Musical groups in three genres have shared the name The Four Aces.

1… Read Full Bio ↴Musical groups in three genres have shared the name The Four Aces.

1. The Aces, initially known as "The Four Aces" were a Jamaican vocal group who are best known for their work with Desmond Dekker, but who also recorded without him. The initial line-up of the Aces was Clive Campbell, Barry Howard, Carl Howard, and Patrick Howard. The group came to the attention of Dekker, who supported them when they auditioned for Leslie Kong at Beverley's studio in 1965. The producer employed the group as backing singers for Dekker, recording many hits with him including "The King of Ska" (where they were credited as His Cherry Pies), "Get Up Adinah" (on which they were credited as the Four Aces"), huge hits such as "007 (Shanty Town)" and "Israelites", and the winner of the 1968 Festival Song Contest, "Music Like Dirt". By 1967 the only remaining original member was Barry Howard, along with Winston Samuels. Dekker's international success led to overseas tours, but the Aces were not taken along, Samuels refusing to fly, stating "Rastas did not fly on iron birds", and Barry Howard having already decided to emigrate to the United States. Instead they stayed in Jamaica and recorded without Dekker. They had a Jamaican hit in 1970 with "Mademoiselle Ninette", and by 1971 the line-up had again changed, with Barry now rejoined by Carl Howard. A string of hits followed with "Reggae Motion", "Take a Look", "Oh I Miss You", Call Me Number One", "Be My Baby", and "Sad Sad Song", and they had a near hit in the pop charts in 1973 with "Working on it Night and Day". Little more was heard from the group until 1982 when they released "One Way Street".

2. An American singing quartet which was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2001. The group is well-known for a plethora of hits, including: "Love is a Many-Splendored Thing", " Three Coins in the Fountain", "Stranger in Paradise", "Shangri-La", "Perfidia". All of the group's major hits were first performed by the original four members: Al Alberts (originally Albertini), Dave Mahoney, Lou Silvestri, and Rosario "Sod" Vaccaro. Although all were from Chester, Pennsylvania, Alberts and Mahoney actually met in the Navy. They formed a duo, with Alberts singing and Mahoney playing behind him. Later adding Vaccaro on trumpet and Silvestri on drums, the group played in the Philadelphia area. When they could not find a label which would release their record, "(It's No) Sin," Alberts started his own label, Victoria Records. "(It's No) Sin" sold a million copies! DECCA Records soon signed the group, billing them as The Four Aces Featuring Al Alberts. In 1956, Alberts left The Four Aces to try to make it as a soloist, but never made the charts. He was replaced as lead singer by Fred Diodati, another Philadelphia product. Over the years, as the remaining original members left, Diodati chose new singers to replace them. The right to "The Four Aces" name eventually landed in court. In 1975, Diodati was awarded the right to the name and continued to tour under it. The founding members, who again wanted to tour, were allowed to use the name, "The Original Four Aces, Featuring Al Alberts." The latter group retired in 1987. The Four Aces are still touring. (A link to their appearances is listed below.)

3. Cajun fiddler Leo Soileau was the second Cajun musician to record his works. This occurred in the late 1930s. The Four Aces was the name of his second string band (the first had been The Rhythm Boys). Soileau reitred from music in the 1940s with the demise of the string band sound.

Perfidia
The Four Aces Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

To you, my heart cries out Perfidia
For I found you, the love my life
In somebody else's arms

Your eyes, are echoing Perfidia
Forgetful of the promise of love
You're sharing another's charms

With a sad lament my dreams
Are faded like a broken melody
While the gods of love look down and laugh
At what romantic fools we mortals be

And now, I know my love was not for you
And so I'll take it back with a sigh
Perfidious one goodbye

Sock to me, baby
With a sad lament my dreams
Have faded like a broken melody
While the gods of love look down and laugh
At what romantic fools we mortals be

And now, I know my love was not for you
And so I'll take it back with a sigh
Perfidious one goodbye

Goodbye, goodbye

Goodbye, goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Four Aces’s song “Perfidia” tell the story of a narrator who finds love with someone who is already in a relationship with another person. The word “perfidia” means “treachery” or “faithlessness” in Spanish, and the singer uses this word to describe the actions of their lover. The opening line “To you, my heart cries out Perfidia” sets the tone for a song that is full of heartbreak and disappointment. The singer is devastated to have discovered that their love is being shared with someone else, and sings of their dreams fading “like a broken melody.” The gods of love are described as looking down and laughing at the “romantic fools we mortals be,” highlighting the common experience of falling in love with someone who is unattainable.

Despite the pain they feel, the singer ultimately decides to move on and says “goodbye” to their perfidious love. The repetition of “goodbye” at the end of the song reinforces the finality of this decision, although it’s clear that the singer is still experiencing a great deal of sadness. Overall, “Perfidia” is a poignant and emotional song that speaks to the universal experience of unrequited love.

Line by Line Meaning

To you, my heart cries out Perfidia
I am expressing my anguish and pain to you, acknowledging your perfidy.

For I found you, the love my life
I had believed you were the most important person in my life, but I was mistaken.

In somebody else's arms
You have chosen to be with someone other than me.

Your eyes, are echoing Perfidia
I see a reflection of your deceit in your eyes.

Forgetful of the promise of love
You have broken your promise to love and cherish me.

You're sharing another's charms
You are with someone else, enjoying their company and affection.

With a sad lament my dreams
I mourn for the loss of my dreams and hopes.

Are faded like a broken melody
My dreams and hopes have been destroyed.

While the gods of love look down and laugh
The gods who preside over love and romance find our human attempts at love amusing.

At what romantic fools we mortals be
We humans are foolish to believe in the power of love and romance.

And now, I know my love was not for you
I have come to the realization that my love was misplaced and misguided.

And so I'll take it back with a sigh
I am retracting my love from you, feeling discouraged and resigned.

Perfidious one goodbye
Farewell to you, the unfaithful and deceitful one.

Sock to me, baby
This line is not part of the original lyrics and does not have a meaning.

Goodbye, goodbye
A final farewell, repeated to emphasize the end of a chapter.

Contributed by Lucas B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Comments from YouTube:

DrGolf4

13y↑4

I don't think the 4 aces ever made a bad song.....unique style

Joyce Ellingsen

13y↑7

The best version of this song!

Francis Alan Wormald

3y↑4

AT 83 I AM A TEEN AGAIN & LOVING ALL THAT "THE ACES" DID IN THEIR PRIME!!!

LindaDooWop

13y↑3

I just LOVE this!

Lorna Alvarico

5y↑4

AL ALBERTS and his FOUR ACES have always been my Superhit singers since l was very little. I love them and their songs are my constant company forever. Thank you FOUR ACES for sharing your talents with the world who appreciate and love you in return. Wherever you are now, l'm sure God loves you so dearly too.

mrob75

12y↑4

Mexican composer: Alberto Dominguez! Perfidia ~ In Spanish, "perfidy" means faithless or false. Love when Bogart and Bergman danced to it in their Paris flashback.

TralfazConstruction

12y↑2

Miss you, "Uncle" Al Alberts. You were the toast of Philadelphia, adored by my in-laws (me too!); making all of 'em proud to call you a neighbor. Your TV show inspired my daughter to learn dance, vocalizing and then pass her talents to her young charges in the studio as a teacher. I saw "Uncle" Al at a live performance, with his troupe, out on the road in '94, if memory will serve and knew I was seeing some one and some thing truly unique. Al Alberts, we hardly knew ye.