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."
Eyes Without A Face
Paul Anka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One more bad dream could bring a fall
When I'm far from home
Don't call me on the phone
To tell me you're alone
It's easy to deceive
It's easy to tease
But hard to get release
Les yeux sans visage
Eyes without a face
Les yeux sans visage
Eyes without a face
Les yeux sans visage
Eyes without a face
Got no human grace, your eyes without a face
I spend so much time
Believing all the lies
To keep the dream alive
Now it makes me sad
It makes me mad at truth
For loving what was you
Les yeux sans visage
Eyes without a face
Les yeux sans visage
Eyes without a face
Les yeux sans visage
Eyes without a face
Got no human grace, your eyes without a face
When you hear the music you make a dip
Into someone else's pocket then make a slip
Steal a car and go to Las Vegas oh, the gigolo pool
I'm on a bus on a psychedelic trip
Reading murder books tryin' to stay hip
I'm thinkin' of you, you're out there so
Say your prayers
Say your prayers
Say your prayers
Now I close my eyes
And I wonder why
I don't despise
Now all I can do
Is love what was once
So alive and new
But it's gone from your eyes
I'd better realize
Les yeux sans visage
Eyes without a face
Les yeux sans visage
Eyes without a face
Les yeux sans visage
Eyes without a face
Got no human grace, your eyes without a face
Such a human waste, your eyes without a face
And now it's getting worse
The song “Eyes Without a Face” by Paul Anka talks about the feeling of hopelessness and the difficulties of letting go of a past love. The lyrics suggest that the singer has lost all hope for a future with their love interest, and is afraid to dream because it could result in a devastating fall. The lyrics “It’s easy to deceive, it’s easy to tease, but hard to get release” suggest that the relationship was one-sided, and the singer was chasing after something that was never really there.
The refrain “Les yeux sans visage” which translates to “eyes without a face” in English, refers to the eyes of the singer’s former love interest. The singer describes these eyes as being a mirror image of their soul, as they have lost all humanity and grace. The lyrics suggest that the person of interest has transformed into something unrecognizable and inhuman, and the singer is struggling with the idea of letting go of what once was.
The second verse of the song depicts a psychedelic journey of sorts, where the singer is reading murder books and trying to stay hip. The singer is constantly thinking of their former love interest, and urges them to say their prayers. The final verse of the song suggests that the singer has come to accept that the relationship has ended and that they must move on, but that they will always look back and cherish the time they spent together.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm all out of hope
I'm feeling hopeless and powerless
One more bad dream could bring a fall
I'm so fragile that even a single dream can break me
When I'm far from home
I feel alone and vulnerable when I'm not in my comfort zone
Don't call me on the phone
I don't want to be contacted
To tell me you're alone
Especially not to tell me that you're lonely
It's easy to deceive
People can easily lie and trick others
It's easy to tease
People can easily make fun of, mock or taunt others
But hard to get release
It's hard to let go of the pain and suffering caused by such deception and teasing
Les yeux sans visage
Eyes without a face
Eyes without a face
A reference to someone without a genuine identity or personality
Got no human grace, your eyes without a face
Someone without any empathy or kindness
I spend so much time
I invest a lot of time
Believing all the lies
In believing all the falsehood that I've been told
To keep the dream alive
To maintain hope for a better future
Now it makes me sad
Now I am filled with sadness
It makes me mad at truth
I am angry at how the reality is so different from the lies
For loving what was you
For falling in love with the person that I thought you were
When you hear the music you make a dip
When you dance, you lower your body
Into someone else's pocket then make a slip
You're being dishonest and stealing from others
Steal a car and go to Las Vegas oh, the gigolo pool
Exploring the immoral and dangerous world of prostitution in Vegas
I'm on a bus on a psychedelic trip
I'm currently in a state of altered consciousness, perhaps due to drugs
Reading murder books tryin' to stay hip
Trying to look cool by pretending an interest in violent or morbid stories
I'm thinkin' of you, you're out there so
I have you on my mind, even though you're not here
Say your prayers
A plea for you to seek redemption
Now I close my eyes
I shut my eyes
And I wonder why
And I question the reason
I don't despise
I don't feel hatred
Now all I can do
Now there's nothing left for me
Is love what was once
But to cherish the memories of what we used to have
So alive and new
When everything was fresh and full of life
But it's gone from your eyes
But you don't seem to care for it anymore
I'd better realize
I should accept and come to terms with the truth
Such a human waste, your eyes without a face
The artist is disappointed and saddened by the lack of humanity and compassion shown by the other person
And now it's getting worse
And things are getting progressively worse
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Billy Idol, Steve Stevens
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Just Sarah
Been a fan of Billy since Generation X.I have Goosebumps listening to this legendary songwriter and vocalist cover Billy Idol in such a crooner fashion.I know Billy loves it too
Paul Lennon
Great to hear such an awesome, POWERFUL ballad covered by someone the likes of Paul Anka!!!
For his style of singing, this is a great cover!!!!
D I
I always liked this amazing song. I remember seeing a video interview of Boy George criticism of this song but after seeing such a legendary songwriter as Paul Anka cover this song I think I’m not the only one who finds this song great .
IHATE
What a great cover. AMAZING work.
Alan Gatdula
Great song... Paul Anka is such a great singer.
Dejan Hasecic
Fantastic rendition. This album is timeless!
Nervo 63
Beautiful voice and arrangement of a beautiful song.
Gabriel Nunes
isso sim é música, um grande sucesso de Billy Idol na voz do Paul! <3
Lynn finch
Gabriel Geschickt Justin timberlake
Bosko Cubrilo
I love both versions! Magic....