This relationship evolved into Anka writing the immortal “My Way” for an aging Frank Sinatra (also covered by Elvis Presley). … That evolved into, at a young age, being the only guy that was asked to come to Vegas by the boys and work The Rat Pack, where I got a lot of my training.” We were thrown off the radio in a sense, but because I was the writer, I survived it. “After I met The Beatles in Europe and my agent brought them over here, everything changed. … I started to establish myself as a writer, which I felt was very very important,” Anka says. “I realized after a year in the business that to separate yourself … you needed the gravitas of being the producer, being the writer, so you had something to fall back on. But beyond his own hits, he penned countless songs for other artists: “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore” for Buddy Holly, “She’s a Lady” for Tom Jones, “Teddy” for Connie Francis, “This is It (I Never Heard)” for Michael Jackson and “The Tonight Show” theme for Johnny Carson. 1 with “(You’re) Having My Baby” in 1974. Bells go off! I just sat down and wrote about it.”Īnka kept on cranking them out through the ’60s and ’70s, returning to No. … Everybody was educated on the fact that you don’t do this and you don’t do that, you’re too young and it’s just puppy love. Disney doesn’t want you near him’ and ‘it’s puppy love’ and ‘blah blah blah.’ So I said, OK, let’s take the lemons and make lemonade, so I wrote ‘Puppy Love.’ … You look at the whole sociological situation … in this country with sexuality, it was a pretty shut-down window. She and I were very close and they didn’t want us close. “Part of the experience was Annette, who was a Disney property and very popular. Once again, his actress girlfriend Annette Funicello (“Mickey Mouse Club”) served as inspiration for the romantic lyrics. 6, while Anka’s “Puppy Love” went all the way to No. ![]() The following year, Anka got the best of the friendly rivalry, as Darin’s “Beyond the Sea” peaked at No. ![]() “He and I felt the change coming … You knew it wasn’t going to really last.” 1 with ‘Mack the Knife,’ so that was another compounded effect of that song,” Anka says. “My friend Bobby Darin, he and I were really close and we were always vying, as friendly as we were, for the charts. While the song fueled his love life, it also sparked a battle for bragging rights among his peers. I think I called Annette, who I was dating at the time, may she rest in peace, and I said, ‘Gee, I’ve just written this great song.’ … I called her and I sang it to her over the phone, so it was a real turning point.” … And it just hit me as I watched it, I went home to the hotel one night and I just nailed it. … The whole thing was to get a head on a shoulder, whether it was in the movie house or on the gymnasium floor. “You’re standing on a stage at some sock hop or high school, and back then it was a whole big thing just to hold a girl. “That was the turning point for me as a writer,” Anka says. I was hopefully writing the way every teenager thought, indigenous to that world, ” Anka says.Īnka then delivered his personal favorite hit - and arguably his most recognizable song - “Put Your Head on My Shoulder,” which soared to No. 7 hit “You Are My Destiny” (George McFly anyone?), the No. … But when you hear it on the radio driving around or whatever, hey, it’s a jolt! It’s wow, I can’t believe this, and you’re very appreciative of it, because it was new to everybody, a kid so young making it.”Īnka quickly became a teen heartthrob at drive-ins and sock hops thanks to the No. Back then, you’ve got a great family around you. ![]() “These kids today are jaded and they’re on these shows and before they burp they’ve made $50 million and they can’t really handle it. Pop music really was in its infancy stage. While the Four Seasons sang about “Sherry,” Frankie Avalon sang about “Venus” and Neil Sedaka sang “Oh Carol,” Anka found his breakthrough hit with “Diana,” which peaked at No. … It’s going to be some of the old, but not a lot, it’s going to be new stuff, it’s going to be ‘My Way,’ it’s going to be some video presentation, we’ve got a hot band, a lot of new arrangements, and it’ll be a few surprises here and there.” We never retire songs, but we always try to keep in mind the audience. “You’re gonna get an eclectic array of stuff. We have a good time every time we come down there,” Anka tells WTOP. ![]() Now, singer-songwriter Paul Anka brings hits talents to Strathmore in Bethesda on Saturday. WASHINGTON - He hit the airwaves at the birth of rock ‘n roll, hung out with the likes of Buddy Holly and The Rat Pack, battled Bobby Darin in a friendly rivalry to see who could top the music charts, and penned a number of legendary hits for other artists from Tom Jones to Frank Sinatra.
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