Discography
Heart And Soul
(It's No) Sin
Tell Me Why
Heart and Soull
A Garden In The Rain
Strange In Paradise
The Gang That Sang "Heart Of My Heart"
Mr. Sandman
Perfidia
Melody Of Love
Three Coins In The Fountian
I'm Yours
Should I
There Is A Tavern In The Town
You Brought Me Love
In Apple Blossom Time
Dream
So Long
Laughing On The Outside
Organ Gringer's Swing
La Rosita
Just Squeeze Me
I Understand
It's A Woman's World (From Woman's World)
Wedding Bells (Are Breaking Up That Old Gang Of Mine)
A pair of Philadelphia boys, Al Alberts and Dave Mahoney, finding themselves in the North Atlantic in the Navy in WWII, killed time by singing together. Joining two more local boys, Rosario and Louis, they formed the Four Aces, following in the footsteps of the Ames Brothers. Their first hit was "(It's No) Sin," which was shopped to no avail to New York record companies, and finally released by Al, who started his own record company, Victoria Records, to do it. The song peaked on Billboard's charts at #4 in 1951, and the Aces were quickly signed by Decca. The group-written "Tell Me Why," "A Garden in the Rain," "Perfidia," "I'm Yours" and "Heart and Soul" were next to climb high on the charts. Appearing frequently on TV, Aces singles "La Rosita," "Just Squeeze Me," "Laughing on the Outside" and "The Gang that Sang (Heart of My Heart)" were among 8 of the group's hits in 1952. "Stranger in Paradise" went to #2 on the charts, which the Aces finally topped with the theme from the movie "Three Coins in a Fountain." Popular hits "Dream" and "So Long," followed, and "Mr. Sandman" and "Melody of Love" scored in Billboard's top five before the floodgates of Rock 'n Roll opened in 1955, and even that year the Aces had another chart-topper with "Love is a Many Splendored Thing." "Heart" features 24 of the group's (all accompanied) upbeat, romantic tunes in a nicely done package with group history and photos. For smooth quintessential 50s pop harmonies, Four Aces win every time!
Stranger in Paradise
Four Aces 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 to Four Aces' song "Stranger in Paradise" suggest a sense of lostness and awe in the presence of someone they see as angelic - someone who is so different and otherworldly that they feel like they are in a totally unexpected and magical place. The singer, in their own words, is a "stranger in paradise," all consumed by the wonder of the person they're addressing. Nonetheless, they acknowledge a kind of danger in this encounter, noting that standing beside someone so special can be risky for mortals like themselves.
The second stanza is partly an extension of this first, in that the singer notes how seeing this person's face has taken them out of the everyday, mundane world and into one of wonder and mystery. There's a sense that they're suspended somewhere "in space," which could be taken figuratively to refer to a kind of ecstatic uncertainty or yearning, or more literally to suggest that the singer has transcended the laws of gravity and physics. They're hanging on for a chance that the person they're singing to cares for them and won't leave them in the darkness of despair.
Overall, the song conveys a sense of being outside of oneself and in the thrall of another person's beauty and magnetism. There's a sense of both delight and danger, with the implication that to be in paradise is to be separate from normal human life in some way.
Line by Line Meaning
Take my hand
Please accompany me
I'm a stranger in paradise
I am unfamiliar with this pleasurable place
All lost in a wonderland
Completely absorbed in this magical place
A stranger in paradise
Unfamiliar to the wonders of paradise
If I stand starry-eyed
If I am awestruck with wonder
That's the danger in paradise
I risk losing myself in the paradise
For mortals who stand beside an angel like you
To common people who stand next to a divine being like you
I saw your face and I ascended
I soared to new heights when I saw your countenance
Out of the commonplace into the rare
I exited the ordinary into the extraordinary
Somewhere in space I hang suspended
I am hanging weightlessly in the universe
Until I know there's a chance that you care
Until I know that there is a possibility that you could take an interest in me
Won't you answer this fervent prayer
Would you please fulfill my heartfelt request
Of a stranger in paradise?
From someone inexperienced in the wonders of paradise
Don't send me in dark despair
Do not force me into sadness
From all that I hunger for
From everything that I long for
But open your angel's arms
Embrace me with your divine arms
To this stranger in paradise
To someone who is unfamiliar with the wonders of paradise
And tell him that he need be
And inform him that he no longer has to be
A stranger no more
Someone who is no longer unfamiliar to the paradise
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: George Chet Forrest, Bob Wright
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ronald Herrera
Take my hand,
I'm a stranger in paradise -
All lost in a wonderland,
A stranger in paradise.
If I stand starry eyed
That's a danger in paradise
Mortals who stand beside
An angels like us -
I saw her face
And I ascended
Out of the common place,
Into the rarest
Somewhere in space ....
I hang suspended?
Until I know
There's a chance that she cares.
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 strangers in paradise
And tell us that we need be
Strangers no more!!
I saw her face,
And I ascended
Out of the common place
Into the rarest -
Somewhere in space
I hang suspended
Until I know -
There's a chance that she cares
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 strangers in paradise
And tell us that we need be
Strangers no more .....
hideyho67
I'm so glad my life was touched by this type of music ! Lyrics and musical talent so sorry for the present generation and their loss !
May Jost
yes!
Opaula Morgan
Yes, we were so fortunate!
Kathleen Tinley
I am so glad I was born in 50. I always loved music but the crap they have today is just that.
Mike Hudson
Al Alberts is really going for it in his solo here. Love all of their tracks.
Yolanda Coronado Chavez
Que belleza de música siempre fueron de mi gusto este cuarteto son de mi juventud ahora tengo 75 escucharlos me traen muy bonitos recuerdos aaaaaa que bella musica
Ray Szymarek
I am old fashioned and am proud to be Now think how important this song was and still is New sounds New Musicians and a lot of talent out there I respect but this kind of arrangement and singing brings out the reason music like this is always and will be in style thanks for playing greatness
Diana Garland
Feel the same
jose fiorelli
I've loved this song since I was a little child, 60 years ago! Thank you.
Georgianne Coppolo
Me too, still do!!!