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."
One Man Woman / One Woman Man
Paul Anka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You caught me fooling around now I'm losing you
'Cause you're a one man woman
You're a one man woman
Oh, you're a one man woman
But I'm a two timing man
The nights you left me alone
The nights your voice on the phone
Said I'm waiting here
'Cause I'm a one man woman
Yes, You're a one man woman
'Cause I'm a one man woman
But I'm a two timing man
Oh Baby, you know I'm sorry
Sure, it's the same old story
I keep coming back
And I let you
'Cause I'd rather forgive than forget you
Now I won't need no chains to tie me down
You lost you're way my fault
But now you've found
(Now you've found)
That I'm a one man woman
Yes, you're a one man woman
Oh, I'm a one man woman
But I'm a two timing man
I'm a one man woman
I'll be a one woman man
You're a one man woman
I'm a one woman man
Yes, you're a one man woman
You're a one woman man
Yes, you're a one man woman
I'm a one man woman
The lyrics of Paul Anka's song, One Man Woman/One Woman Man, are about a man who is caught cheating on his partner and later realizes he has lost her because she is a loyal partner and only wants a one-man man. The man is admitting his mistake and accepting the consequences of his actions by acknowledging that he is a two-timing man. He seeks forgiveness and says that he would rather have his partner's forgiveness than forget her completely.
The lyrics show the common struggle in relationships, where one partner is not loyal and the other is committed to a monogamous relationship. The cheating partner knows they were wrong, but it is too late, and their actions have broken the trust and loyalty in the relationship. The end of the song shows a ray of hope, with the man wanting to change his ways and become a one-woman man to keep his partner and make things right.
In summary, One Man Woman/One Woman Man is a song about infidelity and its consequences in a relationship. The song highlights the importance of trust and loyalty in a relationship and how losing it can lead to the end of a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
You caught me fooling around with somebody new
You found out that I cheated on you with someone else
You caught me fooling around now I'm losing you
You caught me cheating and now I'm losing you as a result
'Cause you're a one man woman
You're loyal to only one person
You're a one man woman
You're devoted to one person
You're a one man woman
You're faithful to one person
But I'm a two timing man
But I cheat and am involved with more than one person
The nights you left me alone
When you weren't with me
And you disappeared
When you left without notice
The nights your voice on the phone
The times when you called me on the phone
Said I'm waiting here
And said that you were waiting for me
'Cause I'm a one man woman
Because I am loyal to one person
You're a one man woman
You're devoted to one person
I'm a one man woman
I'm faithful to one person
But I'm a two timing man
But I cheat and am involved with more than one person
Oh Baby you know I'm sorry
I apologize and you know I am genuinely remorseful
Oh sure, it's the same old story
I know it seems like a repeated pattern of behavior
I keep coming back
I keep returning to you even after cheating on you
And I let you
And you forgive me each time
Cause I'd rather forgive than forget you
I want you to forgive my infidelity and stay together
Now I won't need no chains to tie me down
I will no longer feel restrained or tied down
You lost you're way my fault
You strayed because of my fault
But now you've found that
But now you have discovered
'Cause I'm a one man woman
Because I am loyal to one person
You're a one man woman
You're devoted to one person
I'm a one man woman
I'm faithful to one person
But I'm a two timing man
But I cheat and am involved with more than one person
I'm a one man woman
I am committed and faithful to only one person
I'll be a one woman man
I will be devoted and committed to only one woman
You're a one man woman
You're loyal and devoted to only one person
I'm a one woman man
I will only be devoted to one woman
Yes, you're a one man woman
You're fully devoted to one person
You're a one woman man
You are devoted and committed to one woman
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PAUL ANKA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind