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."
Mi Pueblo
Paul Anka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Me fui de viaje para no sufrir
Y al llegar al pueblo en que nací
Tan solo al verlo me sentí feliz.
Toda la gente comenzó a bailar
Cuando al llegar yo comencé a cantar
Al mismo ritmo del sol al girar
Ay que alegría (oh what a feeling)
La que sentía (my heart is singing)
Pues a mi pueblo (that happy faces)
Feliz veia (on the memories)
And so the music goes on and on
Into the night of till break of dawn
Y todo el pueblo en una sola voz
I hear the music everywhere
Que dice así ay aya ay ay aya aya ya ya ya ya
Ay ay ay ay ay aya ay ay aya ya ya
Ay que alegría (feliz reían)
La que sentían (oh what a feeling)
Pues a mi pueblo (todos contentos)
Feliz veía
And so the music keep goes on and on
Se acerca el año en mayo twenty-two
All through the night untill the break of dawn
La gente canta al verme esta canción
Que dice así ay aya ay ay aya aya ya ya ya ya
Ay ay ay ay ay aya ay ay aya ya ya
Ay que alegría (feliz reían)
La que sentían (oh what a feeling)
Pues a mi pueblo (todos contentos)
Feliz veía
Ayayayayyaa, oh what a feeling
Ayayayayyaa, oh what a feeling
Ayayayayyaa, oh what a feeling
Ayayayayyaa, lara la la la
Que viva mi pueblo y
El pueblo de todos
The lyrics of Paul Anka’s song Mi Pueblo talk about how the singer, who has just gone through a separation, returns to his hometown to find solace. As soon as he reaches the place of his birth, he is filled with happiness and joy. Everyone starts dancing when he begins to sing, and the earth, moon, and sea dance with them. The music goes on and on, into the night until the break of dawn. The townspeople sing along as they are filled with happiness, and the singer sees happy faces and memories all around him. The song ends with the phrase "Que viva mi pueblo y El pueblo de todos," which means "Long live my town and everyone's town."
The song has a very upbeat and joyful feel to it, conveying the sense of happiness and comfort that the singer feels upon returning to his hometown. The lyrics touch upon the importance of roots and how they can provide a sense of belonging and joy, especially in times of distress. The music is catchy and fun, incorporating elements of traditional Latin American rhythms that invite listeners to join in the festivities and celebrate life.
Line by Line Meaning
El mismo día que me quede sin ti
On the exact same day that I lost you
Me fui de viaje para no sufrir
I went on a trip to avoid suffering
Y al llegar al pueblo en que nací
And upon arriving at my hometown
Tan solo al verlo me sentí feliz.
I felt happy just by seeing it.
Toda la gente comenzó a bailar
Everyone began to dance
Cuando al llegar yo comencé a cantar
And I began to sing as soon as I arrived
Al mismo ritmo del sol al girar
To the beat of the turning sun
Bailó la tierra, la luna y la mar
The earth, moon, and sea all danced along
Ay que alegría (oh what a feeling)
Oh, what a joy I felt
La que sentía (my heart is singing)
As my heart sang
Pues a mi pueblo (that happy faces)
Because in my town
Feliz veia (on the memories)
I saw only happy faces and memories
And so the music goes on and on
The music continued indefinitely
Into the night of till break of dawn
All through the night, until the sun rose
Y todo el pueblo en una sola voz
The entire town sang in unison
I hear the music everywhere
I could hear the music everywhere
Que dice así ay aya ay ay aya aya ya ya ya ya
The song went like this: Ay aya ay ay aya aya ya ya ya ya
Ay que alegría (feliz reían)
Oh what a joy they felt (laughing happily)
La que sentían (oh what a feeling)
As they all sang
Pues a mi pueblo (todos contentos)
Everyone was content in my town
Feliz veía
All seemed happy to me.
Se acerca el año en mayo twenty-two
The year is approaching May twenty-two
All through the night untill the break of dawn
All night long, until daybreak
La gente canta al verme esta canción
The people sing this song when they see me
Que dice así ay aya ay ay aya aya ya ya ya ya
The song goes like this: Ay aya ay ay aya aya ya ya ya ya
Que viva mi pueblo y El pueblo de todos
Long live my town and the towns of everyone.
Ayayayayyaa, oh what a feeling
Ayayayayyaa, oh what a feeling
Ayayayayyaa, oh what a feeling
Ayayayayyaa, oh what a feeling
Ayayayayyaa, oh what a feeling
Ayayayayyaa, oh what a feeling
Ayayayayyaa, lara la la la
Ayayayayyaa, lara la la la
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@addicted2lipgloss872
I took a little trip to my home town
I only stopped to just look around
And as I walked along the thorough-fare
There was music playing everywhere
The music came from within my heart
How did it happen how did it start
I only know that I fell in love
I guess the answer lies up above
Oh what a feeling
My heart was reeling
The bells were ringing
The birds were singing
And so the music keep goes on and on
And through the night until the break of dawn
I hear a birdie up in the tree
I hear him sings this melody
And so he sings
Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Oh what a feeling
My heart was reeling
The bells were ringing
The birds were singing
And so the music keep goes on and on
And through the night until the break of dawn
And every evening when the sun goes down
I'm with my love in my home town
And so I sing
Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Ho-ho-ho-ho
Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
@paolamariefuchsstitelmann7458
I took a little trip - to my home town
I only stopped just to look around
And as I walked along the thorough-fare
There was music playing ev'rywhere
The music came from within my heart
How did it happen how did it start -
I only know that I fell in love
I guess the answer lies up above -
Oh what a feeling .....
My heart was reeling
The bells were ringing .....
The birds were singing
And so the music keep goes on and on
And through the night until the break of dawn
I hear a bird up in the tree -
He sings a pretty little melody
Oh what a feeling .....
My heart was reeling
The bells were ringing ....
The birds were singing
And so the music keep goes on and on
And through the night until the break of dawn
I hear a bird up in the tree -
He sings a pretty little melody
ya-ya-ya-ya......
@ceferinomagtalas632
I remember my younger days
@ceferinomagtalas632
Timeless piece
@ibrahimhhh2022
The man in the high castle
@legionsoldier8518
Yup Season 2 I believe
@halimsalleh5119
Oh! How I love all his songs especially DIANA
@oznelnavnaekal6679
Legion Soldier
Yep, at the VERY beginning of S2 e1.
@halimsalleh5119
@@oznelnavnaekal6679 In fact every song written in the 60s are great and meaningful, I mean the lyrics
@oznelnavnaekal6679
@@halimsalleh5119 Yeah I know.
@ShirleyMelnyk
Nothing like one's home town. Happiest memories!
@michpackfan
Wow. Long time since I heard this!!! Honey Radio Detroit 1976