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."
Games People Play
Paul Anka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every night and every day now
Never meaning what they say now
Never saying what they mean
So they while away the hours
In their ivory towers
Till they're covered up with flowers
[Chorus]
La-din-da
I'm talking 'bout you and me
And the games people play
Oh they make one another cry
Break their hearts and they say goodbye
Cross their hearts and they hope to die
That the other was to blame
Neither one would ever give in
So they gaze at an eight by ten
Thinkin' 'bout the way it might have been
And it's a dirty rotten shame
[Chorus]
People walkin' up to ya
Singin' 'Glory, Hallelujah"
And they try to sock it to ya
In the name of the Lord
Gonna they teach you how to meditate
Read your horoscope and cheat your fate
And the further more to hell with hate
Come on and get on board
Look around and tell me what you see
What's happening to you and me
God grant me the serenity
To just remember who I am
[Chorus]
In "Games People Play," Paul Anka is providing commentary on how people interact with each other. He's saying that people are not always truthful and sincere in their communication, leading to misunderstandings and heartbreak. The lyrics explore how people play games with one another, manipulating situations to get what they want, and then walking away when they are finished. The chorus emphasizes this idea of games, suggesting that everyone is playing them, not just a specific person or group. In the second verse, Anka focuses the lyrics on romantic relationships, suggesting that people often hurt each other and refuse to take responsibility for their mistakes. Rather than working things out, they hold grudges and dream of what could have been. The final verse takes a more political tone, with Anka suggesting that people are being misled by those in power who claim to offer guidance but really want to control others. He urges his listeners to look around and pay attention to what is happening, and to seek serenity and self-awareness.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh the games people play now
People today play various kinds of games
Every night and every day now
These games happen every time, day and night.
Never meaning what they say now
They say things without meaning it.
Never saying what they mean
They never express the things that they mean.
So they while away the hours
They kill their time.
In their ivory towers
In their own little worlds.
Till they're covered up with flowers
Until they die.
In the back of a black limousine
And their corpses are carried in a black car.
[Chorus]
Refrain
Oh they make one another cry
People make each other sad.
Break their hearts and they say goodbye
They break hearts and leave each other.
Cross their hearts and they hope to die
They swear they did nothing wrong.
That the other was to blame
Blaming each other for their own misfortune.
Neither one would ever give in
Neither of them would compromise.
So they gaze at an eight by ten
They remember the past.
Thinkin' 'bout the way it might have been
They think about how things could have gone differently.
And it's a dirty rotten shame
It's unfortunate.
[Chorus]
Refrain
People walkin' up to ya
People come up to you.
Singin' 'Glory, Hallelujah"
Singing praises.
And they try to sock it to ya
And they try to take advantage of you.
In the name of the Lord
Using religion as an excuse.
Gonna they teach you how to meditate
They'll teach you to meditate to improve your life.
Read your horoscope and cheat your fate
They'll teach you to read horoscopes to control your fate.
And the further more to hell with hate
Also, forget about hate.
Come on and get on board
Join us.
Look around and tell me what you see
Observe your surroundings and tell me what you notice.
What's happening to you and me
What's happening to us as people.
God grant me the serenity
May God grant me peace.
To just remember who I am
To remember my true self.
[Chorus]
Refrain
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Joe South
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind