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."
When I Stop Loving You
Paul Anka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That'll be the day
That'll be the day
When I stop loving you, baby
That'll be the day
That'll be the day
The day the world stops going 'round
When I stop loving you, baby
That'll be the day
When you stop loving me, baby
That'll be the day
When you stop loving me, baby
That'll be the day
The day my heart would ache and break
The day there'd be no wedding cake
When you stop loving me, baby
That'll be the day
That'll be the day
Yes, I'll stop loving you
I'll say that we're through
When earth and skies disappear
But just as long as there's an earth
And as long as there's a sky
I'll always love you dear
If you should say goodbye, baby
That'll be the day
That'll be the day
If you should say goodbye, baby
That'll be the day
That'll be the day
The day that tear drops from my eyes
It fell like raindrops from the skies
If you should say goodbye, baby
That'll be the day
That'll be the day
Yes, I'll stop loving you
I'll say that we're through
When earth and skies disappear
But just as long as there's an earth
And as long as there's a sky
I'll always love you dear
If you should say goodbye, baby
That'll be the day
That'll be the day
If you should say goodbye, baby
That'll be the day
That'll be the day
The day that tear drops from my eyes
It fell like raindrops from the skies
If you should say goodbye, baby
That'll be the day
That'll be the day
That'll be the day
That'll be the day
The lyrics of Paul Anka's song "When I Stop Loving You" are about the enduring nature of love. The song talks about how the singer will never stop loving their significant other, and it will take something as significant as the world stopping turning or the sky and earth disappearing. The song starts with the singer stating that the day they stop loving their significant other will be the day the world stops moving. The lines "When the world stops going 'round, and today my heartbeat starts to pound" highlight the depth of their love, which is so strong that it feels like the world will come to a stop if it ever ends.
The second verse of the song focuses on what would happen if the significant other were to stop loving the singer. The singer talks about how painful it would be to lose their love and how it would feel like the day the wedding cake never arrived, a clear reference to the end of their love story. However, the singer also states that they will always love their significant other, and it would take something monumental for them to stop loving them.
The final verse of the song is about the possibility of their significant other leaving them. The singer imagines the pain that would come with saying goodbye, with tears falling like raindrops from the skies. But even in this situation, the singer states that they will always love their significant other, no matter how painful it may be.
Overall, the song is about the enduring nature of love, even in the face of significant challenges. The singer's love is so strong that it will persist through any obstacle, and it will take something monumental to stop them from loving their significant other.
Line by Line Meaning
When I stop loving you, baby
The day I stop feeling the love I have for you
That'll be the day
A hypothetical time in the future when the event mentioned occurs
The day the world stops going 'round
A hyperbole indicating something that cannot happen, meaning never
And today my heartbeat starts to pound
A physical manifestation of one's emotions, which reveals the depth of love felt
When you stop loving me, baby
The day you cease to have the feelings you have for me
The day my heart would ache and break
A metaphorical expression of emotional brokenness
The day there'd be no wedding cake
A symbol of a relationship that was expected to end in marriage but would not take place
Yes, I'll stop loving you
A hypothetical statement to explain how much they are in love
I'll say that we're through
As a sign of their determination to move on from the relationship
When earth and skies disappear
A hyperbole indicating something that cannot happen, meaning never
But just as long as there's an earth
For as long as the earth exists
And as long as there's a sky
For as long as the sky exists
I'll always love you dear
A statement that no matter what happens, their love for the other person will continue
If you should say goodbye, baby
The day you decide to end the relationship
The day that tear drops from my eyes
A metaphorical expression of emotional breakdown
It fell like raindrops from the skies
A comparison of the amount of tears shed with a rainfall
Contributed by Jacob O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Kurt Miller
found on chum charts
heavy gloom
yas