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."
Hello Jim
Paul Anka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Remember my love
That I lost her yesterday
Hey, tell me, Jim, what's new with you?
You found another girl
Well, I hope she'll be true
And don't even try
Or you'll lose her like I did
To some other guy
Keep one eye on her
And the other on him
I speak as a buddy
I'm telling you, Jim
Tell me, pal, what's your girl's name?
That's very funny
'Cause my girl's was the same
Is her last name Jones?
From the West end of town?
Yeah, thanks a lot, Jim
See you around, Good bye Jim
Goodbye, Jim
The lyrics of the song "Hello Jim" by Paul Anka tell the story of two friends catching up and sharing relationship advice. The singer addresses Jim, telling him about the love he lost the day before. He then asks Jim if he has found another girl to love, to which Jim responds affirmatively. The singer cautions Jim not to trust the girl too much or he will lose her like he did, to some other guy. He advises Jim to keep one eye on his girl and the other on the guy. The singer then asks Jim about the name of his girl, and they discover that both of their girls have the same name. Finally, the singer thanks Jim and says goodbye.
The song is an interesting commentary on the intricacies of relationships and how it is challenging to trust someone completely. It also highlights the importance of communication and friendship in sharing advice and experiences in dealing with relationship difficulties. The lyrics convey a sense of loss, disillusionment, and vulnerability, yet they also offer a hint of hope that things can improve if one is willing to be vigilant and cautious in love.
Line by Line Meaning
Hello, Jim, what do you say?
Greetings, Jim, what news do you have to share?
Remember my love, That I lost her yesterday
Recall my past love, that I lost recently.
Hey, tell me, Jim, what's new with you? You found another girl. Well, I hope she'll be true
Hey, Jim, what's happening? Did you find a new girl? I hope she's faithful to you.
Jim, you can't trust them And don't even try Or you'll lose her like I did To some other guy
Jim, don't trust women, it's futile. If you do, you'll end up like me, losing them to other men.
Keep one eye on her And the other on him I speak as a buddy I'm telling you, Jim
Watch her cautiously but also keep an eye on the other guy. Trust my advice as a friend, Jim.
Tell me, pal, what's your girl's name? That's very funny 'Cause my girl's was the same
Hey, friend, what's the name of your girl? That's ironic because my ex-girlfriend had the same name.
Is her last name Jones? From the West end of town? Yeah, thanks a lot, Jim
Does she go by the surname Jones, from the west side of town? Oh, thanks for reminding me, Jim.
See you around, Good bye Jim Goodbye, Jim
See you later, farewell Jim. Goodbye, Jim.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: PAUL ANKA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@georgeebeltjes8255
Wat een mooi nummer Hello Jim ben zelf ook zanger Ik zoek deze orkestband Wat een topper Paul Anka maar ben zelf Elvis imitator maar dit vind ik echt geweldig van muziek Ik ben zelf 27 Wat een geweldige muziek Wat een mooie muziek van die tijd veel beter als nu God bless you
@anspolman2409
Machtig mooi jeugdsentiment
@rikrousseeuw
one of best singers 1950 & 1960
@frankdenotter7227
heerlijk die oude muziek zonder belediging aan door dan ook
@Benjamin-fp5er
Paul Anka tem uma voz mto ,um sorriso lindo e mto fácil
O Paula Anka é um ser humano mto incrível , canta mto bem .
O Paul e um ser mto iluminado .
😙😚😍😎😎😎😎❤❤❤❤❤
Ivani ,São Paulo ,Brasil . / 17 / 10 / 23 . / 15 : 45 .
@mariloucorpuz7617
Seriously funny and intriguing song. Love it! 😍
@veronicasalazar9252
Hermosa canción de my Paul anka!! 💋🍁🙂🐯🇨🇦🇲🇽☺️😍🎵😁
@inrcarsow8321
Great
@nontassfikas2386
Υπέροχος! Wonderful!
@TheZeevik
BEAUTIFUL