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 Take This Anymore
Paul Anka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Something tells me this isn't what it could be
Every time we touch
You only give so much and it's getting to me
No, I can't take this anymore
No, I can't take this anymore
My heart before my head I keep losing my way
I've known you much too long
For you to lead me on, should I go or stay?
No, I can't take this anymore
No, I can't take this anymore
How many times can I say
How can you treat me this way?
How any heart aches today to ignore?
How many times can I try?
How many tears must I cry?
Watchin' life slippin' by, what for?
No, I can't take this
I need you to be near
Even when you're here you're never honest with me
I've waited much too long
A woman's just as strong as a man can be
No, I can't take this anymore
No, I can't take it anymore
How many times can I say
How can you treat me this way?
How any heart aches today to ignore?
How many times can I try?
How many tears must I cry?
Watchin' my life slippin' by and what for?
No, I can't take it anymore
I can't take it, can't take it anymore
I can't take it anymore
I can't take it anymore
How many dreams will it take
Till I feel my heart break?
Is this just a mistake?
I'm not sure
How many times can I try?
How many tears must I cry?
As life slips on by, what for?
No, I can't take this, no, anymore, anymore
No I, I can't take it anymore, anymore
No, I can't take it anymore
How many times can I say
How can you treat me this way?
How any heart aches today to ignore?
No, I can't take it any more
How many dreams will I dream
Until I feel my heart break?
Was this all a mistake? I'm not sure
No, I can't take it any more
In Paul Anka's song "I Can't Take This Anymore," the singer is lamenting a tumultuous, confusing relationship. The song begins with the singer expressing uncertainty about the validity of their relationship. They feel that every time they kiss, something is off and not what it should be. They can feel that their partner is not fully invested in the relationship and is only giving a small amount of themselves, leading to frustration for the singer.
In the chorus, the singer explicitly states that they can't tolerate this relationship any longer. They are fed up with feeling unsure of their relationship and constantly being hurt by their partner's lack of invested interest. The singer questions how many times they can try to make this work when they continue to receive little effort in return.
In the final verse, the singer admits that they need their partner to be near, but they lament that even when they are physically present, there is still a disconnect. The singer feels that they have been waiting too long for their partner to reciprocate the feelings they have for them, and that a woman - like herself - can be just as strong as a man.
Overall, "I Can't Take This Anymore" is a song about the frustration of being in a one-sided and confusing relationship. The singer ultimately decides that they can no longer bear it and must move on from this current situation.
Line by Line Meaning
Every time we kiss
Whenever we kiss each other
Something tells me this isn't what it could be
I have a feeling that something isn't right and it could be better
Every time we touch
Whenever we make physical contact
You only give so much and it's getting to me
You are not giving enough and it's becoming unbearable for me
No, I can't take this anymore
I have reached my limit and I cannot tolerate this anymore
Love has always let
Love has always betrayed
My heart before my head I keep losing my way
I always let my heart make decisions before my head and I get lost in the process
I've known you much too long
I have known you for an extended period
For you to lead me on, should I go or stay?
You shouldn't lead me on after all this time, and I am confused whether to leave or stay
How many times can I say
How often can I express
How can you treat me this way?
Why are you treating me in this manner?
How any heart aches today to ignore?
How many people are feeling like me, with a heavy heart that can't be ignored?
How many times can I try?
How often should I give it a chance?
How many tears must I cry?
How much longer should I cry?
Watchin' life slippin' by, what for?
As time passes, what is the point of everything?
I need you to be near
I desire you to be close to me
Even when you're here you're never honest with me
Even when you are present, you are not truthful with me
I've waited much too long
I have been waiting for you for too long
A woman's just as strong as a man can be
Women are as strong as men
I can't take it, can't take it anymore
I am unable to bear it anymore
How many dreams will it take
How many more dreams do I have to endure
Till I feel my heart break?
Until my heart gets shattered into pieces?
Is this just a mistake?
Is this a mere blunder?
I'm not sure
I do not know
How many dreams will I dream
How many more dreams will I have
Until I feel my heart break?
Until my heart is shattered to pieces?
Was this all a mistake?
Was this all just a blunder?
No, I can't take it anymore
No, I cannot handle this anymore
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PAUL ANKA, WALTER AFANASIEFF
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind