In 1956, he convinced his parents to let him travel to Los Angeles, where he called every record company in the phone book looking for an audition. A meeting with Modern Records led to the release of Anka’s first single, “Blau-Wile Deverest Fontaine.” It was not a hit, but Anka kept plugging away, going so far to sneak into Fats Domino’s dressing room to meet the man and his manager in Ottawa. When Anka returned New York in 1957, he scored a meeting with Don Costa, the A&R man for ABC-Paramount Records. He played him a batch of songs that included “Diana” – Costa was duly enthusiastic about the potential of the young singer and songwriter. The rapid and enormous success of “Diana”- his first number one hit – made him a star.
“They are all very autobiographical,” says Anka of his early hits. “I was alone, traveling, girls screaming, and I never got near them. I’m a teenager and feeling isolated and all that. That becomes ‘Lonely Boy.’ At record hops, I’m up on stage and all these kids are holding each other with heads on each other’s shoulders. Then I have to go have dinner in my room because there are thousands of kids outside the hotel — ‘Put Your Head on My Shoulder’ was totally that experience.
Soon Paul found himself traveling by bus with the ‘Cavalcade of Stars’ with the top names of the day in the era of segregation, performing at the Copa Cabana, the youngest entertainer ever to do so, and honing his craft surrounded by the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Frankie Lyman, and Chuck Berry.
By the time the Beatles arrived in the sixties, Anka had another tool in his survival kit. “After a few hits,” he says, “I knew I was a writer, and with writers, the power was always in the pen. When I started writing for Buddy Holly and Connie Francis, I felt that it made me different for people — they’d say, ‘Hey, you can write, you can fall back on something.” Among his proudest accomplishments was writing the Academy Award-nominated theme for The Longest Day, the 1962 film in which he also starred.
Songwriting and performing “are what gave me the confidence to keep going,” he says. Becoming a junior associate of Sinatra and the Rat Pack also had its privileges. By the ‘70s, the success of “My Way” and a string of hits like “(You’re) Having My Baby” confirmed his status as an icon of popular music. His later achievements as a recording artist included “Hold Me ‘Til the Morning Comes,” a hit duet with Peter Cetera in 1983, the Spanish-language album Amigos in 1996, and Body of Work, a 1998 duets album that featured Frank Sinatra, Celine Dion, Patti LaBelle, Tom Jones and daughter Anthea Anka. If this wasn’t enough, it was revealed upon its release in 2009, that Anka co-wrote Michael Jackson’s posthumous #1 worldwide hit, “This Is It,” which has further cemented his place upon the most prolific and versatile songwriters of any generation.
Not one to rest on his laurels, Anka’s two most recent albums – Rock Swings and now Classic Songs, My Way – ingeniously featured songs originally created by some of the biggest rock performers of the day – as well as other established artists across several genres. The twist: Paul Anka did the songs ‘his way.’ His goal: “taking great songs and rework them so they’re natural for me.” With the help of his five daughters, Anka spent months researching music from the ‘80s and ‘90s, trying to find the songs that would work in the radical new context he proposed. The songs that made the cut included Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life,” Lionel Richie’s “Hello” and Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven.” Even more dramatic were his transformations of “Wonderwall” by Oasis, “Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”
Rock Swings went Top 10 in the UK, and was certified gold in the UK, France, and Canada, hit No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Jazz Albums chart and went on to sell half a million units worldwide.
Diana
Paul Anka° Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This, my darling, I've been told
I don't care just what they say
'Cause forever I will pray
You and I will be as free
As the birds up in the trees
Oh, please stay by me, Diana
Oh, my darling, you're the most
I love you but do you love me
Oh, Diana, can't you see
I love you with all my heart
And I hope we will never part
Oh, please stay with me, Diana
Oh, my darlin', oh, my lover
Tell me that there is no other
I love you with my heart
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
Only you can take my heart
Only you can tear it apart
When you hold me in your loving arms
I can feel you giving all your charms
Hold me, darling, ho-ho hold me tight
Squeeze me baby with all your might
Oh, please stay by me, Diana
Oh, please, Diana
Oh, please, Diana
Oh, please, Diana
The lyrics of "Diana" tell the story of a young man who is in love with a woman who is older than him. Despite what others may say about their age difference, he does not care because he loves her with all his heart. He prays that they will be together forever, free like birds in the trees. The singer speaks directly to Diana, telling her that he gets great thrills when she holds him close, and that he loves her unconditionally. He asks her if she loves him back and begs her to stay by his side, because he cannot imagine being without her. The bridge of the song expresses how special Diana is to the singer, and how she has captured his heart in a way that nobody else could.
