Paul Anka - My Way

[@bettypanerio9414]

Paul Anka is one of my favorite singer up to the present , i'm 72 years old now

[@sanbrimo4547]

I'm 73 years young now, hahaha!

[@nataliaandreamunoz5968]

Paul Anka is one of my favorite singer up to the present , i'm 13 years old

[@Khathii.94]

great

[@ladyah71]

Oh wow that's amazing 💕💕💕

[@martasotillo8332]

So wonderful !!!

[@texturedfrog9611]

For real sometimes I just want to live in those times to see Paul Anka in his prime

[@finlay8722]

Textured Frog me too

[@espiritucharmcatalan2508]

Sameee

[@HoIlowtree]

Omg meeee too im only 31 and obsessed.

[@alyanurhafizah9805]

same

[@onedirectionforever8297]

We need time machine.

[@bkss109]

I heard Anka sing this in August 1969 in Las Vegas. He told us he had written it for Sinatra but his rendition swept me away. As far as I can say is it's his song.♥️♥️

[@100kSubscribersforfreemvp]

underrated comment

[@ambre6490]

Original song (melody) is from Claude François. (Comme d'habitude). Not Sinatra or Anka.

[@bigboy-gw8me]

@@ambre6490 instrumentation is from Claude François, Anka made the lyrics, Sinatra sung it and made it popular

[@ambre6490]

@@bigboy-gw8me "Anka made the lyrics", lmao. Claude François is french and the lyrics and meaning aren't the same at all. In his song, it is about a break up. The title cak be translate as "As per usual". Claude François CREATED the song entirely in French. Instrumental and lyrics. Anka wrote a whole different meaning in english lyrics. Sinatra sang it. Thats all.

[@bigboy-gw8me]

@@ambre6490 oh ok? I don't know why laughing at me for not knowing everything about it is needed, tho.

[@angelalonso473]

No,I am hearing him in 2023, July 7th. A legend. I am 85. ❤

[@МаринаРахманина-в9и]

November 2023.

[@OursIntheNasa]

Long live to both of you

[@Rob99933]

This version is the most wonderful version and will not ever be beaten, Beautiful Mr Paul Anka God bless you.

[@PaulAnka4u]

Hello Rosemarie How are you doing? It's nice meeting you here!

[@theultimatereductionist7592]

THANK you, Claude Francois, for this amazing melody! THANK you, Paul Anka, for these awesome lyrics! THANK you, arrangers & orchestra, for a thrilling performance! And, THANK you, Frank Sinatra, & Lady Gaga & Elvis Presley & everyone else who has done a stunning cover of this piece!

[@alejandrovaldez8656]

You forget Vicente Fernández

[@onarix]

Sid Vicious

[@Ray-kz1vg]

@@onarix And cheb khaled !

[@Garfield37ful]

And JACQUES REVAUX!

[@MCPLUSTR]

Don't forget the Gipsy Kings ❤️ and if you are reading this . . . Hope you have a fucking awesome day, hope you all catch a dream or two.

[@danielnichevo3667]

I think when Paul Anka sings this ... he's telling a story that's in his heart. Sinatra, on the other hand, is delivering the song and trying to feel it "his way".

[@margeprevost1364]

daniel nichevo connect friend Solo in Frankie Avalon

[@devilhaque]

daniel nichevo The original song is from Claude Francois one of the greatest french singer of his time. I don't know why sinatra got all the fame.

[@robcoomer]

daniel nichevo well without Sinatra Paul wouldn’t have sang this song

[@josemeda4592]

The Dialkira who?

[@edwinmalachy]

Wtf you talking about? The best arranged version ever was Frank Sinatra.

[@susanvickery2060]

First time to ever hear Anka’s rendition. Gave me chills. No one has ever sang this better!

[@kevinswift8654]

For me there's always something special about the songwriter singing it. Even if he or she is a "worse" singer (which would be hard to argue here!), or less famous or something.

[@sunburst1889]

Paul anka's voice was really unique. It sounded high but low at the same time y'know? He's my grandmother's favorite artist and one of mines too, he's a legend! 🤍

[@horvoje_]

He's now 81 and alive and please don't use "was"

[@nomo4u886]

@@horvoje_facts

[@gronizherz3603]

lmao I read "was" and thought he had passed, don't do that... :D

[@dannyboy3714]

2024 who is still listening

[@Гонщик-р1н]

I am

[@solveigsommerfeld9423]

Me too😊😊

[@ScottsOnTheRottenCotton]

The end is near

[@williamsdanjuma2379]

I pray I never forget this song

[@OursIntheNasa]

Yeah my dear

[@ma.victoriavargas4268]

This is equally beautiful as Sinatra's. Not to mention Anka's familiarity with his own work makes this performance really magical.

[@Policia1942]

Como quisiera poder retroceder el tiempo y vivir de nuevo esa época,hoy tengo 77 años siento que he vivido esa Maravillosa Epoca,mi Corazón se llena de mucha Nostalgia.

[@123Goldhunter11]

Wow. What a talent. That song expresses the feelings of millions of people who walked their own path but could never find the words to describe their journey. But Paul did. Thanks

[@justinfertig1006]

Same i wish i can hangout with Paul anka

[@PineHillRentalsPhyllisKowalik]

No, you are not the only one! I am listening to it in 2023. Love him.

[@valariegailliot7084]

My mother requested this song to play at her funeral just this last January. Death dragged her for an entire year. She was 79, months shy of her 80th birthday. So when I hear this song, it reminds me a very special lady that lived through Paul Ankas generation. She was one tough cookie. My mother, Connie Mcgraw from Fresno California

[@Alternativelyemilia]

Such a beautiful song! Love Paul anka.

[@candetko]

AlternativelyChiic you are beautiful!

[@darnishajames6339]

AlternativelyEmilia yes

[@muhammadimran-qw6vl]

We love you too baby

[@carolecraft8828]

I also like Elvis Presley and Fra nk Sintra version. Those were the good days of music.

[@GingerGilligan]

An unforgettable performance! Truly one of the most personal and moving performances I have seen . Paul Anka = love

[@clubveritas9313]

Regardless of who sings it best... here, I'm honored to look into the face of the man who wrote this masterpiece.

[@margaritaflores5257]

Si eran composiciones de Paul ,pero con cambios en algunos temas de diferente ,cantante hasta Vicente Fernández ,todo al cambio de voces ,maravillosa ❤

[@margaritaflores5257]

Con elegancia y sentimiento ,❤

[@fredericlucasromero6006]

La plus belle version et reprise de my Wai que j ai pu entendre jusqu ici avec un orchestre une mélodie incroyable. Une voix superbe belle interprétation bravo Paul. Grand chanteur quel régal à écouter !

[@troyreurge]

His voice comes from feeling, passion, expression. It's human nature! You can sing like this too if you lose all thought and feel instead. He feels with his words... Good good man.

[@Jan-Maggie]

Anka has a beautiful voice!

[@belensanjuan4604]

Love it!💓💓💓

[@geurae9511]

yes he truly is

[@luzhernandez837]

¡¡Wonderful voice!! ❤

[@jj-cp3yp]

Hey, how are you? Nice comment.

[@ulyssesmoncada5028]

Funny how most people assume Frank (Sinatra) wrote this but the brains behind the operation was Paul

[@celosemnexo]

Only behind the lyrics.

[@Pedro_Le_Chef]

Ulysses Moncada neither , it was claude francois

[@KyraLuv69]

Petran Moudatsos Actually you´re wrong cause the lyrics in french are totally different from Paul anka´s english version

[@Pedro_Le_Chef]

KyraLuv69 but the soul of the song , the music, was created by Claude francois, the lyrics can be written in to fit the song so it's much less work.

[@edwinmalachy]

Dude everybody knows Frank never wrote anything. It's well known it was Paul Anka wrote it

[@laurindafernandes1813]

A música mais linda de todas e de todos os tempos!!!! ... E a mais cantada por vários cantores e várias línguas ... Uma obra de arte!!!

[@fredericlucasromero6006]

Très belle reprise. Magnifique cette musique et l orquestre derrière, quel plaisir à écouter. Bravo Paul. Grand chanteur également.

