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."
Every Night
Paul Anka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every night I keep prayin' that you do-oo
'Cause I know that my life would be worthless
Without you, (without you ) without you (without you), without you
Every night I keep prayin' that you want me
Every night I keep prayin' that you do-oo
'Cause I know that my heart would be broken
I couldn't bear to know you'd leave me
No-no-no-no, no-no-no-no-no
'Cause I know that it would grieve me
If you ever go-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Every night I keep prayin' that you love me
Every night it's the question that you don't or do
So my love, let me know you really love, yes, you love me
Or I'll be (or I'll be) eternally (eternally) without you
Oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh
Without you
The lyrics to Paul Anka's Every Night depict a love-stricken man that keeps praying and hoping that the woman he loves reciprocates his feelings. The lyrics express the deep fear of being without the person he loves, highlighting that his life would be worthless, and his heart would be broken without her. The singer's fear of being left alone is evident, as he states that he couldn't bear to know that she would ever leave him. He pleads with the woman to let him know if she loves him or not so that he can stop living in fear of being without her.
The song is a classic love ballad that is both sweet and romantic. The lyrics speak to the intense emotions that come with falling in love and the fear of losing that love. Anka's smooth vocals complement the lyrics, making the song a timeless classic. Additionally, the song highlights the pain of unrequited love and the desperation that comes with wanting someone to love you back.
Overall, Every Night is a touching love song that resonates with anyone who has ever experienced the fear of losing someone they love. It is a song that celebrates the beauty of love while highlighting the fear that comes with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Every night I keep prayin' that you love me
Every night, I am hoping and praying that you love me as much as I love you.
Every night I keep prayin' that you do-oo
Every single night, I pray that your feelings toward me are positive.
'Cause I know that my life would be worthless
I know, without a doubt, that my life would be pointless if you were not in it.
Without you, (without you ) without you (without you), without you
My life is meaningless and empty without you in it.
Every night I keep prayin' that you want me
I hope and pray every night that you desire me as I desire you.
'Cause I know that my heart would be broken
I am certain that my heart would be shattered if you didn't love me back.
I couldn't bear to know you'd leave me
I would find it unbearable and devastating if you were to walk out of my life.
No-no-no-no, no-no-no-no-no
I don't want to face the possibility of you leaving me.
'Cause I know that it would grieve me
I know that it would hurt me deeply if you ever left me.
If you ever go-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
If you leave me, I don't know what I would do.
Every night it's the question that you don't or do
Every night, I am left wondering whether or not you truly love me.
So my love, let me know you really love, yes, you love me
Please let me know that you love me as much as I love you.
Or I'll be (or I'll be) eternally (eternally) without you
If you don't love me, I will always feel incomplete and lost without you.
Oh-oh-oh
My heart aches for you.
Oh-oh-oh
I love you so much that it's painful.
Without you
My life means nothing without you by my side.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: PAUL ANKA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
manuel jesus rojas vargas
Así de increíble, pero cierto,llevo más de veinte meses localizando esta canción, y la encuentro por fín.Grande éste Paul Anka.Por algo, todavía lo seguimos escuchando y lo seguiremos haciendo para los próximos cuatrocientos años más. Punto y aparte.-
manuel jesus rojas vargas
Bueno, bueno, éste jovencito llamado Paul Anka, lo tengo muy presente cuando corrían los años 1961...1962...1963 y mi hermana mayor al unísono con su LP de este cantante, vocalizaba sus canciones una a una, hasta hacer rayar el disco.En una reunión, la hiceron bailar alguna que otra melodía del mencionado cantante y vaya que lo hacía muy bien.Recuerdo que lo encuchaba en el tocadiscos que teníamos con unos enormes parlantes.Recuerdos que no volverán.Punto y aparte.-
chezfun
Nice one.....this was a song missing from my eternal playlist!! I love the lycrics and the backup!!
Lindsay F
I really like this song. Its one of the songs that gets forgotten.
Andre Caron
J'ai tellement aimé cette chanson, à chaque fois j'éprouve une vague de plaisir qui me transporte à mes 14 ans.
veronica salazar
Suban la con subtitulos en español por favor!! 🇨🇦🇲🇽🇪🇸🇲🇾🍁🙂☺️🎵🎶🐯😍😁💋
peri lobo
Paul Anka foi um dos idolos que marcou a juventude brasileira, doas anos 50 e 60, dentro de varios sucessos alcançados pelo ídolo Every Night foi um dos sucesso, alcançou colocação entre os mais vendidos 78 rp. em 1.962, a garotada curtiu com este sucesso, eu muito garoto, reuniamos para ouvir os grandes sucesos de Paul, belos tempos.
juananenita
OMG, this song bring me back sweet memories. First love, first kiss, first sweetheart.
Slavko Ivicic
50 years on and still love to listen to this favourite of mine hehehehe
sauquoit13456
On this day in 1962 {August 25th} Paul Anka's "Every Night (Without You)" and "I'm Coming Home" both entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; "Every Night" peaked at #46 and spent 6 weeks on the Top 100, while "I'm Coming Home" stayed on the Top 100 for one week at position #94... These were two different individual records, but can't find anywhere on the internet if they were on the same label??? Mr. Anka celebrated his 72nd twenty six days ago on July 30th...