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."
It Doesn T Matter Anymore
Paul Anka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well you left me here so I could sit and cry
Golly gee what have you done to me
Well I guess it doesn't matter anymore
Do you remember baby last September
How you held me tight each and every night
Oh baby how you drove me crazy
There's no use in me a-crying
I've done everything now I'm sick of trying
I've thrown away my nights
Wasted all my days over you
Now you go your way baby and I'll go mine
Now and forever till the end of time
I'll find somebody new and baby
We'll say we're through
And you won't matter anymore
There's no use in me a-crying
I've done everything now I'm sick of trying
I've thrown away my nights
Wasted all my days over you
Now you go your way baby and I'll go mine
Now and forever till the end of time
And I'll find somebody new and baby
We'll say we're through
And you won't matter anymore
No you won't matter anymore
You won't matter anymore
In the song "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" by Paul Anka, the singer expresses his feelings towards a former lover who has left him alone, and who has also caused him much pain. In the first verse, he highlights the fact that his lover has abandoned him, and the only thing that he can do now is to cry. He wonders what he did wrong to deserve such betrayal. However, in the chorus, he comes to the realization that he should let go of his emotions as it does not matter anymore.
The second verse is a nostalgic moment for the singer, as he remembers the good times he shared with his lover, how they used to be inseparable, and the effect she had on him. Despite the previous verse, in the chorus, he comes to the realization that he has wasted too much time, energy, and emotions on someone who did not value him, and he is now done trying.
In the bridge, he tells his former lover that they should both go their separate ways as he has found peace in finally moving on, and finding someone new. And as the song ends, he assures her that she will no longer matter, as he has moved on from her.
Overall, the song "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" is a powerful tale of lost love and the journey to moving on.
Line by Line Meaning
There you go and baby here am I
Here I am waiting for you after you left me.
Well you left me here so I could sit and cry
You left me alone and sad.
Golly gee what have you done to me
What have you done to hurt me?
Well I guess it doesn't matter anymore
It doesn't matter now because I'm moving on.
Do you remember baby last September
Remember when we were together last September?
How you held me tight each and every night
You held me close every night.
Oh baby how you drove me crazy
You made me feel wild and out of control with love.
But I guess it doesn't matter anymore
Those memories are in the past now.
There's no use in me a-crying
Crying won't solve anything.
I've done everything now I'm sick of trying
I tried everything and I'm tired now.
I've thrown away my nights
I wasted my evenings.
Wasted all my days over you
I spent too much time and energy on you.
Now you go your way baby and I'll go mine
We are going our separate ways.
Now and forever till the end of time
We will never be together again.
I'll find somebody new and baby
I will find love with someone else.
We'll say we're through
We are done with each other.
And you won't matter anymore
You will no longer be significant to me.
No you won't matter anymore
You will have no importance in my life.
You won't matter anymore
You will not be relevant to me anymore.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PAUL ANKA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
mihail jurkovic
There you go and baby here am I
Well you left me here so I could sit and cry
Well, golly gee what have you done to me
Well I guess it doesn't matter anymore
Do you remember baby, last September
How you held me tight, each and every night
Well oops-a-daisy, how you drove me crazy
But I guess it doesn't matter anymore
There's no use in me a-cryin'
I've done everything and now I'm sick of trying
I've thrown away my nights and wasted all my days over you
Well you go your way and I'll go mine
Now and forever 'till the end of time
I'll find somebody new and baby
We'll say we're through and you won't matter anymore
There's no use in me a-cryin'
I've done…
Edward Clark
Paul was only around 17 when he wrote this classic for Buddy Holly. He has admitted Holly's version surprised him but at the same time delighted him. Paul Anka is such a talent and modest with it. His first hit 'Diana' was no.1 in the UK when he was only 16 years old!
shoknifeman2 mikado
Actually he didn't write it FOR Buddy, he played his demo for Buddy who asked if he could have the song.
jstarks123
i love cassidy and ronstadt. Their versions are great. I've just always thought of this as a Buddy Holly song, since he was the first one to record it. Gotta give credit to Anka as well for writing it.
Johnnie Guitar
Exactly! I wonder if Buddy ever gave that Canadian credit when he performed it. Hope so.
Angela Ricard
Beautiful music, Paul Anka...what a wonderful voice!
Retrobox
Love how Linda Ronstadt realized this song based on this arrangement. Brilliant!
Carmen Rojas
Magnífico
Kent Lewis
I love both Buddy & Linda's versions but this one has quickly become my favorite since hearing it for the first time just a few months ago.
baldyholly79
Paul Anka is an amazing artist, songwriter, and a truly beautiful vocalist, but this version of his song is tepid when compared to Buddy Hollys interpretation. That is no criticism of Pauls amazing talent; but it does however highlight the total uniqueness that was Buddy Holly. Buddys version with orchestral backing is perhaps, along with True Love Ways, the most sophisticated music to come out of the 1950's, albeit the very end of the decade. A great classic song from Paul, one of many
Sudeep Kapoor Studios
Paul Anka has been all time my favorites