Paul Anka is famous as a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and entertainer whose career spans more than six decades, with a string of hit songs that have become pop standards[3]. He first rose to fame in the late 1950s with chart-topping singles such as “Diana”, “Lonely Boy”, “Put Your Head on My Shoulder”, and “Puppy Love”, which helped establish him as a teen idol[1][3][4].
Beyond his own recordings, Anka is renowned for his prolific songwriting, penning hundreds of songs for other artists, including Tom Jones’s “She’s a Lady” and Buddy Holly’s “It Doesn’t Matter Any More”[1][3][4]. Notably, he wrote the English lyrics to Frank Sinatra’s iconic hit “My Way”, further cementing his reputation as a master lyricist[1][2][3].
Anka also contributed to popular culture by writing the theme for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, which was heard by millions of viewers nightly[1][3]. His versatility is evident in his ability to adapt to changing musical tastes, performing in nightclubs and collaborating with artists across genres, from Michael Jackson (“This Is It”) to Peter Cetera and Jon Bon Jovi[1][2].
Throughout his career, Paul Anka has sold close to 50 million albums worldwide, recorded songs in several languages, acted in films such as The Longest Day (for which he also wrote the theme), and continued to release albums reimagining hits from various eras and genres[1][2][3][4].