Editing Paul Anka (section)

==Career==

===Early success===
[[File:Paul Anka Gröna Lund 1959.jpg|thumb|upright|Anka at [[Gröna Lund]] in Stockholm, 1959]]
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 magazine| title= U.S Billboard chart rankings| magazine=[[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:

{{blockquote|"It Doesn't Matter Anymore" has a tragic irony about it now, but at least it will help look after Buddy Holly's family. I'm giving my composer's royalty to his widow – it's the least I can do.<ref name="NME Rock 'N' Roll Years">{{Cite book|first= John|last= Tobler|year= 1992|title= NME Rock 'N' Roll Years|edition= 1st|publisher= Reed International Books Ltd|location= London|page= [https://archive.org/details/nmerocknrollyear0000unse/page/69 69]|isbn= 978-0-600-57602-0|url= https://archive.org/details/nmerocknrollyear0000unse/page/69}}</ref>}}

[[File:Paul Anka 1961.JPG|thumb|left|upright|Anka in 1961]]
Anka composed the [[Johnny's Theme|theme]] for ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson]]'' (reworked in 1962 from a song Anka wrote earlier called "Toot Sweet"; it had been rewritten with lyrics and recorded by [[Annette Funicello]] in 1959 as "It's Really Love").<ref name=JazzWax>{{cite web|author=Myers, Marc|author-link=Marc Myers|url=http://www.jazzwax.com/2014/01/tonight-show-theme-evolution.html|title=''Tonight Show'' Theme: Evolution|website=JazzWax.com|date=January 7, 2014|access-date=November 5, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141104115115/http://www.jazzwax.com/2014/01/tonight-show-theme-evolution.html|archive-date=November 4, 2014}}</ref> He wrote "[[Connie Francis|Teddy]]" – a Top 20 hit for [[Connie Francis]] in 1960. Anka wrote the English lyrics to "[[My Way]]", [[Frank Sinatra]]'s signature song (originally the French song "[[Comme d'habitude]]"). In the 1960s, Anka began acting in motion pictures as well as writing songs for them, most notably the theme for the hit film ''[[The Longest Day (film)|The Longest Day]]'' (which also was the official march of the [[Canadian Airborne Regiment]]), in which he made a cameo appearance as a [[United States Army Rangers|U.S. Army Ranger]]. For his film work he wrote and recorded one of his greatest hits "[[Lonely Boy (Paul Anka song)|Lonely Boy]]". He also wrote and recorded "[[My Home Town]]", which was a {{Abbr|No.|number}}&nbsp;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 Valley|Las Vegas]] casinos. In 1960, he appeared twice as himself in [[NBC]]'s short-lived crime drama ''Dan Raven''.

In 1963, Anka purchased the rights and ownership of his ABC-Paramount catalog and re-recorded his earlier hits for [[RCA Victor]], which he had joined in 1960.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eQsEAAAAMBAJ&q=Anka+buys+rights+back+from+para&pg=PA6 |title=Billboard |page=6 |website=Books.google.com |date=March 16, 1963 |access-date=March 14, 2016}}</ref>

===1970s chart comeback===
[[File:Bill Elvis Paul.jpg|thumb|right|Paul Anka with friends [[Bill Porter (sound engineer)|Bill Porter]] and [[Elvis Presley]] backstage at the [[Las Vegas Hilton]] on August 5, 1972]]
Frustrated after more than ten years without a top 25 hit record, Anka switched labels again, which marked a turning point in his career. This time he signed with United Artists and in 1974 teamed up with [[Odia Coates]] to record the {{Abbr|No.|number}}&nbsp;1 hit, "[[(You're) Having My Baby]]", exposing Anka to a new generation of fans and proving his staying power among his original fan base that was now maturing.