[@לריסהציבין]

Один из любимых певцов 68 - 69 годов,прекрасный чувственный голос.Слушала его затаив дыхание.

[@millieismyname1]

Paul Anka and I are fhe same age, I have loved him since I was 15 and still love him today, his voice was always great and has matured with time, I still love him!

[@HermanOtto-wr2nn]

Wychowałem się na utworach Pana Paul Anka jest wspaniały piękne poruszające utwory pozdrawiam wszystkich miłośników tych utworów

[@99aa4]

In 1967 French superstar Claude Francois wrote a song called "Comme D'Habitude which in English literally means "As Usual" Claude's lyrics when translated into English have nothing to do with the lyrics by Paul Anka! Claude wrote the song after a popular singer in France left him for another person! For example one line of Claude's song translated goes "As usual I come after a long day and you are out probably with him so I will eat alone as usual" Anka wrote his own lyrics to Claude's melody so what I'm trying to say is Paul Anka deserves credit for writing the lyrics to My Way but Claude deserves credit for the melody and the original idea! Sadly most people in America don't know who Claude Francois is and he never got the recognition he really deserved!!

[@socecofond]

+Paulie SikorskiПолностью согласен с вами.

[@sakurakanon119]

That{s true! I had a french theme

[@jacquesleandri1562]

Sakura Kanon

[@hrhjrd6591]

The French composer electrocuted himself in the bath tub. So sad. Trying to reset an alarm clock.

[@RWBn00b]

"Claude deserves credit for the melody and the original idea!" No. Jacques Revaux was the primary composer of the tune while Francois was the guy who did the original lyrics and singing(he was also involved in composing it to a degree, but it was mostly Revaux). Not to diminish Francois, but far to often you see people talk about how Francois never gets the recognition he deserves, but completely miss that Revaux was even involved.

[@rare6499]

I love Sinatra, but as far as I’m concerned, this is Paul’s song and this version is absolutely knock out.

[@NJT109]

Agreed!

[@jasonmay4341]

I like sinatra’s a little more.

[@Cyrano3372]

Far far away from Sinatra or even Robbie William's version.

[@joshjwillway1545]

Impressive, very nice

[@eddygsmusicworld1708]

Elvis did a good job too,they all did

[@lover65]

So now the end is near And so I face the final curtain My friend I'll say it clear I'll state my case of which I'm certain I've lived a life that's full I traveled each and every highway And more much more than this I did it my way. Regrets, I've had a few But then again too few to mention I did what I had to do And saw it through without exception I planned each chartered course Each careful step alone the by way And more much more than this I did it my way. Yes there were times I'm sure you knew When I bit off more than I could chew But through it all when there was doubt I ate it up and spit it out I face it all and I stood tall And did it my way. I've loved, I've laughed and cried I've had my fill my share of loosing And the now as tears subside I find it all so amusing To think I did all that and my I say Not in a shy way Oh no, oh no not me I did it my way. For what is a man what has he got If not himself then he has not To say the things he truly feels And not the words of one who kneels The record shows I took the blows And did it my way The record shows I took the blows And did it my way.

[@bettyshepard9450]

My hubby and I had this played at our 50 anniversary only we switched to “ We Did It Our Way “

[@bettyshepard9450]

My hubby and I had this played at our 50 anniversary only we switched to “ We Did It Our Way

[@elektrojen7347]

He is a legend! Year 2020 , I'm still listening to Paul Anka👍

[@불루문-r9q]

so do i, 2024

[@ENRIKmusic]

Canción originalmente francesa, compuesta en 1967 por Claude Francois y Jacques Revaux, titulada como "Comme d'habitude" (Como de costumbre). Posteriormente Paul Anka oyó esta canción y negoció los derechos de la canción, para reescribrila, componiendo una letra totalmente diferente a la original, lo tituló como "My way" (A mi manera) lo cual le dio a Frank Sinatra, pues para Paul Anka, Sinatra tenía la voz para cantar esta canción. Sinatra grabó su versión a fines de 1968. Más tarde en 1969 el mismo Paul Anka grabó su versión.

