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."

Canadian Sunset
Paul Anka Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Once I was alone
So lonely and then
You came, out of nowhere
Like the sun up from the hills

Cold, cold was the wind
Warm, warm were your lips
Out there, on that ski trail

Where your kiss filled me with thrills

A weekend in Canada, a change of scene
Was the most I bargained for
And then I discovered you and in your eyes
I found the love that I couldn't ignore

Down, down came the sun
Fast, fast, fast, beat my heart

I knew when the sun set
From that day, we'd never ever part

Overall Meaning

The song "Canadian Sunset" by Paul Anka is a romantic ballad that tells the story of a lonely person who finds love unexpectedly. The song starts with the singer feeling lonely and desolate, but then he finds love after meeting someone who comes into his life suddenly "out of nowhere." The person is described as "like the sun up from the hills" which represents how this individual brings light and warmth into the singer's life. The second verse talks about how the singer and his love interest went skiing and had a great time, with her kiss filling him with thrills. They spent time in Canada, which was a change of scene for the singer, and it was during this weekend that he discovered the love that he couldn't ignore. The chorus of the song emphasizes the depth and intensity of the singer's feelings, with the sunset representing the end of the day and the beginning of a new life with his love.

One interesting fact about the song is that it was originally an instrumental piece composed by Eddie Heywood in 1956. Anka later added lyrics to the tune and released it as a single in 1958. The song became a hit and was covered by several artists, including Ray Charles and Andy Williams. Another interesting fact is that the song was used in the 1962 film "The Interns" starring Cliff Robertson and Michael Callan. Additionally, the song has been used in several TV shows and advertisements over the years.

Line by Line Meaning

Once I was alone
At one time, I was by myself

So lonely and then
I was very sad and feeling alone

You came, out of nowhere
Without warning, you appeared

Like the sun up from the hills
You came like the bright light from the horizon

Cold, cold was the wind
The weather was very chilly

Warm, warm were your lips
Your lips were very cozy and pleasant

Out there, on that ski trail
We were on a skiing path in the outdoors

Where your kiss filled me with thrills
Your kiss brought me excitement and pleasure

A weekend in Canada, a change of scene
I went to Canada for a brief time to experience something different

Was the most I bargained for
It was all I expected or wanted

And then I discovered you and in your eyes
I found you and saw love in your gaze