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Golden Coins

Rating:
3.4 / 5

Words & Music: Bill Giant Bernie Baum Florence Kaye

Say you're mine, then ask me what you will
All your dreams, my darling I'll fulfill

Golden coins, I will bring to you
Silver trinkets and rubies too
In return dear I'm begging you
For the pleasures of love

I'll bring gifts, like you never saw
Priceless garments that you'll adore
Persian rugs to enhance your floor
For the pleasures of love

Darling, choose anything you please
Rich brocade, or woven tapestries
In exchange, I plead on my knees
For the pleasure of love

Golden coins, I'll place at your feet
Precious jewels to make life complete
All my treasures are yours my sweet

For the pleasures of love

Recordingdate: 1965/02/25, first released on: Harum Scarum (album)

Musicians

Musicians who contributed to the first recording of Golden Coins:

(guitar)
(guitar)
(guitar)
(bass)
(drums)
(drums)
(piano)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(congas)
(tambourine)
(flute)
(oboe)

Availability

Find available albums with Golden Coins.

Steve V wrote on March 17, 2009
Oh my - not good.
NONE000000 wrote on February 21, 2010
Man, these movie songs..... I guess it really must depend on a person's age when they first heard some of this stuff. I would imagine that had I been around and a teenager in 1965 when this came out, knowing people like the Beatles and Bob Dylan were putting out music at the same time, I'm sure I would hate this. As it happened, it was 1979 when I first heard this and I was 11 years old. And I really really loved the whole Harum Scarum album. So maybe it helped that I was 11 and not a mature or very discriminating listener, or maybe it was because the alternative at the time was Disco, but I liked that whole silly album, including this track. Of course today when I listen to this song I just keep thinking Elvis is singing to a very expensive prostitute.
Deke Rivers 6 wrote on February 21, 2010
Poor, like the film ! No doubt Elvis did this drivel to help Parker with his casino debt.
Marty_TCE wrote on February 21, 2010
Any song that includes a line about Persian rugs enhancing your floor can't be that great. What must Elvis have thought when he read the lyrics?
derekd wrote on February 21, 2010
First movie & soundtrack that I was really disappointed with. Elvis should have been advised to do just one movie each year, and guess on a few Tv specials, plus record one really good album, with maybe 2 singles. As it was 1965 to 67 are best forgotten, up to a point.
Deano1 wrote on February 21, 2010
A song recorded for the movie and soundtrack LP "Harum Scarum" (1965). It isn't often I give an Elvis song one star, but this is one of those rare times. It is a poorly written song with poor production values and Elvis does nothing to make it better (I don't know if he could). It didn't work in the movie and it is even worse on record. Other one star songs include "Barefoot Ballad" (this one might get 0 stars), "One Boy, Two Little Girls" (Elvis' worst movie ballad by far), "Yoga Is As Yoga Does", "Hey, Hey, Hey", "Carny Town", "Dominique" and a few more that I might be forgetting. There are several more that get one and half stars, but at least worked in the movie (including several more from "Harum Scarum") and/or have some merit or endearing quality.
shoesuedeblues wrote on February 21, 2010
I have a mint copy of Harem Holiday(the film UK title) I played it just the one time before I saw the film in 1965. This more or less should have put me off seeing the film, but i was a teenager at the time and Elvis mad.Many people have argued just who was to blame for the quality of the songs which were presented to Elvis. Some say Freddie Beanstalk, others the Colonel also those ever ready clique of songwriters. But for me Elvis was to blame for allowing songs such as this to even be considered.
Great Dane wrote on February 21, 2010
For me harem holiday worked,it is total different of the other soundtracks,and maybe it was because the lp was hard to get those days and i was glad when i finally had it. It did very well in the middle-east i heard.
old shep wrote on February 21, 2010
The soundtrack is awful, listen to Elvis, he just dosen't want to be there. Crass rubbish which did Elvis a great deal of harm in 1965, I know i was around at the time.
GEORGE (GK) wrote on February 21, 2010
This song worked well in the movie, but not so much, on its own. The soundtrack did however, feature some good songs such as "So close yet so far" and the bonus track, cut from the movie "Animal Instinct". The original sound mix for this soundtrack album was mixed badly.
JerryNodak wrote on February 21, 2010
I like the soundtrack. Hate the film. Elvis did these films because he made a lot of money. $750,000-$1,000,000 per picture plus 50% percent of the profits off the top. Which was a lot of money back then. By 1965, the year of Harum Scarum, he was the highest paid star in Hollywood. A good thing, too. Because he had plenty of expensive habits/debts of his own.
Polk Salad Robert wrote on February 26, 2011
This song gives me an oriental feeling...only Elvis can do that,thats for sure !
TCB1974 wrote on June 24, 2012
The music is better than the movie, let's leave it at that.
GEORGE (GK) wrote on June 25, 2012
Without a doubt one of the weaker Elvis Films, but, still enjoyable. This song is a nice movie song, that works well within the film.
LonElvis wrote on June 25, 2012
I enjoy the Harum Scarum album and movie, incluidng this song. I think it's due to a combination of the uniqueness of the songs with the arabian feel and the rareness of the songs (to me). This album was deleted when I first started listening to Elvis back in 1987 and I remember watching the movie and just really enjoying hearing "new" Elvis songs (to me at that time). I have the Harum Scarum FTD and listen to it regularly. Not his best work but at the same time one of my favorites.
ElvisSacramento wrote on November 06, 2012
"Golden Coins" has always been my favorite song from the "Harum Scarum" soundtrack album.
Gorse wrote on January 02, 2013
Yes I really enjoy everything about this song with its Eastern feel, vocal delivery and arrangement. The ballads from the Harum Scarum film were to my ears, pretty good and gain a lot when I add a bit of echo which eradicates the flatness of the studio film recording.
sugartummy wrote on March 07, 2013
I like the percussion on this song. The song itself, no thank you.
Natha wrote on December 10, 2016
The whole movie and soundtrack has that Middle Eastern feeling, which was much more enchanting than in those days. The movie itself was just fun, like the road to ... movies. No high quality, but a fun moment to get away from the harsh realities of life, As my world view has expanded since those days (hey it is over 50 years ago already) so goes my interest with the movie. Anyway, this is a nice song and like all of those movie songs this one is no w taken out of its context and for me enjoyable.
Stevekimb1 wrote on April 06, 2021
I guess context is everything. Generally, dismissed by reviewers, a snip from the song appears in the BBC4 production of ‘Goldfinger’ with Toby Stephens, Rosamund Pike & Ian McKellen with perfect effect. Perhaps not redemption for the song but neither the ignominy of the ‘Harum Scarum’ soundtrack.
Lp fan only wrote on December 14, 2021
Imo the soundtrack is not that bad, but of course not great. Same for the song. It gives you that middle eastern feeling. 3 stars for both the soundtrack and the song.
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