It's Impossible

[Fabbe]

During the years, I have had various Elvis favorite songs. But there’s one I have always loved. This one.

..

[matilda]

Upon hearing it first in the 90s i thought"what a dull boring song with a strange melody".
Now it's in my top 10 songs of the 70s songs.
Such delicacy in his voice and a beautiful arrangement.
He really nailed that one.

Strange that he never sang it again (to my knowledge)?

[jurasic1968]

Yes, too bad that Elvis sang some good songs only once on stage.

[matilda]

I am not an expert on audience recordings.
Maybe he did sang it more than once.
I think in 1971 he tried at least.(if i don't mix it up with another song...might be as well"it's over")..but the orchestra made a mistake and it never went beyond the intro.
It's somewhere on a bootleg with a black and white picture as a cover.
Forgot the name.

Anyhow, strange that he nailed it perfectly on that recording and no other performance is known?

[Domino]

Been a favorite for many years.

[poormadpeter2]

I am not an expert on audience recordings.
Maybe he did sang it more than once.
I think in 1971 he tried at least.(if i don't mix it up with another song...might be as well"it's over")..but the orchestra made a mistake and it never went beyond the intro.
It's somewhere on a bootleg with a black and white picture as a cover.
Forgot the name.

Anyhow, strange that he nailed it perfectly on that recording and no other performance is known?

He sang it nearly forty times during the summer 1971 Vegas engagement.

[minkahed]

I became aware of this song from The 1975 LP, "Pure Gold", which was, again, a strange compilation of songs.

Just who in the hell produced these uneven, incoherent reissues, Mrs. Deary ?

I would have never known it was on the 1973, "Elvis" LP until the 90's.

Anyhow, an extremely good performance by Elvis, especially considering what he was going through that particular Las Vegas season.

[matilda]

@pmp2: I wasn't aware of that. Like i said i am not a live expert on audience recordings.
Maybe some can post a sample here of another version?

[jeanno]

It is sung with delicacy but, IMO it is not the kind of material he should have been doing. By 1972, he already was the King of MOR.

[fn2drive]

Bad enough Elvis was trying take Englebert’s crown as King of the MOR Housewives but to try to wrest the crown of The King of the Grandma’s from Perry Como seemed ridiculous. Though Dennis Sanders and Mother would have been pleased, just because Elvis was capable of singing a song like this well didn’t mean he should have squandered his talent on it. Another example of the premature end of Elvis’ recorded music career. Of course adding insult to injury, it was a single live cut on the career killer Fool LP. Another Jarvis compilation of scraps from the dumpster.

[drjohncarpenter]

It's Impossible is a really nice song and Elvis sings it well. Had he sung with such care more often I think many of his own hits would have been far more rewarding to hear. But I don't think he ever sung with such softness on stage again after January/February 1972. And the arrangement is good, too. With lovely string sections and a beautiful use of the harp. This said, I do prefer Perry Como`s version. But Elvis brought a lot of charm to this one. I like it.

Bad enough Elvis was trying take Englebert’s crown as King of the MOR Housewives but to try to wrest the crown of The King of the Grandma’s from Perry Como seemed ridiculous. Though Dennis Sanders and Mother would have been pleased, just because Elvis was capable of singing a song like this well didn’t mean he should have squandered his talent on it. Another example of the premature end of Elvis’ recorded music career. Of course adding insult to injury, it was a single live cut on the career killer Fool LP. Another Jarvis compilation of scraps from the dumpster.

I agree with both of you here. Elvis sings this 1971 Perry Como adult contemporary chart topper astonishingly well, and with incredible delicacy. Even the arrangement is palatable.

But ... this was not where his energies should have been focused on. He was 37 years old. He needed to find fresh material, be it ballads, blues, pop, or rock 'n' roll, and put all his talent and magic to the test. The results could have been glorious.

Interestingly, I never realized that the (English adaptation) songwriting credit was Sid Wayne. He wrote or co-wrote many songs for Elvis, although almost every one of them was a horrific piece of soundtrack material.

Some of the most egregious examples include "A Dog's Life," "Big Boots" and that "number one smash for The King in Japan back in '65" ... "Do The Clam."

His best submission was probably "I Need Your Love Tonight," a B-side hit in 1959 and co-written with Bix Reichner.

[Jukebox Jam]

Of course adding insult to injury, it was a single live cut on the career killer Fool LP.

That album could've been improved upon with just a couple of tweaks...
#1 - It should've been given a legitimate title other than just "ELVIS".
I seriously feel that Where Do I Go From Here? would've been a fitting title.
#2 - The closing song, "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" would have benefited the album with a longer edit...
such as the 4-minute edit that was first released on the 70s box set in 1995.

Original album version edit of "Don't Think Twice" -
The Essential 70s Masters 4-minute edit -

[poormadpeter2]

Bad enough Elvis was trying take Englebert’s crown as King of the MOR Housewives but to try to wrest the crown of The King of the Grandma’s from Perry Como seemed ridiculous. Though Dennis Sanders and Mother would have been pleased, just because Elvis was capable of singing a song like this well didn’t mean he should have squandered his talent on it. Another example of the premature end of Elvis’ recorded music career. Of course adding insult to injury, it was a single live cut on the career killer Fool LP. Another Jarvis compilation of scraps from the dumpster.

Reading your posts is enough to give anyone a headache. You are becoming a pantomime character. Turn down the volume. Which, incidentally, is exactly what Elvis did with It's Impossible. It's not a song I like - a bit wet for my liking - but Elvis sings it with care, attention and commitment, doesn't over-sing it, and has a good arrangement to round it off.

In other words, just because one doesn't like the material doesn't mean it is impossible to recognise how well it is performed. Meanwhile, your dismissal of Como as a singer and artist only demonstrates your inability to recognise a class act, and a great interpreter of song, just because he or she doesn't fit into your short list of approved styles.

As for the Fool LP, it is dismissed by many here, and yet there is much to like if one looks beyond Padre and Love Me Love the Life I Lead. The three piano songs, For Lovin' Me, Don't Think Twice, It's Impossible, and Where Do I Go From Here are all good (some great) performances of good (some great) material. The two other songs I have mentioned earlier are performances I don't care for, and should have been retried in the June 1971 session if they were to be released. I also don't have much time for Fool itself, but to dismiss a whole album just because of three tracks is ridiculous.

[poormadpeter2]

@pmp2: I wasn't aware of that. Like i said i am not a live expert on audience recordings.
Maybe some can post a sample here of another version?

Me neither, to be honest, until the summer. There's a decent-sounding audience recording from August 1971 on Youtube. It's notable just how much better his voice sounds here than in the studio sessions of a few months earlier.

..

[stevelecher]

I like it and the fact that Como recorded it first should not have precluded Elvis from singing it, especially when he did it so well. It is also much more palatable because he did quit doing it. I would not have wanted him to do the song for the next five years, right after Mountain. I hate that he continued doing Sweet Caroline, Polk Salad, and Bridge well past their "sell by" date.

[Mike Windgren]

Hi there!! .

I absolutely love this song and the definitive version to me is by Elvis, it´s more dramatic . Perry Como version is lovely too but you can´t compare his voice to Elvis´ .

The original lyrics "Somos Novios" before the known adaptation (It´s Impossible) was written by the great Mexican Composer/Singer Armando Manzanero in 1968. Bye for now .

Perry Como was sued in a Los Angeles Court for plagiarism on the song and fined $1.000,000! .

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sid_Wayne

..

P.S: Eduardo Manzanero was born on the same year as Elvis (1935) and he´s still alive!.

[drjohncarpenter]

Perry Como was sued in a Los Angeles Court for plagiarism on the song and fined $1.000,000! .

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sid_Wayne

The quote you share does not appear on the source you give. Is it made up? I cannot find anything about a plagiarism lawsuit against Perry Como. And Como wasn't the songwriter to begin with!

On the Wikipedia page we see something different in both form and meaning:

The English version, "It's Impossible", was originally performed by Perry Como and nominated for a Grammy Award in 1972. This success was marred by the verdict of an American court, which ruled against Manzanero in a plagiarism case involving the Spanish lyric to "Somos Novios".

Can you explain this?

[Ryan73]

While not a favourite of mine, I appreciate the more subtle and controlled vocal and arrangement. Can't think of many more recordings like this in the 70s other than the post Aloha sessions which I still favour and think are often overlooked.

[sweetangeline]

...this may surprise some...but I actually thought that this song may have got the RPO treatment...but sadly it never materialized

[elvisjock]

I, too, first heard this track on Pure Gold.

Love the symphonic introduction. And, the way he delivers the final "And tomorrow, should you ask me for the world," is just a thing of beauty.

[elvis-fan]

Bad enough Elvis was trying take Englebert’s crown as King of the MOR Housewives but to try to wrest the crown of The King of the Grandma’s from Perry Como seemed ridiculous. Though Dennis Sanders and Mother would have been pleased, just because Elvis was capable of singing a song like this well didn’t mean he should have squandered his talent on it. Another example of the premature end of Elvis’ recorded music career. Of course adding insult to injury, it was a single live cut on the career killer Fool LP. Another Jarvis compilation of scraps from the dumpster.

You know how the adults sound like on the Charlie Brown cartoons? That's what I hear when I read you're posts...

[fn2drive]

Bad enough Elvis was trying take Englebert’s crown as King of the MOR Housewives but to try to wrest the crown of The King of the Grandma’s from Perry Como seemed ridiculous. Though Dennis Sanders and Mother would have been pleased, just because Elvis was capable of singing a song like this well didn’t mean he should have squandered his talent on it. Another example of the premature end of Elvis’ recorded music career. Of course adding insult to injury, it was a single live cut on the career killer Fool LP. Another Jarvis compilation of scraps from the dumpster.

