Paul Anka: Difference between revisions

'''Paul Albert Anka''' {{Post-nominals|OC|}} (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his signature hitHis songs including "[[Diana (Paul Anka song)|Diana]]", “[[You Are My Destiny (song)|You Are My Destiny]]", [[Lonely Boy (Paul Anka song)|Lonely“Lonely Boy]]", "[[Put Your Head on My Shoulder (song)|Put Your Head on My Shoulder]]", and "[[(You're) Having My Baby]]".

Anka also wrote [[Johnny's Theme|the theme]] for ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson]]''; one of [[Tom Jones (singer)|Tom Jones]]' biggest hits, "[[She's a Lady]]"; and the English lyrics to [[Claude François]] and [[Jacques Revaux]]'s music for [[Frank Sinatra]]'s [[signature song]] "[[My Way]]", which has been recorded by many, including [[Elvis Presley]]. He co-wrote three songs with [[Michael Jackson]]: "[[This Is It (Michael Jackson song)|This Is It]]" (originally titled "I Never Heard")<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8304118.stm|work=BBC News|title='New' Jackson song penned in 1983|date=October 13, 2009|access-date=May 22, 2010}}</ref> "[[Love Never Felt So Good]]", and "[[Don't Matter to Me]]", which became posthumous hits for Jackson in 2009, 2014, and 2018, respectively.

Paul RobertAlbert Anka was born in [[Ottawa]], [[Ontario]], to Camelia (née Tannis) and Andrew Emile "Andy" Anka Sr., who owned a restaurant called the Locanda.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/i-was-a-lonely-boy/article18288749/|title=I was a lonely boy|last=Hampson|first=Sarah|date=April 27, 2002|work=The Globe & Mail|access-date=January 25, 2020}}</ref> According to Anka's autobiography, ''My Way'', both of his parents were of Lebanese Christian descent; however, he also states in his autobiography that his ancestors came from [[Bab Tuma]], in [[Syria]].<ref name=":0">{{cite book|last=Anka|first=Paul|year=2013|title=My Way: An Autobiography|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nK3YhlaflSQC&q=Lebanese|pages=10–11|publisher=St. Martin's Publishing |isbn=9781250035202}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|year=2005|title=With Paul Anka, 'Rock Swings,' Part Two.|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4793881?storyId=4793881&t=1593052812491|website=NPR.org|publisher=Fresh Air radio talk show broadcast|page=minute 3.25- 4:38}}</ref> His father came to Canada from [[Bab Touma|Bab Tuma]], [[Damascus]], Syria, and his mother was an immigrant from Lebanon.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Paul Anka, Kids' wonder singer |journal=Life Magazine |date=August 29, 1960 |pages=67–70 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EU8EAAAAMBAJ&q=Andrew+Anka&pg=PA70 |access-date=25 June 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|year=1998|title=Anka to honor his roots with concert in Lebanon|url=https://www.deseret.com/1998/3/7/19367340/anka-to-honor-his-roots-with-concert-in-lebanon|website=Deseret News}}</ref> His mother died when he was 18.<ref>{{Cite web|last=O'Keefe|first=Kevin|date=January 25, 2019|title=Paul Anka reflects on six decades of pop music success|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/w5/paul-anka-reflects-on-six-decades-of-pop-music-success-1.4266005?cache=|access-date=September 6, 2020|website=W5|language=en}}</ref>

Anka recorded his first single, "I Confess", when he was 14. In 1956, with $100 given to him by his uncle, he went to New York City, where he auditioned for [[Don Costa]] at [[ABC Records]], 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 whom he hardly knew.<ref name="am">{{allMusic|class=artist|id=mn0000745915|tab=biography|label=Paul Anka: Biography|first=John|last=Bush|access-date=September 24, 2013}}</ref> The resulting song "[[Diana (Paul Anka song)|Diana]]" brought Anka stardom as it went to {{Abbr|No.|number}}&nbsp;1 on the Canadian and US music charts.<ref>{{cite web|title=Canadian Charts from 1957 – 1986|work=1050chum.com|url=http://www.1050chum.com/index_chumcharts.aspx|access-date=December 3, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090312100423/http://www.1050chum.com/index_chumcharts.aspx|archive-date=March 12, 2009|url-status=dead}} Retrieved November 26, 2006</ref> "Diana" is one of the best selling singles ever by a Canadian recording artist.<ref>{{cite web|title= Gold & Platinum certification of albums at RIAA|work= www.riaa.com|url= https://www.riaa.com/gp/database/search_results.asp|url-status=dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070608063940/http://www.riaa.com/gp/database/search_results.asp|archive-date= June 8, 2007}} Retrieved November 26, 2006</ref> He followed up with four songs that made it into the Top 20 in 1958,<ref>{{cite webmagazine| title= U.S Billboard chart rankings| workmagazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/yearend_chart_index.jsp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060903144110/http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/yearend_chart_index.jsp|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 3, 2006}} Retrieved November 26, 2006</ref> including "[[It's Time to Cry]]", which hit {{Abbr|No.|number}}&nbsp;4 and "(All of a Sudden) My Heart Sings", which reached {{Abbr|No.|number}}&nbsp;15, making him (at 17) one of the biggest [[teen idol]]s of the time. He toured Britain, then Australia with [[Buddy Holly]]. Anka also wrote "[[It Doesn't Matter Anymore]]" – a song written for Holly, which Holly recorded just before he died in 1959. Anka stated shortly afterward:

On September 6, 1990, he became a [[Naturalization|naturalized citizen]] of the United States.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Anka Passes Citizenship, Flunks No-parking Lesson|url=httphttps://articleswww.orlandosentinel.com/1990-/09-/08/news/9009080711_1_certificateanka-ofpasses-citizenship-singerflunks-paulno-ankaparking-naturalization-servicelesson/|date=September 8, 1990|work=[[Orlando Sentinel]]|access-date=December 7, 2011}}</ref>

In the mid-1980s,<ref name=popmatters>[http://www.popmatters.com/pm/article/65731-qa-with-music-icon-paul-anka "Q&A with music icon Paul Anka"], Valerie Kellogg, ''PopMatters'', November 14, 2008.</ref> Anka was secretly recorded while launching a tirade against his crew and band members, berating them for behavior that he considered unprofessional. When 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 around 2004, and a number of quotes from it became famous, including "The guys get shirts!"; "Don't make a maniac out of me!"; and "Slice like a f*****g hammer".<ref>{{cite web| title=Paul Anka –is ' ... the way it is.{{'-}}Pissed|date=FebruaryNovember 821, 20072019 |publisher=[[YouTube]]|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LsnW0WZlKQmG3GkBxsrQo}}</ref> Some of the quotes were reproduced verbatim by [[Al Pacino]]'s character in the 2007 film ''[[Ocean's Thirteen]]''.<ref name=popmatters /> In the TV show ''[[Gilmore Girls]]'', [[Lorelai Gilmore]] names her dog Paul Anka.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Jamal |first1=Zakiya |title=What Happened To Paul Anka On 'Gilmore Girls'? Lorelai's Dog Is Still Part Of The Family |url=https://www.romper.com/p/what-happened-to-paul-anka-on-gilmore-girls-lorelais-dog-is-still-part-of-the-family-22837 |website=[[Romper (website)|Romper]] |access-date=March 10, 2023 |date=November 23, 2016}}</ref>

{{Commons category|Paul Anka}}

[[Category:Canadian people of MiddleWest EasternAsian descent]]