10 Things You May Not Know About Paul Anka
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"I've lived a life, that's for sure," Anka says, with the knowing chuckle of a man whose career has bridged two centuries. Here, in his words and ours, are 10 facts of that life you may be surprised to learn. 1. At 16, he joined the "Biggest Show of Stars" tour with the likes of Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry. He wrote a song for Holly, "It Doesn't Matter Anymore," just before the singer died in a plane crash. It was a posthumous hit. Anka gave his royalties from the song to Holly's widow. Entertainment $3 off popcorn and soft drink combos See more Entertainment offers > 3. As rock 'n' roll became popular, his throwback style led him to the place that would define the rest of his career: Las Vegas. It's become a big Disneyland. It's corporate. It's shorts and sandals. I knew it when everybody was in shirt-and-tie and it was Mafia-driven and it had a great sense of style. I look at it really with a smile on my face. From the beginning, I watched this whole journey, this whole circus. It's cool, you know? Paul Anka croons a tune in 1968. Ian Gavan/Getty Images 4. As a headliner in Vegas in the '60s, he had a front seat for the heyday of the Rat Pack. He idolized Frank Sinatra. I saw him from corner to corner, from behavior in steam rooms to socially at parties, onstage, rehearsals. So I got the full menu of what this guy was about. I don't think there's anybody who's been talked about or written about as much. Even today. What you had coming at you was this guy, this person, this godlike creature, he was a bad boy, he was a good boy — and could sing! Think about that, huh, today? Stylistically, he was an incredible interpreter of American standards. 5. In 1968, he penned the lyrics to "My Way" — written for Sinatra's impending retirement — in a single night. When I perform it, I feel the difference from when I started. You do feel certain songs differently at certain passages of your life. There's no doubt about it. I play it at every show. They'd throw [stuff] at me if I didn't. They come to see it. They want "Diana." They want "My Way." There are certain songs that you wouldn't dare not do. AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe More on entertainment AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS
10 Things You May Not Know About Paul Anka
For starters he and Justin Bieber have a lot in common
Paul Anka: singer, songwriter, all around suave. Ian Gavan/Getty Images , 71, was 37 years before "the Biebs" was born. Anka recorded his first No. 1 single, "Diana," in 1957 when he was just 15, the same age Bieber was in 2009 when he released his first hit, "One Time." They share a birthplace, too: Ontario, Canada. "There's always been screaming girls, you know?" Anka says when asked to compare himself with the increasingly troubled teen idol. He has followed Bieber's career, but worries about the constant media attention that accompanies young stars. He's glad he shot to fame decades earlier. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. "There are too many people coming from left and right at these kids, and I don't know that they can handle it," he says. "Along with the success there's going to be some rejection, some failure. I learned more in my work from my failure, not my success, and I don't know that they're doing that. These kids fall apart." Bieber would do well to listen to Anka. As showbiz storytellers go, the guy is tough to beat. His string of big hits, including "Puppy Love" and "Put Your Head on My Shoulder," began when he was a teen; by mid-career, he settled in as a headliner in and tagged along with Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack. Anka has penned some of the most famous pop songs of all time, for artists as diverse as Buddy Holly and . And he's about to be red-hot again: His new autobiography, My Way, and new album, Duets, hit stores this April. (See a video at the bottom of this page about Anka's duet with Michael Bublé.) His summer tour begins in May."I've lived a life, that's for sure," Anka says, with the knowing chuckle of a man whose career has bridged two centuries. Here, in his words and ours, are 10 facts of that life you may be surprised to learn. 1. At 16, he joined the "Biggest Show of Stars" tour with the likes of Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry. He wrote a song for Holly, "It Doesn't Matter Anymore," just before the singer died in a plane crash. It was a posthumous hit. Anka gave his royalties from the song to Holly's widow. Entertainment $3 off popcorn and soft drink combos See more Entertainment offers > 3. As rock 'n' roll became popular, his throwback style led him to the place that would define the rest of his career: Las Vegas. It's become a big Disneyland. It's corporate. It's shorts and sandals. I knew it when everybody was in shirt-and-tie and it was Mafia-driven and it had a great sense of style. I look at it really with a smile on my face. From the beginning, I watched this whole journey, this whole circus. It's cool, you know? Paul Anka croons a tune in 1968. Ian Gavan/Getty Images 4. As a headliner in Vegas in the '60s, he had a front seat for the heyday of the Rat Pack. He idolized Frank Sinatra. I saw him from corner to corner, from behavior in steam rooms to socially at parties, onstage, rehearsals. So I got the full menu of what this guy was about. I don't think there's anybody who's been talked about or written about as much. Even today. What you had coming at you was this guy, this person, this godlike creature, he was a bad boy, he was a good boy — and could sing! Think about that, huh, today? Stylistically, he was an incredible interpreter of American standards. 5. In 1968, he penned the lyrics to "My Way" — written for Sinatra's impending retirement — in a single night. When I perform it, I feel the difference from when I started. You do feel certain songs differently at certain passages of your life. There's no doubt about it. I play it at every show. They'd throw [stuff] at me if I didn't. They come to see it. They want "Diana." They want "My Way." There are certain songs that you wouldn't dare not do. AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe More on entertainment AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS