Most people know Paul Anka as an artist, with hit songs like “Diana”, “Put Your Head On My Shoulder”, “Puppy Love”, and more. But Anka also wrote songs for other artists, including these three memorable tunes.
“My Way” by Frank Sinatra
One of Frank Sinatra’s biggest hits, “My Way” came out in 1969, as the title track of a record Sinatra released that same year. Originally a French song written by Jacques Revaux, Gilles Thibaut, and Claude François, Anka rewrote the lyrics in English.
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A song that remains a classic today, “My Way” says, “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 exemption / I planned each charted course / Each careful step along the byway / And more, much more than this, I did it my way.”
After Elvis Presley passed away in 1977, a live version of him singing “My Way” became a posthumous hit crossover single for him.
“This Is It” by Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson and Anka together wrote “This Is It”. The song is the title track of a record that came out in 2009. It is also the title of a 2009 documentary about Jackson’s life and career.
“This Is It” was released as a single on October 12, 2009, less than four months after Jackson passed away. Ironically, “This Is It” was first written for Anka’s 1983 Walk A Fine Line album.
The song says, “This is it, I can say / I’m the light of the world, runaway / We can feel, this is real / Every time I’m in love, that I feel.”
Interestingly, a version of this song was released by Latin artist Safire in 1991. But when Jackson’s posthumous version of “This Is It” was released, it only listed Jackson as a writer. The omission caused Anka to rightfully threaten legal action. Fortunately, the issue was quickly resolved.
“The song was picked because the lyrics were appropriate because of the name Michael gave his tour,” a statement from Jackson’s estate later explained. “We are thrilled to present this song in Michael’s voice for the first time, and that Michael’s fans have responded in unprecedented numbers. The song was co-written by the legendary Paul Anka.”
“Johnny’s Theme” From ‘The Johnny Carson Show’
Part of the legendary The Johnny Carson Show, “Johnny’s Theme” is the opening instrumental jazz number, written by Anka. Surprisingly, Anka did not write it initially as an instrumental song. Instead, it was first called “Toot Sweet”, written as a debut for Annette Funicello of the Mickey Mouse Club Mousketeers.
When Carson took over The Tonight Show in 1962, he ran into Carson and told him he needed a song. Anka remembered this song, giving it to Carson instead.
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