Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) is a Leba… Read Full Bio ↴Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) is a Lebanese-Canadian singer and songwriter.

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."

SHE´S A LADY
Paul Anka Lyrics

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Well, she's all you'd ever want
She's the kind I like to flaunt and take to dinner
But she always knows her place
She's got style, she's got grace, she's a winner
She's a lady
Oh, whoa, whoa, she's a lady
Talkin' about that little lady
And the lady is mine

Well, she's never in the way
Always something nice to say, and what a blessin'
I can leave her on her own
Knowin' she's OK alone and there's no messin'
She's a lady
Oh, whoa, whoa, she's a lady
Talkin' about that little lady
And the lady is mine

Well, she never asks very much
And I don't refuse her
Always treat her with respect
I never would abuse her
What she's got is hard to find
And I don't want to lose her
Help me build a mountain
From a little pile of clay, hey hey hey

Well, she knows what I'm about
She can take what I dish out, and that's not easy
But she knows me through and through
And she knows just what to do and how to please me
She's a lady
Oh, whoa, whoa, she's a lady
Talkin' about that little lady
And the lady is mine
Yeah, yeah, yeah, she's a lady

Oh, whoa, whoa, she's a lady
Talkin' about that little lady

Overall Meaning

The song "She is A Lady" by Paul Anka and Tom Jones is a tribute to a woman who embodies everything a man could ask for in a partner. At the start of the song, the singer talks about how the woman is all he could ever want, someone he loves to flaunt and take to dinner. He also notes that she always knows her place and has style, grace, and is a winner. This woman is a lady, the kind that the singer is lucky to have in his life.

The singer goes on to talk about how his lady is never in the way and has always something nice to say. She's a blessing to have around, and he knows that he can leave her alone, knowing that she's perfectly capable of taking care of herself. He acknowledges that what she has is hard to find, and he doesn't want to lose her. He also reveals that he treats her with respect, never abuses her and that she never asks for much.

Towards the end of the song, the singer talks about how his lady knows him through and through, and she knows precisely how to please him, which is not an easy task. She's his lady, and he knows that he's lucky to have her.

Overall, "She is A Lady" is a song that celebrates a strong, capable, and independent woman who is also feminine, graceful, and a joy to be around. It is a song that acknowledges the value of having someone in your life who can make everyday life a little sweeter.

Line by Line Meaning

Well, she's all you'd ever want
She possesses all the qualities one could desire.

She's the kind I like to flaunt and take to dinner
She's the kind of woman I'm proud to be with and show off in public, even at a nice restaurant.

But she always knows her place
She's humble and respects her position in our relationship.

She's got style, she's got grace, she's a winner
She carries herself with elegance and sophistication that sets her apart from others; she's a success in every way possible.

She's a lady
In every sense of the word, my woman is an exquisite lady.

Oh, whoa, whoa, she's a lady
She's unique and deserves attention and admiration.

Talkin' about that little lady
I'm talking about my petite lady, who is full of surprises.

And the lady is mine
I'm the proud man who has the privilege to call her mine.

Well, she's never in the way
She never interferes with my life, but rather complements it.

Always something nice to say, and what a blessin'
She always has something positive to say, and I'm blessed to have her in my life.

I can leave her on her own
I trust her independence and her ability to handle herself when I'm not around.

Knowin' she's OK alone and there's no messin'
I'm confident that she's fine without me and won't get into trouble, no worries there.

Well, she never asks very much
She's low maintenance and doesn't demand anything unreasonable or excessive.

And I don't refuse her
I make sure to honor her requests whenever I can with no hesitation.

Always treat her with respect
I never belittle, disrespect or mistreat her in any way.

I never would abuse her
I would never use my power to take advantage of her in any way.

What she's got is hard to find
The qualities she possesses are unique and invaluable, that it is uncommon to find them in others.

And I don't want to lose her
I value our relationship highly and never want it to end.

Help me build a mountain
I want to create something great with her, something larger than life.

From a little pile of clay, hey hey hey
I want to start with nothing, the foundation, then work my way up to something grand and beautiful that we can both be proud of.

Well, she knows what I'm about
She knows my character and my intentions.

She can take what I dish out, and that's not easy
She's resilient and can withstand the tough times with me, which is no easy feat.

But she knows me through and through
She understands me completely, and I don't have to hide anything from her.

And she knows just what to do and how to please me
She knows the things that make me happy and how to be there for me in a way that no one else can be.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, she's a lady
She's a remarkable woman and deserves all the love and respect one could give her.

Oh, whoa, whoa, she's a lady
She deserves to be acknowledged and appreciated for all that she is.

Talkin' about that little lady
Once again, I'm referring to the petite, beautiful woman who completes me.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS

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