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."
Love Makes The World Go Round
Paul Anka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Love makes the world go round
Love makes the world go round
Love makes the world go round
(Paree) Mademoiselle
Say, oui oui, amour
(Madrid) Senorita say
(Brazil) eso peso means
A kiss for sure
Love makes the world go round
(Japan) every woman's
Dedicated to man
(Mexico) they throw you
Kisses with the wave of a fan
(Honolulu) writing lovey
Dovey letters in the sand
Love makes the world go round
Pretty fraulein's in Germantown
Really know how to
Show your heart around
In Chinatown, they got
Something nice and I'm
Not talking about the rice
(New York) Broadway baby
Really rocks the show
(In Rome) Senorina's
Make you yell bravo
(Up north) rubbing
Noses with an Eskimo
Love makes the world go round
Paree, Madrid, Brazil
Love makes the world go 'round
Japan, Mexico, Honolulu
Love makes the world go round
Pretty fraulein's in Germantown
Really know how to
Show your heart around
In Chinatown, they got
Something nice and I'm
Not talking about the rice
(New York) Broadway baby
Really rocks the show
(In Rome) Senorina's
Make you yell bravo
(Up north) rubbing
Noses with an Eskimo
Love makes the world go round
Love makes the world go round
Love makes the world go round
Love makes the world go round
The song Love Makes The World Go Round by Paul Anka is a lively and upbeat ode to the universal nature of love. The lyrics take the listener on a trip around the world, highlighting different countries and how love is expressed in each one. From Paris to Rome, Brazil to Japan, and New York to Chinatown, the song suggests that love is expressed in different ways by different people but ultimately, it is what makes the world go round.
The lyrics are catchy and playful, using phrases and words from various languages to create a sense of travel and adventure. The first verse speaks of a French mademoiselle saying "oui oui, amour" and a Spanish senorita saying "si, si, Senor" to express their love. In the chorus, the line "love makes the world go round" is repeated four times, emphasizing that it is the one thing that connects people across borders and cultures.
The second verse talks about different expressions of love, from Mexican kisses thrown with a wave of a fan to writing love letters in the sand in Honolulu. The chorus repeats again, suggesting that love truly is the tie that binds us all. The final verse brings us to New York, where Broadway shows rock and Rome where beautiful women make audiences yell "bravo!" Lastly, even rubbing noses with an Eskimo in the far north can be an expression of love.
Overall, Love Makes The World Go Round is a fun and simple song about the power of love to bring people together, no matter where they come from or what language they speak.
Line by Line Meaning
Love makes the world go round
Love is the driving force that keeps the world spinning
Love makes the world go round
Love is a universal concept that transcends borders and cultures
Love makes the world go round
Love is a powerful force capable of uniting people from different parts of the world
Love makes the world go round
Love is the thread that binds humanity together
(Paree) Mademoiselle
Say, oui oui, amour
Even in Paris, where love is celebrated as an art form, the expression 'yes, yes, my love' demonstrates the universal language of love
(Madrid) Senorita say
Si, si, Senor
The Spanish language has a phrase to express love, and it's understood on both sides of the relationship
(Brazil) eso peso means
A kiss for sure
In Brazil, the phrase 'eso peso' means 'a kiss for sure,' showing the deep-rooted importance of physical affection in love
Love makes the world go round
Love drives people to express their feelings and emotions in ways unique to their culture and traditions
(Japan) every woman's
Dedicated to man
In Japan, women are dedicated to their men, an expression of devotion and loyalty
(Mexico) they throw you
Kisses with the wave of a fan
In Mexico, affection is expressed with a simple movement, a wave of a fan, a reminder love doesn't have to be complicated
(Honolulu) writing lovey
Dovey letters in the sand
In Hawaii, love is written in the sand, perhaps to reflect the fleeting nature of life and love
Love makes the world go round
The expression of love is a fundamental human experience that crosses all boundaries and connects us all
Pretty fraulein's in Germantown
Really know how to
Show your heart around
Even in Germany, where practicality and stoicism are prized, women know how to be affectionate and expressive
In Chinatown, they got
Something nice and I'm
Not talking about the rice
Even in a place as crowded and chaotic as Chinatown, something beautiful and lovely can be found
(New York) Broadway baby
Really rocks the show
In New York, where the cultural scene is always buzzing, love still manages to take center stage
(In Rome) Senorina's
Make you yell bravo
In Rome, passion and romance are celebrated, and women are strong, compelling figures in the narrative of love
(Up north) rubbing
Noses with an Eskimo
Up north, in a place where warmth is hard to come by, people find comfort and love in the simplest of gestures
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: PAUL ANKA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind