Original subtitles

[crowd cheering]

[Ryan Seacrest] Welcome back to New Year's Rockin' Eve

live here in Times Square.

♪ I don't wanna wait, come take it ♪

♪ Take me where I ain't been before ♪

[Tyla] Come on!

-[Paul Anka] Matt? -[Matt] Yeah, boss?

You'll get the family, right?

-The girls will go with me. -[Matt] Yes, yes.

-You'll be here at 11:00? -[Matt] I'm gonna bring you guys down

and get you off with the escort.

-As soon as we're done, I'm just gonna come back up here. -Okay, babe.

Here we go, guys.

[Paul] There's no plan where you're gonna be around forever.

None of my buddies that did what I did,

Sinatra and those guys, are around anymore.

-Julio! -[man] Hey!

[♪ "GDFR" by Flo Rida playing]

One, two, three!

♪ Goin' down for real ♪

Hey!

[Paul] But you get to a certain point

of mileage in a career,

and you learn who and what you are.

♪ Goin' down for real ♪

[Flo Rida] Happy New Year. I love y'all so much.

God bless. Continued blessings, man.

[Paul] I always wanted to look ahead.

You gotta roll with the punches,

keep evolving, every decade.

[Seacrest] Times Square,

please welcome the legendary singer and songwriter,

the one and only Paul Anka!

[crowd cheers]

[♪ "Eso Beso (That Kiss!)" by Paul Anka playing]

♪ Eso beso ♪

Here you go, buddy.

-[man] Thank you very much. -Good job.

♪ Means "that kiss" ♪

♪ Ese beso ♪

-[Paul] Hey, how you doing? -[captain] Good.

[Paul] Good to see you again. Got room for that?

-Inside closet? -Yep, I can put it in there.

It's probably gonna hang better if I hang it in the back.

-We have coat hangers in the back. -[Paul] Then let's do that.

-[captain] Okay. -[Paul] That'll expedite it.

Okay, Jackie, give him a shot over here, huh?

♪ But whatever it's got, you know it's got a lot ♪

[laughter]

♪ When we samba ♪

♪ Close like this ♪

[dancer] [laughing] Don't let me dip.

♪ Ay, ay caramba ♪

[Paul] Take care of yourself. God bless you.

[captain] Thank you, sir, I appreciate it.

[audience laughs and whoops]

♪ Kiss me mucho ♪

-Here you go, pal. -Thank you.

Thanks for your help. Appreciate it.

We're ready. What's your name, sir?

-[driver] Nasir. -[Paul] Nasir? You know where we're going?

Yes, sir.

-[Paul] The sexy city of Tampa. -Well...

-[Paul] I know exactly what you mean. -[laughs]

I'm 98.

Thank you, sir. You're getting a real good tip.

[all laugh]

You just make sure you turn left and not into the traffic.

♪ Ese beso ♪

♪ Ooh, that kiss ♪

♪ I tell you, ese beso ♪

♪ Imma need your kiss ♪

♪ Come on, kiss me mucho ♪

[Jason Bateman] He has over 900 songs to his credit.

Recorded over 130 albums worldwide.

His LP and single sales collectively number

more than 90 million.

And he is the only artist in history

to have a song in the Billboard Top 100

during seven consecutive decades.

-[Paul] Hi, folks. -[Bateman] He's a legend.

-[Will Arnett] Wait a minute. -[Bateman] He's a friend.

And most importantly, be cool, 'cause he's my father-in-law.

-[Arnett] Yes, I kno-- Oh, my God! -[Ed Sullivan] Paul Anka.

[Arnett] No way! Oh, my God.

♪ Baby, come, come, come, gimme just one kiss ♪

[Jackie Gleason] One of the singers that I think

is the finest in show business,

Mr. Paul Anka.

-Paul Anka. -Mr. Paul Anka.

♪ Forevermore ♪

[audience applauds]

Okay, I'm going to rehearsal.

Okay, talk soon.

[narrator] In five short years, Paul Anka, a young Canadian,

has risen from obscurity in Ottawa

to stardom in America's multimillion-dollar entertainment industry.

Many have wondered about the significance

of this present-day phenomenon.

The astonishing transformation of an entertainer into an idol

worshiped by millions of fans around the world.

This is a candid look at Paul Anka

from both sides of the floodlights.

[fans] [chanting] We want Paul!

We want Paul!

We don't want-- we don't want no one hurt now.

We want everyone to stay nice.

We want Paul!

[excited chatter]

[fan sobbing]

[giggles]

-[Paul] What's your name? -Lynn.

-Where are you from? -Trenton.

You're from Trenton?

It's raining from your eyes, isn't it? Huh?

[laughing]

[fans screaming excitedly]

[fan shouting indistinctly]

♪ I'm just a lonely boy ♪

♪ Lonely and blue ♪

♪ I'm all alone ♪

♪ I got nothing to do ♪

♪ Well, I got everything ♪

♪ You could think of ♪

♪ But all I want ♪

♪ Is someone to love ♪

♪ Give me someone... ♪

[Paul] You know, you go back to the, uh, the beginnings,

where your core is created.

Here I was, a young kid born in Canada,

living in the shadow of that big elephant,

the US,

finding music that I love.

[♪ "Is It Me?" by The Rover Boys playing]

♪ Is it me? ♪

My dad had a restaurant called Locanda.

Anyone that came to town,

my dad had 'em at the restaurant.

♪ Do you really want me? ♪

When I started realizing that school

wasn't gonna cut it for me...

It ain't gonna be basketball, ain't gonna be football,

ain't gonna be hockey, even though I played 'em all.

You know, I was too short.

And I started to realize I was getting attention

by singing in school, in the choir

and singing at the church.

And, um, that's when I started getting over into music.

♪ Well, here in my heart ♪

Pop music was in its infancy stage,

and the stations in Canada played everything.

♪ If your sweetheart... ♪

Johnny Ray.

The Four Lads.

Fats Domino. Chuck Berry.

[♪ "Guitar Boogie" by Chuck Berry playing]

You know, I took piano lessons.

I was running around buying records and music sheets.

♪♪

And I started to learn the chord progressions

that were being used.

One of the first records I bought was by the Five Satins.

♪ In the still ♪

♪ Of the night ♪

♪ I held you ♪

♪ Held you tight ♪

♪ In the still of the night ♪

So, I hear that record, run off and buy it.

I go home like a year later and I write,

♪ Don't gamble with love ♪

[♪ playing piano]

♪ It's only for fools ♪

♪ So play by the rules ♪

Same sequences influenced by...

♪ In the still of the night ♪

♪ Blue moon ♪

♪ You saw me standing alone ♪

♪ Don't gamble with love ♪

♪ In the still-- ♪

So, you lock into what's influencing you.

[horns honking, traffic ambiance]

Once I'd finished two or three songs,

the game was, get to New York.

Fifteen years old.

I got a hundred bucks in my pocket.

And I get myself to a record company.

ABC Paramount, new label.

They're looking for artists.

I go up.

Don Costa sees me.

And I start banging away at the piano.

Costa gets it.

And he said, "Where are your parents?"

I said, "In Canada."

He said, "Well, we want to sign you to a contract,

but you're too young, we need your parents."

"Dad, I'm in an office here."

You know, my dad's running a restaurant.

My mom's working. They had no idea.

"Uh, yes, Mr. Anka, we have your son here." Blah, blah, blah.

"We'll-- we'll send you tickets.

You need to come down and sign contracts."

And they said, "We're gonna give him $100 a month.

We want him to sit and just write."

You know, my dad gave me a Bible and a kiss and a hug and said,

"Go, but be careful who you trust."

[audience applauding]

Now, here's the 16-year-old from Ottawa

who not only created a song hit, wrote it, arranged it.

This is young Paul Anka, 16 years old.

[♪ band playing "Diana"]

♪ I'm so young and you're so old ♪

♪ This, my darling, I've been told ♪

♪ I don't care just what they say ♪

♪ 'Cause forever I will pray ♪

♪ You and I will be as free ♪

♪ As the birds up in the trees ♪

♪ Oh, please ♪

♪ Stay by me ♪

♪ Diana ♪

[Paul] The record comes out, it takes off.

I wind up on American Bandstand.

I'm on with everybody at the New York Paramount.

Everybody I idolized and whose records I was listening to,

they were all on the show with me, and it clicked.

I said, "Wow, this is really happening, man.

The dream is in motion."

♪ I love you with all my heart ♪

♪ And I hope we will never part ♪

♪ Oh... ♪

[news anchor] One year ago he was a 15-year-old Ottawa schoolboy.

Then one day, he went to New York to sell some songs.

This week, Paul Anka has come home to Ottawa

for a most unusual day.

Awaiting him there,

a wire of congratulations from the prime minister,

a gold record from ABC Paramount,

and for that day, at least, some of Mom's cooking.

♪ Is no other ♪

♪ I love you with my heart ♪

♪ Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh ♪

[Paul] The same radio stations I listened to in Ottawa.

"And now, here's the new Paul Anka."

And you'd hear yourself.

And you're going, "Yeah."

[laughing] It's the wildest goddamn thing.

♪ Cra-a-a-azy love ♪

The action started for me immediately.

With a song called Lonely Boy, here is Paul Anka.

-[audience cheers] -[♪ "Lonely Boy" playing]

♪ I'm just a lonely boy ♪

-And now, Paul Anka. -[audience cheers and screams]

♪ Put your head on my shoulder ♪

♪ Hold me in your arms, baby ♪

[Paul] I started working for a guy out of Washington,

Irvin Feld.

[narrator] Irvin Feld, Paul Anka's personal manager.

[Paul] He and his brother Izzy

owned drugstores all over Washington.

A nd the Feld brothers would rack records in the drugstore.

Whatever they were selling out on,

the next week, the Feld brothers would go book the act.

-[singer scatting] -♪ Run, run... ♪

Frankie Lymon, book him.

Paul Anka, book him.

♪ Don't gamble with love ♪

♪ Don't gamble... ♪

Buddy Holly, The Coasters, The Everly Brothers.

♪ Saturday night, baby, I'm feeling fine ♪

♪ I'm gonna rock it up ♪

They were the only ones doing one-nighter tours

throughout the United States.

♪ I'm gonna shake it up ♪

They would buy each of us for $200 a week

and we were all traveling in one bus together.

♪ Have a ball tonight ♪

♪ Got me a date ♪

♪ I won't be late ♪

♪ I'll pick her up in my '88 ♪

♪ Shag on down by the Union Hall ♪

♪ When the joint starts jumping, I'll have a ball ♪

♪ I'm gonna rock it up ♪

We would go down south.

I'd never been down south in my life.

It was an education.

♪ I'm gonna ball it up ♪

♪ I'm gonna rock it up ♪

The business was in its infancy stage.

But it was evolving into a kid market.

♪ Jukebox Saturday night ♪

♪ Hey, Goodman and Kyser and Miller ♪

There was our little band of guys.

Frankie Avalon, Bobby Darin.

-♪ Jenny Diver, ho, ho, yeah ♪ -[fans screaming]

♪ Suky Tawdry ♪

Bunch of teenagers, and we all had hit records.

♪ Venus, if you will ♪

♪ Please send a little girl for me to thrill ♪

♪ And they called it ♪

♪ Puppy love ♪

♪ Oh, I guess they'll never know ♪

[Dick Clark] Paul, this is very nice of you

to allow us to come over in the morning.

What is this room we're in now?

-This is our family room. -Tell you what,

why don't we scoot around here and sit down for a second.

I'd like to ask you a little bit about it.

[Paul] I left Canada when I was 15 years old.

You know, the first check, I got my mom a home.

I bought my family--

and I brought 'em down to New Jersey.

We never had a home with more than one bathroom.

[chuckles] We never had a home, you know,

where that poor woman was running around

with that vacuum cleaner up and down the stairs.

This is a bedroom, Mrs. Anka.

Is this any more than you were expecting?

Well, we felt that we needed an extra bedroom,

but I think it's turning out to be half a house now.

That was my obligation that I wanted to do for them.

♪ You are my destiny ♪

"You Are My Destiny" was written for my mother.

I knew my mother was very sick.

Diabetes.

I used to watch her take those shots every day.

And pretty much watched her die near the end,

and, uh, I lost her when I was 18 years old.

Not an easy time.

♪ Heaven... ♪

And, uh, I started taking care of my dad

and my brother and my sister.

That's what motivated me.

You're this kid out of Canada.

You got the first part of the dream.

You're loving it.

But you're realizing that, wow, it can be over real quick.

How do you keep it going?

Here's where I had a foot up.

I was the writer.

And everybody around me I was working with,

they weren't writers.

Buddy Holly became a friend.

He had always said,

"I want you to write a song for me."

So, he taught me some chords on the guitar,

and between a guitar and a ukulele,

which I started playing, I write for him

"It Doesn't Matter Anymore."

♪ Well, I guess it doesn't matter anymore ♪

♪ Do you remember... ♪

That was my first major hit with somebody else.

♪ ...held me tight each and every night ♪

And we're touring.

We went to Australia together with Jerry Lee Lewis,

who hated me.

[laughing] He was mean as hell.

♪ There's no use in me a-crying ♪

Now, I'm around people who are in the industry,

PR people and managers who say,

"You got to do this, you got to be this."

After I got in the business, I made up my mind

that one of the things that you got to have

or you're not gonna go-- you're gonna go this far

and you're gonna stop like that and you can't get over it,

is you got to have appeal

and you got to look like you're in show business.

When I was 15 years old,

I mean, let's say when I was in school, I was a fat kid.

I mean, that's putting it blunt. I was 170 pounds.

So, I went to a gym and I got a guy, and I said,

"Now, knock it off me. I don't care how."

I didn't eat.

I worked out in the gym four hours a day.

I had to fix my hair.

I kept putting it back, letting it grow.

And I had to brush it

and put stuff on it and keep doing it.

Took me a year and a half to get it like that.

People even say this now.