[@ramonzuelotobi2611]

Muchas Gracias por el dato. ❤️

[@johnnysteven6864]

Muy buena la info 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

[@liligrrrl2460]

Gracias!!!

[@chaclan05]

They both did amazing, and I’m sure they weren’t trying to compete. Music is music, a story. Not a competition to everyone.

[@lisahleroi7923]

Dear Paul Anka you are one of my favorites since the early sixties. I am 76 now. Thank you so much ❤️❤️❤️🙏🏻😘

[@fredericlucasromero6006]

La plus belle interprétation la plus belle reprise que j ai pu entendre jusqu ici, avec une mélodie, cette musique oh la la, un régal à écouter et à réécouter sans modération, on ferme les yeux et on se laisse emporter par le tout. Bravo Paul anka un grand des grands ! Bravo 👍🙏❤️🌹💋😀

[@yuritokarev1]

The music was composed by Jacques Revo, edited first by Claude Francois. Paul Anka wrote the English text with different contents than in the French original. It should be remembered.

[@celosemnexo]

Original lyrics by Claude François.

[@fifi7ifi]

Vive la France ! And this is : Claude François (ç)

[@halheule3821]

Love. Is. A. Many. Spendid. Thing

[@halheule3821]

Please. Play. The. Sound. Track. From. Love.. Is.

[@halheule3821]

Love

[@unknownname6275]

I can only say, this music is timeless. Born in 1998, due to my experiences or whatever else, I find myself putting this on repeat before bed. I'm lucky to discover this! If only more music was of this quality! Good night.

[@vifrimo]

Paul Anka en esta presentación está hermoso aparte que su interpretación también una de las mejores, esta canción es muy bella una de sus mejores composiciones

[@Benjamin-fp5er]

Esta canção é belíssima ,e na voz deste gigante da música Poul Anka ficou mais bela ainda ,amo demais este tipo de músicas ,mto obg , por compartilhar com conosco tão bela canção . ❤💙💟💜👄👄👄💋💋💋💋👏👏👏👏👏👏👏.

[@elkeschmidt1082]

Unvergesslich dieser Song von einem großartigen Sänger. Heute mit 77 Jahren eine Bereicherung für mein Leben für immer.

[@jomontanee]

It's truly amazing how Paul Anka, so young at the time he wrote this song, could write the "ANTHEM song" which later became the anthem of the history. May be because he wrote the lyrics for Frank and Frank alone. He sat at the typewriter and remembered the words and tone of Frank's voice when he spoke. Every word in this song really came from the real Frank he has known, not his (Anka's). That's the great lesson the aspiring lyricists should learn.

[@eliat3748]

Jo Montanee It's a french song.. He just wrote it in english..

[@alhuang4751]

I like Paul Anka sings

[@josemeda4592]

Al Huang not this song.

[@syfy5363]

Jose Meda I like this song, maybe you just think something else is better, but personally Paul’s voice is quite amazing in every song he sings.

[@ewatoms8130]

✨ Zachwycające piękne słowa i melodie 🌱 które płyną w rytmie uderzeń ❤️ Swym pięknem tworzą radość ✨ Życzę spełnienia najskrytszych marzeń w pełni uśmiechu 😘 🌿🕊️🕊️🤍

[@MoisesRodriguez-jg7pn]

What a thrill in 1966 I was an amateur singer in Puerto rico I did singers like Paul Anka & others ( In Spanish) believe it or not Spanish translations are beautifull too. I' m 70 now. God bless Paul Anka Elvis ( R>I.P) etc they filled my heart with joy even today, thanks for the video. My call name was " El talent Boy" in Lajas P.R.

[@MariaCristinaDAntona]

La sua voce è dolce come miele e morbida come seta.Meravigliosa!

[@nolopa20]

The very best version! With so much emotion! BEAUTIFUL!

[@evandroramos8915]

Simplismente magnífico,sensacional.

[@ApurvaSinghslathia]

paul anka is 79 years old now.🥰😩 crushing on his younger self🥺😻🥰😭

[@jeanrohlfing4939]

What a hunk and what a song!

[@PaulAnka4u]

Hello Jean How are you doing? It's nice meeting you here!

