Mor ve Ötesi was formed in 1995 with the line-up of Kerem Kabadayı (drums), Harun Tekin (vocals & guitar), Derin Esmer (vocals & guitar) and Alper Tekin (bass), who were then students at the Deutsche Schule Istanbul. They released their first album Şehir ("The City") in September 1996 and played their first live concert in Ankara. That year, Burak Güven replaced Alper Tekin on bass.
Bırak Zaman Aksın ("Let Time Flow"), their second album was released in January 1999 to massive success. Just after its release, Derin Esmer moved to the USA and was replaced by prominent guitarist Kerem Özyeğen. After the devastating 1999 Kocaeli earthquake, Mor ve Ötesi started playing more on social and political themes. They were also very active in the opposition against the use of nuclear energy in Turkiye.
In August 2001, they released their third album, Gül Kendine ("Smile at Yourself"). With Kerem Özyeğen, there was a noticeable change in the music, and after 17 August there was a noticeable change in lyrics. In October 2002, Mor ve Ötesi's released the Yaz EP, which included a cover of the Ajda Pekkan song Yaz Yaz Yaz.
Their fourth album Dünya Yalan Söylüyor ("The World is Lying") was released in March 2004. The album became their most popular album in Turkiye, reaching 250.000 sales. Since their previous work was not as well known, many new fans were not aware that they weren't a new band. Although this album has been their best selling album, it is not admired by their old fans as much as their previous work, and some have even seen it as "sell-out". The album contained considerable political criticism against the activities of the USA both in Iraq and the rest of the world. In the same year they received a Golden Orange Award for their single "Bir Derdim Var".
Their fifth album Büyük Düşler ("Great Hopes") was released on May 9, 2006. This is an album mainly dealing with the political problems of Turkiye and the personal problems of the group members, including loss of family members and their relationships. It has a darker sound compared to their previous albums. This album is regarded as a homage to their old fan base and a return to a style closer to their earlier albums. Three singles were released from the album: "Şirket", "Küçük Sevgilim", and "Ayıp Olmaz Mı?". Büyük Düşler was named Best Album of the Year by Rolling Stone Turkiye and Best Rock Album of the Year by Blue Jean magazine.
On December 10 2007 TRT's general manager İbrahim Şahin announced that Mor ve Ötesi were to represent Turkiye in Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song 'Deli'. Mor ve Ötesi finished 7th in contest, which was held in Belgrade on 22 May 2008. During the contest, BBC commentator Sir Terry Wogan described the lead singer as "a sinister James Bond".
The band's sixth album, Başıbozuk, was released in late 2008, and included three studio and four live tracks, including their Eurovision entry, as well as remixes.
Their seventh album "Masumiyetin Ziyan Olmaz" ("Your Innocence Won't Go To Waste") came out in 12 May 2010. The first video clip was "Yorma Kendini"
Kördüğüm
Mor ve Ötesi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Neler oldu
Yer yarıldı
Herkes hâlâ kibar
Parlak kutularda
Toy mühendisler
Bozuk ve sahte
Hep havadisler
Kimseler bilmez
Bu bir kördüğüm
Ne ilk ne de son
Beraber bekledik
Yaptığımızdan ne kadar emindik
Durdum durdum kendime güzel bir ağ ördüm
Kimse bilmez kimse bilmez bu bir kördüğüm
Zaman yok, mekan yok hicbir sey yok
Yarali bir melek var, evi yok
Zaman yok, mekan yok hicbir sey yok
Yarali bir melek var...
The opening lines of the song Kördüğüm by Mor ve Ötesi, "Kim bilir, Neler oldu, Yer yarıldı, Herkes hâlâ kibar" translate to "Who knows, what's happened, the ground has split, everyone is still polite." These lines set the tone of the song as a tale of a strange and unsettling experience. The next lines describe "bright boxes" and "toy engineers," suggesting that perhaps the experience involves some sort of strange technological or industrial development. The lines "bu mudur bana reva gördüğün / kimseler bilmez / bu bir kördüğüm" translate to "is this what you have deemed appropriate for me / no one knows / this is a tangle." Here, the word "tangle" suggests that the strange and unsettling experience the song describes is like a knot or a knot that needs to be undone. The final lines of the first stanza, "ne ilk ne de son / beraber bekledik / yaptığımızdan ne kadar emindik," translate to "not the first, not the last / we waited together / how sure we were of what we were doing." These lines suggest that the strange experience described is not a one-time occurrence, but rather something that happens over and over again, possibly due to the actions of those involved.
The lines "Durdum durdum kendime güzel bir ağ ördüm / Kimse bilmez kimse bilmez bu bir kördüğüm" translate to "I stopped and stopped and wove myself a beautiful web / No one knows, no one knows, it's a tangle." These lines suggest that the singer is attempting to unravel the knot, perhaps by examining their experience and reflecting on it. The final lines of the song, "Zaman yok, mekan yok hicbir sey yok / Yarali bir melek var, evi yok / Zaman yok, mekan yok hicbir sey yok / Yarali bir melek var..." translate to "There is no time, no place, nothing / There is a wounded angel, with no home / There is no time, no place, nothing / There is a wounded angel." Here, the wounded angel could be interpreted as a metaphor for someone who has been hurt or damaged by a similar experience.
Overall, the lyrics of Kördüğüm by Mor ve Ötesi paint a picture of a strange and unsettling experience that happens over and over again. The singer attempts to unravel the knot of this experience by examining it and reflecting on it, but ultimately concludes that there is still much that is unknown and unresolved.
Line by Line Meaning
Kim bilir
Who knows
Neler oldu
What happened
Yer yarıldı
The earth split
Herkes hâlâ kibar
Everyone is still polite
Parlak kutularda
In shiny boxes
Toy mühendisler
Novice engineers
Bozuk ve sahte
Broken and fake
Hep havadisler
Always news
Bu mudur bana reva gördüğün
Is this what you deem appropriate for me?
Kimseler bilmez
No one knows
Bu bir kördüğüm
This is a tangle
Ne ilk ne de son
Neither the first nor the last
Beraber bekledik
We waited together
Yaptığımızdan ne kadar emindik
We were so sure of what we were doing
Durdum durdum kendime güzel bir ağ ördüm
I stopped, I stopped and I weaved a beautiful net for myself
Kimse bilmez kimse bilmez bu bir kördüğüm
No one knows, no one knows, this is a tangle
Zaman yok, mekan yok hicbir sey yok
No time, no place, nothing
Yarali bir melek var, evi yok
There's a wounded angel with no home
Zaman yok, mekan yok hicbir sey yok
No time, no place, nothing
Yarali bir melek var...
There's a wounded angel...
Contributed by Olivia I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.