Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) is a Leba… Read Full Bio ↴Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) is a Lebanese-Canadian singer and songwriter.

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."

All I Have To Do Is Dream
Paul Anka Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

And I need you to hold me tight
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam

I can make you mine, taste your lips of wine
Anytime night or day
Only trouble is, gee whiz
I'm dreamin' my life away

I need you so that I could die
I love you so and that is why
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam

I can make you mine, taste your lips of wine
Anytime night or day
Only trouble is, gee whiz
I'm dreamin' my life away

I need you so that I could die
I love you so and that is why
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream

Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Paul Anka's song "All I Have To Do Is Dream" convey a deep longing for a loved one. The repeated phrase "Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream" sets the tone for the entire song, emphasizing the importance of the act of dreaming to the singer. The lyrics reveal that the singer is in love and that the object of their affection is always in their thoughts, whether awake or asleep. Through the use of vivid imagery, the song highlights the power of imagination and the ability to conjure up the perfect romantic encounter through the act of dreaming.

The lyrics reveal how the singer longs to hold their loved one, taste their "lips of wine," and be with them "anytime night or day." However, there is a sense of frustration underlying the lyrics, as the singer laments that "the only trouble is, gee whiz, / I'm dreamin' my life away." The repetition of the phrase "all I have to do" also creates a sense of desperation, as the singer seems to feel powerless to bring their dreams into reality. Overall, the song conveys a sense of bittersweet yearning and hopeless romanticism.

Line by Line Meaning

Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream
The singer is repeating the word dream to emphasize how much he dreams about the person he loves.

When I want you in my arms
The singer yearns to have the person he loves in his arms.

When I want you and all your charms
The singer wants the person he loves and all the positive qualities that come along with them.

Whenever I want you, all I have to do is
The singer is saying that he can have the person he loves anytime he wants.

I can make you mine, taste your lips of wine
The singer is talking about kissing the person he loves and experiencing their sweetness, like wine.

Anytime night or day
The singer is saying that he can have the person he loves at any time of day or night.

Only trouble is, gee whiz
The singer acknowledges that there is a problem or obstacle in his way.

I'm dreamin' my life away
The singer is saying that he spends too much time dreaming about the person he loves instead of living his life.

I need you so that I could die
The singer is expressing how much he needs the person he loves, to the point where he feels like he could die without them.

I love you so and that is why
The singer is in love with the person he's singing about and that's why he needs them so much.

Lyrics © HOUSE OF BRYANT PUBLICATIONS, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Boudleaux Bryant

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Élide Pires

5y↑1

Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream
When I want you in my arms
When I want you and all your charms
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream
When I feel blue in the night
And I need you to hold me tight
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam
I can make you mine, taste your lips of wine
Anytime night or day
Only trouble is, gee whiz
I'm dreamin' my life away
I need you so that I could die
I love you so and that is why
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam
I can make you mine, taste your lips of wine
Anytime night or day
Only trouble is, gee whiz
I'm dreamin' my life away
I need you so that I could die
I love you so and that is why
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream
Compositores: Boudleaux Bryant

All comments from YouTube:

peri lobo

12y↑3

As interpretações fabulosas de dois idolos da minha infancia, eu tinha estes discos e ouvia muito, com Richard Chamberlain e Paul Anka, esta canção ,All I Have to do is Drean, tempo de inocencia e muitos sonhos, muitas lembranças vieram atona.