Born in 1941 in Ottawa, Canada, Paul Anka grew up in a loving Lebanese-Canadian family that nurtured both discipline and dreams. His mother, his greatest supporter, often told him, “The more unlikely your dreams are, the more fiercely you have to pursue them.” As a boy, he played hockey passionately, sang in the church choir, learned piano, and wrote poetry — a creative spirit already restless for something beyond his hometown.
By age 12, Anka was sneaking out to singing contests. At 13, he formed a vocal group, The Bobbysoxers, and soon found himself in New York after winning a Campbell’s Soup contest — an early taste of the world he longed to conquer.
Then came “Diana.” Written at just 15 for a young woman at his church, the song captured youthful longing and went on to sell millions. Decades later, Anka would learn that Princess Diana herself was named after it — a testament to how far a teenage crush could travel.
The road was not without heartbreak. In 1959, Anka wrote “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore” for his friend Buddy Holly — only for Holly to perish in a plane crash weeks later. Anka gave all royalties to Holly’s widow. “Buddy’s death left a big hole in my life,” he wrote, and for a while, the road no longer felt the same.
By the late ’60s, the music world was shifting. The Beatles, Hendrix, and Joplin were redefining popular sound, and Anka wondered if he still had a place. He reinvented himself as a nightclub showman, performing for older, sophisticated audiences in Las Vegas and beyond. It was there he became close friends with Frank Sinatra.
Sinatra was magnetic — unpredictable, larger than life. “When he said we were going to dinner, you packed a passport. You could end up in France two weeks later,” Anka recalled. Sinatra teased him often: “Hey kid, when you gonna write me a song?”
One night, Sinatra confided he was ready to step away from music, weary from industry battles. That was all Anka needed to hear. He remembered a French melody, “Comme d’habitude”, and in one marathon writing session tailored it entirely for Sinatra — a farewell in song. “And now, the end is near…” he began, crafting every line in Sinatra’s voice.
When Anka played it for him, Sinatra smiled: “Kid, you did it.” In 1969, “My Way” was released and became not just Sinatra’s signature but a global anthem of self-determination. Ironically, Sinatra later admitted he didn’t always enjoy singing it, but he knew audiences loved it — and he respected that.
For Anka, the song revived his career, cementing his legacy as both performer and songwriter. It was the ultimate act of friendship — writing a song that allowed Sinatra to take his final bow exactly as he wanted.
Through triumphs, losses, reinventions, and decades on stage, Paul Anka has remained what he always was at heart — a storyteller. Whether it was the innocent yearning of “Diana”, the poignant farewell of “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore”, or the defiant pride of “My Way”, his words and melodies have become part of life’s soundtrack for generations.
“The creative part of me,” Anka once said, “is what has been the core of my longevity.” And indeed, the songs — and the friendships behind them — ensure that his voice, and his way, will never fade.
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