"Perfidia" (Spanish for "perfidy", as in faithless, treacherous or false) is a popular song written by Alberto Domínguez [1] (1911–1975), a Mexican composer and arranger born in the state of Chiapas, about love and betrayal. Aside from the original Spanish, other renditions exist, including English and instrumental versions. The English lyrics are by Milton Leeds. The song was published in 1939 and became a hit for Xavier Cugat in 1940. This version was used by director Wong Kar-wai in his films Days of Being Wild, In the Mood for Love, and 2046.
"Perfidia"' has been recorded by many artists, including Julie London, The Four Aces, Charlie Parker, Laurel Aitken, Mel Torme, Olavi Virta, Café Tacuba, Glenn Miller, Nana Mouskouri, King Tubby, Phyllis Dillon, The Shadows, The Ventures, Trini Lopez, Linda Ronstadt (in Spanish), Nat King Cole, Los Tres Caballeros and Javier Solis (in Spanish), Cliff Richard, Lawrence Welk, Luis Miguel, Issac Delgado, mandolinist Dave Apollon, Olivia Molina, Perez Prado, Ibrahim Ferrer, Los Rabanes, and Ben E. King. More than 150 different versions are collected.
An English arrangement of "Perfidia" was also the founding song of the Princeton Nassoons, Princeton University's oldest a cappella group.