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."
Eye Of The Tiger
Paul Anka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Interesting Facts ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Took my time, took my chances
Went the distance
Now I'm back on my feet
Just a man and his will to survive
So many times, it happens too fast
You trade your passion for glory
On the dreams of the past
You must fight just to keep them alive
It's the eye of the tiger
It's the thrill of the fight
Risin' up to the challenge
Of our rival
And the last known survivor
Stalks his prey in the night
And he's watching all with the
Eye of the tiger
Face to face, out in the heat
Hangin' tough, stayin' hungry
They stack the odds
Still we take to the street
For the kill with the skill to survive
It's the eye of the tiger
It's the thrill of the fight
Risin' up to the challenge
Of our rival
And the last known survivor
Stalks his prey in the night
And he's watching us all with the
Eye of the tiger
Risin' up straight to the top
Had the guts, got the glory
Went the distance
Now I'm not gonna stop
Just a man and his will to survive
It's the eye of the tiger
It's the thrill of the fight
Risin' up to the challenge
Of our rival
And the last known survivor
Stalks his prey in the night
And he's watching us all with the
Eye of the tiger
The eye of the tiger
The eye of the tiger
The eye of the tiger
The eye of the tiger
Paul Anka's "Eye Of The Tiger" is a motivational song about perseverance, determination, and the spirit of fighting for one's dreams in the face of adversity. The lyrics of the song are based on the themes of the 1982 film, Rocky III, which is known for its powerful and inspiring story of Rocky Balboa's comeback to the boxing ring after losing his title to Clubber Lang.
In the opening lines of the song, Paul Anka narrates how the singer of the song has risen up again and is back on the street after taking his time and chances. He has gone the distance and is now back on his feet, ready to fight any challenge that comes his way. The second verse warns about how it is easy to lose sight of one's passion and dreams when chasing glory. However, to succeed, one must never lose their grip on their past dreams and must fight to keep them alive.
The chorus is where the song takes its powerful message, with lyrics that say "It's the Eye of the Tiger, It's the thrill of the fight, Rising up to the challenge of our rival." This encapsulates the essence of the song, which is to motivate the listener to keep fighting and never give up in the face of obstacles. One must continue to rise up and face challenges head-on, with the spirit and energy of a tiger. The final verse reinforces the message of the song, that the singer has risen to the top, has the guts, got the glory, went the distance, and now he is not going to stop. He is a man with the will to survive.
Overall, the lyrics of "Eye Of The Tiger" are an embodiment of the human spirit of never giving up, rising to the challenge, fighting with skill, will, and the determination to survive.
Interesting facts about "Eye of the Tiger":
Interesting Facts
Note: This section uses generative AI, which can be inaccurate.
Line by Line Meaning
Risin' up, back on the street
After falling down, he's back up again and ready to face the challenge ahead.
Took my time, took my chances
He didn't rush into things, instead he carefully analyzed his options and made the best decisions he could.
Went the distance
He endured and persevered through every obstacle in his path.
Now I'm back on my feet
After facing many difficulties, he is back on his feet and ready to fight back.
Just a man and his will to survive
He doesn't need any special talents or superpowers, just his sheer willpower to survive and thrive.
So many times, it happens too fast
Life can be unpredictable and rush past you in a blur.
You trade your passion for glory
In the pursuit of fame and success, you might end up sacrificing your true passions and interests.
Don't lose your grip
Don't let go of what's important to you and keep moving forward, no matter how hard it might seem.
On the dreams of the past
Don't forget your aspirations and inspirations that motivated you in the first place.
You must fight just to keep them alive
You must struggle and fight to preserve your dreams and goals, and never let them slip away amidst adversity.
It's the eye of the tiger
The intense focus and determination that must be maintained while facing a challenge head-on.
It's the thrill of the fight
The adrenaline rush that comes with pushing through a strenuous obstacle course, as well as defeating your opponent.
Risin' up to the challenge
Rising up to face the challenge, and not running away or backing down, no matter how daunting it may seem.
Of our rival
The challenge is not to overcome a mere obstacle, but to defeat your adversary.
And the last known survivor
Only those tough enough survive and evolve with time, becoming the last known survivors of their kind.
Stalks his prey in the night
Under the cloak of darkness, the last known survivor perseveres and emerges victorious over all other competitors.
And he's watching all with the
The survivor observes his rivals, watching their every move, waiting and preparing for his moment of victory.
Face to face, out in the heat
The most intense battles occur face-to-face, in the heat of the moment.
Hangin' tough, stayin' hungry
Persistence and hunger are two key qualities necessary to survive and conquer.
They stack the odds
The adversary is trying to stack the deck against him.
Still we take to the street
Despite the uneven odds, we decide to face our adversities on our own terms, and fight back.
For the kill with the skill to survive
Using skill, strategy, and grit, we fight to not just survive, but to put an end to the adversary's reign of terror.
Risin' up straight to the top
He's climbed his way up the ladder and is positioned at the top.
Had the guts, got the glory
Despite the challenges he's experienced, he still has the courage to go and has achieved the accolades he's after.
Now I'm not gonna stop
He won't stop now that he's finally achieved his goals.
The eye of the tiger
It's the determination, focus, and unwavering will that ultimately separates him from his peers and adversaries.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Frank Sullivan, Jim Peterik
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Slaphead
I was all prepared to laugh my ass off when all of sudden I realized “Hey, this is pretty damn good”. Paul Anka’s respect for this classic type of music is commendable and he does a very terrific job delivering the perfect vocal punch. Nice going Mr. Anka!
A.T. Productions
It’s weird how suddenly a song that was so motivational and very action-film esque is turned into a bond-theme or a film-noir type of song just by changing the genre
Frank José Suárez Sánz
Grande, grande Paul Anka, que gran artista. El junto a Tommy Benet y Barry Manilow, increíbles. Sin duda que consagra esta joya sonora del Séptimo Arte.
CaptEoNinja83
If someone just told me that Paul Anka covered "Eye of the Tiger", I would been like "How does THAT work? Sounds lame."
I'm glad I'm wrong. This is genuinely AWESOME!
Joe Federico
Paul Anka wrote the theme for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and one of Tom Jones' biggest hits, "She's a Lady", and the English lyrics for Frank Sinatra's signature song, "My Way. I'd say those qualify as great songs or at least transcend time whether you like them or not.
Cyrus The Great
The best Version. This Album is filled with many of genius covers ever. Paul Anka proves that he is solid as always & indeed to many of us 50's & 60's generation he remains one of all time favorite singers!
Trevor Morris
++Cyrus The Great
I hated his early pop stuff. I still remember vividly absolutely loathing "Diana", and never listened to him, after that. This has been a revelation to me. I've a lot to hunt down and catch up on.There are fabulous big band arrangements on this album as well.
Judi Tilley
This track was used over the closing credits for the BBC's coverage of the Men's Finals day at Wimbledon 2014. I love it ... might have to buy the album now.
D34THXVII
Judi Tilley 3 years later here. Just bought the album today 👌
CeeStyleDj
3 years, and 2 months later, the Pyeongchang figure skating opening of the 2018 Winter Olympics brought me here.... well, it was his cover up Wonderwall but I wanted to check out the other stuff. A figure skater used it as his music