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."
You Belong to Me
Paul Anka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Watch the sunrise on a tropic isle
Just remember darlin' all the while
You belong to me
See the market place in Old Algiers
Send me photographs and souvenirs
Just remember when a dream appears
I'll be so alone without you
Maybe you'll be lonesome too, and blue
Fly the ocean in a silver plane
See the jungle when it's wet with rain
Just remember 'til you're home again
You belong to me
I'm gonna be so alone without you
And I'm hopin' maybe you'll be lonesome, too, and blue
Fly that ocean in a silver plane
See the jungle when it's wet with rain
Just remember til you're home again
You belong to me
In Paul Anka's song 'You Belong to Me', the lyrics are about a traveling lover who is far from home. The first verse describes seeing the pyramids in Egypt and the sunrise on a tropical island. The singer reminds their partner that even though they are far away, they still belong to them. In the second verse, the singer asks their partner to send photographs and souvenirs of their travels from Old Algiers. They ask their partner to remember that they belong to them when they have a dream about being together again.
The chorus talks about how lonely the singer will be without their partner and how they hope their partner will also be lonesome and blue. The final verse mentions flying across the ocean in a silver plane and seeing the jungle in the rain. Again, the singer reminds their partner that they belong to them until they are home again. Overall, the song speaks to the feeling of loneliness that can come from a long-distance relationship and the desire to hold onto the love that two people share despite the distance.
Line by Line Meaning
See the pyramids along the Nile
Visualize the magnificent pyramids in Egypt while cruising down the Nile River.
Watch the sunrise on a tropic isle
Observe the sunrise on a beautiful tropical island.
Just remember darlin' all the while
Always keep in mind, my dear, that you are mine.
You belong to me
You are mine and you will always be mine.
See the market place in Old Algiers
Take a stroll through the streets of the market in the historic city of Algiers.
Send me photographs and souvenirs
Send me photos and souvenirs as keepsakes of your travels.
Just remember when a dream appears
When you come across a dream or wish, don't forget that you are mine.
You belong to me
You are mine and you will always be mine.
I'll be so alone without you
I will be lonely and lost without you by my side.
Maybe you'll be lonesome too, and blue
Perhaps you will feel lonely and sad as well.
Fly the ocean in a silver plane
Travel across the ocean in a sleek silver airplane.
See the jungle when it's wet with rain
Experience the lush rainforest in all its glory during a wet period.
Just remember 'til you're home again
Don't forget until you come back home.
You belong to me
You are mine and you will always be mine.
I'm gonna be so alone without you
I will be terribly lonely without you there to keep me company.
And I'm hopin' maybe you'll be lonesome, too, and blue
I'm hoping that you will feel the same way and miss me just as much.
Fly that ocean in a silver plane
Travel across the ocean again in a sleek silver airplane.
See the jungle when it's wet with rain
Experience the lush rainforest in all its glory during a wet period.
Just remember til you're home again
Don't forget until you come back home.
You belong to me
You are mine and you will always be mine.
Contributed by Muhammad Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Felix Resendez
See the pyramids along the Nile,
Watch the sun rise on a tropic isle,
Just remember, darling, all the while
You belong to me.
See the market place in old Algiers,
Send me photographs and souvenirs,
Just remember when a dream appears
You belong to me.
I'll be so alone without you,
Maybe you'll be lonesome, too and blue.
Fly the ocean in a silver plane,
See the jungle when it's wet with rain,
Just remember till you're home again
You belong to me. (repeat)
Christy Lemuz
See the pyramids along the Nile,
Watch the sun rise on a tropic isle,
Just remember, darling, all the while
You belong to me.
See the market place in old Algiers,
Send me photographs and souvenirs,
Just remember when a dream appears
You belong to me.
I'll be so alone without you,
Maybe you'll be lonesome, too and blue.
Fly the ocean in a silver plane,
See the jungle when it's wet with rain,
Just remember till you're home again
You belong to me.
Eduardo Marcos González Santibañez
Es realmente fantástico escucharlo es volver a mi adolescencia que fue muy linda. Siempre la recordaré mientras viva. Gracias a Dios.
Colin Nonis
jhhhhhh1ggg Hi Hi 21Hi Gail,
Dorothy Castilho Bezerra
Essa canção me reportar aos meus 18 anos, maravilhoso
ALesina Young
Love this song..great version of this song too
Ana María Gonzalez Arroyo
Es la mejor interpretación que he escuchado
pedro daruna
One of the best early 60s tunes , for sure......
Addie Sullivan
Early 50's....
Robert
1952 Actually
gwtwvivien
I love Paul Anka with all my heart!!!. This song it's a Gem.
veronica salazar
Me encantan sus canciones!!