👑 KISMET

Have you ever heard of Johnny Tyronne? Do you know exactly who Princess Shalimar is? Have you visited the land of Lunarkand in the Middle East? If you answered yes to all three you’re lying – there’s no such place.

Among Elvis aficionados, 1965’s Harum Scarum is not high on the preferred movie list. It was his nineteenth movie, very low budget and very far fetched even for an Elvis flick. Although it’s inarguable he looked incredibly good, he still appeared bored and disinterested.

But as with almost any situation involving misery, an optimist can find a silver lining if they look hard enough. Besides his good looks and charm, there are some perfectly lovely tunes safely tucked and practically hidden within the movie. The soundtrack carried eleven songs and for me personally, there are some sweet and catchy ones I really love.

Kismet is one of them.

Kismet is a word that just seems dreamy and romantic by it’s very sound. Arabic in origin, it simply means destiny or fate. Add the voice we love with the looks we dream about, in a charming, amorous fairy tale adventure, and Kismet becomes very appealing.

In the world of a hopeless romantic, the lyrics alone pulls one into a scene. “when you meet by chance,” “two hearts stand still,” “love’s in the cards,” “kismet, kismet, kismet.” Words can conjure up images and these do just that. The way Elvis looks at her, takes her hand, kisses it …. and the kiss at the song’s end is magical.

For those who’ve experienced kismet, looking back and knowing destiny and fate played a definite role in something wonderful, you probably get this. I do. And for the record, kismet isn’t through with us yet.

There may have been bad pictures, but none lost money and all continue to give us a beautiful glimpse at Elvis Presley in the 60’s. Enjoy the song. Forget the movie plot and concentrate on the words imagery this song so vividly conjures up.