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.
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.
Poor, like the film ! No doubt Elvis did this drivel to help Parker with his casino debt.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This song gives me an oriental feeling...only Elvis can do that,thats for sure !
The music is better than the movie, let's leave it at that.
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.
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.
"Golden Coins" has always been my favorite song from the "Harum Scarum" soundtrack album.
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.
I like the percussion on this song. The song itself, no thank you.
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.
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.
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.