- Katibim is an 18th or 19th-century Istanbul urban folk song known as Uskudara Gider Iken
- The melody spread across Balkans, Middle East, and South Asia, evolving in many languages
- A 1902 recording and 1924 klezmer version marked its early global documentation
Long before disco beats, glittering stage outfits, and the hypnotic chant of "Ra-Ra-Rasputin," there was a melody that inspired the viral hit Rasputin (which has inspired songs across the globe)
The song came from the streets of Ottoman Istanbul. It did not begin as a global hit. It was a folk tune, carried by memory, migration, and musicians across continents. Today, that tune is widely recognised as the backbone of Boney M's "Rasputin" and is called "Katibim".
Origins In Ottoman Istanbul
Katibim, also known as "Uskudar'a Gider Iken" (meaning "while going to Uskudar"), is an Istanbul turku-a form of urban folk song rooted in everyday life.
Its story is simple, almost conversational: a woman travelling with her clerk through the Uskudar district, caught in the rain, observing small details with a mix of affection and wit.
But its lyrics hide a deeper cultural richness. Ethnomusicologists trace the melody back to the 18th or 19th century, when Istanbul was a melting pot of Armenian, Turkish, Sephardic Jewish, and Persian musical traditions. The song moved fluidly across these communities.
A Melody That Travelled Further Than Its Lyrics
What makes Katibim remarkable is not just where it began, but where it went.
From Istanbul, the melody spread across the Balkans and the Middle East, morphing into dozens of versions in Greek, Albanian, Bulgarian, Bangladeshi, Indian, Serbian, Arabic and beyond.
Each culture added its own lyrics, its own rhythm, and often, its own claim over the tune.
In India, when Rasputin was used in the Bollywood song I'll Do The Talking Tonight from Agent Vinod, you can hear the melody of Katibim.
In many places, it stopped being "a Turkish song" and simply became their folk song.
By the early 20th century, the melody had travelled even further. A 1902 recording helped document it unusually early for a folk tune, and by 1924, klezmer clarinetist Naftule Brandwein had recorded an instrumental version in the United States. The song had officially entered the global circuit.
A Global Stage
By the mid-20th century, Katibim had found its way into popular music recordings. A notable Turkish version by Safiye Ayla in 1949 helped formalise one widely recognised arrangement. Around the same time, it began appearing in international song collections, including UNESCO anthologies, further spreading its reach.
Then came one of its most important reinventions: "Uska Dara."
In 1953, Eartha Kitt recorded Uska Dara, adapting the Turkish melody into a jazz-pop framework with English lyrics and Turkish phrases. The song introduced Western audiences to the tune decades before disco would take over.
It was no longer just a regional melody. It had become internationally recognisable.
Enter Rasputin And The Disco Era
Fast forward to 1978. Eurodisco is in full swing, and Boney M releases "Rasputin," a high-energy track about the enigmatic Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin.
Listen closely to the verses, and the resemblance to Katibim is hard to miss. The melodic line, especially in the verses, mirrors the structure and movement of the Turkish folk tune.
The arrangement adds a "Russian" flavour-balalaika-style riffs, dramatic storytelling-but the core remains strikingly familiar.
Despite this, the producers denied direct borrowing. The debate, however, has never quite settled. For many listeners and scholars, the connection feels less like a coincidence.
Today, Katibim exists in countless forms. It appears in Balkan love songs, Arabic devotional pieces, Bengali compositions, and even film music across countries like India and Pakistan. Each version feels authentic within its own context.
Dhurandhar 2's Rasputin
Dhurandhar 2 revives interest in Rasputin through a key scene. The Bollywood spy thriller uses a Rasputin reference that appears in a viral scene, where R Madhavan's character recounts Rasputin's legendary survival-poison, gunshots, and drowning, to symbolise a Lt General Shamshad Hassan's downfall amid betrayal and exposure.