[@marcosbryant865]

This is beautiful, one of my favorite songs Been a fan of his songs all my life He was pretty good What's your favorite song by him?

[@Peach-xd5bt]

I like Paul Anka sings his own composition My Way. He got the looks and he is irresistible much much more in his younger years. He is a legend. More composition paul!

[@hermes3386]

Anka did NOT composed that song !

[@OrrosGG]

He wrote it, He sung it.

[@jeffobob10]

He wrote the lyrics, but didn't write the music. My way is derived from the French pop song "Comme D'habitude"

[@claudericharte5342]

jeffobob10 No this song and music are french claude françois j revaux et thibeault ..

[@BenThePerson123]

It's a nice version for people who don't speak French

[@MrLepidoptera]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mH7Simiog6edrc0

[@MrLepidoptera]

Paul Anka didn´t write the music - he only created a new text....

[@tahsyns.1506]

Fun fact : Paul Anka, what an angel, he rewrote the original French version into English FOR FRANK SINATRA, so don't be surprised if he sings this songs so beautifully with ease. I love him and so do you. Wish you a good day.

[@mirthasacchi1]

Paul Anka's been ever since he started singing his own compositions one of the greatest crooners of all times. His talent and his incredible voice will always remain deep in our heart as one of the treasures we could never part with.

[@callumnye2562]

Hello Mirtha, how are you doing?

[@mirthasacchi1]

@@callumnye2562 Great thanks!

[@callumnye2562]

@@mirthasacchi1 You’re welcome, so where are you from?

[@mirthasacchi1]

@@callumnye2562 From Argentina.

[@jj-cp3yp]

Your comment, made me smile.

[@Елена-ъ4я3и]

Любимый,красивый,скромный,идеальный,мечта❤❤❤❤❤

[@marcelacaroca165]

Qué lindo poder ver aún a un Paul Anka que vengo viendo desde que tenia 12 años...ahora (74) Fue mi cantante favorito de lis solistas x muchos años... Ahora se pueden ver sus vídeos..qué lindo...antes uno solo lo escuchaba x la radio! Gracias...sigue cantando...y cada vez mejor!

[@laurocarrenoperez8547]

Cada version de esta cancion ha sido un exito y cada interpretacion de diferentes artistas ha sido un exito completo.

[@lsal2539]

Let’s not forget that Anka wrote it FOR Sinatra. It’s written in the Sinatra’s style, using his expressions. I appreciate the wonderful timeless quality of the lyrics and the undeniable talent of Mr. Anka. However, the true master of this version is the one for whom it was written

[@mirfangu]

yea. but the original was from french singer.

[@c.ostriker5572]

This is superior to the monotone version of Sinatra. This is far more poignant than Sinatras interpretation.

[@annemccarron2281]

I don't know. I like Anka's rendition. He has that clear, crisp enunciation so typical of Canadians. I like people who speak excellent English.

[@sarahlbeeney1920]

Elvia did a good attempt at this also…good but different as only Elvis could..❤❤

[@kskkasl9315]

QUE MÚSICA LINDA E CANTADA POR ELE ! SEM PALAVRAS PARA ELOGIAR ESSE GÊNIO! !

[@sfjsfj895]

Yes, you said is really right 👍👏☺️

[@liceointernacionalelamorde6817]

I'm 24 years old, and I love hearing these kind of music 🎶🎶🎶🎶🎵🎵🎵

[@DoreenJSomerfield]

77 and still listening, never tire of hearing him and evoking such wonderful memories, some happy some sad but always memorable, wiping away tears as I write this x

[@vietlovesdurian]

the youth has left but song which like this one has lived FOREVER in my broken humble heart...

[@saorikido7702]

Muito lindo...🎤🎶🎼🎵 APLAUSOS! ! ! 🌹

[@genekelly2227]

Paul Anka is the person who wrote this great hit! What a great timeless great song hey?

[@nolopa20]

Mr Anka, I had the pleasure to meet you few years ago. You are a fantastic singer but most of all a real great man! I wish you the best!

