Paul Anka
Anka at the 2007 North Sea Jazz Festival
Background information
Birth name	Paul Albert Anka
Born	(1941-07-30) July 30, 1941 (age 71) Ottawa, Ontario
Genres	Pop, jazz, soft rock, doo-wop
Occupations	Singer, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, piano, guitar
Years active	1955–present
Labels	EMI Columbia, RCA, Columbia
Website	Official website

Paul Albert Anka, OC (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and actor. Anka became famous in the late 1950s and 1960s with hit songs like "Diana", "Lonely Boy", and "Put Your Head on My Shoulder". He went on to write such well-known music as the theme for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and one of Tom Jones' biggest hits, "She's a Lady", and the English lyrics for Frank Sinatra's signature song, "My Way" (originally French song "Comme d'habitude").

In 1983, he co-wrote with Michael Jackson the song "I Never Heard", which was retitled and released in 2009 under the name "This Is It".^[1] An additional song that Jackson co-wrote with Anka from this 1983 session, "Love Never Felt So Good", has since been discovered, and will be released in the future. The song was also released by Johnny Mathis in 1984. Anka became a naturalized US citizen in 1990.

Early life [edit]

Anka was born to Andy and Camelia Ankain in Ottawa, Ontario, where they owned a restaurant called The Locanda. His parents are both of Greek Orthodox Lebanese descent.^[2] He sang with the St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Church choir under the direction of Frederick Karam, with whom he studied music theory. He studied piano with Winnifred Rees. Anka attended Fisher Park High School and Lisgar Collegiate Institute.^{[citation needed]}

Career [edit]

Early success [edit]

Paul Anka at Gröna Lund, Stockholm 1959.

Anka in 1961.

Anka recorded his first single "I Confess" at age 14. In 1957 he went to New York City where he auditioned for Don Costa at ABC, singing what was widely believed to be a lovestruck verse he had written to a former babysitter. In an interview with NPR's Terry Gross in 2005, he stated that it was to a girl at his church who he hardly knew.^[3] The song, "Diana", brought Anka stardom as it rocketed to number one on the Canadian and U.S. music charts.^[4] "Diana" is one of the best selling singles ever by a Canadian recording artist.^[5] He followed up with four songs that made it into the Top 20 in 1958,^[6] including "It's Time to Cry", which made #4 and "(All Of a Sudden) My Heart Sings", which reached #15, making him, at 17, one of the biggest teen idols of the time. He toured Britain and then, with Buddy Holly, he toured Australia. Anka also wrote "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" a song written for Buddy Holly which Holly recorded just before he died in 1959. Anka stated shortly afterward:

NME - June 1959^[7]

His talent went beyond the theme for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (reworked in 1962 from a song Anka wrote earlier called "Toot Sweet" which had been rewritten with lyrics and recorded by Annette Funicello in 1959 as "It's Really Love") since Anka composed Tom Jones' biggest hit record "She's a Lady" and wrote the English lyrics to "My Way", Frank Sinatra's signature song sung by many well known artists. In the 1960s Anka began acting in motion pictures as well as writing songs for them, most notably the theme for the hit movie The Longest Day, in which he made a cameo appearance as a US Army Ranger. From his movie work, he wrote and recorded one of his greatest hits, "Lonely Boy" and also "My Home Town", which was a #8 pop hit for him the same year. He then went on to become one of the first pop singers to perform at the Las Vegas casinos. Anka returns to Canada several times a year, regularly playing to sold out crowds at the Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls, Ontario in Canada. In 1960, he appeared twice as himself in NBC's short-lived crime drama Dan Raven, starring Skip Homeier and set on the Sunset Strip of West Hollywood.

Comeback [edit]

Paul Anka's star on Canada's Walk of Fame.

In 1960 Anka signed with RCA Victor, but like most North American recording artists saw his career stalled by the British Invasion. By the late 1960s, Anka's career centered around adult contemporary and big-band standards, played regularly in Las Vegas. In the early 1970s he signed with Buddah Records. After more than ten years without a top 25 hit record, Anka signed with United Artists and in 1974 teamed up with Odia Coates to record the number one hit, "(You're) Having My Baby". The two would record two more duets that made it into the Top 10, "One Man Woman/One Woman Man" (#7) and "I Don't Like to Sleep Alone" (#8), and the #15 duet "(I Believe) There's Nothing Stronger Than Our Love". In 1975 he recorded a jingle for Kodak written by Bill Lane (lyrics) and Roger Nichols (melody) called "Times of Your Life". It became so popular Anka recorded it as a full song, which peaked at #7 in the U.S. pop charts in 1976. The follow-up was another hit that Anka wrote for Sinatra, "Anytime (I'll Be There)", peaking at #33. Anka's final Top-40 hit in the U.S. to date was "Hold Me Til The Mornin' Comes", which included backing vocals from then-Chicago frontman Peter Cetera, in the summer of 1983, which also hit number two on the Hot Adult Contemporary charts.^[8]

