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."
Goodnight My Love Pleasant Dreams
Paul Anka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pleasant dreams, sleep tight, my love
May tomorrow be sunny and bright
And draw you closer to me
Before you go
There's just one thing I'd like to know
If your love is still warm for me
If you should awake in the still of the night
Please have no fear
For I'll be there, you know I care
Please give your love to me, dear, only
Goodnight, my love
Pleasant dreams, sleep tight, my love
May tomorrow be sunny and bright
And draw you closer to me
If you should awake in the still of the night
Please have no fear
For I'll be there, you know I care
Please give your love to me, dear, only
Goodnight, goodnight, my love
Pleasant dreams, sleep tight, my love
May tomorrow be sunny and bright
And draw you closer to me
Yeah, yeah!
I love you so, yeah, baby
Don't say goodnight
No, no, no, no baby, yeah
Don't say, don't say goodnight, baby
'Cause I love you
No, no, my baby, yeah baby
I gotta have your love
'Cause I love you, love you, baby
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, oh
I don't wanna, I don't wanna
Please don't, please don't go
I must have you, I must have you, baby
Please, please, baby
I want you to stay right by my side
I don't want you to go, I don't want you to go, no
But I will go, no baby, yeah, yeah
I love you, love you, baby
I need you, need you, baby
Goodnight my Love
The song "Goodnight My Love" by Paul Anka speaks about a lover saying goodnight to their significant other while wishing them a peaceful sleep and hopeful thoughts for tomorrow. The lyrics are poetic and express the deep love that the persona has for their partner. The persona wants to know if their love is still warm or if it has grown cold. This line shows how much the persona values their relationship with their partner and how much they would like assurance of their partner's feelings. Despite the doubts, the persona reassures their partner that they will be there for them when they wake up in the still of the night, and they care about them deeply. The song is a sweet and heartfelt expression of love, affection and reassurance.
Line by Line Meaning
Goodnight, my love
Expressing good night wishes to the beloved partner
Pleasant dreams, sleep tight, my love
Hoping for peaceful and wonderful dreams for the partner while they sleep
May tomorrow be sunny and bright
Wishing for a happy and bright day to follow
And draw you closer to me
Expressing the desire for the partner to be close and connected
Before you go
Acknowledging that the partner is leaving
There's just one thing I'd like to know
Asking a question to the partner
If your love is still warm for me
Seeking reassurance and confirmation of the partner's feelings
Or has it grown cold?
Expressing worry or concern that the partner's feelings may have changed
If you should awake in the still of the night
Addressing the possibility that the partner may wake up during the night
Please have no fear
Assuring the partner that there is no need to be afraid
For I'll be there, you know I care
Promising support and care for the partner
Please give your love to me, dear, only
Expressing the desire for the partner's love and commitment
Yeah, yeah!
An exclamation of happiness or joy
I love you so, yeah, baby
Expressing deep love and affection for the partner
Don't say goodnight
Expressing reluctance to say goodnight and end the night together
No, no, no, no baby, yeah
An expression of strong emotion, possibly desperation or pleading
Don't say, don't say goodnight, baby
Repeating the desire to continue spending time together, rather than saying goodnight
'Cause I love you
The reason for wanting to stay together, expressing love
No, no, my baby, yeah baby
Repeating the emotional tone, possibly conveying anxiety or fear of being without the partner
I gotta have your love
Expressing the need for the partner's love and connection
'Cause I love you, love you, baby
Repeating the love and affection for the partner
I don't wanna, I don't wanna
Expressing reluctance or unwillingness
Please don't, please don't go
Pleading with the partner to stay
I must have you, I must have you, baby
Expressing a strong desire or need for the partner
Please, please, baby
Repeating the plea for the partner to stay
I want you to stay right by my side
Expressing the desire for physical closeness and connection
I don't want you to go, I don't want you to go, no
Repeating the reluctance to end the time together
But I will go, no baby, yeah, yeah
Acknowledging the eventual end of the time together, but still expressing reluctance
I love you, love you, baby
Repeating the deep love and affection for the partner
I need you, need you, baby
Expressing the need and desire for the partner
Goodnight my Love
Final expression of goodbye and love
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GEORGE MOTOLA, JOHN MARASCALCO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind