Litera: Dil, Edebiyat ve Kültür Araştırmaları Dergisi Litera: Journal of Language, Literature and Culture Studies Litera 2024; 34(2): 521-538 DOI: 10.26650/LITERA2024-1484246 Research Article A Milestone in the History of Turkish Pop Music: Zeki Müren and Song Translation (1964) Alaz PESEN 1 1 Assistant Professor, Istanbul Atlas University, Department of Translation and Interpreting, Istanbul, Türkiye ORCID: A.P. 0000-0002-8115-8349 Corresponding author: Alaz PESEN, İstanbul Atlas Üniversitesi, İngilizce Mütercim Tercümanlık Bölümü, Istanbul, Türkiye E-mail: alazpesen@gmail.com, alaz.pesen@atlas.edu.tr Submitted: 14.05.2024 Revision Requested: 15.10.2024 Last Revision Received: 04.11.2024 Accepted: 11.11.2024 Citation: Pesen, A. (2024). A milestone in the history of Turkish pop music: Zeki Müren and song translation (1964). Litera, 34(2), 521-538. https://doi.org/10.26650/LITERA2024-1484246 ABSTRACT This research explores the previously unacknowledged importance of Zeki Müren’s collaboration with Fecri Ebcioğlu in rewriting and performing Charles Aznavour’s “La Mamma”[Mama] in Turkish in 1964 as “Annem”. At that time, Müren was already a celebrated figure in Turkish art music, while Ebcioğlu had made a name for himself in the music industry through earlier releases, most notably “Bak Bir Varmış Bir Yokmuş” [Once Upon a Time], the inaugural song of Turkish pop music, translated from Bob Azzam’s “C’est Ecrit Dans Le Ciel” [Written in Heaven]. This collaboration is a significant event in the realms of cultural history, translation history, and music history, yet it has been largely ignored by scholars and deserves closer examination. Müren’s established fame in Turkish art music played a crucial role in the acceptance of this new genre by the Turkish audience (1), enhanced Ebcioğlu’s own reputation (2), and reciprocally boosted Müren’s popularity through the translation of a global pop hit (3). Utilizing the concept of aranjman, a song- translation practice unique to Turkey, the study asserts that Müren’s rendition not only retains culture-specificity but also infuses it with their distinct style. This unique style is not merely a queer performance but is tied to Müren’s stature as a performer of Turkish art music, composer, lyricist and radio programmer. All these aspects constitute the symbolic capital of Zeki Müren. The study aims to show that only by analyzing musical, verbal, and visual elements together can we fully understand the strategies employed and gain a comprehensive understanding of song translation. Keywords: Zeki Müren, Aznavour, Song Translation, Sung Performance, Translation Studies This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License Introduction Charles Aznavour’s initial major international success came with the song “La Mamma”. Released as a single by the French Armenian singer-songwriter in 1963, it achieved million-seller status, reaching the top spot in France and Spain, and was translated into numerous other languages including but not limited to English, Italian, Dutch, German, Spanish, Croatian and Arabic. It was also translated into Turkish by Fecri Ebcioğlu and was released as a vinyl titled “Annem” [My Mother] by Zeki Müren (1964). This song translation was indeed a notable collaboration between two influential figures in Turkish music history: Zeki Müren, a renowned Turkish art (and folk) music