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."
Do I Love You?
Paul Anka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As the mighty river flows,
As the meadow gaily plays
With the wind on summer days.
About as deep as deep can go,
From the canyons to the sky,
Like a mother as she cares
[Chorus]
Do I love you, don’t you know by now?
Do I love you, must I show you how?
Do I love you, do I have to say?
Do I love you, yes, in every way.
About as sacred as an hymn
And the Bible full of pearls
From a whisper to a roar
Very much and even more.
Let me say it with my eyes,
And I’ll share it with the night
Even in death the good Lord is kind
You’ll be the last thing on my mind.
[Chorus]
I believe in you, don’t ever take your love away.
Do I love you, don’t you know by now?
Do I love you, must I show you how?
Do I love you, do I have to say?
Do I love you, yes, I love you,
In every way.
Do I have to say?
I’m saving my love for you,
I think about you, I think about you
Do I love you, do I love you?
Yes, in every way.
The lyrics to Paul Anka's "Do I Love You?" express a deep and unwavering love for someone in every way possible. The language used in the lyrics uses natural imagery to describe the depths of the love. The river continually flows, the meadow gaily plays in the breeze, and the mother cares for her child with the greatest degree of love. The love expressed is all-consuming and all-encompassing, from a whisper to a roar, from the canyons to the sky. The singer wants to express this depth of love through his eyes and share his love with the world.
Anka's use of simile and metaphor throughout the song helps to paint a picture of the depth and intensity of his emotions. He compares his love to a mighty river and a mother's love for her child. He also compares his love to hymns and pearls, symbols of purity and value. In every way, he insists that he loves this person, and he doesn't want them to doubt it.
Overall, the song is a declaration of absolute commitment to another person. Anka's lyrics express not only a love so deep and authentic that it can only be compared to nature and religious texts but also an unconditional love that will last even beyond death.
Line by Line Meaning
Beyond the shadow of a doubt,
Without any doubt whatsoever,
As the mighty river flows,
As consistently as a powerful river,
As the meadow gaily plays
With the wind on summer days.
As joyfully and lightheartedly as a meadow sways in the summer breeze.
About as deep as deep can go,
As profound as is humanly possible,
From the canyons to the sky,
From deep natural formations to the heavens above,
Like a mother as she cares
For the baby that she bares.
Like a mother nurturing her child with love and tenderness.
Do I love you, don’t you know by now?
A rhetorical question of whether the love is already evident.
Do I love you, must I show you how?
A request for confirmation of the love already felt.
Do I love you, do I have to say?
Wondering if it is necessary to express the love in words.
Do I love you, yes, in every way.
Affirming the love felt in every possible way.
About as sacred as an hymn
And the Bible full of pearls
Just as holy and precious as a hymn or the Bible.
From a whisper to a roar
Very much and even more.
From the softest whisper to the most thunderous roar, and beyond that.
Let me say it with my eyes,
And I’ll share it with the night
Expressing love through actions and sharing it even in darkness.
Even in death the good Lord is kind
You’ll be the last thing on my mind.
Even in death, the person being loved will still be cherished and remembered.
I believe in you, don’t ever take your love away.
Expressing trust and belief in the love that is reciprocated.
I’m saving my love for you,
I think about you, I think about you
Declaring an intention to hold on to the love and thinking about the person constantly.
Do I love you, do I love you?
Yes, in every way.
Confirming that the love is real and all-consuming.
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing
Written by: A. LEGOVIC, M. PELAY, M. PIOLOT, PAUL ANKA, Y. DESSCA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ANNA-MARIA B.
Beyond the shadow of a doubt,
As the mighty river flows,
As the meadow gaily plays
With the wind on summer days.
About as deep as deep can go,
From the canyons to the sky,
Like a mother as she cares
For the baby that she bares.
Do I love you, don’t you know by now?
Do I love you, must I show you how?
Do I love you, do I have to say?
Do I love you, yes, in every way.
About as sacred as an hymn
And the Bible full of pearls
From a whisper to a roar
Very much and even more.
Let me say it with my eyes,
And I’ll share it with the night
Even in death the good Lord is kind
You’ll be the last thing on my mind.
I believe in you, don’t ever take your love away.
Do I love you, don’t you know by now?
Do I love you, must I show you how?
Do I love you, do I have to say?
Do I love you, yes, I love you,
In every way.
Do I have to say?
I’m saving my love for you,
I think about you, I think about you
Do I love you, do I love you?
Yes, in every way.
IamSheileen
This song was played when I was born and I had them play it while I gave birth to my beautiful Son. Today is his 17th Birthday and I will play it for him at the time he was born. They grow up SOOO fast! 😢 But this song has and always will make me cry. It's timeless... 💜💙💜
Stevie Polo
All I could say is grab a bottle turn up the volume and enjoy
richard tynan
Paul Anka. What a beautiful love song Do I Love You. So romantic. Dick Tynan Dublin Ireland 2O22
Niccolo Wadia
Listen to the whole L P. !!you'll enjoy it more !!! in 80's .
Myrna Kochensparger
Not only a good composer, but a good singer too. Love his songs
Filomena Riccardi
"Do I Love You", one of Paul Anka's finest compositions... he's the best
Daniel Bouju
He is not the composer...
Filomena Riccardi
@Daniel Bouju who is
Filomena Riccardi
@Daniel Bouju who is?
I just listened to a song"do I love you" (indeed I do) by frank Wilson , not the same song
Verónica Shell
Por mucho tiempo busqué está canción, no sabía su nombre, solamente quien la interpretaba....el gran Paul Anka, feliz de haberla encontrado, me devuelve en el tiempo, cuando era adolescente y tenía a mis papitos junto a mi... imposible no llorar cuando la escucho, ¡¡hermosa canción!! ❣️