Anka also wrote five songs which were included on an album by Don Goodwin.<ref name="Inc.1974">{{cite magazine|author=Martin Melhuish|title=From the Music Capitals of the World| magazine=Billboard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RQkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA42|date=July 13, 1974|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|pages=42–|issn=0006-2510}}</ref>

Anka and Coates recorded three more duets that made it into the Top 10: "[[One Man Woman/One Woman Man]]" ({{Abbr|No.|number}}&nbsp;7), "[[I Don't Like to Sleep Alone]]" ({{Abbr|No.|number}}&nbsp;8), and the {{Abbr|No.|number}}&nbsp;15 duet "(I Believe) There's Nothing Stronger Than Our Love". In 1975, he recorded a [[jingle]] for [[Eastman Kodak|Kodak]] written by [[Bill Lane (songwriter)|Bill Lane]] (lyrics) and [[Roger Nichols (songwriter)|Roger Nichols]] (melody) called "[[Times of Your Life]]". It became so popular Anka recorded it as a full song, which peaked at {{Abbr|No.|number}}&nbsp;7 in the US pop chart in 1976. The follow-up was another hit that Anka wrote for Sinatra, "Anytime (I'll Be There)", peaking at {{Abbr|No.|number}}&nbsp;33. Anka's last Top 40 hit in the US was in the summer of 1983: "Hold Me 'Til the Mornin' Comes", which included backing vocals from then-[[Chicago (band)|Chicago]] frontman [[Peter Cetera]]; it hit {{Abbr|No.|number}}&nbsp;2 on the [[Hot Adult Contemporary]] chart.<ref>{{cite book|title=Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–2001|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|author-link=Joel Whitburn|year=2002|publisher=Record Research|page=22}}</ref>

===1990s comeback===
Anka's 1998 album ''A Body of Work'' was his first new US studio release since ''Walk a Fine Line'' in 1983; vocalists and performers included [[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]]. In 2005, Anka released an album of big-band arrangements of contemporary Rock songs titled, ''[[Rock Swings]]''; the album 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 (Michael Jackson song)|This Is It]]" was a collaborative effort between the two in 1980. According to Anka, after recording the song, Jackson decided not to use it and the tune was then recorded and released by [[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.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/companyNewsAndPR/idUSN1215390020091013|title=UPDATE 2-New Michael Jackson single a mistake|work=Reuters|date=October 13, 2009|access-date=July 28, 2010|first=Jill|last=Serjeant}}</ref> An additional song that Jackson co-wrote with Anka from this 1980 session, "Love Never Felt So Good", was discovered shortly thereafter. His album ''Songs of December'' charted at {{Abbr|No.|number}}&nbsp;58 in Canada in November 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Charts/ALBUMS.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20041226005640/http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Charts/ALBUMS.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=December 26, 2004|title=CANOE – JAM! Music SoundScan Charts|website=Jam.canoe.ca|access-date=May 1, 2012}}</ref>

===Italy===
Anka collaborated with a number of Italian musicians, including composer/director [[Ennio Morricone]], singer-songwriter [[Lucio Battisti]], and lyricist [[Giulio Rapetti|Mogol]]. His official discography reports nine singles released by [[RCA Italiana]],<ref name="paulanka.com">[http://www.paulanka.com/flash/main.html Paul Anka Official Site. Discography. Import singles.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212165013/http://paulanka.com/flash/main.html |date=February 12, 2009 }} Paulanka.com Retrieved on February 13, 2009.</ref> but the Italian charts list at least six other songs he interpreted or recorded in Italian. His top hit was "Ogni giorno" which scored {{Abbr|No.|number}}&nbsp;1 in 1962, followed by "Piangerò per te" and "Ogni volta", which reached both {{Abbr|No.|number}}&nbsp;2, in 1963 and 1964. "Ogni volta" ("Every Time") was sung by Anka during the [[Festival della canzone italiana|Festival di Sanremo]] of 1964 and then sold more than one million copies in Italy alone; it was also awarded a [[music recording sales certification|gold disc]].<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{Cite book|first=Joseph|last=Murrells|year=1978|title=The Book of Golden Discs|edition=2nd|publisher=Barrie and Jenkins Ltd|location=London|page=[https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/170 170]|isbn=0-214-20512-6|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/170}}</ref>

He returned to Sanremo in 1968 with "La farfalla impazzita" by [[Lucio Battisti|Battisti]]-[[Giulio Rapetti|Mogol]]. On that occasion, the same title was interpreted by Italian crooner [[Johnny Dorelli]]. The pair of singers, however, were eliminated before the final stage of the musical contest. Anka, maybe only coincidentally, left the Italian scene shortly thereafter. In 2003, Anka came back with an exclusive concert in [[Bologna]], organized by the 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|date=July 2012}}

In 2006, he recorded a 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.<ref>M. L. Fegiz: Duetto inedito con Paul Anka nella storia musicale di Celentano. Corriere Della Sera, November 7, 2006.</ref> The song hit {{Abbr|No.|number}}&nbsp;3.

===Finland===
[[File:Paul-Anka-1959.jpg|thumb|Paul Anka posing for a camera at [[Linnanmäki]] amusement park on August 19, 1959, in [[Helsinki]], Finland]]
Anka has been very popular in Finland since the beginning of his career. He performed in Helsinki's [[Linnanmäki]] in 1959,<ref>{{cite book| author= Mikael Huhtamäki| title=Live In Finland: Kansainvälistä keikkahistoriaa Suomessa 1955–1979 | publisher=Gummerus | year=2013 | isbn=978-951-20-8730-3 | language=fi}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url= https://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2008/04/22/paul-anka-linnanmaella| title=Paul Anka Linnanmäellä - Elävä Arkisto |first=Jukka|last=Lindfors|work=[[YLE]] | date=2008-04-22 | access-date=November 28, 2020 | language=fi}}</ref> in [[Lappeenranta]] in 1989, at the [[Pori Jazz Festival]] in [[Pori]] on 19 July 2007 and in 2012, and in [[Tampere]] three times on 6 August 2008 and on 9 and 10 August 2009. He also appeared in the Las Vegas scene in the 1991 Finnish film ''Prince of the Hit Parade'' (''Iskelmäprinssi''), directed by Juha Tapaninen.<ref>{{cite web| url= https://www.csfd.cz/film/395784-iskelmaprinssi/oceneni/| title=Iskelmäprinssi (Prince of the Hit Parade) |publisher=Česko-Slovenská filmová databáze| access-date=November 28, 2020 | language=cs}}</ref> At the end of the film there is an archive footage of Anka's performance in Linnanmäki. As background music, Anka performs his song "How Long" in the film.

===Other countries===
With less success than in Italy and Finland, Anka tried the French market as well, with his first song being "Comme Avant"<ref name="paulanka.com"/> with [[Mireille Mathieu]]. In 1964, he released an album titled ''Paul Anka à Paris''; the six tracks on side B were sung in French. 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 Filipino singer [[Regine Velasquez]] titled "[[Foolish Lullaby|It's Hard to Say Goodbye]]", included on her album ''Reason Enough''. This song was re-recorded several years later by Anka and [[Celine Dion]] and was included on his album ''A Body of Work''.{{Citation needed|date=July 2012}}<ref>{{Citation |title=It's Hard To Say Goodbye by Paul Anka, Céline Dion - Track Info {{!}} AllMusic |url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/its-hard-to-say-goodbye-mt0003810033 |language=en |access-date=2022-07-11}}</ref>

Anka has performed four times in Israel,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Feldman |first1=Yakir |title=Paul Anka rocks Tel Aviv |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/culture/paul-anka-rocks-tel-aviv-595601 |access-date=October 26, 2020 |work=The Jerusalem Post |date=14 July 2019}}</ref> and in 2019 rejected pleas that he boycott the country.<ref>{{cite news |title=Paul Anka, Canadian-American singer, tells BDS supporters to 'f-- off' |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/canadian-american-singer-paul-anka-told-bds-supporters-to-f-off-595433 |access-date=October 26, 2020 |work=The Jerusalem Post |date=July 12, 2019}}</ref>