His 1998 album A Body of Work was his first new U.S. studio release since Walk a Fine Line in 1983; vocals and performers include Celine Dion, Kenny G, Patti LaBelle and Skyler Jett. The album included a new version of "Hold Me 'Til the Morning Comes," once again performed with Peter Cetera. On September 6, 1990, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States.^[9] In 2005, his album of big-band arrangements of contemporary standards, Rock Swings, provided a mainstream comeback of sorts that saw Anka awarded a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto.

On October 12, 2009, Anka stated that Michael Jackson's new release titled "This Is It" was a collaborative effort between the two musicians, and that it was co-written by Anka in 1983. According to Anka, after recording the song, Jackson decided not to use it and the tune was then recorded and released by singer Sa-Fire. After Anka threatened to sue for credit and a share of royalties, the administrators of Jackson's estate granted Anka 50% of the copyright.^[10] An additional song that Jackson co-wrote with Anka from this 1983 session, "Love Never Felt So Good", was discovered shortly thereafter and will be released in the near future. His album Songs of December charted at #58 in Canada in November 2011.^[11]

Italy [edit]

Already locally famous as a teenage idol for his songs in English language, in 1960 Anka tried to hit the Italian market with "Summer's Gone", released as "Dove Sei?" with lyrics translated into Italian. The record got immediate success charting #4 in Italian hit lists^[12] opening a promising foreign career. Anka then underwent an intense collaboration with Italian musicians of the time, including composer/director Ennio Morricone, singer/songwriter Lucio Battisti and lyricist Mogol. His official discography reports nine 45rpm records released by RCA Italy,^[13] but the Italian charts list at least six other songs he interpreted or recorded in Italian language. His top hit has been "Ogni giorno" which scored #1 in 1962, followed by "Piangerò per te" and "Ogni volta", that reached both #2 in 1963 and 1964 respectively. "Ogni volta" ("Every Time") was sung by Anka during the Festival di San Remo of 1964 and then sold more than one million copies in Italy alone; it was also awarded a gold disc.^[14]

He returned to San Remo in 1968, with "La farfalla impazzita" by Battisti-Mogol. In that occasion, the same title was interpreted by Italian crooner Johnny Dorelli; however, the pair of singers was eliminated before the final stage of the competition. Anka, maybe only coincidentally, left the Italian scene shortly thereafter. In 2003, Anka came back with an exclusive concert in Bologna, organized by Italian company Mapei during the CERSAIE exhibition. He recorded a version of "My Way" with alternate lyrics dedicated to the sponsor of the evening.^{[citation needed]}

In 2006, he recorded in duet with 1960s Italian hitmaker Adriano Celentano a new cover of "Diana", with Italian lyrics by Celentano-Mogol and with singer/songwriter Alex Britti on the guitar.^[15] The song immediately reached #3 on the charts.

Other countries [edit]

With less success than in Italy, Anka tried the French market as well. At least two songs by Anka with French lyrics are known: one reported by the Italian charts ("Faibles Femmes", 1959^[12]) and another reported by his official discography ("Comme Avant"^[13]) with Mireille Mathieu. A single release in Japanese ("Kokoro No Sasae"/"Shiawase E No Tabiji") is also reported on his discography. In 1993 he recorded a duet with Philippine singer Regine Velasquez entitled "It's Hard to Say Goodbye", included in her album, Reason Enough. This song was re-recorded several years later by Anka and Celine Dion and was included in his album, A Body of Work.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life [edit]

Anka was married to Anne de Zogheb, the daughter of Lebanese diplomat Charles de Zogheb, from February 16, 1963 until September 28, 2000.^{[citation needed]}. They met in 1962 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she was a fashion model on assignment, under contract to the Eileen Ford Agency. Zogheb, raised in Egypt, is of English, Lebanese, French, Dutch, and Greek descent. The couple married the following year in a ceremony at Paris-Orly Airport. She quit modeling after their second child was born. They have five daughters: Amelia, Anthea, Alicia, Amanda (who is married to actor Jason Bateman), and Alexandra.

