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Kismet
Words & Music:
Sid Tepper/ Roy C. BennettWhen you meet by chance, it's not by chance
It's kismet
When two hearts stand still, it's destiny's will
It's kismet
The wheel of fortune spins, round and around it goes
Who will the arrow point to, only kismet knows
Until you came by, kismet and I, were strangers
But now that you're here, it's suddenly clear we've met
This is my lucky day, love's in the cards I'd say
Thanks to kismet, kismet, kismet
Until you came by, kismet and I were strangers
But now that you're here, it's suddenly clear we've met
This is my lucky day, love's in the cards I'd say
Thanks to kismet, kismet, kismet Recorded:
1965/02/25, first released on
Harum ScarumReactions
In India they always loved Elvis movies, especially Harum Scarum. I enjoy Kishmet for what it is, a pretty ballad, well sung.
I have always liked this song and it always finds its way on to my film compilations and playlists. The soundtrack with its middle eastern influence which I do like, is in its entirety not the best he has ever done, however I particularly enjoy this beguiling ballad..
I realize that this song and soundtrack had no artistic merit.Call me crazy but,I liked the song as well as most of the sountrack.I liked the eastern feel to the music.It was completely different than anything he had ever recorded.
I like this soundtrack too. I saw this movie on a Saturday night double date during Christmas break 1965. The theater - the Loew's in Jersey City - was crowded and everyone seemed to really enjoy the movie. I played the soundtrack a lot at the time ( along with Rubber Soul, the Byrds, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Dylan, Stones, etc). I only play the soundtrack occasionally these days , but still enjoy it when I do.
I love the entire Harum Scarum soundtrack.
It is not that I can't still be very disappointed in some of Elvis' music, but coming to it after the fact helps. In other words, in my mind, this song doesn't have to compete with the other songs from 1965 (Help by the Beatles, Satisfaction by the Rolling Stones, Like a Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan and....hey! Crying in the Chapel by our man!) For me, this is just another of a big glut of mid-60s Elvis soundtrack songs that exist sort of outside of time. And even from that standpoint, this is no great song, but it isn't so bad really. As bad as the movie Harum Scarum is (and it might be my least fav of all Elvis movies) he looked and sounded great, and while most of the movie songs that pretended to be "rock" are pretty embarrassing, generally the ballads ranged from really good to pretty tolerable. I think this one is tolerable at least. I never seek it out, but I never skip it either.
This song isn't to bad at all, that is compared to the rest of the sorry soundtrack and film. Not a song that I ever play and one that is almost forgotten which it doesn't deserve to be.
Its a shame that Elvis' film career & soundtrack albums were at their all time worst when pop music was in the midst of an explosion that was reshaping the musical landscape once again. Songs and albums like this made Elvis seem passe to radio stations and most of the record buying public of the day.
From the first line of this song (from "Harum Scarum"), you know it is a doozy. Just a horrible opening line. Then it gets "better"! Kismet means fate or fortune and then suddenly we are treated to the line "kismet and I, were strangers"??? He was a stranger to fate??? Shouldn't Tepper and Bennett, wrote "true love and I were strangers"??? or something else??? I defend a lot of their work, but I can't defend this one. Horrible song, bad production and Elvis sings this one as if he is about to doze off. It follows the song "Mirage" on the soundtrack album and these two ballads just about put the listener to sleep too. The five songs on side A of this album make side A of "Clambake" and side B of "Girls! Girls! Girls!" sound like "Elvis Golden Records"!
Boy, Sid Tepper & Roy C. Bennett really outdid themselves on this one huh? To say the well ran dry on these writers is an understatement. Look at their earlier work, then look at 1962 onward. Elvis really needed fresh blood for his film songwriters.
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