[@michaelerfe1942]

Im 28 yrs old but i love old songs like this...i hope all this songs still remember more more years to come

[@ruthannbrafford9710]

He is a multi talented performer. What a song writer he is. He has been my heart throb since I was a kid. I love his music.

[@rhinasamayoa5361]

My way mi canción preferida. Me causa mucha emoción. Bendiciones.

[@melindamarkey7022]

I love paul anka, he puts on the best concerts, I took pictures with paul

[@devonferris]

WHAT A GORGEOUS VERSION From Paul Anka.Such a talent.

[@nonnywinner5039]

I searched hard for this version. Thank you for the upload and sharing ❤.

[@zanethind]

Paul Anka was a legend and singing this song was just pure amazing

[@grahamdebling6280]

Incredible Paul Anka, a real and absolute Master.........Fabulous

[@sebastiaotorquato1414]

Melhor interpretação dessa música!!!

[@иринкаснежинка]

Есть песни, которые никогда не стареют!эта одна из таких!!!!! спасииибо БОЛЬШОЕ !11.07.2020

[@edwinaguilar2482]

Absolutely!! That's a perfect interpretation, also magnificent, genial, unique. His creation, he's the only one who lived and loved, and sing that lyrics, amazing!! I just cried.

[@johnpaulthangaf1897]

Watch this acoustic guitar solo. Its beautiful 😍 kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZOvamxrib-IacU

[@luciencapo9046]

Sublime chanson! Merveilleuse interprétation!!!

[@redrickschuhart4065]

interpretation?? he IS the author.

[@amandamorac]

He sings like a prince

[@belensanjuan4604]

True!💓💓💓💓

[@meisheencalsado4142]

This song is so good that it got banned in karaoke here in Philippines. Everyone would kill just to sing that song......literally. There's a lot of senarios where a drunk man killed another man because he also want to sing that song.

[@elvissorna8861]

Wow

[@nivekacodog4209]

di ko to alam 🤣

[@ikonthegreat6472]

Yeah this song is the reason why a lot of filipinos died trying to sing it, and they called this song the “Death Song” until now

[@beastmaster6946]

Lmao 😂

[@maicax]

@@ikonthegreat6472 hala! Ba't di ko alam yan😂😂

[@alvarinoferreira1857]

Ça me rappelle ma jeunesse c''est merveilleux merci

[@suriyaza9395]

this is one of the best greatest song that was written at all the time anywhere and everywhere

[@mcdonough312]

Watching in 2023 … this has been my favorite song since I was a kid.

[@beatrizsalles7167]

Músicas q serão lembradas p sempre em nossos corações. Lindas!!!!!

[@adminlife4ever391]

Paul Anka said that out of all the people who sang this song, Sid Vicious did it with the most passion.

[@patbrionmia0u247]

BravoSsss 👏💞👏👏 ,mercis aussi aux Nombreusesss reprisess et à l'Original de nôtre CloClo. National 'ça sent , transpire ' le Vécu ,la aussi qu'elle Belle époque 👏👍😍 ,à + les Amis ✌️

[@fredericlucasromero6006]

Je savais déjà que Paul était, et il est toujour ! un grand chanteur, mais cette interprétation lui va comme un gant. Quel mélodie. Cette musique. Cette voix. ❤️🙏👍🎶🌹💋

[@googleuser7454]

He sings as though he has lived it

[@kostadingeorgiev1362]

Това е най доброто изпълнение което съм чувал! ❤️

[@pecintapiano]

i love his version better! and he was handsome and cuteeee when he was young like this..!!

[@celosemnexo]

I don't. Sinatra's version is way better.

[@marcellodasilvarego8690]

eu pensei a mesma coisa sobre ele ser o justin bieber dos naos 60

[@josemeda4592]

celosemnexo exactly!

[@siyanagancheva2536]

@@celosemnexo why u commenting here then

[@juanitaspitzenberger6870]

Both versions are good. Paul Anka sings it from the heart as a story which is so wonderful. He is still so handsome

[@ennvee1989]

Im so confused by the intro.

[@zy5561]

xVvix xnNix arent we all

[@nunogarrido1144]

My way: The story behind the song IT'S a song as familiar as any national anthem, the opening lines stamped into our cultural consciousness: “And now, the end is near; and so I face the final curtain...” By DOMINIC UTTON PUBLISHED: 00:00, Sat, Mar 28, 2009 Forty years ago this week Frank Sinatra released My Way. Although it peaked at only number five it was to remain in the UK charts for the best part of two and a half years and was to become the song which defined Sinatra himself. With its soaring melody and defiant lyrics it not only summed up the career of the greatest singer of all time but struck a chord with the lives of millions of ordinary people the world over. It has since been covered by more than 100 different artists and has given chart success to acts as diverse as Dorothy Squires, Elvis Presley and the Sex Pistols. It continues regularly to top karaoke charts around the world and according to a recent survey is the most popular song to be requested at funerals. But it nearly wasn’t recorded at all and were it not for a chance conversation over dinner Sinatra would never have released it. “My Way” started life as a rather gloomy number called “Comme d’Habitude” (As Usual) by French singer Claude Francois. In 1967 his tune about the end of a love affair reached number one in France but took a rather different lyrical tone from its later reincarnation. From the opening line, “I get up, I shake you - you don’t wake up as usual”, to the closing cry, “We will make love as usual, we will fake it as usual”, the song has little in common with “My Way” other than the melody. But that was enough for Canadian singer Paul Anka. The 27-year-old crooner was a star himself thanks to hits such as Diana and It’s Time To Cry and he later said that after hearing Comme d’Habitude while on holiday in the Riviera: “It was a s*** song but I felt there was something different in it.” He approached François and co-writer Jacques Reveaux and acquired the rights for free. Back in New York, however, Anka couldn’t find the inspiration he needed to make something of the tune until one day he received a phone call from Frank Sinatra. The pair went out to dinner and Frank dropped a bombshell. “He says, ‘I’m quitting the business. I’m sick of it, I’m getting the hell out’,” remembers Anka. “He says to me, ‘You have to write me something. You’ve promised for years to write me something.’ And I remembered this melody and was very motivated with him telling me he was retiring so I went home and sat at my typewriter and started to write the song as if Sinatra were writing it.” Anka put himself into Sinatra’s shoes - if he was to write Sinatra’s defining song he wanted to make sure he captured the spirit of the man even down to the way he talked. “I used words I would never use: ‘I ate it up and spit it out’ - but that’s the way he talked. The Rat Pack guys, they liked to talk like mob guys. “So I started typing: ‘And now the end is near...’ and it wrote itself from there. At five o’clock in the morning I called Frank and said ‘I have something special for your last album’.” Anka flew to Las Vegas and sang his new version to Sinatra. No longer an ode to failing love, in one night he had transformed it into a swaggering, powerful cry of defiance. Sinatra’s reaction was typically cool. “He just gave me that wink he had,” remembers Anka. “Then two months later I get a call from him. He says: ‘Kid, listen to this,’ puts the phone to a speaker and that was the first time I heard Frank sing my song.” The impact was immediate but not all favourable. While the critics and public went wild for My Way, Anka’s record company were furious that he had passed on his masterpiece. “I said hey, I can write it but I’m not the guy to sing it. It was for Frank, no one else.” Anka was right. My Way’s success was not only down to the lyrics and the melody it was down to the man who first sang it. My Way was not simply the perfect swansong it was the perfect swansong for Frank Sinatra. By 1969 he had been in the business for more than 30 years and had already been declared a has-been twice - once in the Fifties by the rock ’n’ rollers and again in the late Sixties by The Beatles and hippies. When My Way came out the former boxer, bobby-soxer, crooner, film star, Rat Pack leader and rumored mobster had seen it all, done it all and didn’t care who knew it. Only Sinatra could have pulled off the swagger necessary to give the song its full power. Only he had the moral authority to deliver the line: “The record shows I took the blows and did it my way.” However, Sinatra’s unique moral authority hasn’t exactly been recognised by the rest of the singing world. Paul Anka might have known he was the only guy to sing it but over the past 40 years that hasn’t stopped just about everyone else having a go. The first cover version was by Welsh singer Dorothy Squires in 1970 while the original was still in the charts. Seven years later Elvis Presley took it into the charts shortly before he died and a year after that the Sex Pistols released the most infamous version, with Sid Vicious on vocals. In typically anarchic style Vicious forgot many of the lyrics and replaced them with improvised words of his own. In his version Anka’s existential crescendo: “For what is a man, what has he got? If not himself...” becomes the more prosaic: “For what is a prat, what has he got, when he wears hats...” Nor do the hundreds of versions already recorded deter modern musicians from having a shot. Celine Dion, G4, Il Divo, Michael Bublé and even Robbie Williams have all tried their hand at My Way and it has become a staple of karaokes, funerals and retirement parties everywhere. When German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder stepped down in 2005, more than seven million TV viewers watched tears well up in his eyes as a military band saw him off with a version of My Way. The song is also said to have been a favourite of former Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic - he would play it in his cell at increasingly loud volumes during his trial for crimes against humanity in 2002. In 2005 a survey by Co-Operative Funeralcare put My Way at the top of songs most requested at funerals. Spokesman Phil Edwards says: “It has that timeless appeal - the words sum up what so many people feel about their lives and how they would like their loved ones to remember them.” Meanwhile in the Philippines My Way is so popular at karaoke bars that it has been declared responsible for a number of deaths where arguments over performances degenerated into violence.