In 2008, Anka married his personal trainer, Anna Åberg, in Sardinia.^[16] They divorced in 2010 and share custody of their son, Ethan. Anna was featured in the Swedish TV3 show Svenska Hollywoodfruar (Swedish Hollywood wives).

In 1972, a street in Ottawa was named Paul Anka Drive.^[17] In 1981, the Ottawa City Council named August 26 as "Paul Anka Day", to celebrate his quarter century in show business.^[18]

Anka has written an autobiography, My Way, co-written with David Dalton with forward by Paul Holmgren

Acting career [edit]

Anka's first acting role in a major film was in a cameo performance as an army private in The Longest Day (1962). He also composed the title song to this movie. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, Anka starred in such teen exploitation films as Girls Town (1959) and Look in Any Window (1961), in which he played a peeping tom. He later played an Elvis-hating casino pit manager in 3000 Miles To Graceland (2001) and a yacht broker in Captain Ron (1992). He guest-starred as a murder suspect in The Case of the Maligned Mobster (1991). In October 1995, he appeared in the episode Treehouse of Horror VI on The Simpsons. He made a guest appearance as himself in the episode "Red's Last Day" on That '70s Show. He made several appearances on the NBC TV series Las Vegas.

Other film and television appearances [edit]

Anka was the subject of the 1962 National Film Board of Canada documentary Lonely Boy, considered a classic work of cinema verite.^[19] He wrote and performed songs in a 1985 Canadian children's Christmas cartoon, George and the Christmas Star. In American Idol's Seasons 2 and 3, he made a special appearance and sang an adapted version of "My Way" that mocked the format of the show, as well as participants, participants of past seasons, judges and the host. The performance was praised as "One of the Best Moments in American Idol" by several members of the cast.^{[citation needed]}

Popular culture [edit]

Sometime in the mid-1980s,^[20] Anka was secretly recorded while launching a tirade against his crew and band members, berating them for unprofessional behavior in the show they had just played. (Asked about it on the interview program Fresh Air, he referred to the person who did the recording as a "snake we later fired.") The recording became widely known after being uploaded to the internet, and a number of quotes from it have since become famous, including "The guys get shirts", "Don't make a maniac out of me", and "Slice like a fucking hammer".^[21] Some of the quotes were reproduced verbatim by Al Pacino's character in the 2007 film Ocean's Thirteen.^[20]

He was mentioned in the "Fish Licence" sketch in the tenth episode of Series 2 (23rd overall) of Monty Python's Flying Circus, which was first broadcast on December 1, 1970. Dealing with a postal clerk (Michael Palin) who thought it absurd to give all of one's pets the same name, Praline (John Cleese) countered that there wasn't anything wrong with it, citing Mustafa Kemal Atatürk as an example. To support his argument, he submitted as evidence an entry from the book "Kemal Ataturk, the Man by E. W. Swanton with a foreword by Paul Anka."^[22]

On Gilmore Girls, Lorelai Gilmore named her Polish Lowland Sheepdog after Anka.^[23] Series co-creator Daniel Palladino chose the name after hearing the Rock Swings album at a coffeehouse.^[24] In the cold open to the episode The Real Paul Anka, both Paul Ankas were featured in a dream sequence Lorelei describes to her daughter, Rory.^[25][26]

Discography [edit]

Albums [edit]

• 1957: Diana
• 1958: You Are My Destiny
• 1958: Crazy Love
• 1959: Puppy Love
• 1959: Put Your Head on My Shoulder
• 1959: (All of a Sudden) My Heart Sings
• 1959: I Miss You So
• 1959: Lonely Boy
• 1959: It's Time to Cry
• 1961: Tonight My Love, Tonight
• 1963: Three Great Guys
• 1974: One Man Woman/One Woman Man (duet with Odia Coates)
• 1974: I Don't Like to Sleep Alone (duet with Odia Coates)
• 1974: Having My Baby (duet with Odia Coates)
• 1976: The Painter
• 1975: Times of Your Life
• 1989: 30th Anniversary Collection
• 1996: Amigos (Duets in Spanish)
• 2005: Rock Swings # 9 UK
• 2007: Classic Songs, My Way
• 2011: Songs of December
• 2013: Duets

Singles [edit]

* with George Hamilton IV and Johnny Nash
** with Odia Coates

See also [edit]

Music of Canada portal

• Canadian rock
• Music of Canada

References [edit]

External links [edit]

Book: Paul Anka

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Paul Anka

• Official site
• Paul Anka at the Internet Movie Database
• Paul Anka at AllRovi
• Paul Anka at the Songwriters Hall of Fame