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."
I've Been Waiting for You All My Life
Paul Anka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I waited for you for so long
In fantasies, I've felt your kiss
I knew your tender lips
Would feel like this
[Chorus]
I've been waiting
So many times I dreamed
Of holding you tight
And now that you're here
It's all right
I've waited for you all my life
Now that you're here
For me to touch
The need in me becomes too much
The dream that lives inside of me
Tonight, will be reality
[Chorus: x2]
(I've been waiting for you)
Waited for you all my life
The lyrics of Paul Anka's "I've Been Waiting for You All My Life" tells the story of a long-awaited love finally being realized. The song's protagonist has been waiting all of his life for the love of his dreams. It is a song that speaks to the longing and desire for true love that transcends all boundaries of time and space. The lyrics communicate a sincere and honest emotion that shows the singer's vulnerability and his willingness to open his heart to love.
The opening lyrics of the song are a declaration of faith in love, that the singer has always known that someone like his current love interest would come along. This becomes evident in the next line, with the declaration of waiting for so long. The singer has been longing for this love, and in his fantasies, he has felt the sensations and emotions of being with his love.
The second half of the song is more focused on the present and the immediate need for the love interest to be present in his life. The desire to touch and be with the love interest is so intense that it becomes too much for the singer to bear. He makes a declaration that the dream that has always lived inside him is now a reality. The chorus of the song repeatedly emphasizes the waiting and longing for the love interest, and now that they are here, everything will be all right.
Line by Line Meaning
I always knew you'd come along
The person singing the song has always had a feeling that the person they’ve been waiting for would eventually show up.
I waited for you for so long
The singer has waited for the person they love for an extensive amount of time.
In fantasies, I've felt your kiss
The singer has thought about the person they love and imagined what it would be like to kiss them.
I knew your tender lips
The singer is familiar with the person they love and knows things about them, such as the tenderness of their lips.
Would feel like this
The singer is enjoying the sensation of kissing the person they love and feels like it’s everything they’ve ever wanted.
I've been waiting
For you all of my life
So many times I dreamed
Of holding you tight
And now that you're here
It's all right
I've waited for you all my life
The singer has been waiting to meet the person they love for their entire life, and now that they’re finally together, it feels like a dream come true.
Now that you're here
For me to touch
The need in me becomes too much
The singer is overwhelmed with emotion now that the person they love is finally with them, and they feel the need to physically touch them.
The dream that lives inside of me
Tonight, will be reality
The singer’s dream of being with the person they love will finally come true tonight.
(I've been waiting for you)
Waited for you all my life
The singer is reinforcing the fact that they have been waiting for the person they love for their entire life.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LINDA KIMBALL, MARK SHERRILL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Diana Morales Sir
Excelente tema !!!
Gracias por compartirlo !!!
Juan Carlos Morales Castro
Esta canción la escuché en la radio en 1981 y se me quedó para siempre. Lástima que muchos no la recuerden.
Michael Re
A long lost forgotten hit from 1981. Great song!
Claudia Silvana Canova
Thank you !! Beautiful song !!
Fernando Meza Gàldos
Lindo tema,tiempo no lo escuchaba.
Zilda aguilar
Meu Deus!!! Como que ele canta!!! Assistir um show dele deve ser um sonho. Paul Anka é tudo de bom, lindo, elegante, charmoso, sorriso cativante, talentoso, voz linda e músicas maravilhosas que fazem sonhar e levam pro céu. (From Roraima, Brasil, Amazônia)
Narcís Carreras Gelada
Eu vi o show dele ao vivo duas vezes, em 1989 e em 2007.
Abencio Pineda
Gracias por compartir
Hugo Velasquez
Temazo
Rev2:17 new name in Glory
Love this💕did Paul write this?