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 Love You
Paul Anka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The one you shouldn't hurt at all
You always take the sweetest rose
And crush it till the petals fall
You always break the kindest heart
With a hasty word you can't recall, so
If I broke your heart last night
You always hurt the one you love
The one you shouldn't hurt at all
You always take the sweetest rose
And crush it till the petals fa-all
You always break the kindest heart
With a hasty word you can't recall
So-o if I broke your heart last night
It's because I love you most of a-all
You always hurt the one you love
The one you shouldn't hurt at all
You always take the sweetest rose
Crush it, ti-ill the petals fall
You always break the kindest heart
With a hasty word you can't recall, so
If I broke your heart last night
It's because I love you most of all
The lyrics to Paul Anka's "I Love You" are a simple declaration of love to someone the singer desires to make a part of their life. The repetition of the phrase "I love you" emphasizes the depth and intensity of the singer's feelings. The line, "The same old words I'm saying in the same old way," indicates that while the words may be the same, the love being expressed is unique and special.
The singer is waiting to hear the reciprocation of love from the object of his affection, indicating that their love is not yet established or mutual. The use of the phrase "little girl" in the bridge of the song suggests that the singer may feel protective towards the object of his affection, perhaps due to a significant age difference or the perceived innocence of his beloved.
Overall, the lyrics of "I Love You" are romantic and straightforward, expressing a desire for love and the willingness to be vulnerable in expressing those feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
I love you, I love you
This is a repetition of the same phrase to emphasize the unconditional love I have for you.
Is all that I can say
I am at a loss for words to describe the intensity of my love, and hence, can only say 'I love you'.
The same old words I'm saying in the same old way
I know these words may seem repetitive, but my love for you is timeless, and these words express that love consistently.
Three words that are divine
These three simple, yet powerful words embody the beauty and purity of my love for you.
And now, my dear, I'm waitin' to hear
Now that I have expressed my love, I eagerly anticipate your response.
The words that will make you mine
Your reciprocation of my love will make us inseparable and will give us a future together.
Little girl, I love you
This is a term of endearment that expresses how much I cherish and adore you, no matter how young or old you may be.
Can't you see I love you
I hope my actions and words demonstrate my love for you, but if not, let me say it again - I love you.
I love you, can't you see I love you
I will continue to express my love for you because it is unchanging and unconditional.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Kanjian Music, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Allan Roberts, Doris Fisher
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tom Smith
What a great video! I've never heard this song before, but it sounded like a much older song to me, so I looked it up and it turns out it was originally a hit in 1923 and came from the musical, "Little Jessie James". Records by Paul Whiteman, Lewis James and Charles Hart were big sellers of the song in that year. Another commenter also pointed out that it was featured in "Stalag 17". Fascinating that Paul sang it here, and with lots of pep! It's also really rare to see Ray Bloch and his Orchestra as they are usually off-camera.
Tom Smith
@mrob75 Thank you!
mrob75
as always, great notes, Tom! Early 1962 was when Paul had just cut the album: "Young, Alive, and In Love"...This appropriately entitled song was a part of that compilation. This was also the transitional era for Paul as he moved away from teen idol into a more middle of the road adult style.
Roberto SP
@Tom Smith Wonderful songs.
Tom Smith
@Bobby SP Ah, that explains it! He also performed "Young, Alive and in Love" on this episode (posted earlier) so he must have been promoting his album. I didn't know he recorded those songs.
Mostly Brenda
@Tom Smith A little bit of it is in "THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BRENDA LEE ~Dia~" video. Go to about 11m10sec in the vid.
Gagito
Keep bringing content from Paul Anka, thanks mate
José Benito Martínez Jr.
Great performance from Paul!! More please!!!!!!!
Nancy Norambuena
Paul han pasado tantos años y nunca he podido olvidarte , siempre en mí corazón
Desde Chile.❤️❤️❤️🎼🎼🙏🙏🛵🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱
Eve Reine
Thank you so much !!! never seen this before ! 😍👏🏻👏🏻 More Paul Anka pretty please !!! 🥺🥰🥰🥰