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 Confess
Paul Anka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yes, my darling,
I love you
From the moment
We first met
That i knew
My love was meant for you
Remember when
And we were friends
Stolen kisses
That came my way
Then you lingered far away
When i am all alone
Here at home
I wish i were in your arms
I know you have someone
To call your own
Come to me
And we′ll let it be
Just like your ring
Oh, i'll do
You stop and get my soul
And i know i′m getting old
Please, my darling
Come to me
The lyrics to Paul Anka's "I Confess" are a tale of unrequited love. The singer is admitting his love to someone who is already in a relationship. He confesses that from the moment they first met, he knew that his love was meant for this person. The two began as friends and shared stolen kisses, but the other person decided to stay away. The singer is left alone, wishing to be in the other person's arms. He knows that the other person has someone to call their own, but he still asks them to come to him. He compares his love for this person to a wedding ring and declares that he will do anything for them.
Line by Line Meaning
I must confess, i do
I have to admit that it's true
Yes, my darling,
I address and confirm my love to you
I love you
I have feelings of affection for you
From the moment
Since the first seconds
We first met
We encountered each other for the first time
That i knew
I was sure of it
My love was meant for you
I have a destined love for you
Remember when
Can you recollect those dates where
Lovers were lovers
People in love had a distinct attitude
And we were friends
And our relationship started with friendship
Stolen kisses
Secret and unplanned kisses
That came my way
That I obtained unexpectedly
Then you lingered far away
Then you stayed at a distance
When i am all alone
When nobody else is with me
Here at home
In my residence
I wish i were in your arms
I want to be in your embrace
I know you have someone
I acknowledge that you have a partner
To call your own
To whom you belong
Come to me
Come towards me
And we'll let it be
We will let things happen
Just like your ring
Our relationship will last like your ring
Oh, i'll do
I'm willing to promise
You stop and get my soul
You give me emotional fulfillment
And i know i'm getting old
And I understand that I'm aging
Please, my darling
I request my beloved
Come to me
Move towards me
Contributed by Jeremiah B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Weed Nun
I must confess i do,
yes my darling i love you,
from the moment we first met, then i knew my love was meant for you,
do you remember when,
lovers were lovers and we were mere friends,
each stolen kiss that came my way,
then you lingered far away. When i am all alone,
here at home,
i wish i was in your arms,
i know you have someone to call your own,
come to me and well let it be, just like a ring or two,
you intoxicate my soul,
and i know im getting old, please my darling come to me...😞💛
Fack da boy
I must confess I do
Yes my darling I love you
From the moment we first met
Then I knew my love was meant for you
(Was meant for you)
Remember when
Lovers were lovers
And we were mere friends
Each stolen kiss that came my way
Then you lingered far away
When I am all alone
Here at home
I wish I was in your arms
I know you have someone
To call your own
Come to me and we’ll let it be
Just like a drink or two
You intoxicate my soul
And I know I’m getting old
Please my darling come to me
Marla castro hlavac
Paul Anka recorded his first single, "I Confess", when he was 14. In 1957, with $100 given to him by his uncle, he went to New York City where he auditioned for Don Costa at ABC, singing what was widely believed to be a lovestruck verse he had written to a former babysitter. In an interview with NPR's Terry Gross in 2005, he stated that it was to a girl at his church whom he hardly knew.[8] The song "Diana" brought Anka stardom as it rocketed to No. 1 on the Canadian and US music charts.[9] "Diana" is one of the best selling singles ever by a Canadian recording artist.[10] He followed up with four songs that made it into the Top 20 in 1958,[11] including "It's Time to Cry", which hit No. 4 and "(All Of a Sudden) My Heart Sings", which reached No. 15, making him (at 17) one of the biggest teen idols of the time. He toured Britain, then Australia with Buddy Holly. Anka also wrote "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" – a song written for Holly, which Holly recorded just before he died in 1959. Anka stated shortly afterward:
"It Doesn't Matter Anymore" has a tragic irony about it now, but at least it will help look after Buddy Holly's family. I'm giving my composer's royalty to his widow – it's the least I can do.[12]
ConsumerWarrior
Yeah, I remember Paul Anka saying in an interview that he fell in love with the real Diana when he was 13 years old and she was 16 years old. He wanted her to be his girlfriend and set aside the whole age thing, but she wasn't willing to do so.
Amy Garrido
Was this Paul's first records? His voice was so different. Whoever had the opportunity to meet him is so lucky. So glad he singing even though he's 73
TheLimePopsicle
Yep, more info. in the description under the video.
Amanda Nelson
yes but you can hear his voice in his singing, different but similar.
Ari Dos
He was 14! 😲
Lu Babr
yep
he was 15
Sergio
In 1956 he was only fifteen !!! :D
Cara aleatorio
Ele tinha 15 anos e uma voz bem fina😳
Rare Budget Records, Brian McFadden
Paul was only 14 when he made a trip from Canada to LA to record this for the Modern/RPM label. The record stiffed initially, but when Paul hit it big Modern put out a "Paul Anka" album on its Riviera budget subsidiary. It contained only two songs by Paul but the rest of the album includes killer LA doo-wop also featured on its Crown budget label. You might want to check out "Budget Record Rock Rarities" and "Rare Doo Wop Hidden on Budget LPs" on YouTube.