If they haven't seen any of the new pictures

and they then see him in person--

I mean, this is the comment, and I'm sure

that you must have heard it around:

"Gee, he doesn't look the same as his pictures. He's so handsome."

♪ So this do-it-yourself type song man ♪

♪ Only hopes that you liked his show ♪

♪ I hope that I can sing for you five years from today ♪

♪ And I'll be in my 20s with my hair turning gray ♪

♪ Though I'll be old and weary ♪

♪ Still, I'll cheerfully say ♪

♪ Thanks for helping my career ♪

♪ Get underway ♪

-[fans cheering and screaming] -♪ Yes, thanks to you ♪

♪ Anchors aweigh ♪

[shrieking]

[♪ lively music playing]

-[music stops] -[musician] That was four bar intro. We need eight.

Hey, everybody.

-[musician 1] How are you? -[musician 2] Hey.

-Good to see you. -[all] Good to see you.

So, guys, I think between now and tomorrow,

try and rehearse to get ready for Asia.

"Adam and Eve," "Crazy Love."

Just so you get a leg up on it.

I don't want you hitting Singapore cold.

Like any passion,

hard work is absolutely necessary.

[musician] Gonna make sure I have all those tunes in there.

Right, that's why I want to give it to you

between today and tomorrow, okay?

You have to respect that audience.

Okay, "Crazy Love."

[♪ playing "Crazy Love"]

♪ Crazy love ♪

If you're up there giving them all of that rehearsal time

that culminates in an amazing performance,

they come back again.

And if they don't see it, you're out of business.

♪ Crazy love ♪

♪ It's just... ♪

♪ Everything's wrong ♪

-♪ Heaven above ♪ -♪ Heaven above ♪

♪ Set me free ♪

♪ With the lights out ♪

♪ Less dangerous ♪

♪ Here we are now ♪

♪ Entertain us ♪

♪ I feel stupid ♪

♪ Contagious ♪

♪ Here we are now ♪

♪ Entertain us ♪

♪ A mulatto ♪

♪ An albino ♪

♪ A mosquito ♪

♪ My libido ♪

[♪ band playing]

[♪ music ends]

-Everybody kinda cool on that? -[all] Yeah.

Just gonna be a-- a cue.

-Okay. -I may add something.

I might do "Love Never Felt So Good" in the front.

You can just mess around like you do.

-The "This Is It" thing. -Okay.

And then, just as is on the cue, right?

Seven o'clock show, everybody.

[all] Yeah.

[announcer] ...Paul Anka program

before going in for this evening's performance.

Fully illustrated program before going in.

Any more before going in.

Get a Paul Anka fully illustrated program.

-Paul? -[Paul] Who's on?

Tommy's on, I told him to do more.

-There we go. -When did he go on?

Oh, fellas, of all days to do this. Yeesh.

When did he go on?

[speaker] He went on exactly five minutes ago.

[Paul] Black shoes and stockings.

[speaker] Black shoes and stockings? In here, Bobby.

If he went on five minutes ago, how come he's almost over?

There might be five shows today.

-Five shows? -Five shows.

-You in my way? -[Paul] Just forget they're even there.

-[photographer] Huh? -[Paul] Just forget they're even there.

-Okay. -[camera shutters click]

-Put on his tie, please. -We got one minute?

-We got one minute. -Yeah, get out there right now.

Get out there, Bobby. This is it.

-[drumroll] -[indistinct chatter]

-[♪ band plays "Anchors Aweigh"] -That's it.

[emcee] Now, ladies and gentlemen...

If it gets a little bit--

after I feel the audience-- the first four times

I might take something out.

So, be-- be prepared to cut something

and go to the next song. It's a special material thing,

if I see the girls won't keep quiet, we'll cut it.

[fans screaming]

Paul will be 20 in July.

♪ Put your head on my shoulder ♪

♪ Hold me in your arms... ♪

It's very simple for me, personally,

to have kept him working

and to keep all the other young stars

working on one-night tours.

But then, when you're planning a career,

you say, "Well, where do they go from here?"

The way you're recognized most,

it's as if you're accepted in the big nightclubs.

I felt that if Paul could make it in this area,

that I could capture every other area.

-And this is the way I groomed him. -[drumroll]

He was the youngest performer ever to appear

in the big clubs that he appeared in.

[drumroll]

[♪ band plays "Anchors Aweigh"]

[no audio]

[emcee] And now, ladies and gentlemen,

the Copacabana proudly presents Paul Anka!

[applause]

[♪ band playing "Mr. Wonderful"]

♪ What a feeling ♪

♪ What a glow ♪

♪ What a thrill for me to say hello ♪

♪ It's a strange and tender magic you do ♪

♪ It's so wonderful ♪

[Paul] So now, I'm in the midst of the nightclub world.

I used to say to Bobby Darin and Frankie Avalon,

"We're getting older.

"We're not gonna be doing the teenage stuff.

"This is our security.

"Look at those guys, the Rat Pack.

"Look at the music they're doing, man.

We can do that."

♪ But tonight, it's New York town ♪

So now, you're working for the boys.

Mob guys in New York.

♪ It's wonderful ♪

♪ Just being here with you ♪

[♪ music wraps up]

Great guys to work for. Real gentleman.

And you were always taught,

just keep your nose clean and you'll be okay.

Hello, Paul, how are you?

-Surprise, Uncle Jules. -How are you, buddy?

-How are you? -[guest] How are you, Paul?

I promised you something for your office.

[Podell] Yes?

Oh, that's beautiful. Look at this, Irvin.

-[Paul] Isn't that nice? -[Podell indistinct]

-See that, Irv? -[Podell] Isn't that beautiful?

[Feld] Very, very beautiful.

That's beautiful.

That's beautiful. Thanks, buddy.

Thank you. I'll put it over here.

[Feld] Would you-- would you do the kiss again?

-[Anka laughing] -What was that?

[Feld] Would you do the kiss again, please?

They want to get the kiss again.

[cameraman] I'll tell you what happened. The camera was just moving.

[laughing] That-- that's beautiful!

Now, I think you just want us to retake that because--

[Feld] Listen, they both enjoy it, so we'll go through that again.

-Something, huh? -Thank you, Uncle Julie.

[chuckles]

[♪ "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" playing]

♪ I can't give you... ♪

[Paul] I'm doing sometimes three shows a day,

till 2:00 in the morning.

And I'm liking it.

It was like...

"Wow, I got a chance to last."

I'm finding my groove

and my journey to the ultimate pinnacle:

Las Vegas, Nevada.

Will that be the first time you will have played Las Vegas?

-Mm-hmm, yes it is. -Oh, you're gonna love it.

First few days I was back, I missed it so much,

I used to take a handful of coins

and rush downtown and play the parking meter.

[laughter]

Well, I'm not old enough to gamble yet.

♪ ...sell, my little baby ♪

[Paul] First, I'm opening for Sophie Tucker

at the Sahara Hotel.

First time in Vegas, folks.

Sophie Tucker, who introduced me to that audience.

♪ ...but love ♪

And then, I go to the Sands and I start working there.

♪ Looking swell, baby ♪

There I was on stage with Sinatra,

with Sammy Davis, Dean Martin.

