He began singing as a child, first starting in the St Elijah Syrian Orthodox Church choir in Ottawa. As a student at Ottawa's Fisher Park High School he was part of a trio called the Bobby Soxers.
Encouraged by his parents, at age 14 he recorded his first single, I Confess. In 1957 he went to New York City where he auditioned for ABC, singing a lovestruck verse he had written to a former babysitter, Diana Ayoub. The song, Diana, brought Anka instant stardom as it rocketed to number one on the charts. Diana is one of the best selling 45s in music history. He followed up with four songs that made it into the Top 20 in 1958, making him one of the biggest teen idols of the time. He toured Britain and then, with Buddy Holly, toured Australia.
His talent went beyond singing, writing Buddy Holly's giant hit, It Doesn't Matter Anymore, the theme for Johnny Carson's Tonight Show, Tom Jones' biggest hit record, She's A Lady, and the English lyrics for My Way, Frank Sinatra's signature song and sung by many well known artists, including Greta Keller, for whom the words were very fitting.
In the 1960s, Anka would begin acting in motion pictures as well as writing songs for them, most notably the theme for the hit movie The Longest Day. From his movie work, he wrote and recorded his monster hit, Lonely Boy. He then went on to become one of the first pop singers to perform at the Las Vegas casinos.
After more than ten years without a hit record, in 1974 he teamed up with Odia Coates to record the number 1 hit, Having My Baby. They would record two more duets that both made it into the Top 10. In 1975, he wrote a jingle for Kodak called The Times of Your Life. The jingle became so popular, he recorded it as a full song, The Times of Your Life, and it became a hit a year later.
By the 1970s, Anka's career centered around adult contemporary and big-band standards, played regularly in Las Vegas. On September 6, 1990, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. He returned to his home town to buy a part of the Ottawa Senators hockey team.
In 1999 he visited Lebanon for sell-out performances at the Forum de Beyrouth (The Beirut Forum).
Paul Anka was elected to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1980. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6840 Hollywood Blvd. In 1991, the Government of France honored him with the title "Chevalier in the Order of Arts and Letters". He was appointed an officer of the Order of Canada in 2005.
On the WB show Gilmore Girls, Lorelai named her new dog Paul Anka. He also made a guest appearance as himself in the episode "The Real Paul Anka", which aired April 11, 2006.
Paul Anka recently did a live session on Live @ The Orange Lounge playing songs from his new cover-CD Rock Swings.
Notable rap artist Jay-Z featured his vocals on the track I Did it my Way on The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse in 2002.
He became infamous amongst musicians (and more recently to internet users) for a mid-70's after-show tirade which was secretly recorded by a "snake we later fired" (Anka: Fresh Air interview). The diatribe, in which Anka berates his crew and band members, has spawned a number of in-joke references and quotations, the main ones being: "The guys get shirts", "Where's Joe?", and "Slice like a hammer."
A Mi Manera
Paul Anka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Y ha sido así mi vida entera
Jamás, me arrepentí
Y fui feliz
A mi manera
Yo siempre quise más
Un poco más y como fuera
Fue a mi manera
Regrets, I've had a few
But then again, too few to mention
I did what I had to do
And saw it through
Without exemption
Yo siempre quise más
Un poco más y como fuera
Y si me equivoqué
Fue a mi manera
Con el amor, cuanto jugué
Sé que perdí, sé que gané
Pero la vida es siempre así
Y si lloré, también reí
Pero vivi, siempre viví
A mi manera
For what is a man, what has he got
If not himself, then he has naught
Pero la vida es siempre así
Y si lloré, también reí
The record shows we took the blows
And did it my way
Dejé, sé que dejé
Por donde fui el alma entera
Errores cometí, pero al final
Pagué la cuenta
To think we've done all that
And may I say, not in a shy way
Y si me equivoqué
Fue a mi manera
Yes Julio, it was our way
The lyrics to Paul Anka's song "A Mi Manera" talk about having lived life to the fullest with no regrets. The singer reflects on their life story and how they've always done things in their own way. They may have made mistakes along the way, but they owned them and moved on without regret. In the end, they have paid the price for their choices, and the record shows that they took the hits and managed to live life on their own terms.
The song starts with the singer proclaiming that they have always lived their life fully, without any regrets. They've never looked back to see if they've done things the right way. They've just done it their way, and that has made them happy. They admit that they've made mistakes along the way, but that was all part of the journey. They always wanted more out of their life, and even if they got it wrong, they took ownership and kept going.
The song's iconic line, "The record shows we took the blows and did it my way," is about the singer looking back over their life and seeing all the challenges they've overcome. They've stood up in the face of adversity and done it all their way. The singer sums up their life as having taken the hits, learned the lessons, and come out smiling.
Line by Line Meaning
Viví, siempre vivií
I lived, always lived
Y ha sido así mi vida entera
And that's been my life all along
Jamás, me arrepentí
Never have I regretted
Y fui feliz
And I was happy
A mi manera
My way
Yo siempre quise más
I always wanted more
Un poco más y como fuera
A little more and however
Y si me equivoqué
And if I made mistakes
Fue a mi manera
It was my way
Regrets, I've had a few
Regrets, I had a few
But then again, too few to mention
But few enough to not mention
I did what I had to do
I did what I had to do
And saw it through
And saw it through
Without exemption
Without exception
Con el amor, cuanto jugué
With love, how much I played
Sé que perdí, sé que gané
I know I lost, I know I won
Pero la vida es siempre así
But life is always like this
Y si lloré, también reí
And if I cried, I also laughed
Pero vivi, siempre viví
But I lived, always lived
For what is a man, what has he got
For what is a man, what does he have
If not himself, then he has naught
If not himself, then he has nothing
The record shows we took the blows
The record shows we took the blows
And did it my way
And did it my way
Dejé, sé que dejé
I left, I know I left
Por donde fui el alma entera
Wherever I went, my entire soul
Errores cometí, pero al final
I made mistakes, but in the end
Pagué la cuenta
I paid the price
To think we've done all that
To think we've done all that
And may I say, not in a shy way
And may I say, not in a timid way
Yes Julio, it was our way
Yes Julio, it was our way
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Claude Francois, Gilles Thibaut, Jacques Revaux, Paul Anka, Julio Iglesias, Roberto Livi
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@terriselph4100
I saw Paul Anka in Vegas many years ago. He pulled me out of my seat and sang to me. It was a moment I'll always treasure.
@Ruby10-mc8mv
I’m just turned 64 remembering hearing this for the first time at 12 yrs old........on a transistor radio about the size of a deck of cards! Had it under my pillow waiting for KOMA AM radio stations to go full power! Love the old R&B tunes back then!
@syalalaputri1802
Wonderfull… i want to live in such era.. the feeling must be immaculate.. 🎉
@codetheartisttv3880
Paul anka is one of the most underrated unknown unappreciated legends that’s crazy I’m just learning what this guys done in music
@maitemaeck4066
C'est faux c'est CLAUDE FRANÇOIS QUI A COMPOSÉ CETTE CHANSON ET FRANCK SINATRA A TOUT SIMPLEMENT TRADUIT
@ElvarMasson
@@maitemaeck4066Paul Anka wrote English lyrics to a French song
@garyjenkinson9422
Paul Anka is an absolute legend
@stonerman4206
Brings me to tears man. Thank you Paul. Thank you Frank. Thank you for giving us these masterpieces.
@robstammers7149
Sensational, beautifully blended with Frank's voice, just sublime.
@Purelanguage2012
No computer generated effects. Raw voice, raw talent raw excellence!