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."
Happy
Paul Anka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Been good to you and me
And in order to be happy
Thank every star for
How lucky we are
Over and over
Looking at you by my side
I'm beaming with pride
Knocking on wood cause
I'm feeling real good
Cause I'm swimming in clover
Love, knock at my door
I said, come on in
That's what I'm for
I said, sit yourself down
And make yourself comfy
Stay awhile
Love came right this way
To color my world
And brighten my day
I had a hunch right from the start
We might play while
Happy to share what we share
Happy to know you
Will always be there
Happy to feel something
Honest and real
And I hope it's forever
Looking at you by my side
I'm walking real tall and
I'm beaming with pride
Knocking on wood cause
I'm feeling real good
Cause I'm swimming in clover
La la la la...
The song "Happy" by Paul Anka is an ode to love and gratitude for the good things in life. The opening lines of the song speak to how the world has been kind to both the singer and their loved one. In order to be happy, the singer acknowledges the good fortune that has come their way and thanks every star for it. This attitude of gratitude continues throughout the song, as the singer goes on to express the happiness and pride they feel by their lover's side. They feel lucky and blessed to have found love and are content to bask in it.
The chorus of the song finds the singer inviting love to come into their life, welcoming it with open arms, and wishing it to stay forever. Love has indeed come their way and has been a bright spot in their life, coloring their world and making everything feel more vibrant. The singer is happy to share what they have, happy to know that their partner will always be there, and happy to have something honest and real in their life.
Overall, the song "Happy" is a celebration of love, gratitude, and contentment. It speaks to the simple joys in life and encourages us to appreciate them and hold onto them tightly. The upbeat melody and simple lyrics make it a classic feel-good song, perfect for listening on any occasion.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby, the world has
The world has been kind to us
Been good to you and me
We have had a good life
And in order to be happy
To find happiness
Thank every star for
Grateful for our luck
How lucky we are
Realizing our good fortune
Over and over
Repeatedly
Looking at you by my side
Seeing you next to me
I'm walking real tall and
Feeling proud and confident
I'm beaming with pride
Showing happiness
Knocking on wood cause
Being cautiously optimistic
I'm feeling real good
Feeling great
Cause I'm swimming in clover
Feeling extremely fortunate
Love, knock at my door
I am open to love
I said, come on in
Welcoming love
That's what I'm for
Open to love
I said, sit yourself down
Inviting love to stay
And make yourself comfy
Make yourself at home
Stay awhile
Stay with me
Love came right this way
Love came to me
To color my world
Made my life more colorful
And brighten my day
Made me happy
I had a hunch right from the start
I knew from the beginning
We might play while
We might be together
Happy to share what we share
Happy to share our love
Happy to know you
Happy to have you in my life
Will always be there
Will always be with me
Happy to feel something
Happy to experience true emotions
Honest and real
Genuine and true
And I hope it's forever
I hope our love lasts forever
La la la la...
No meaning
Contributed by Xavier M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
beatlettese
Bellissima! Grazie! :D
Vintageart1994
Great!
veronica salazar
Happy me haces a mi al escucharte Paul anka!!
Weltlink
A song for David Cassidy and the Partridge Family. They missed the chance.
Marty
Italy 2021 😍🇮🇹
ALFASW156
Sorry, it looks like that I didn´t like this version. I like it, but it is not as good as Inger Lises version.
Dennie Newgreen
Westover AFB.. service club ...1967-68-69.. jukebox - B3 was the button. If anyone was stationed at Westover at that time.....thank you for the fun good times and all the laughter. Above all, thank you for your service & friendship.
howiffy
Camp Pendleton. 1969. Last song I hear before going across the pond to serve and fight with 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines in Vietnam.