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."
O Come All Ye Faithful
Paul Anka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
O come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem!
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of Angels!
O come let us adore Him,
O come let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord!
God of God,
Light of Light,
Lo! He abhors not the Virgin's womb;
Very God,
Begotten, not created.
[Chorus]
See how the shepherds
Summoned to His cradle,
Leaving their flocks, draw nigh to gaze!
We, too, will thither
Bend our hearts' oblations.
[Chorus]
Lo, star-led chieftains,
Magi, Christ adoring,
Offer Him incense, gold and myrrh;
We to the Christ-child
Bring our hearts' oblations
[Chorus]
Child, for us sinners,
Poor and in the manger,
Fain we embrace Thee with love and awe;
Who would not love Thee,
Loving us so dearly?
[Chorus]
Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
O sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
"Glory to God,
In the highest!"
[Chorus]
Yea, Lord, we greet Thee,
Born this happy morning,
Jesus, to Thee be all glory given;
Word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing!
[Chorus]
The song "O Come All Ye Faithful" is a traditional Christmas hymn that invites all Christians to come together and adore the infant Christ in Bethlehem. The chorus of the song signifies the purpose of the hymn as it implores all those faithful in Christ to come to Bethlehem and behold the new-born King of angels. It further exhorts Christians to adore the divine infant, who was born in the humblest of circumstances in a manger in Bethlehem. The hymn recognizes Jesus Christ as the Son of God, as expressed when it says, "God of God" and "Light of Light."
The hymn also acknowledges the holy family's journey to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, and how the shepherds who were summoned to his cradle left their flocks to gaze at him. The hymn invites all faithful people to bring offerings to the Christ Child in homage and adoration, as represented by the Magi who offered incense, gold, and myrrh. The final lines of the song recognize the importance of Jesus Christ's birth, with the "Word of the Father" appearing in flesh.
Line by Line Meaning
O come, all ye faithful,
Come, all devoted believers,
Joyful and triumphant,
With happiness and victory,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem!
Come to Bethlehem,
Come and behold Him,
Come and see Him,
Born the King of Angels!
Born as the ruler of angels!
O come let us adore Him,
Let us worship Him,
O come let us adore Him,
Let us worship Him,
O come let us adore Him,
Let us worship Him,
Christ the Lord!
Jesus who is the Messiah!
God of God,
Divinity of divinity,
Light of Light,
Radiance from Radiance,
Lo! He abhors not the Virgin's womb;
Behold, He has not rejected the Virgin's womb,
Very God,
True God,
Begotten, not created.
Born, not made.
See how the shepherds
Observe how the shepherds,
Summoned to His cradle,
Invited to His crib,
Leaving their flocks, draw nigh to gaze!
Abandon their sheep to come and observe closely!
We, too, will thither
We, too, will go there
Bend our hearts' oblations.
Offer our hearts to Him.
Lo, star-led chieftains,
Behold the chief kings led by the star,
Magi, Christ adoring,
Magi who are worshipping Christ,
Offer Him incense, gold and myrrh;
Present Him incense, gold, and myrrh;
We to the Christ-child
We, to the child of Christ,
Bring our hearts' oblations
Offer our hearts to Him,
Child, for us sinners,
For us, sinners, a child,
Poor and in the manger,
Humble, lying in a manger,
Fain we embrace Thee with love and awe;
We eagerly embrace You with devotion and admiration,
Who would not love Thee,
Who would not love You,
Loving us so dearly?
Because You love us so deeply?
Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing, groups of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing with joy,
O sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Oh, sing all you citizens of above heaven!
"Glory to God,
"Honor to God,
In the highest!"
In the highest!"
Yea, Lord, we greet Thee,
Yes, Lord, we welcome You,
Born this happy morning,
Born on this joyous morning,
Jesus, to Thee be all glory given;
Jesus, may all the glory be attributed to You;
Word of the Father,
The word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing!
Now physically manifesting!
[Chorus]
Chorus repeats
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TRADITIONAL, PAUL BATEMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind