist

The first song is made and published; besides people liked it and it spread all over. But that is when the real struggle began. After a while, those deciding to engage in pop music were divided into two groups which can be briefly summarized as “Western music means foreign songs” and “Western music, but songs from Turkey”. The situation for those included the first trend (of which the leader is Fecri Ebcioğlu and some other DJ’s) is very explicit. “This is not our music. Our music is made of of those songs and folk songs that have been produced for years. This is a type of music which generated and developed abroad. Therefore, there is no need to explore America once again. Those people work hard to produce these songs so why should we be bothered; we can take their songs and write Turkish lyrics (besides sometimes even via translating the lyrics written in a foreign language into Turkish); and present it as pop music; pop music all over …” The situation was not so easy for those taking the issue from a broader perspective, thinking and planning not only for today and tomorrow but also for ten years or twenty years time; it is certainly not a “jigsaw puzzle”. They needed to reflect on this new genre, create new ways and new alternatives.
Doruk Onatkut has a historical significance and his “Black Train” started its journey went all these discussions were taking place. Onatkut, who was riding on the railway for more than forty years with the folk music instrument designed a new image for the “Black Train” leaving it to the hands of the guitar. First he left it to the hands of the guitar than to the hands of Alpay. Years later, this couple became the pioneers of a new trend called “Anatolian Pop”. “Black Train” was on the road with a different image and pop music had the opportunity to become more productive.
Another revolutionary development is triggered by the couple, Erdem Buri and Tülay German. This couple took it a step further. They thought, “These two new ways are rather good; but aren’t we going to have new compositions in this new genre?” and underlined that newly-composed songs were required. They not only underlined this fact but they also started talks with competent names such as Ruhi Su and Melih Cevdet Anday searching for melodies and lyrics apart from the foreign or traditional strains.
Next episodes would be even brighter. Hurriyet, which was the best-selling newspaper organized many song contests or festivals including the Golden Microphone song contest, which would provide opportunities for those who would like to engage in pop music making the pop music enter and be played in every household. Names such as Fikret Kızılok, Cem Karaca, Moğollar, who would later be pronounced as the “the most star” came out from these song contests. When names such as Barış Manço, Hümeyra, Selda and Edip Akbayram became engaged the pop music grew even larger and record sales reached millions, which was considered to be a dream once.

70ies: You act as the noble in the end

Thus, the 70ies started with such succesful and productive events. Songs of Hümeyra “Olmasa” ve “Kördüğüm”, Selda “Tatlı Dillim” ve “Katip Arzuhalim Yaz Yare Böyle”, Barış Manço “Dağlar Dağlar” ve “İşte Hendek İşte deve”, Cem Karaca “Dadaloğlu” ve “Demedim mi”, Alpay “Fabrika Kızı” ve “Dağların Gözyaşları”, Fikret Kızılok “Yumma Gözün Kör Gibi” ve “Söyle Sazım” made the Turkish pop music even stronger. Music companies overloaded their accounts with every new record, every new record attracted dozens of new records.
Then came the military coup.
The country which was used to- and made used to such a dreadful event as “the military coup” in early sixties had to faced a new “military coup”. This development would definitely affect the pop music which ran in parallel with the political and economic situation. Most of those creating works in Anatolian pop would criticize the situation even more severely becoming more and more fierce. The more fierce they become the more the authorities in charge of the military coup would say “here you are, prisons and solitary confinements, more than you want”.
In this period, the trend of “Writing Turkish lyrics to foreign songs” would be referred to as “arrangement” and this trend was popular once again. A few years later came the period which would be perfectly described and criticized by Şanar Yurdatapan and Melike Demirağ as “Eat, drink, laugh and dance; this is the way it is and will be, don’t worry, just enjoy it; that is how the songs tell it, that is how the fairy tales tell it, newspapers, antennas, colorful cinemas …” This “enjoy-yourself” period would make Ajda Pekkan, who was an “average singer” in the 60ies and a few similar names the stars of this period. This new school who are by no means interested in the military officials and those apprehended by these officials would just enjoy themselves and besides recommend it to us and tell or try to tell us “Do not care, what is it to you, just enjoy yourself”.

80ies: everything has a price, pay it Firuze

In the early 80ies it seemed as if there were no serious problems. In fact there were some but Eurovision eliminations-selections which were pioneered by TRT caused the illusion that pop music was still successful. Problem growing were either not pronounced or ignored. However, with the 12th of September everyone woke up from their hibernation and had to see the facts. As there was another military coup on that date and life-peace-order were distorted once again, families-friends were fell apart, people either had to hide or put their heads into the sand.
The dominant song in such an environment or life would not definitely be pop music. The lyrics-melodies people demanded would be those sad ballads telling about the events that happened in the very time period. Therefore, the “pianist chanteur”s would spread all over, pioneered by Ümit Besen. They would start their words as “I have a complaint” and continue as “Welcome, distinguished general manager of factory x, and his wife misses y … It is an honor for us to see you here and etc …” (excluding Ferdi Özbeğen, a successful musician who engaged in pop music in 60ies) all “pianist chanteur”s emerged in 60ies and they not only gave a bad name to arabesque, which is an honored and strong music genre; but also tried to change our day and night. A few years later cooperating with a government which would cheer up their taverns they would manage to reach their objectives.
This period would change our values, behaviors, body languages and even they way we think and act. Everything that has been once taught as “virtue” would be put aside, and another term, “money”, would replace this concept (just like the other concepts which shape our personality). From then on, everyone would act according to the amount of money they had; those who had money would eat-drink-travel- have fun and enjoy. Those who did not have any had nothing to do; but to stand still and watch the others. Both they were required to do so and the rich would rather be watched by others.
The first artists to act accordingly would be Hakan Peker and Aşkın Nur Yengi. Peker and Yengi would come to help us; just before Yonca Evcimik had the opportunity to pay the fee for her “Subscription” these two youngsters made their way and opened a new era for Turkish pop music which would later be called the “booming era”.

90ies: Girl is it all yours or ours?

Everyone was glad. Thus, nobody had any objections, who would complain to whom? The “civil servants of the government” who knew what to do very well and without a doubt both white collars and blue collars were very happy. We all were. First we dragged our savings that we had hidden under our pillow then we withdrew those we deposited in the bank, we all consumed them. Later on the credit cards applicable or not applicable for installments would come to help us. We could soon forget “local goods week”; and ignore those calling for being “Thrifty”.
We were looking for a type of music that suited our new attitude and we had many to provide us with what we asked for. There were actually many. We met a new voice, a new face every day. There was an abundance; the situation in this area was similar to that in other areas: everything was abundant. We wanted to see beautiful girls and handsome boys; we wanted them to be neat, well-groomed and appealing.
Many singers, primarily Tarkan, Serdar Ortaç and Mustafa Sandal appeared. Nearly all of them took the extremely important thing called “image” very seriously. Moreover, they were exaggerating this issue; this concept of image or changing the image would be tried taking the opportunity of every album but this would not be enough after a while and the stage of “changing the image in each clip” would be stepped.
Another significant difference brought about by this “Postmodern Age” is the booming of the compositions and sings. Everybody wanted to be a singer but the number of our lyricists- lyric creators was not so abundant. At this point of restriction or crisis, computers came to help. What a surprise that in fact everyone could make compositions but we were all unaware of this fact! Everyone made compositions and everyone wrote lyrics. The fact that “every single person” was engaged in the pop music brought “uniformity”, sameness-ordinariness. Each song resembled the other ones. We were in the same mood while listening to each song: “I have listened to this song previously!”

2000s: Burn it all

Those who reject the prototype music and the songs always resembling each other were encouraged and supported considering that “We have always easily fooled these guys and we can fool again”; and a young buyer and listener mass has been created. The age of the people buying the music gradually decreased; now the age of such people ranges between 12 and 14. However, another unexpected development has been experienced as well. This generation mentioned above grew up with computers and internet; therefore, they were different and could/would not be fooled easily. Besides, this generation soon staked all their efforts: “We do not want to listen to the music that our mothers, fathers, uncles, aunts used to listen to. We desire the music that will motivate us in terms of leaving not a stick standing just like in those computer games. We desire harder music; just understand it, we want rock music…”
That’s why the band Duman became so popular; “just burnt it all”. There were certainly those people who considered and wanted to interpret the rise of Duman at the peak as a “temporary situation; they exist today but cannot survive till the future”. However it was not the case; we were at the flood and we were searching for those songs which would prevent us from drowning in that flood and which would endow us with that desire and strength. Therefore, a group crying out that “the world is lying” did not leave Duman at top and reached to the top. Therefore, there was a boom in rock music and this still continues today.
Of course it is true that there were some other people who wanted to convert that boom in rock music into money through the daily songs and who accepted that trend as an opportunity to earn more money. But the flood was not partial, it was completely high and nearly everybody could differentiate between the “good” and the bad” easily. People could fall into the trap of the bad ones only for a short period of time and those bad ones were removed as soon as the quality of the situation and the attitude was understood.
However, that good development was impeded by the “economic crises”. The aggravated crises of the system which even Marx could not dream of primarily slowed down everything and then stopped completely. BüyükBaş and Şürekası said “That’s all!” and added “There is no money any more! No investment nor budget. Stew in your own juice!”

Conclusion: A Sound Return

We’ve been through the period similar to 1980s. The studios are empty. There are probably the lyricists, composers and creators but everyone is exhausted to make a sound recording or record the lyrics and compositions and creations. The fact that the studios are empty means that the record companies, producers, performers and musicians are doing nothing. Particularly the situation of the musicians is more heartrending; they are under a great handicap financially. Does that mean another strike in their situation? There are many people claiming that it is another strike. Most of them screams as “fond of boots”, “save us our commander”. Although the period we have been through is parallel to the 60s, 70s and 80s, the situation is not so easy. First of all those people who want to manage us from the high official status should seek for a solution to tackle with the high number of televisions and radio channels. Otherwise, if they are lost in the mill of news stating “Coup or revolution? In a Minute- The Commander of the commanders is live on this channel- in a minute” they may fall into a situation where they will crave for their previous positions. We will all play the tins behind them: “Shall we feed them instead of hanging?”. Maybe, the return can be won in this way.
Duman sang, Rashit sang, Mor Ve Ötesi sang many things. All of them cannot have been ignored.
There aggregated slowly.
Therefore, it is not easy to return back either to the days similar to September 12 or to the heavy and notorious arabesque songs. The music is not to blame as the capitalism drowned in its own blood. There will be people who will write lyrics, compose music and sing songs of course. And maybe the dream of Zardanadam (which can be summarized as “Make music free of charge!”) will be realized, and we may listen to the songs without paying for them.
Black mountains will not block us.