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."
Don't Ever Leave Me
Paul Anka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't say goodbye..
If you do, I'll be the lonely one,
I'll sit down and I will cry...
Don't ever tell me,
Don't say we're through
If you do, I'll be the lonely one..
No matter what you should say to me..
No matter what you do..
It would mean nothing at all to me
Because I'm so in love with you...
(I love you)
Don't ever change dear,
Oh Don't say we're through
If you do, I'll be the lonely one
And I'll sit down and I'll cry over you...
Oh I'll sit down and I'll cry over you...
The lyrics of Paul Anka's song "Don't Ever Leave Me" are a beautiful expression of the agony and despair one feels at the thought of being separated from their loved one. In the first verse, the singer pleads with their partner not to leave them, as they know they will be the "lonely one" and will cry if they do. The second verse echoes the same sentiment, with the added plea of not telling the singer that their relationship is over, as this will also cause them immense pain.
The chorus of the song expresses the depth of the singer's love for their partner, asserting that no matter what happens, their feelings will remain unchanged. This is a powerful declaration of love, suggesting that the singer's attachment is so strong that it cannot be broken by any action or words.
The final verse finishes on a somber note, with the singer beseeching their partner never to change, and promising that if they do break up, the singer will cry over them. This last line is a poignant reminder of the fragility of love, and how devastating it can be to lose someone who means so much.
Overall, the lyrics of "Don't Ever Leave Me" are a beautiful and heartfelt expression of the depths of romantic love and the pain of separation.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't ever leave me..
You are important to me and I can't live without you.
Don't say goodbye..
Please don't leave me forever as I want you to stay with me forever.
If you do, I'll be the lonely one,
I'll sit down and I will cry...
If you leave me, I'll be unhappy and will cry.
Don't ever tell me,
Don't say we're through
If you do, I'll be the lonely one..
I'll sit down' and I'll cry over you..
Please don't ever tell me that it's over between us; I'll be devastated if you do.
No matter what you should say to me..
No matter what you do..
It would mean nothing at all to me
Because I'm so in love with you...(I love you)
I love you so much that nothing you say or do could change that.
Don't ever change dear,
Oh Don't say we're through
If you do, I'll be the lonely one
And I'll sit down and I'll cry over you...
Oh I'll sit down and I'll cry over you...
Please don't ever change and please don't ever break up with me - I'll be devastated if you do and I'll cry for you.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JEFF BARRY, ELLIE GREENWICH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mayra
LYRICS
Don't ever leave me..
Don't say goodbye..
If you do, I'll be the lonely one,
I'll sit down and I will cry...
Don't ever tell me,
Don't say we're through
If you do, I'll be the lonely one..
I'll sit down' and I'll cry over you..
No matter what you should say to me..
No matter what you do..
It would mean nothing at all to me
Because I'm so in love with you...
(I love you)
Don't ever change dear,
Oh Don't say we're through
If you do, I'll be the lonely one
And I'll sit down and I'll cry over you...
Oh I'll sit down and I'll cry over you...
josefina rebacca
"DON'T EVER LEAVE ME - PAUL ANKA " + shared on google , thanks friends for sharing ,, good luck
Don't ever leave me..
Don't say goodbye..
If you do, I'll be the lonely one,
I'll sit down and I will cry...
Don't ever tell me,
Don't say we're through
If you do, I'll be the lonely one..
I'll sit down' and I'll cry over you..
No matter what you should say to me..
No matter what you do..
It would mean nothing at all to me
Because I'm so in love with you...
(I love you)
Don't ever change dear,
Oh Don't say we're through
If you do, I'll be the lonely one
And I'll sit down and I'll cry over you...
Oh I'll sit down and I'll cry over you...
Paul Anka's Greatest Hits1970
JP Moreno V.
Nunca me dejes ..
Nunca me digas adiós ..
Si lo haces, quedaré solitario
Me sentaré y lloraré ...
Nunca me digas
Nunca digas que hemos terminado
Si lo haces, quedaré solitario
Me sentaré y lloraré por ti.
No importa lo que me digas ..
No importa lo que hagas..
No significaría nada para mí
Porque estoy tan enamorado de ti ...
(Te amo)
Nunca cambies, querida
Oh! no digas que hemos terminado
Si lo haces, quedaré solitario.
Y me sentaré y lloraré por ti ...
Oh! me sentaré y lloraré por ti ...
63valmar
A talent like no other! Paul Anka will always be in my mind, the greatest singer/songwriter to have ever come out of Canada. A true gift to the world of music.
Ging Cervantes
Very nice song and very true song that can be your song all year round .Yes its pefect
Cecilia Gomez
Que musica y canciones tan lindas!lo mejor de lo mejor!!!!que añoranzas 😍😍😍
Joyce Yolanda Storch
This song is so meaningful. Paul does it with so much feeling. I would never leave someone that I was very much in love with thats for sure.
Mayra
LYRICS
Don't ever leave me..
Don't say goodbye..
If you do, I'll be the lonely one,
I'll sit down and I will cry...
Don't ever tell me,
Don't say we're through
If you do, I'll be the lonely one..
I'll sit down' and I'll cry over you..
No matter what you should say to me..
No matter what you do..
It would mean nothing at all to me
Because I'm so in love with you...
(I love you)
Don't ever change dear,
Oh Don't say we're through
If you do, I'll be the lonely one
And I'll sit down and I'll cry over you...
Oh I'll sit down and I'll cry over you...
Zᴀᴍʙᴀᴋ Uᴊɪ
I'm too broke to feel
DOLORES G
ME REMONTA A MIS 11, AÑOS EN LOS SESENTAS, DE LOS MEJOR....🙂
Juan Antonio Vargas
Maravillosa generación, de verdad, todo de máximo y ejemplar agrado, público, cantante, músicos y coros. Que sirva, por siempre de ejemplo, frente a la actual indecencia, en todos los patrones citados.
Mary Emerich
Love Paul Anka and his songs !!!
Bonnie Belfon
Timeless song for generations to come.