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."
midnight
Paul Anka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So let's spoon,
Beneath the moon
The silv'ry moon, up a-high
Midnight
We'll be together
At lover's lane
And then again
At midnight.
You hold my hand
And you drive me in sane
You're burning up my heart
And you tickle my brain
Your eyes are blue
Your lips are red.
The old hootie owl way
Up in a tree
Is taking a peek at
You and me
I don't care what it can see.
The lyrics of Paul Anka's song 'Midnight' convey a romantic atmosphere where the singer is in the company of his lover in the middle of the night, under the moonlight. At midnight, the duo is cuddling with each other and saying sweet nothings lovingly. The song primarily carries a feeling of affection and pleasure, with the singer declaring that they don't care what anyone else thinks of them as long as they have each other.
The reference to "spooning" symbolizes the closeness and intimacy experienced by the lovers. The night, with its calm darkness, becomes the witness of their love. While the hootie owl keeps a watchful eye, the two continue to be lost in each other's embrace. The lyrics are simple yet meaningful, with the use of rhyming words, the singer expresses the emotions with ease. The chorus, "And then again at midnight," is repeated, emphasizing the fleeting nature of the moment and reminding us of the pleasures that love can offer.
Line by Line Meaning
Midnight is for lovers
The time of midnight is a special moment for lovers to come together.
So let's spoon,
Let's cuddle tightly together in the shape of spoons.
Beneath the moon
We'll be under the night sky lit by the moon.
The silv'ry moon, up a-high
The moon is a glowing silver disk up high in the sky.
Midnight
The specific moment in time when the clock strikes twelve at night.
We'll be together
We'll be present in each other's company at this time.
At lover's lane
A romantic location where lovers go to spend time together.
We'll kiss again
We'll share intimate physical contact with each other once more.
And then again
We'll repeat this action multiple times throughout the night.
At midnight.
These actions will occur specifically at midnight.
You hold my hand
You grip my hand with yours.
And you drive me in sane
Your presence fills me with madness and excitement.
You're burning up my heart
You're setting my heart aflame with your passion.
And you tickle my brain
You're stimulating my thoughts and ideas in my mind.
Your eyes are blue
The color of your eyes is a bright blue tone.
Your lips are red.
The color of your lips is a deep red shade.
The old hootie owl way
The ancient owl perched up high in the tree.
Up in a tree
The owl is residing in a tree top location.
Is taking a peek at
The owl is glancing over secretly at us.
You and me
The owl is observing both of us in our current moment.
I don't care what it can see.
I am unconcerned and unaffected by the owl's watchful gaze and opinions.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JIMI HENDRIX
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@zildaaguilar9578
Não tem como não gostar de Paul Anka, cuja magia encanta e envolve com sua linda voz e maravilhosas canções que fazem sonhar e levam pro céu. I love you so much!!! (From Roraima, Brasil, Amazônia)
@darunamp
A pleasure to hear this.... Guines 1962....
@TheZeevik
KILLER ROCKER HIT