The lyrics of "Diana" were written by Paul Anka himself, and he recorded the song when he was only 16 years old. The song was released in 1957 and became a huge hit in both the US and the UK. "Diana" spent nine weeks at Number One on the US Billboard charts and was Anka's first international hit. The song was also a chart-topper in Canada and Australia.
Despite Anka's youth at the time of recording, the lyrics of "Diana" are sophisticated and mature beyond his years. The song has been widely interpreted as a celebration of forbidden love, with the singer defying society's expectations and following his heart. The song's simple melody and catchy chorus have made it a beloved classic of the rock and roll era. Today, "Diana" remains one of Paul Anka's most famous and enduring songs.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm so young and you're so old
Despite the age difference between us, my love for you remains true
This, my darling, I've been told
Others have commented on our age difference, but it doesn't matter to me
I don't care just what they say
I am not swayed by the opinions of others when it comes to my love for you
'Cause forever I will pray
I will always hope and pray that our love will last forever
You and I will be as free
Our love will be unbounded and free like the birds in the trees
As the birds up in the trees
Our love will have no boundaries and will soar like the birds in the trees
Oh, please stay by me, Diana
I long for your company and hope that you will stay with me always, Diana
Thrills I get when you hold me close
I feel an electrifying thrill when we are close together, Diana
Oh, my darling, you're the most
Out of everyone, you are the one I treasure the most, Diana
I love you but do you love me
I have strong feelings for you, but I wonder if you feel the same way, Diana
Oh, Diana, can't you see
I want you to realize and understand the depth of my love for you, Diana
I love you with all my heart
My love for you is deep and genuine, from the bottom of my heart, Diana
And I hope we will never part
I hope that our love will last forever and we will never have to be apart, Diana
Oh, please stay with me, Diana
I implore you to stay with me and never leave my side, Diana
Oh, my darlin', oh, my lover
You are my cherished lover, and I hold you dear in my heart, Diana
Tell me that there is no other
I want to know that you love only me and that there is no one else, Diana
I love you with my heart
My love for you is all-encompassing and comes from the deepest part of my heart, Diana
Only you can take my heart
Only you have the power to take my heart away, Diana
Only you can tear it apart
Only you have the power to break my heart, Diana
When you hold me in your loving arms
I feel safe and loved when you hold me in your arms, Diana
I can feel you giving all your charms
I feel your affection and love in every touch and gesture, Diana
Hold me, darling, ho-ho hold me tight
I want you to embrace me tightly and never let go, Diana
Squeeze me baby with all your might
I want you to hold me firmly and with all your strength, Diana
Oh, please stay by me, Diana
I plead with you to stay by my side and be with me always, Diana
Oh, please, Diana
My heart yearns for you, and I long for your love and affection, Diana
Oh, please, Diana
I beg of you to stay with me and never leave my side, Diana
Oh, please, Diana
I need you in my life, Diana, and I can't imagine living without you
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@HarrisonMedia324
Paul Anka- Diana Lyrics
I'm so young and you're so old
This, my darling I've been told
I don't care just what they say
'Cause forever I will pray
You and I will be as free
As the birds up in the trees
Oh, please, stay by me, Diana
Thrills I get when you hold me close
Oh, my darling, you're the most
I love you but do you love me
Oh Diana, can't you see
I love you with all my heart
And I hope we will never part
Oh, please, stay with me, Diana
Oh my darlin', oh my lover
Tell me that there is no other
I love you with my heart
Oh-oh, oh-oh
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
Only you can take my heart
Only you can tear it apart
When you hold me in your loving arms
I can feel you giving all your charms
Hold me darling, ho-ho-hold me tight
Squeeze me baby with a-all your might
Oh, please, stay by me Diana
Oh, please, Diana
Oh, please, Diana
Oh, please, Diana
@MultiVerseDragonball
"Oh man, I miss the 50s!!!"
-A 90s kid
@nickolost408
"Man I miss the 60s!"
-an 05 kid
@lindakristinekjlibraten777
I miss both decades. 74 - kid
@thesithelite9677
No one cares
@boringnf6572
@@thesithelite9677 ur mom
@mattr.6961
this diana must have been real. you can hear the sincerity in his voice. this type of music cant be matched. i love it
@Syoma
She was his 18 year old babysitter, He wants her to love her but she only see him as a boy, So he collected cans of campbell mushroom soup cans so he can win a trip to New York, So he can submit this song to a record company so she will love him. She rejected him still.
@TrynUrLuck
@@Syoma 0
@a.m.6958
There was an article published today about this!! This song was based on a true story LOL
@dianamelo1777
Amo essa musica e Paul Anka.