Reading your posts is enough to give anyone a headache. You are becoming a pantomime character. Turn down the volume. Which, incidentally, is exactly what Elvis did with It's Impossible. It's not a song I like - a bit wet for my liking - but Elvis sings it with care, attention and commitment, doesn't over-sing it, and has a good arrangement to round it off.

In other words, just because one doesn't like the material doesn't mean it is impossible to recognise how well it is performed. Meanwhile, your dismissal of Como as a singer and artist only demonstrates your inability to recognise a class act, and a great interpreter of song, just because he or she doesn't fit into your short list of approved styles.

As for the Fool LP, it is dismissed by many here, and yet there is much to like if one looks beyond Padre and Love Me Love the Life I Lead. The three piano songs, For Lovin' Me, Don't Think Twice, It's Impossible, and Where Do I Go From Here are all good (some great) performances of good (some great) material. The two other songs I have mentioned earlier are performances I don't care for, and should have been retried in the June 1971 session if they were to be released. I also don't have much time for Fool itself, but to dismiss a whole album just because of three tracks is ridiculous.

As I noted Elvis sings this track well. The hideous Las Vegas arrangement is another story. Where did I dismiss or criticize Perry Como? My comment was directed to Elvis’ pursuit of his demographic. Perhaps you think Mr. Como had served as the opening act for the Stones on the Helter Skelter tour. Great voice and interpreter for the sweater wearing set. Next you’ll be teaching us that Sinatra’s Bad Bad Leroy Brown was under appreciated.

Fool is an appalling LP by any demonstrable standard. Perhaps they could have regrouped the tracks. Side A the softer side of Elvis; Side B for Bellowing- Elvis bellows his way through track after track. And a special bonus track live from Las Vegas that was laying around and we knew we use it somewhere no matter how out of place. The follow up from Aloha deserved to be more than leftovers. Fool is an example of the whole being far less than the sum/some of the parts.

[stevelecher]

I'm so tired of "the bellowing" meme.

[poormadpeter2]

Bad enough Elvis was trying take Englebert’s crown as King of the MOR Housewives but to try to wrest the crown of The King of the Grandma’s from Perry Como seemed ridiculous. Though Dennis Sanders and Mother would have been pleased, just because Elvis was capable of singing a song like this well didn’t mean he should have squandered his talent on it. Another example of the premature end of Elvis’ recorded music career. Of course adding insult to injury, it was a single live cut on the career killer Fool LP. Another Jarvis compilation of scraps from the dumpster.

Reading your posts is enough to give anyone a headache. You are becoming a pantomime character. Turn down the volume. Which, incidentally, is exactly what Elvis did with It's Impossible. It's not a song I like - a bit wet for my liking - but Elvis sings it with care, attention and commitment, doesn't over-sing it, and has a good arrangement to round it off.

In other words, just because one doesn't like the material doesn't mean it is impossible to recognise how well it is performed. Meanwhile, your dismissal of Como as a singer and artist only demonstrates your inability to recognise a class act, and a great interpreter of song, just because he or she doesn't fit into your short list of approved styles.

As for the Fool LP, it is dismissed by many here, and yet there is much to like if one looks beyond Padre and Love Me Love the Life I Lead. The three piano songs, For Lovin' Me, Don't Think Twice, It's Impossible, and Where Do I Go From Here are all good (some great) performances of good (some great) material. The two other songs I have mentioned earlier are performances I don't care for, and should have been retried in the June 1971 session if they were to be released. I also don't have much time for Fool itself, but to dismiss a whole album just because of three tracks is ridiculous.

As I noted Elvis sings this track well. The hideous Las Vegas arrangement is another story. Where did I dismiss or criticize Perry Como? My comment was directed to Elvis’ pursuit of his demographic. Perhaps you think Mr. Como had served as the opening act for the Stones on the Helter Skelter tour. Great voice and interpreter for the sweater wearing set. Next you’ll be teaching us that Sinatra’s Bad Bad Leroy Brown was under appreciated.

Fool is an appalling LP by any demonstrable standard. Perhaps they could have regrouped the tracks. Side A the softer side of Elvis; Side B for Bellowing- Elvis bellows his way through track after track. And a special bonus track live from Las Vegas that was laying around and we knew we use it somewhere no matter how out of place. The follow up from Aloha deserved to be more than leftovers. Fool is an example of the whole being far less than the sum/some of the parts.

Elvis bellows his way through two tracks on Fool. No more. And you know that. And yet once again you have to exaggerate everything.

[Gillybee]

During the years, I have had various Elvis favorite songs. But there’s one I have always loved. This one.

I love this track too. For me it exemplifies Elvis' greatness: despite the flaws (swelling orchestral intro and syrupy lyrics), Elvis' voice is so utterly captivating...you can't help but be drawn in/caught up.

"Perfect imperfection".