[@ikennaunamadu4692]

Nuno Garrido de Figueiredo holy shit, you wrote a book

[@nunogarrido1144]

Not me! Dominic Utton, in Mar 28, 2009, as I wrote at the beginning. But thank you all the same!!

[@meggocrispy]

xVvix xnNix same

[@DoanNguyen-fo2dr]

What beautiful music! Thank you and have a good day! You are very dear to me... (Wishing these words would come to you, superman!)

[@joelbuzbee1750]

Lived in the best of times when Paul Anka, Righteous Brothers, Elvis, The Platters , Connie Francis and so many others like them were young and we sock hopped to their music.

[@leanderrowe2800]

He wrote the famous 'Diana'at 16 and the theme song for Johnny Carson's tonight show at 18. As a fellow Canadian, I am very proud of this music legend.

[@dino.jay2007]

And just think everytime they recorded an episode of the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson was another 💰 from royalties!

[@cristiancrissantu1236]

@@dino.jay2007 mi

[@dionevasconcelosbarrios]

SUCESSO DE FRANK SINATRA, ESTA COMPOSIÇÃO DE PAUL ANKA. PARABÉNS.

[@afonsocelsosiqueira8168]

Bela interpretação, adorei!

[@josemarcosalvesdelima3060]

Mais uma música mundial e eterna. Composição belíssima e linda na voz de todos os cantores, especialmente interpretada por Dame Shirley Bassey e Mr. Frank Sinatra. E esse apresentação de Paul Anka é magnífica, grande compositor e excelente cantor, canção que me reflete a grandes imaginações e pensamentos, me levando a emoções fortes sempre que a ouço, sempre dou bis, é uma obra de arte.👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@jefersonmahatta4009]

Watch this acoustic guitar solo. Its beautiful 😍 kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZOvamxrib-IacU

[@zildaaguilar9578]

É sempre muito bom falar de Paul Anka porque ele é maravilhoso como pessoa e como artista. Recordar suas lindas canções me arremetem a uma quimera de sonhos que não voltam mais. I love you so much!!! (From Roraima, Brasil, Amazônia)

[@johnpaulthangaf1897]

Watch this acoustic guitar solo. Its beautiful 😍 kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZOvamxrib-IacU

[@veronicasalazar9252]

Sus canciones son y serán eternas!! ❤️✨❤️✨✨❤️✨❤️☹️❤️✨❤️✨❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@myriamcabanastorres6366]

EXTRAORDINARY SONG!!! 👏👏👏👏💖💖💖.

[@MariaCristinaFurtado]

Que lindo!!! obrigado por ter postado!!!

[@venitabanerjee]

God bless Paul in his 79th year .''Thank you Paul for all the song you sang' , he was my first teenage idol ... love him forever ...

[@edwinmalachy]

Mr Anka you wrote one of THE greatest songs EVER