Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) is a Leba… Read Full Bio ↴Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) is a Lebanese-Canadian singer and songwriter.

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."

Jingle Bells
Paul Anka Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Dashing through the snow
On a one-horse open sleigh,
Over the fields we go,
Laughing all the way,
Bells on bob-tail ring,
Making spirits bright,
What fun it is to ride and sing
A sleighing song tonight

Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Jingle all the way!
O what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh

A day or two ago,
I thought I'd take a ride,
And soon Miss Fanny Bright
Was seated by my side,
The horse was lean and lank,
Misfortune seemed his lot,
He got into a drifted bank,
And we, we got upset.

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle all the way!
What fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.

A day or two ago,
The story I must tell
I went out on the snow
And on my back I fell,
A gent was riding by
In a one-horse open sleigh,
He laughed as there
I sprawling lie,
But quickly drove away.

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle all the way!
What fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.

Now the ground is white
Go it while you're young,
Take the girls tonight
And sing this sleighing song,
Just get a bob-tailed bay
Two-forty as his speed
Hitch him to an open sleigh
And crack! you'll take the lead.

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle all the way!

What fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.

Overall Meaning

The song Jingle Bells by Paul Anka is a festive classic that takes us on a nostalgic journey to winter wonderlands, sleigh rides, and merry-making. The first verse describes the exhilarating feeling of dashing through the snow on a one-horse open sleigh, with friends or family members by our side. The sound of the bells on the horse's bobtail adds to the holiday cheer, and the overall experience is just pure fun that leaves our spirits bright.

The chorus repeats the phrase "Jingle Bells" three times, calling out to everyone to partake in the joy and excitement of the moment. It's a simple yet catchy tune that has become synonymous with the Christmas season, exuding merriment and jolliness that we've come to expect and cherish during the holidays.

The other two verses of the song recount two comical incidents that our singer encountered while riding in a one-horse open sleigh. One involved his horse getting stuck in a snowbank, and the other one saw him slipping and falling while on the road. The first time, Miss Fanny Bright was his companion and got thrown off, while the second time, a passerby laughed at his plight before driving away. However, in both cases, our singer found amusement in the mishaps, and the message is clear; enjoy the moment and make memories that last a lifetime.

Line by Line Meaning

Dashing through the snow
Moving quickly through the snow

On a one-horse open sleigh,
Seated on a sleigh pulled by a single horse

Over the fields we go,
Moving across the open fields

Laughing all the way,
Enjoying the ride and having fun

Bells on bob-tail ring,
The bells on the horse's tail are ringing

Making spirits bright,
Adding excitement and joy to the atmosphere

What fun it is to ride and sing
Having a great time riding and singing

A sleighing song tonight
Singing a song about sleighing tonight

Jingle bells, jingle bells,
The sound of the bells ringing

Jingle all the way!
The bells are making noise throughout the ride

O what fun it is to ride
Going on a sleigh ride is a great experience

In a one-horse open sleigh
Seated on a sleigh pulled by a single horse

A day or two ago,
A couple of days ago

I thought I'd take a ride,
I decided to go for a ride

And soon Miss Fanny Bright
A woman named Fanny Bright joined me

Was seated by my side,
She sat beside me on the sleigh

The horse was lean and lank,
The horse was thin and unimpressive

Misfortune seemed his lot,
The horse seemed unlucky

He got into a drifted bank,
The horse ended up in a snowdrift

And we, we got upset.
We were thrown from the sleigh and disappointed

Now the ground is white
The snow has covered the ground

Go it while you're young,
Enjoy these experiences while you are still young

Take the girls tonight
Bring some girls along for the ride tonight

And sing this sleighing song,
Sing a song about sleighing

Just get a bob-tailed bay
Find a horse with a short, bobbed tail

Two-forty as his speed
The horse can run at 240 yards per minute

Hitch him to an open sleigh
Attach the horse to a sled with no roof

And crack! you'll take the lead.
You will lead the pack on the sleigh ride

Lyrics © Budde Music Publishing GmbH, DistroKid, Roba Music Verlag GMBH, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, CTM Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: KILIAN FORSTER, TIM HAHN, ALEXIS ESTEVEZ, ELIO LUIS, BRUNO CAMACHO, DP, JAMES PIERPONT

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Comments from YouTube:

Tom Smith

3y↑17

This was pretty cool! Paul also sang a medley of his hits on this program, which I really hope you will post. The songs in the medley were "Diana," "Tonight My Love," "Tonight," "Dance On Little Girl," "Put Your Head On My Shoulder," "You Are My Destiny," "Lonely Boy" and "My Home Town." That would be fantastic to see!