A Conversation With Paul Anka
He’s written for Frank Sinatra, Tom Jones, Buddy Holly, and recorded more than 120 albums. For Paul Anka, music isn’t business, it’s his life.
THE MORNING CALL | March 27, 1998
“I enjoy this life.”
Not exactly a surprising statement coming from longtime pop singer Paul Anka, who, at 56, has indeed spent almost his whole life in the business of making music.
“In my case, I left home (Ottawa, Canada) at 16,” said Anka, who will perform tonight in a sold-out show at the State Theatre in Easton. “I started in the business when the business was in its infancy. I learned at a young age when it all evolved.”
Having won a contest saving soup can labels, the 16-year-old Anka won a trip to New York City, and in 1957 walked into ABC/Paramount Records seeking a recording deal. The song he auditioned, “Diana,” would propel him to the top of the charts. The song (about a girl four years older than Anka) not only went to No. 1, it was the second-best-selling single for many years (only Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” had sold more).
Paul Anka, in younger days.
A string of hits followed, including “You Are My Destiny,” “Lonely Boy,” “Crazy Love,” “Put Your Head on My Shoulder” and “Puppy Love” (the last two were written about his relationship with Mouseketeer Annette Funicello).
But Anka was different from other teen idols of the time. Like Buddy Holly (who recorded Anka’s “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore”), Anka wrote and produced his hits and owns the masters to this day. “I felt I wanted to make it last,” Anka said of his career. “I thought, if I’m not responsible, I’m gonna blow it, and I don’t want to blow it. I came from a humble background, so I realized how great an opportunity it was. Pretty basic logic.”
Of course, the record business was different then. “Today, kids walk into millions of dollars. I was happy to get a couple hundred bucks a week,” Anka recalled.
By 1962, Anka had started to change direction, writing the theme song for the film “The Longest Day” and following in the footsteps of music’s biggest star, Frank Sinatra. “He had far more impact than he has on people today. The Rat Pack, to those of us who made it, you know, Bobby Darin, others, that was it.”
By the time he was 20, Anka had played the Copacabana and was among the earliest pop stars to play Las Vegas, even before Elvis Presley.
It also was about this time that Anka married Parisian model Anne deZogheb at Paris’ Orly Airport. They have five daughters and one grandchild.
A 1970s portrait by Andy Warhol.
Although Anka’s shift in musical direction seemed to make sense, things changed drastically in the wake of the British Invasion. “I met the Beatles when I was working in Paris. I was into the business side, and I saw what was happening. I loved the music.”
But suddenly, crooners weren’t happening. “We weren’t fashionable anymore. The Beatles busted the business wide open, but it tossed us off the radio.”
Although as a performer he remained popular internationally, Anka’s songwriting, often derided by critics as overwrought, kept him going. “She’s a Lady” for Tom Jones, “The Tonight Show Theme” for Johnny Carson and, of course, “My Way” for Sinatra all flowed from his pen.
Anka’s “Tonight Show” theme has been replaced, but he apparently doesn’t rate the new song very highly. “Can you hum it?” he asks curtly.
The songwriting never stopped, with Anka having a No. 1 hit with the controversial “(You’re) Having My Baby” in 1974, and “Hold Me Till The Morning Comes” in 1983. His “Times of Your Life” became a jingle for Kodak film.
Anka has an incredible 120 albums to his credit, and he’s working on another. His last disc, 1996’s “Amigos,” a collection of Latin duets, just went platinum. In September, he’s due to release a new album, which will be co-produced by one of the industry’s top guns, David Foster, and feature appearences by Tom Jones, Barry Gibb, All-4-One, Celine Dion, Patti LaBelle and Sinatra.
What can the State Theatre crowd expect from the inveterate performer?
“There are 25 guys, 40 years of music,” said Anka. “There’ll be big video presentations, but I won’t get into that. It’s a surprise. A couple things from the new album, not retiring old songs. I don’t get tricky. I give ’em what they want.”