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 Can't Stop Loving You
Paul Anka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To live in memories of old lonesome times
I can't stop wanting you it's useless to say
So I'll just live my life in dreams of yesterday
Those happy hours that we once knew though long ago still make me blue
They say that time heels the broken heart
But time is stood still since we've been apart
The lyrics of I Can't Stop Loving You by Paul Anka express a deep sense of longing and sadness over a lost love. The singer seems to have accepted that the relationship is over, but he cannot let go of his feelings for the person he once loved. He chooses to live in the memories of happier times rather than face the painful reality of the present.
The opening lines, "I can't stop loving you so I've made up my mind / To live in memories of old lonesome times" show a sense of resignation and acceptance that the love cannot be stopped, but it is also a choice to hold onto the past. The second verse, "Those happy hours that we once knew though long ago still make me blue / They say that time heals the broken heart / But time has stood still since we've been apart" delve deeper into the sense of loss and longing. The singer knows that time is supposed to heal wounds, but in his case, time has stood still because he cannot move on.
The song is a poweful ode to heartache and the lasting impact of love. It speaks to the universal experience of holding onto the past and the feelings we have for those we once loved. It is both a testament to the depth and power of love and a warning about the dangers of getting lost in memories.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't stop loving you so I've made up my mind
I have decided that despite not being able to stop loving you, I am going to try to move on and live my life.
To live in memories of old lonesome times
I will hold onto memories of our past, even if it brings me sadness.
I can't stop wanting you it's useless to say
No matter how much I try, I cannot suppress my desire for you.
So I'll just live my life in dreams of yesterday
I will continue to daydream about our past and what could have been.
Those happy hours that we once knew though long ago still make me blue
Thinking about the happy times we had in the past brings me sadness even though it has been a long time since then.
They say that time heels the broken heart
People say that with time, the pain of a broken heart will eventually fade away.
But time is stood still since we've been apart
However, for me, time has not made any difference since we have been separated.
I can't stop loving you
Overall, despite everything, I cannot stop loving you.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Don Gibson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@chriskelly5099
It’s one of my favs …. Just brilliant 👏👏👏
@ignaciovelalayna3066
Superb magical tune!
@Mike-os6qd
99% of the world won’t have heard this but I have so who cares😂
@timwright8785
Brilliant Dancer what else can you say
@jaytee3700
Got this on RCA nearly 50 years ago..played at Wigan who would have thought that Paul anka song this.???
@Micknsoul87
Just a great dancer
@ethanhowarth6576
Outstanding 45
@raheemah._x
Paul 🔥‼️
@frankiehunter.
I would like to know the year this record was released? Very untypical backing for Paul Anka. It's a soul record and he was known to be a more crooner type of singer.
@MEDIADWG
This was released in July of 66'. The song did not chart. I found a full page in Billboard from that year proclaiming "The Detroit Sound'. This was a dry period for Anka but of course he recovered.