These are your idols.

What was I, 20, 21? Somewhere in there.

And here I am in a steam room with Sinatra,

Sammy Davis, Dean Martin,

walking around nude.

You talk about having trouble with eye contact, right?

And they're treating you nice

because they know you're making money for the boys.

My nickname was The Kid.

We all had robes in the steam room.

Sinatra called me The Kid,

so I had a robe that said "The Kid."

♪ ...love ♪

-[♪ music ends] -Thank you.

[applause]

To be learning from these guys,

it was just unreal for me.

I got a new song.

[Feld] Let's hear it.

-[playing piano notes] -I wrote it.

I like this one.

♪ In the wee small hours ♪

♪ Of the morning ♪

♪ When all the world ♪

♪ Is still ♪

[Feld] I have never had the admiration or respect

for any artist,

and you can take from the top down,

as I've had for Paul

because Paul knows what he's doing.

Uh, great creative person.

Writes very, very well.

Writes both the lyrics and the melody.

And I can see from the time he was 15 up to the present day,

how with each song that he writes, he matures.

The lyrics get different.

The melodies have always been great.

♪ To love again ♪

♪ And I'll cry ♪

♪ Yes, I'll cry ♪

♪ Over you ♪

Many nights, we sat down and we've discussed this thing

till the wee hours of the morning,

and I've told him, I said,

"Paul, you no longer belong to yourself.

"You belong to the world.

"God gave you something that, uh, I don't think He's given

"to anyone in the past 500 years.

"But He's given it to you, and has given it to you

to make other people throughout the world happy."

I truthfully believe that Paul will be the biggest star

with an overall career that this world has ever known.

[Anka warm-up singing]

Not like the old days.

I had somebody helping me out with my pants.

Helping me with everything.

Don't need it anymore.

[♪ playing piano]

♪ Bing-bong, bing-bong ee-ay-ai-oh-wah ♪

♪ Bing-bong, bing-bong ee-ay-ai-oh-wah ♪

♪ Bing-bong, bing-bong... ♪

[person] [on radio] Five minutes to show. Five minutes to show.

♪ Bing-bong, bing-bong ee-ay-ai-oh-wah ♪

♪ Bing-bong, bing-bong ee-ay-ai-oh-wah ♪

[hitting piano keys]

[Paul] I'm out 140 days a year.

It's like 30 seconds... [muttering indistinctly]

[Paul] I love it. It keeps me young.

[♪ band playing "Put Your Head on My Shoulder"]

♪ Put your head on my... ♪

[audience] ♪ Shoulder ♪

[Paul] I appreciate the audience.

They don't just show up and buy a ticket to the unknown.

They know what they're getting.

♪ You and I will be as free ♪

♪ As the birds up in the trees ♪

[audience] ♪ Oh... ♪

[Paul] At my age,

I totally get off on my body of work

being displayed for these people

that have grown up with me.

Come on!

♪ Thrills, I get when you hold me close ♪

[Irving Azoff] Everybody I take to a live show

can't believe how great he still is,

and to be reminded of those great songs,

which are timeless.

[audience] ♪ Oh, please ♪

♪ Stay... ♪

[Azoff] He's an absolute force of nature.

His power, still, in his vocal ability

is that of a 40 or 50-year-old.

♪ Please, Diana ♪

♪ Diana ♪

Thank you! That's it!

-[audience cheering] -[♪ music ends]

Everyone that I've worked with, every music entertainer,

part of the reason they do it, um, is to stay forever young.

Man, I'm a lucky guy, huh?

You know, it's weird. Recently, people say to me,

"Hey, Paul, why are you still working?

You don't have to work."

I say, "What are you talking about?

I love what I do. It's my passion."

If you love something, don't quit, folks.

-Keep the old man out, right? -[applause]

Keep doing it. Yeah.

From my new CD, another classic. I love doing this one.

[♪ band playing "That's Life"]

♪ I said that's life ♪

♪ That's life ♪

♪ That's what all the people say ♪

♪ You're riding high in April ♪

♪ Shot down in May ♪

♪ But I know I'm gonna change my tune ♪

♪ When I'm back on top ♪

♪ Back on top in June ♪

♪ I said that's life ♪

♪ That's life ♪

♪ As funny as it may seem ♪

-[fan] That was fabulous. -[Paul] Well, thank you, ma'am.

We had a good time, as usual.

-You know what? It showed. -Well, thank you, ma'am.

We have a good time.

Bye-bye, guys.

♪ If there's nothing shaking this here July ♪

♪ Gonna roll myself up ♪

♪ In a ball ♪

♪ And ♪

♪ Die ♪

Thank you, sir.

♪ My, my ♪

-[♪ music rises] -[audience applauds]

[inaudible]

[Paul] Anyway, I'd like to sing this song

because we may have some Italians out there

who could possibly still have relatives over there

who might, just possibly might write you a letter

and ask you, uh...

[in Italian accent] "Hey, who's-a this-a Polanca?"

[audience laughs]

[♪ "Ogni Volta" playing]

I was enjoying an international career

and I started thinking,

"Hell, they're accepting me in English in these countries.

Why don't I go over there and sing in their language?"

[singing in Italian]

I became an international creature.

I go to Italy, I fall in love with Italy.

Then going to Germany, recording in German.

Going to France, recording in French.

-Bonjour. -[applause]

I think I even did some Spanish

and one Japanese record.

[fans screaming]

I'm saying to myself, "Man, there's a world out here."

You know? It's not all about what we have back home.

There's a world out here.

[♪ singing in Italian]

...because to me, Paul Anka reminded me of my school days.

So, I went to see the show, and I was very impressed.

I thought he was a marvelous entertainer.

And I went to a party afterwards

and sat quite a ways away from him,

and I noticed he was staring at me a great deal.

[Paul] She was from Europe. Very European. Very sophisticated.

Had a very successful career as the top model in the world.

And here was a guy that was this teenage...

whatever the hell.

He was a very human, warm, um,

normal personality to-- to be with.

And I-- and I fell in love with him instantly.

[Paul] She lived in Paris.

We get married in Paris.

I'm still at the peak of my teenage days

and there's thousands of kids chasing me all over Paris.

And we wind up at a chapel at the airport.

Walked about 80 feet to the gate,

get on a plane and go to Switzerland.

[Paul singing in Italian]

I've got this wonderful woman.

Then we start having kids.

It was amazing.

[announcer] Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

Tonight, live from Miami Beach, The Ed Sullivan Show!

[♪ band playing fanfare]

[audience cheering]

Here are four of the nicest youngsters

we've ever had on our stage.

-The Beatles! Bring 'em on. -[audience screams]

♪ She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪

Out of nowhere the British get it,

and they come flying over here and take us off the radio.

♪ When I'm driving in my car ♪

[Paul] How do you compete with it?

How do you retain what you're doing?

I didn't have a band.

I didn't play rock and roll in the sense of guitars.

I'm looking at something that I couldn't do.

[♪ loud, discordant rock music playing]

[Azoff] The Beatles and The Rolling Stones and The Who

and everybody else pushed aside a lot of American music.

Everyone from Paul to the Beach Boys

to everybody stepped aside for a while.

[♪ fanfare playing]

You had to go hide and wait it out.

♪ Up until about a year ago ♪

♪ Our chief import from England was the derby ♪

♪ Tea and crumpets ♪

[♪ music tempo speeds up]

♪ But now it's The Kinks, The Zombies ♪

♪ The Rolling Stones ♪

♪ The Dave Clark Five, Herman's Hermits ♪

♪ The Hullabaloos ♪

♪ Manfred Mann, The Nashville Teens ♪

♪ Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers ♪

♪ Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Band of Angels ♪

♪ Freddie and the Dreamers, and of course... ♪

♪ The Beatles ♪

♪ But now... ♪

[Paul] That was the first time I had a real talk with myself,

and maybe a little doubt as to how I was gonna evolve,

if I was gonna evolve,

and into what state was I going to evolve?

Hi, son. How are you feeling?

Good, Dad. And you?

Did you have a smooth flight back?

Nah.

[Paul] I tried acting.

The brass got the transports.

[Paul] That was a real curveball from what I was doing.

Yeah, well, if you ask me, three grandmothers with brooms

could sweep us off of there like flies off of a sugar cane.

[Paul] I was in the film called The Longest Day.

♪ Many men ♪

♪ Won't see the sun... ♪

Where I also wrote the song.

♪ When it ends ♪

♪ The longest day ♪

You're trying anything.

♪ When you found somebody new ♪

♪ I thought I never would ♪

[Paul] When The Beatles came along,

it ended that whole era of the young teenage idol.

The records kind of, uh, took a nosedive.

♪ Oh ♪

♪ Such a stranger ♪

I was still earning some money,

but I wasn't sure whether

I'd be making successful records anymore.

You have to realize that none of my buddies

that did what I did were around anymore.

But I was still an entertainer, who wrote his songs...

which saved me.

[people chattering]

Me and Anne always spent a lot of time in France.

One summer, we're down in a little town called Mougins.

Had a house down there that we rented in the summer.

So I'm in this town, Mougins, loving it.

[♪ "Comme d'Habitude" by Claude François playing]

And I hear this song come over the radio.

It was called Comme d'Habitude.

[singing in French]

I like the melody.

So, I go back to Paris. I'm on the way home.

And I look up who's got the song,

and it's some people I know.

I said, "Look, I heard this song on the radio, I hear you..."

He says, "Yes."

I said, "Give me the rights to the song.

Let me see what I can do with it."

He said, "You can have it."

We weren't buying the pyramids.

Real easy.

Two pages, and I get the rights to this melody.

[♪ piano melody playing]

I bring it back home,

and I start playing it on the piano,

trying to get a vibe out of it...

knowing I'm gonna do something

'cause I like the structure.

And I'm playing on the piano,

and I'd revisit it every now and then.

[♪ piano melody continues]

One night, a group of us were sitting around as we did a lot,

down in Miami, Florida.

The Fontainebleau hotel.

Sinatra arrives.

He says, "Let's have dinner."

I go to dinner. He informs me

that he's retiring from show business. Quitting.

My whole thing about Sinatra was,

one day I'm gonna write a song for Frank Sinatra.

But now, he's saying he's gonna do one more album.

I'll never get to write that song for him.

I go back to New York where I'm living.

Sitting in my apartment. Huge thunderstorm outside.

And I take this melody.

And I'm saying to myself,

"Sinatra quitting show business."

And it started coming out.

♪ And now ♪

♪ The end is near ♪

♪ And so I face ♪

♪ The final curtain ♪

Finished it in five hours.

♪ My friends, I'll say... ♪

I knew I had something different,

but I knew I had something that only he could sing.

I call him up.

"Sir, I got something for you," blah, blah, blah.

"Bring it out."

He was at Caesars Palace playing one of his last dates.

[Sinatra] He came in to watch a rehearsal.

And, uh, he said, "I gotta-- I gotta see you right after you're through."

He had the music sheet under his arm.

I said, "It's marvelous," you know.

The next day, we recorded it.

♪ My way ♪

♪ Regrets ♪

♪ I've had a few ♪

♪ But then again ♪

♪ Too few to mention ♪

♪ I did what I had to do ♪

♪ I saw it through ♪

♪ Without exemption ♪

[Paul] A couple months later, I get a phone call.

Sinatra calling from the studio.

"Listen to this, kid."

-And you hear on the phone... -♪ Along the highway ♪

...the definitive with that constant arrangement,

Frank Sinatra singing it.

And I started crying.

♪ I did it ♪

♪ My way ♪

♪ Yes, there were times ♪

[Paul] It was something unlike he'd ever recorded before.

♪ When I bit off ♪

♪ More than I could chew ♪

Became huge for him. Became huge for me.

I was only 25 years old when I wrote it.

The effect that that song had and the feedback I got

was unlike anything I'd ever written.

♪ And I stood tall ♪

♪ And did it ♪

♪ My way ♪

♪ I've loved ♪

It became the-- the anthem, the national anthem.

♪ I had my fill ♪

♪ My share of losing ♪

♪ And now ♪

[Paul] Elvis, he loved "My Way."

"Paulie, I'm gonna do that song 'My Way' one day."

♪ So amusing ♪

♪ To think ♪

♪ I did all that ♪

I realized, it's everybody's song.

♪ More ♪

♪ So much more than this ♪

[Paul] Aretha Franklin, she called.

"I'm gonna do 'My Way,' Paul."

♪ My way ♪

♪ What is a man? ♪

♪ What has he got? ♪

Listen to Nina Simone.

♪ Oh, there were times ♪

♪ I'm sure you knew ♪

♪ When I bit off ♪

♪ Much more than I could chew ♪

♪ But through it all ♪

♪ When there was doubt ♪

♪ I ate it up ♪

♪ And I spat it out ♪

♪ I ♪

♪ Stood tall ♪

♪ And did it my way ♪

Sid Vicious wanted to do "My Way."

♪ To think ♪

♪ I killed a cat ♪

♪ And may I say ♪

♪ Not in a gay way ♪

♪ Oh, no ♪

♪ Oh, no, not me ♪

♪ I did it my way ♪

♪ What is a man? ♪

♪ What has he got? ♪

♪ If not himself ♪

♪ Then he has not ♪

♪ To say all... ♪

[Paul] I knew that my creative career was gonna change.

The moment I started introducing it on stage,

you could see the audience change.

"Wow, this kid is-- what is that?

This kid can write."

♪ I did it ♪

♪ My ♪

♪ Way ♪

♪ My ♪

♪ Way ♪

-[♪ music ends] -[cheers and applause]

[birdsong]

[Paul] Okay...

[Michele Kah] You got your eggs?

-[Paul] Yeah. -[Michele] Do you want papaya?

I might boil them in there. Yeah, but the avocado...

-You want the avocado? -I put one over here.

-I want to have it with the... -Okay.

Do you want to fry them or do you wanna use--

you want me to boil 'em as usual?

No, I think we should do sunny-side up.

Okay.

-Okay. This is my daily ritual. -[water running]

Olive oil, folks, with a little lemon.

