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."
wonderwall
Paul Anka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That they're gonna throw it back to you
By now you should've somehow
Realized what you gotta do
I don't believe that anybody
Feels the way I do about you now
Back beat the word was on the street
I'm sure you've heard it all before
But you never really had a doubt
I don't believe that anybody feels
The way I do about you now
And all the roads we have to walk along are winding
And all the lights that lead us there are blinding
There are many things that I would
Like to say to you
I don't know how
Because maybe
You're gonna be the one that saves me?
And after all
You're my wonderwall
Today was gonna be the day
But they'll never throw it back to you
By now you should've somehow
Realized what you're not to do
I don't believe that anybody
Feels the way I do
About you now
And all the roads that lead to you were winding
And all the lights that light the way are blinding
There are many things that I would like to say to you
I don't know how
I said maybe
You're gonna be the one who saves me?
And after all
You're my wonderwall
I said maybe
You're gonna be the one who saves me?
And after an
You're my wonderwall
Said maybe
You're gonna be the one that saves me
You're gonna be the one that saves me
You're gonna be the one that saves me
In Paul Anka's song "Wonderwall," the lyrics are emotionally charged and reflective of the deep feelings the singer has for the person he is addressing. He begins by stating that "Today is gonna be the day" that the recipient will be thrown back into his life. He seems to be indicating that there is something missing from his life, and he feels that the other person can fill that void. He indicates that by now, she should have realized what she needs to do regarding their relationship, and that he doesn't believe anyone else feels the same as he does.
The next verse speaks of how rumors are circulating that the passion that used to exist between them is no longer there. However, he believes that she had no doubt in her mind about how he felt concerning their relationship. He also mentions how they have had to walk many winding roads together, and the destination where they are headed seems to be blinding with many obstacles. He confesses that there are many things he would like to say to her, but he's not quite sure how.
The chorus indicates that he wonders whether she is the one who will save him from his loneliness and become his "wonderwall." This is repeated twice as he sings "I said maybe you're gonna be the one who saves me? And after all, you're my wonderwall." The final verse repeats the first verse again but with a slight change in that the day he expected her to come back is gone, and he professes his love for her again, stating that he's not sure if there is anyone else who feels what he feels about her.
Line by Line Meaning
Today is gonna be the day
Today is the day that you will get your chance
That they're gonna throw it back to you
You will be given the opportunity
By now you should've somehow
At this point, you should have realized
Realized what you gotta do
What you need to do to succeed
I don't believe that anybody
I don't think anyone
Feels the way I do about you now
Has the same feelings for you that I have right now
Back beat the word was on the street
There was a rumor going around
That the fire in your heart is out
That you have lost your passion
I'm sure you've heard it all before
I know you've been told this many times
But you never really had a doubt
But I know you never truly believed it
And all the roads we have to walk along are winding
The paths to success are not straightforward
And all the lights that lead us there are blinding
The things that lead us to our goals can temporarily blind us
There are many things that I would
There are many things that I wish
Like to say to you
I want to tell you
I don't know how
But I don't know how to say it
Because maybe
Because there is a chance
You're gonna be the one that saves me?
Will you be the one to rescue me?
And after all
Despite everything
You're my wonderwall
You are my savior
Today was gonna be the day
Today was supposed to be the day
But they'll never throw it back to you
But you will never get that chance again
Realized what you're not to do
Understand the things you must avoid doing
I don't believe that anybody
I do not think that anyone
Feels the way I do
Shares my feelings
And all the roads that lead to you were winding
The paths towards you were not easy
And all the lights that light the way are blinding
Things that guide us can sometimes be overwhelming
Said maybe
Maybe there's a chance
You're gonna be the one who saves me?
Will you be the one that rescues me?
And after an
Despite everything
You're my wonderwall
You are my savior
You're gonna be the one that saves me
You will be the one to rescue me
You're gonna be the one that saves me
You will be the one to rescue me
You're gonna be the one that saves me
You will be the one to rescue me
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Noel Gallagher
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@songgerperalta8144
Lirycs:Today is gonna be the day
That they're gonna throw it back to you
By now you should've somehow
Realized what you gotta do
I don't believe that anybody
Feels the way I do, about you now
Backbeat, the word was on the street
That the fire in your heart is out
I'm sure you've heard it all before
But you never really had a doubt
I don't believe that anybody
Feels the way I do about you now
And all the roads we have to walk are winding
And all the lights that lead us there are blinding
There are many things that I
Would like to say to you but I don't know how
Because maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me
And after all, you're my wonderwall
Today was gonna be the day
But they'll never throw it back to you
By now you should've somehow
Realized what you're not to do
I don't believe that anybody
Feels the way I do, about you now
And all the roads that lead you there are winding
And all the lights that light the way are blinding
There are many things that I
Would like to say to you but I don't know how
I said maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me
And after all, you're my wonderwall
I said maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me
And after all, you're my wonderwall
I said maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me
you're gonna be the one that saves me
you're gonna be the one that saves me
@mchagnon7
Paul Anka: "I feel like being creative and paying tribute to artists who make different kinds of music than me."
Olive Garden: "Hello, fellow kids..."
@animefreak2014100
I work in olive garden in everytime this comes on it triggers my fight or flight response
@intragalacticaa
NOPE ME TOO AND THAT BARBARA ANN SONG
@lilydayton5330
SAME SKFJFKG
@MichaelBurmy
Me too...I'm a busser there, so I hear it on a daily basis.
(Sometimes I hear this in the lobby and the original Oasis song in the prep area)
@tylerwilson9782
That’s where I just heard it and I’m making all my older buddies listen to it
@therougevence837
Only reason I'm here is from olive garden
@saec1997
OH MY GOD I CAN'T BELIEVE OTHER PEOPLE HEARD THIS IN OLIVE GARDEN TOO!!!!!
@panowa8319
I first heard this song from Richard Cheese radio from my Pandora account.
@fastthomas3792
same I heard it in Olive Garden too!