After graduating from South Philadelphia High, he went to Temple University and the United States Navy, where he met Dave Mahoney. They went on to found The Four Aces.
The Four Aces recorded the song "Three Coins in the Fountain", written by Jule Styne for the film of the same name. The song hit the #1 bestselling record twice in 1954, and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song the same year. Alberts also popularized the song "On the Way to Cape May", first through recording it, and then by performing it often on his later television show and specials.
The Four Aces biggest hit was "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing", which was the theme to the 1955 film starring William Holden and Jennifer Jones. The song was a number one hit for four weeks, and it also won the Academy Award for best song.
In 1987 he recorded On The Way To Cape May, a song that has become a Jersey Shore sound summertime anthem for the Philadelphia/Delaware Valley and South Jersey Shore area.It was written by Maurice "Buddy" Nugent according to BMI and the The Philadelphia Inquirer. The song became popular without the push of a major record label. It has become popular in a variety of 21st century media, such as XM satellite and internet radio, and also enjoys regular airplay on many Delaware Valley AM and FM stations.
Subsequently, he became a television personality in Philadelphia where he hosted a one-hour Saturday afternoon talent show, called Al Alberts Showcase, first airing on WKBS-TV, and then on WPVI-TV that featured a panel of local children known as the "Teeny Boppers." Also there was a group of young teenage dancers called the "Show Stoppers." Local talents of all ages would sing songs and perform dance routines. Alberts would sit with the Teeny Boppers and they would each tell him a joke. The show helped launch the careers of Andrea McArdle, and such acts/performers as Sister Sledge, The Kinleys, and Teddy Pendergrass. After 32 years, the show went off the air after Alberts' retirement in 1994. Alberts died on November 27, 2009 of complications from renal failure in Arcadia, Florida.
Stranger In Paradise
Al Alberts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm a stranger in paradise
All lost in a wonderland
A stranger in paradise
If I stand starry-eyed
That's the danger in paradise
For mortals who stand beside an angel like you
Out of the commonplace into the rare
Somewhere in space I hang suspended
Until I know there's a chance that you care
Won't you answer this fervent prayer
Of a stranger in paradise?
Don't send me in dark despair
From all that I hunger for
But open your angel's arms
To this stranger in paradise
And tell him that he need be
A stranger no more
The lyrics of Al Alberts's song, "Stranger in Paradise," portray a man who is captivated by the beauty of the angelic figure he has encountered. The singer notes that he is lost in a wonderland and that his starry-eyed wonder at the sight of the angel he is standing beside represents the danger in paradise for mortals. He is then propelled into a different mental state, as he elevates himself from the commonplace to the celestial by just seeing the subject's face. The singer hangs suspended in outer space, waiting for the chance that the angel he is talking to will care for him.
The plea then becomes more transparent, as the stranger implores the subject to listen to his fervent prayer and not send him into the dark despair he is hungering for. The lyrics then take a romantic turn, as the stranger opens his arms and pleads with the subject to open their angelic arms as well, thus ending the stranger's isolation in paradise. The song's lyrics, paired with the harmonious melody, evoke a sense of longing and desire and are considered a classic component of American music history.
Line by Line Meaning
Take my hand
Please let me have a chance with you.
I'm a stranger in paradise
I feel like I am in a dreamlike state because I have never been happier than I am now with you.
All lost in a wonderland
I am completely enchanted by you and this situation.
A stranger in paradise
I feel like I am in a place or with a person that is so perfect that it cannot possibly be real.
If I stand starry-eyed
If I am in awe of you.
That's the danger in paradise
The danger of being so caught up in the moment that you forget to be yourself or you become irrational.
For mortals who stand beside an angel like you
It is hard for anyone to be calm when they are next to a perfect person like you.
I saw your face and I ascended
You take my breath away and elevate me to a new level of happiness.
Out of the commonplace into the rare
I have never felt like this before; you are an exception in my life.
Somewhere in space I hang suspended
I feel like everything else in my life has stopped to make room for you and the way that I feel.
Until I know there's a chance that you care
I need to know that you feel the same way for my happiness to be complete.
Won't you answer this fervent prayer
Please respond to me, as I am asking with the utmost sincerity and passion.
Of a stranger in paradise?
Of someone who feels like they are in a place that is so perfect, it is almost unreal.
Don't send me in dark despair
Please don't let me down and make me feel sad and hopeless.
From all that I hunger for
From everything that I desire or need to be happy.
But open your angel's arms
Please hold me and make me feel safe and loved.
To this stranger in paradise
To someone who is so happy to be with you that they feel like they are in a dream.
And tell him that he need be
And help him see that he doesn't need to feel like he is dreaming because everything is real.
A stranger no more
A person who feels like they have finally found their place in the world, with you.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: George Chet Forrest, Bob Wright
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind