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."
Crazy Love
Paul Anka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I love you so but I still know
It's a crazy love
Crazy love it's just a crazy love
What must I do to get through to you
Oh my crazy love
Set me free from this crazy love
Don't don't don't don't you see
What you are doing to me
You upset my heart right from the start
With your crazy love
Crazy love, crazy love
Crazy love, crazy love
The lyrics to Paul Anka's song "Crazy Love" speak of a love that is intense and uncontrollable, often described as a "crazy love." While the singer loves their partner deeply, they also acknowledge the intense, almost overwhelming emotions that come along with this love. The repetition of the phrase "crazy love" throughout the song underscores this feeling of being possessed by this love, as if it's taken over their entire being.
The singer also expresses frustration and confusion over how to communicate with their partner, asking "What must I do to get through to you?" This suggests that despite the intensity of their feelings, the relationship may not be functioning as well as it could be, leading to an ongoing struggle to find a way to make things work.
Ultimately, the singer acknowledges that this sort of love can be both wonderful and painful at the same time, asking to be "set free from this crazy love" and expressing their desire to be released from the emotional rollercoaster that comes with loving so intensely.
Line by Line Meaning
Crazy love it's just a crazy love
This love is intense and overwhelming, it's crazy.
I love you so but I still know
Even though I love you deeply, I understand that this love is irrational.
It's a crazy love
This love isn't logical or predictable, it's wild.
What must I do to get through to you
How can I make you understand how intense this love is?
Oh my crazy love
This love is unpredictable and difficult.
Everything's wrong heaven above
Even though things may seem negative, I still feel heavenly because of this love.
Set me free from this crazy love
I want to be released from the overwhelming nature of this love.
Don't don't don't don't you see
Can't you understand?
What you are doing to me
You're driving me insane with your unpredictable love.
You upset my heart right from the start
This love has been intense and overwhelming since the beginning.
With your crazy love
Your love is wild and unpredictable.
Crazy love, crazy love
This intense love is wild and unpredictable.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PAUL ANKA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@juannunez9418
Cómo de me caen las lágrimas con estos temas y sobre todo de Paul Anka, tengo 77 años, mis años mas felices fueron en los sesenta
@49morocha
Y yo 74 y adoro a paul anka, fue el primer cantante que me intereso escuchar a pesar de no hablar ingles pero siempre recuerdo haber estado pegada a la radio cuando vino a chile x ahi por 1963
@juannunez9418
Vuelvo a escribir soy Juan Daniel Nuñez, ya di mí opinión sobre Paul AnKa, y la reafiirmo, cuánto daría x volver a los sesenta, y soñar escuchando a todos los cantores de esa época, léase Sedaka, AnKa, Shannon, etc
@alonavt3693
I wish i could go back to the old days to see this man
@galisan4749
Alona Tugot he’s still alive and he still sings beautiful ☺️💕
@bpandorf33
Same
@saraigoudeau9325
Same.....same
@ilovemayoi5856
Who doesn't???
@AtomicLobotomy
Yeah, I think he does Vegas dinner theaters. He's a Vegas regular.
@axylmagro4489
One of Canada’finest Crooner singers and teenage idols of the late 1950 Paul Anka is still the most remarkable icons to this day and above all else such charismatic and invincible voice