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."
Longest Day {From Darryl F. Zanuck's Production "The Longest Day"}
Paul Anka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Many men will pass this way
Many men will count the hours
As they live the longest day
Many men are tired and weary
Many men are here to stay
Many men won't see the sunset
When it ends the longest day
This will be the longest day
Filled with hopes and filled with fears
Filled with blood and sweat and tears
Mant men the mighty thousands
Many men to victory
Marching on right into battle
In the longest day in history
The lyrics of Paul Anka's "Longest Day" are about the day that marked the beginning of the end of World War II, the Normandy Landings on June 6, 1944. The song describes the different emotions and actions of the soldiers who fought in one of the most important battles of the war. Many men came to Normandy as soldiers, and many will pass through this place. They will count the hours, and they will experience the longest day of their lives. Many are tired and weary, and many will not see the end of the day. The longest day is filled with hopes and fears, as well as blood, sweat, and tears.
The song is an insightful reflection on the tremendous sacrifice and achievement of the soldiers who fought in Normandy. It shows their bravery, courage, and dedication in the face of overwhelming adversity. It is also a tribute to the many men who lost their lives in the battle, and to the families and loved ones they left behind. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the Normandy Landings, and they remind us of the importance of remembering the sacrifices of those who fought and died for our freedom.
Line by Line Meaning
Many men came here as soldiers
There are many soldiers present here
Many men will pass this way
Many soldiers will come and go
Many men will count the hours
The soldiers will keep a count of time
As they live the longest day
This day seems never-ending for them
Many men are tired and weary
The soldiers are exhausted
Many men are here to stay
The soldiers are here to fight for a while
Many men won't see the sunset
Some soldiers won't survive till the end of the day
When it ends the longest day
The day will only end after a lot of bloodshed and destruction
The longest day the longest day
Today will be very long
This will be the longest day
It's going to be a very tough and exhausting day
Filled with hopes and filled with fears
The day is full of expectations and worries
Filled with blood and sweat and tears
The day will be marked with suffering and loss
Many men the mighty thousands
There are thousands of soldiers
Many men to victory
The soldiers are fighting to win the war
Marching on right into battle
The soldiers are ready to fight
In the longest day in history
This day will go down in history as an important event
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: PAUL ANKA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@FRANKTHRING1
Far superior to "Saving Private Ryan" - a truly marvellous war film.
@Mr3kites
Written and sung by Paul Anka.
@Lumotaku
There are criticisms against this films accuracy but Private spent all its money on the beach scene and it's the only memorable part of that movie. In comparison this shows the German side and the other allies. I once had a friend try to criticize this movie to me as being unrealistic and every complaint he had i could show him he was wrong.
@HoboTango
From the video footage of Omaha Beach Iv seen ( there exist 2 ) this movie seems more realistic compare to Saving private Ryan. But that is only compared to the footage Iv seen, and those footage are not at the heart of the action.
The footage, it seem the person is filming from behind a big rock or something, and hes filming at the beach, there is soldiers advancing and more than a few of them gets mowed down fire gunfire. Il always remember this video, and that soldier who was jogging up the beach, he fell down first...got up again to make a few step and then got down again.. You can find this footage on Youtube as well but its part of a documentary. They are extremely rare and extremely hard to find.
@mr.quinnsextras1753
+HoboTango That's very interesting.
@charleschapman6810
unfortuneatelythethemesong-anditssingerwerebothin style when the film was made!
@nidjo83
who is singing this?
@animeking8055
Nidjo Paul Anka