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."
The Lovecats
Paul Anka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We couldn't get closer than this
The way we love cats
The way we talk
The way we stalk
The way we kiss
We slip through the streets
While everyone sleeps
And wider and brighter
We bite and scratch and scream all night
Let's go and
Throw all the songs we know
Into the sea
You and me
All these years and no one heard
I'll show you in spring
It's a treacherous thing
"We missed you," hissed The Lovecats
We're so wonderfully, wonderfully,
Wonderfully, wonderfully, pretty
Oh you know that I'd do anything for you
We should have each other to tea huh?
We should have each other with cream
Then curl up by the fire
And sleep for awhile
It's the grooviest thing
It's the perfect dream
Hand in hand
Is the only way to land
And always the right way round
Not broken in pieces
Like hated little meeces
How could we miss
Someone as dumb as this?
I love you
Let's go
Oh
Solid gone
How could we miss someone as dumb as this?
The Lovecats by Paul Anka is a song that conveys the euphoria of forbidden love. The opening stanza “We move like cagey tigers…” is a reference to the liberation that two people feel when they are together, a sense of freedom that allows them to be adventurous and playful. The singer of the song is hopelessly in love with his partner, and he speaks of the way they love, the way they talk, and the way they kiss, suggesting the intimate and exclusive nature of their relationship.
In the second stanza “We slip through the streets…” the singer takes us through the secret life of lovers in the night. The song goes on to express the catharsis that this character feels about being with his lover. The final stanza “Hand in hand…” speaks of the safety and security that this protagonist feels with his partner, as well as the emotional resonance that they share.
Line by Line Meaning
We move like cagey tigers
We are cautious and cunning in the way we move towards each other
We couldn't get closer than this
Our love has reached its closest proximity
The way we love cats
Our love is like the playfulness and peculiarities of cats
The way we talk
Our conversations are full of wit and humor
The way we stalk
Our pursuit of each other is insistent and deliberate
The way we kiss
Our kisses are passionate and intense
We slip through the streets
We move unseen and unnoticed through the city
While everyone sleeps
We stay awake and revel in our love
Getting bigger and sleeker
Our love is growing and evolving into something more beautiful
And wider and brighter
Our love is expanding and shining brighter than ever before
We bite and scratch and scream all night
Our love is wild and untamed, we express it through physical and emotional outbursts
Let's go and
Let's do this
Throw all the songs we know
Let's forget everything except our love
Into the sea
Let's let our love sink deep into our souls
You and me
Our love is only between us
All these years and no one heard
Our love has been a secret for a long time
I'll show you in spring
I will prove our love in the most beautiful time of the year
It's a treacherous thing
Our love is risky and dangerous, but worth it
"We missed you," hissed The Lovecats
Our love has come back to us, sneaky yet welcoming
We're so wonderfully, wonderfully,
Our love is so exceptional,
Wonderfully, wonderfully, pretty
It's astoundingly beautiful
Oh you know that I'd do anything for you
I love you so much that I'll do whatever you want
We should have each other to tea huh?
Let's enjoy each other's company over tea, shall we?
We should have each other with cream
Let's add richness and sweetness to our love by being together
Then curl up by the fire
Let's embrace and hold each other close, and be warm by the fire
And sleep for awhile
Let's rest and be at peace, after a day full of love
It's the grooviest thing
Being together is the most amazing and coolest thing that can happen
It's the perfect dream
Being with you feels like the ideal dream
Hand in hand
We are together hand in hand
Is the only way to land
It's the only way to safely arrive and stay grounded in love
And always the right way round
Our love is based on mutual acceptance and cooperation
Not broken in pieces
Our love is not fragmented or shattered
Like hated little meeces
Unlike the small animals that some people despise
How could we miss
How could we not have known or realized
Someone as dumb as this?
How could we not have noticed love, so true and deep?
I love you
I love you
Let's go
Let's do this
Oh
Oh
Solid gone
It's all over
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Robert James Smith
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jon Shannon
Oh my god....just...omg...this album is too brilliant!
nitedreamer23
I'm with you. I'm surprised that this album didn't get more love: tasteful, respectful arrangements all.
thevoid99
i don't believe it. this is actually good. i'm a big fan of the cure as i'm surprised that someone like paul anka would do this song and do a good job. i wonder what robert smith thinks of this.
Phillip Phillippson
Well Robert Smith will be getting royalties wether he like this version or not.
veronica salazar
Paul anka eres tan hermoso!! 🐯😁🍁🙂🎶😍💋☺️🎵🇨🇦🇸🇳
Light Club
He can sing anything. Brilliant!
veronica salazar
Es bellisisima, me fascina!! 🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🇲🇽🇨🇦🇲🇽🇨🇦🇲🇽🇨🇦🇲🇽🇨🇦🇲🇽🇨🇦🇲🇽🇨🇦🇲🇽
veronica salazar
Suban la con subtitulos al español, po favor, amigos bilingues!! 🇨🇦🇲🇽🐯💋😁🙂🍁🎵😍☺️
veronica salazar
Suban la con subtitulos en español!! Por favor!!
Alessandro Policarpo
Love it.