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."
Having My Baby
Paul Anka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What a lovely way of sayin' how much you love me
Havin' my baby
What a lovely way of sayin' what you're thinkin' of me
I can see it, your face is glowin'
I can see it in your eyes, I'm happy you know it
That you're havin' my baby
Havin' my baby
You're a woman in love and I love what's goin' through ya
The need inside you, I see it showin'
Whoa, the seed inside ya, baby, do you feel it growin'?
Are you happy you know it?
That you're havin' my baby
I'm a woman in love and I love what it's doin' to me
Havin' my baby
I'm a woman in love and I love what's goin' through me
Didn't have to keep it
Wouldn't put you through it
You could have swept it from your life
But you wouldn't do it, no, you wouldn't do it
And you're havin' my baby
I'm a woman in love and I love what it's doin' to me
Havin' my baby
I'm a woman in love and I love what's goin' through me
Havin' my baby (havin' my baby)
What a lovely way of sayin' how much you love me
Havin' my baby (havin' my baby)
I'm a woman in love and I love what's goin' through me
"Having My Baby" is a classic love song by Canadian singer Paul Anka, that portrays a man's feelings towards his partner who is pregnant with his child. The song begins with the singer expressing his joy and admiration towards his partner for carrying his baby. The phrase "havin' my baby" is repeatedly used throughout the song, emphasizing the significance of this intimacy between the singer and his partner. He is overwhelmed with emotions, seeing the joy and contentment in his partner's eyes, and is grateful for the love that they share.
As the song progresses, the singer talks about the strong emotional and physical bond that he feels with his partner, highlighting the beauty of this experience. He speaks about the inner strength of his partner, and how he admires her for going through the journey of pregnancy and childbirth. He acknowledges the fact that, while his partner could have chosen to avoid the struggles that come with having a baby, she chose to keep it, which fills him with immense pride and respect for her.
Overall, the song portrays a deep sense of love and respect between the singer and his partner, and highlights the power of love and the beauty of bringing a new life into the world.
Line by Line Meaning
You're havin' my baby
You are pregnant with our child, which brings me immense joy and happiness.
What a lovely way of sayin' how much you love me
This phrase is a beautiful and poetic way to express your love for me.
Havin' my baby
The fact that you are carrying our child is a wonderful and meaningful reflection of our love and commitment.
What a lovely way of sayin' what you're thinkin' of me
This phrase is a lovely way to express that you are constantly thinking of me and our family.
I can see it, your face is glowin'
Your excitement and joy about our child is visible in your glowing face.
I can see it in your eyes, I'm happy you know it
Your eyes reflect the joy and happiness that you feel about our child and I am glad that you feel this way.
That you're havin' my baby
Again, this phrase expresses the happiness and joy I feel knowing that you are carrying our child.
You're the woman I love and I love what it's doin' to ya
You are the woman I love and seeing you carry our child is a beautiful thing that fills me with love and admiration for you.
Havin' my baby
Reiterating the previous line, the fact that you are carrying our child fills me with love and admiration.
You're a woman in love and I love what's goin' through ya
You are in love with our child and I love seeing the changes and growth happening to you as a result of this love.
'The need inside you, I see it showin'
I can see that the need to nurture and care for our child is growing in you and it's beautiful to witness.
Whoa, the seed inside ya, baby, do you feel it growin'?
The life growing inside you is a miraculous seed and I wonder if you can feel it growing and developing.
Are you happy you know it?
Are you happy and excited about the fact that you are carrying our child? I hope so.
Didn't have to keep it
Although you didn't have to keep our child, I am grateful and honored that you chose to do so.
Wouldn't put you through it
I wouldn't want to put you through the difficult decision of considering terminating the pregnancy
You could have swept it from your life
You could have chosen to end the pregnancy or give the child up for adoption, but you didn't and I am grateful.
But you wouldn't do it, no, you wouldn't do it
I know that you wouldn't have terminated the pregnancy because you are a loving and caring person, and I am grateful for that decision.
And you're havin' my baby
Again, noting the excitement and happiness that I feel knowing that you are carrying our child.
I'm a woman in love and I love what it's doin' to me
I am in love with our child and the changes and growth that are happening to me as a result, and I am happy to be experiencing this with you.
Havin' my baby
Reiterating the joy and happiness that I feel about you carrying our child.
I'm a woman in love and I love what's goin' through me
I am in love with our child and the changes that are happening to me as a result of this pregnancy, and I am happy to be going through this experience with you.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Paul Anka
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@cyndypigott4112
I was 16 and my mom took me to an Air Force base to have an abortion and the doctor saw tears coming down my face, he whispered and ask if I wanted to keep it, I said yes, he pulled the curtain back and said she’s to far along. My daughter is 46 now and a beautiful daughter for the Father and I. This song had just came out.
@watchdogu.s.a.8973
Bless you, Cyndy. You just brought good tears to my eyes!
@thiccbutt1835
damn that was heartwrenching nice
@percarlemil
BLESS U WHAT A HEART WARMING STORY LOVE FROM DENMARK
@LadySunshine4eveR
I can almost feel what you experienced... When I was not much older than you were when I found myself pregnant with my boyfriend's child... We were high school seniors at the time... When we discussed our options, we were both agreed upon one thing -- I was not going to have an abortion, so we didn't say anything to our parents until we knew my pregnancy was too far gone for one... We wanted to stay together, & both of us raise our child, but our mothers did everything possible to separate & keep us apart... In the far corner of the delivery room was a radio, & this song started playing from that radio at the moment of her birth... Although we lost him to cancer last May 16th, he left behind a beautiful daughter, will be 46 this coming June... @Cyndypigott4112 I don't know you, but I'm happy that things worked out for you, & that you were blessed to be able to keep your beautiful daughter!!
@joequiroz6065
You are the rock star here, girlie!
@Glinda93
My husband used to sing it to me in 1974 when I was pregnant with our first child. Will always be a special song to me. My husband died 2015 after 42 years of marriage but a wonderful memory for me. Miss him so 😪
@cyanseiryu7074
I'm so sorry to hear that, it sounds like yous had a great life together.
@Glinda93
Thank you so much
@cyanseiryu7074
@Glinda93 it's alright, how is you're kid? If I may ask of course.