Every day.

Just like they do in the hills of Italy.

At night, I have my hot water and lemon and ginger.

I'll do my celery juice.

Through the years, I've tried to keep my health together.

[Michele] Thank you for the eggs.

-[Paul] You're welcome, sweetie. -So nice.

I knew that the only way I function properly

in doing everything that I did was my health.

It's taken new meaning 'cause I have a wonderful,

beautiful, young son...

...who I've changed my life for willingly

and wanting to spend and be with him.

I've got this wonderful, wonderful life

that I have now with Michele.

That's kind of changed the dynamics

in terms of how long I want to live and how I live.

-No way. -[laughter]

[Ethan] Alright, 6-4.

[Paul] I've worked all my life to get to this point,

to share my music in a quality way

of where my body is really fit and comfortable in doing it.

[Ethan] [laughing] Oh!

[Paul] When that stops, I'll stop.

But I'm wired differently.

[laughter]

[Anka warm-up singing]

We're on Bruce. See you around, John.

[♪ band playing "She's a Lady"]

♪ Well, she's all you'd ever want ♪

♪ She's the kind I'd like to flaunt and take to dinner ♪

♪ She always knows her place ♪

♪ She got style, she got grace ♪

♪ She's a winner ♪

♪ 'Cause she's a lady ♪

♪ Yes, indeed, she's a lady ♪

♪ Talking about my little lady ♪

I wrote that song for one of the most exciting

young men around today.

I wrote that song for Tom Jones.

With the success of "My Way" with Sinatra and now Tom Jones,

I have a new album coming out called

Songs I've Written for Super Studs of the World.

[laughter]

♪ She's a lady ♪

♪ Listen to me, people ♪

♪ She's a lady ♪

-♪ Hey ♪ -♪ Hey, hey... ♪

[Sammy Davis Jr.] Paul Anka is an enigma

to most people in this business.

They say, "Well, why Paul Anka?"

Well, I can answer it very simply.

He cares.

He cares about his art craft.

He cares about what songs he writes.

Paul and I have the similarity of being the type of performer

that always seems to bounce back...

[♪ singing note]

Alright.

[Davis] ...because somewhere along the line,

we have proved to the public

that we love entertaining,

and we will try to offer them the best

that we got going for us.

-Well, that's that. -Well, the opening night.

-[laughing] Yeah. -It's over with, eh?

You did a show tonight that I wish was taped.

Is there a tape of this show?

Uh, well, I had some Scotch tape

and we're putting the music together.

-Oh, I'll get you for that. -[laughs]

-But that's-- -It was just--

I think the total show--

I've watched many, many performers in my life.

It was the total show, and tonight I hated you

because I wished I'd written all the songs you wrote.

Bravo.

I've been coming here for, uh, for 10 years,

and each time I come back, it's a different experience.

And for the first time, I've really found a place

that I'm gonna stay at for some time,

which is Caesars Palace.

[♪ "Jubilation" by Paul Anka playing]

By the time I get to the '70s, I'm a new guy.

♪ Great jubilation with some celebration ♪

♪ Beginning ♪

My swagger's different. My vocal is different.

♪ Total rejection to lies ♪

♪ And deception and sinning ♪

There are huge stars recording my music.

I move to Nevada.

I got a home there, middle of the desert.

And when you're in 100 degrees basically most of the year,

you're not running around in a shirt and a tie.

I said, "Screw that.

It's jeans and the shirt and the cowboy hat."

♪ Sinners take heed ♪

♪ For the life that you lead is deceiving ♪

♪ Yeah ♪

After Jubilation,

I wrote a song called "The Painter."

I loved Andy Warhol.

And he very graciously spent a few days with me

in my Nevada home

for the cover of The Painter album.

He would take a Polaroid picture

of what he wanted to do,

and then he would take it from the Polaroid to get that.

♪ The devil, the devil ♪

So now, I'm free. I'm out in Nevada.

The hits are going.

And I'm just loving the whole thing.

[♪ "Let Me Try Again" playing]

This is from the talent of Paul Anka.

A great performer and a fine songwriter.

♪ I know I said that I was leaving ♪

[audience applauds]

♪ But I just couldn't say goodbye ♪

♪ It was only self-deceiving ♪

♪ To walk away from someone who means everything ♪

♪ On Earth to you ♪

[Paul] There was no assurance that I was going to be around forever.

It's part of the reason I leaped

into writing for other people.

♪ I've learned, and now I'm back to say ♪

♪ Let me try again ♪

After "My Way" and even before, the Kid was the writer.

♪ I'm not ♪

♪ Anyone ♪

[Paul] When I'm writing for others, it becomes very important

that you have a feel and an understanding

for who you're writing for.

What their range is, what their capability is.

♪ Fulfilled with every need ♪

[Paul] With Sammy Davis, he was easy.

He was more talented than all of us.

♪ Any man designed... ♪

That was an amazing time for me.

As long as you were the writer, you were growing.

[♪ "(You're) Having My Baby" playing]

♪ You're having my baby ♪

We were growing up, raising a family.

♪ What a lovely way of saying how much... ♪

We're having our fifth child.

And I write for my wife,

"(You're) Having My Baby."

♪ What a lovely way of saying what you're thinking of me ♪

This song-- it's my first number one record in years.

♪ Your face is glowing ♪

♪ I can see it in your eyes, I'm happy you know it ♪

♪ That you're having my baby ♪

-How old are they? -Kids, tell Marlene

how old you are. Alexandra?

I'm 11, and I help Mom with the cooking and the dishes.

[Paul] Amanda.

I'm nine, and I feed the dogs.

[Paul] Alicia.

I'm seven, and I clean up our room.

[Paul] Anthea?

I'm six, and I-- I don't have to do anything.

Our youngest, Amelia, is taking a nap right now.

[♪ "(I Believe) There's Nothing Stronger Than Our Love" playing]

You got this family now with growing children.

There ain't anything better.

♪ I believe there's nothing stronger than our love ♪

But I'm feeling now the challenges of the balance.

You need to put all that you can to this full commitment,

and yet go out and be that other person.

I saw it with every one of my friends

who were in the business.

How the hell do we balance this?

The abnormality of being in show business?

That's tough on a woman.

They're not experiencing the celebrity the way you are.

In most cases, they don't want to be a part of it.

Here is a woman that gave up everything

to come and be a great mother and a great wife...

and she's trying to exist in my world.

[announcer] And now, for Kodak...

Paul Anka.

♪ Good morning, yesterday ♪

♪ You wake up ♪

♪ And time has slipped away ♪

♪ And suddenly... ♪

I saw the continuity and substance of having a family

like I grew up with.

So, I stuck with it.

I stuck with it with pleasure.

I got a lot out of it.

But it was a challenge for me, even in the happiness.

♪ Do you remember, baby? ♪

♪ Do you remember the times of your life? ♪

♪ Do you remember, baby? ♪

♪ Do you remember the times of your life? ♪

[Alicia] Dad, did you have a good week?

Have you been busy?

Does the Pope pray?

-[Alicia] I don't know. -Very busy.

I haven't been in touch with the Pope recently.

-Well, I'm very. -But I'm assuming he still prays.

-No, very, very busy. -Very busy?

Well, 'cause I gotta get ready. I'm going away again next week.

-On Wednesday? -Yeah, Wednesday I gotta go.

Yeah, it was a real busy week.

Florida was great, but it was good to get home, you know.

Yup.

Wanna go for a walk with Gigi?

Come with Gigi. Come on.

Let's go see what's happening.

Oh, my God, Amy and I.

That must've been Vegas.

[Michele] Wait, so are you number four?

-[Alicia] No, three. -[Michele] Three? So wait...

-It's what, 'cause you're missing-- -Amelia wasn't there yet.

-Oh, she wasn't born yet? -No. Alex, Amanda,

me, and Anthea.

When we were little, it was almost a little bit like magic

because he had the daytime dad, and then he had show dad.

And daytime dad was mostly in bed.

Like, he slept most of-- like, it was like,

"Shh, everyone be quiet." The house was dark.

I mean, this was when we were really little.

Let's say Vegas days.

And then, he'd come, like, you know, come 4 or 5 o'clock,

it was like he'd start to get ready.

The house would come to life.

And then it was just like he was on.

And then he'd take off and go to whatever hotel

he was singing at.

And most of the time, if it was a weekend, we'd go, too.

And then, the next thing you'd do is you see Dad,

like, coming out of nowhere in the dark on stage.

And that was the larger-than-life dad.

I think then you get to a certain age

where you realize it was hard on my mom.

He was away a lot, so... and that's tough.

I think my mom was a very, um, private person.

Not so many people can walk into a room and own it,

and-- and talk to anybody and--

so that takes a special kind of person.

Okay, I'm gonna take all these cards out.

I'm gonna take them out 'cause you pointed, right?

[Alicia] And he's a pro at it because, you know,

he's the one that's the entertainer.

The rest of us, we're just along for the ride.

So, you know, we did our best, but...

Seven and seven, we get rid of. That's your card.

-[Michele] Yeah. Oh, my... -[Alicia] How'd he do that?

-How did he do that? -[Paul] Ten of diamonds.

[Michele] Magic!

That's pretty cool, baby.

-[girl] Again, again, again! -Oh!

I don't know that I can do it twice.

-[Alicia] Bravo, Dad. -I don't know.

[Michele] That's a good one.

-[dog barking] -I know, he's-- hey.

[audience applauding]

[Paul] Swing this out here a little bit.

[grunting]

You know, the most amazing thing is you go to Las Vegas

and you'll see people lined up for miles, he's sold out.

That's gotta be good for your ego.

There's one thing-- I'm gonna digress for a minute

'cause there are people, believe it or not,

who don't know one of the most familiar songs you ever wrote

is a song that a lot of people hear every day or every night.

[♪ theme from "The Tonight Show" playing]

[Doc Severinsen] From Hollywood,

The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson.

This is Doc Severinsen along with Tommy Newsom

and the NBC Orchestra.

[Paul] Here's the story.

You went through that cycle, from being a teenage

and going through that thing where they still wanted...

[Paul] Back in the '60s,

I run into Johnny Carson in New York.

I had worked with him. I knew him a little.

"What's up? How are you doing?"

"Oh, you know, looking for the next gig.

"You know, I might, uh-- there's this Tonight Show,

they might want me to take it over for a year." Ha, ha, ha.

"And I'm changing this and this.

Maybe we need a new theme song."

I said, "Oh!"

[♪ "Toot Sweet (It's Really Love)" playing]

And I had this melody lingering.

I figured for 15 seconds,

what I had was catchy.

♪♪

I go in the studio.

Orchestrate it, spend my own money,

and I send it to Johnny.

I get a call back. They love it.

Johnny wants to do it.

Everything is cool. Then I get a call.

And they said, "Look, we can't use it."

The guy that's with the show now and has been for years,

Skitch Henderson,

he's not gonna let some kid get the theme.

He's doing the theme.

I said, "Okay."

So, I said, "Look, for whatever it's worth,

"I'll give you half the song.

"I'll give you half the publishing,

"and I'll put your name on it

"so it says Paul Anka and Johnny Carson.

And you can have half the royalties for the next year or two."

So, they call me back. "You got it."

[♪ "The Tonight Show" theme playing]

[announcer] From New York, the World's Fair city,

The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson.

Johnny's guests tonight are Jerry Lewis...

[Paul] It cleans up.

[♪ "The Tonight Show" theme playing]

Every time that song played...

[♪ "The Tonight Show" theme playing]

...we got a little money.

It got so ridiculous with the royalties,

they started changing the rules as to how much you could earn.

I started calling it my college song.

Put my kids through school.

Paul, thank you for the theme song,

but would mind, hurry up and send some lyrics?

-It's been almost 20 years. -[audience laughs]

[Paul] By the '80s, we had moved up

to Carmel, California.

We had five girls that we were raising.

I'm still evolving.

There's still a lot more to do.

Paul's tour starts.

Uh, in fact, as this show plays...

[Paul] I'll be at Nassau Coliseum,

I'll be at the Concord in Garden State,

in Las Vegas at the Sahara,

then I'm back at Oakdale,

then Monte Carlo, Montreal, Canada.

I didn't want to lose what gave me such satisfaction.

But I would always look at things in five-year increments

'cause you don't want to stay too long.

As forgiving as America is

to all aspects of people in life,

that's one thing you don't want to do, is stay too long.

[♪ "It Doesn’t Matter Anymore" by Linda Ronstadt playing]

There became a point after 39, 40 years of marriage...

five girls that we think we raised properly.

They're all grown, they're all married.

♪ Oh, baby ♪

♪ How you drove me crazy ♪

And my wife, Anne, she wants me to retire.

♪ Doesn't matter anymore ♪

I get it.

Knowing her, what her desires were.

♪ Done everything... ♪

I get what she needed.

♪ Sick of trying ♪

♪ I've thrown away my nights ♪

But I can't play golf five days a week.

I can't sit and do nothing.

It's not over.

There are new horizons going on.

♪ Now you go your way, baby ♪

♪ And I'll go mine ♪

♪ Now and forever... ♪

I couldn't honestly be

what I felt would be representative to my wife.

And I got a divorce.

♪ And you won't matter... ♪

In my heart, I had to be free again

to live with myself honestly.

There was still a long way to go for me.

I had not put that flag at the top of the mountain yet.

What was their stand on the Hong Kong issue?

I would shoot for October on the avails.

We go from Singapore to Bangkok.

Bangkok, Macau. Macau, Tokyo.

I've always been interested in business

and the right business deals.

I make a lot of my own deals in tandem with others.

Okay, so we have a plan.

Let's lock it up. I'm ready to go.

Okay, thanks. Bye, ciao.

And now, it's beyond just singing.

You know, there's just so much happening.

Might do a Broadway show when you're doing a podcast.

You know, I'm a talker. I love socializing.

So, I'm going on these podcasts.

[Bill Burr] Hey, what's going on?

It's Bill Burr, and it's time for the Monday Morning Podcast.

For Monday, I got something for you.

This weekend, me and a buddy of mine

went to go see Paul Anka.

And this guy came out there, and I'm telling you right now,

he did this thing where he-- he did a video thing

where he was showing, um, Sammy Davis Jr.

and a song he wrote for him.

And Paul comes in and sings the high harmony

at 81.

♪ A no one ♪

♪ A number, a face ♪

♪ No, sir, not me ♪

[Bill] Absolutely killed.

I'm about to sit down with the one and only Mr. Paul Anka.

[Paul] Bill!

Oh, no! Here we go.

Show business is my life.

[Bill] Mr. Anka, I feel like I got--

[Paul] What's going on?

[Bill] What is going on is your show was--

-My Massachusetts buddy. -What's going on?

Give me a hug, man, I've been following you for years.

-What's going on? -Back to the red hair.

Yeah, well, that was a while ago.

That show I saw you do in Wilshire,

I'm never gonna forget that show.

What? You know, I have to-- What were you doing there? Why?

I was there because we-- we put the song in-- in the movie.

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, huh?

[Bill] I shot this movie called Old Dads.

At one point, they're all gonna go to Vegas.

And we needed some Vegasy-type music.

-But that Sinatra thing had been done to death. -Yeah.

And then, my editor said to me, he goes,

"Hey, man, you know Paul Anka did this, you know,

Rock Swings or whatever."

♪ Face-to-face ♪

♪ Out in the night ♪

-♪ Hangin' tough ♪ -[Bill] And it was perfect

'cause it was my generation's music

with the Rat Pack sound.

♪ Yes ♪

♪ It's the eye of the tiger ♪

♪ It's the thrill of the fight ♪

♪ Watching us all in the eye ♪

♪ Of the tiger ♪

So then, I was just like, you know what man?

I'm gonna-- I'm gonna see this guy.

Lower level, center house,

so you came down the right aisle.

-That's right. -And you came right by us too.

-And you were just... -Yeah.

-...beaming, the joy on your face. -Yeah.

It was just contagious. It was over.

And I-- I feel like two, three times you came into the crowd.

-In the audience. I love doing that. -Like Kinison.

Yeah, I love that communication with my people.

They hand those out at all...

[Bill] I've seen comedians get bitter in eight years.

This guy's almost been eight decades in,

and he has the excitement of a young man.

-You're a good guy, man. -You're the best, man.

-Keep doing what you're doing, okay? -Yeah.

-Same to you, man. -Okay?

You're beyond inspiring.

-[laughs] -Beyond inspiring.

I'm into artists that, if you look at them every 10 years,

they're better than the 10 years before.

Which means they're still growing,

they still have their eyes and their ears opening,

which means they're still alive.

And that's what I got out of it.

Like, this is a guy that's still living.

♪ Put your head on my shoulder ♪

♪ Hold me in your arms, baby ♪

♪ Squeeze me oh, so tight ♪

♪ Show me ♪

♪ Put your head on my shoulder ♪

[Paul] If you had told me back then

there'd be such a thing as a TikTok,

and all these wonderful young artists singing that song...

I would have told you you were nuts.

♪ Put your head on my shoulder ♪

I have no idea.

Nobody knows how to make a hit record all the time.

You do the best you can.

But the-- the content and the magic

that can come together,

whether it's back then or today,

where we call it "in the grooves,"

somehow the public...

just put their arms around it.

What is that thing? How do you get to it?

If you had a crystal ball, it's just-- you don't know.

[♪ "Freak" by Doja Cat playing]

♪ Freak like me ♪

♪ You want a good girl that does bad things ♪

♪ To you ♪

♪ You never been with no one as nasty ♪

♪ As me ♪

♪ Spice up your life, come get a freak ♪

♪ Tease him just enough to break free ♪

♪ Break free ♪

♪ Keep him waiting 'til he try ♪

♪ Try ♪

♪ This can go one of two ways ♪

Okay, I guess we can all get in.

The amazing thing for me in this visit back again is,

when I got here in 1958...

you know, I was still a little stunned by it all.

First major country I'd been to was Japan.

It was a new thing for me.

[♪ "Tonight My Love, Tonight" playing]

You know, I'm what, two, three years old in the business?

Still not ready for what I experienced when I got here.

♪ Let me hold you in my arms ♪

Everywhere I went, there was thousands of kids.

I was in a ticker-tape parade.

There's stuff flying out of windows, over the car.

♪ Tonight, my love, tonight ♪

You know, it was just overwhelming.

♪ Hold me, hold me, hold me right ♪

I traveled with one guy, sometimes my cousin,

and a suitcase with music in it.

You know, rehearsing a local band,

trying to emulate the records.

I was doing multiple shows

at the Kokusai Theater.

And they had a line of dancer type,

some Japanese acts, and then I would go on.

Huge stage.

And the audience was amazing.

Every night it was like an event.

They would bring flowers, and robes, and slippers,

and candy to the stage.

And then I'd be, you know, hidden in a box,

or taken out back to my hotel

'cause I couldn't walk around the streets.

♪ La-da-da-da-da-da ♪

♪ La-da-da-da-da-da ♪

Asia, and specifically Tokyo,

had a very meaningful impact.

♪ La-da-da-da-da-da ♪

Hello, Tokyo.

[people chattering]

I could never walk down these streets 50 years ago.

♪ Diana ♪

♪ Put Your Head on My Shoulder ♪

♪ Paul Anka-san ♪

♪ And they called it puppy love ♪

-Anybody? -[laughter]

Come and look at this one here.

[fan 1] It's great, isn't it? The Cremia.

-You have to get the Cremia. Yeah. -[Paul] Oh, man.

-That's the one. That's the one, yeah. -[fan 2] It's amazing.

Friends from New York.

Sydney, Australia.

-Hello. -[Paul] Matt-ski, have something.

Are you-- are you big into music, or...

[Paul] Yeah, I love music. I've been writing it for, uh...

60 years.

Wrote for myself, for, uh, Tom Jones, had lasting hits.

-Oh, really? -Wow.

-Yeah, my name is Paul Anka. -Wow.

-Paul Anka! Oh, my God! -[fan laughing]

-Bloody hell. -Not quite God.

But Paul Anka will do. How you doing, man?

-Wait, you know him? -Wow. Wow.

-Yes. -How are you?

♪ Put your head on my... ♪

Put your head-- you got it.

No! That's your song?

Yeah, "Put Your Head on My Shoulder."

-♪ Put your head on my shoulder ♪ -Yeah.

-Can we-- can we take a photo? -Sure, you can take a photo.

Oh, my goodness, I didn't even recognize you.

-My goodness. -You thought I was 99 years old, right?

My goodness. Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness.

Sir, this is-- this is the honor of a lifetime.

-I'd love to get a photo with you. -Yeah, sure.

I have-- me and my dad have your albums on vinyl.

-Yeah? -Oh, my goodness.

-[fan laughing] -We play your songs all the time.

Well, let's do a picture.

Send it to your dad. Is he alive?

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Absolutely.

[fan] Great.

-Well, it's good meeting you. -You as well. Wow.

You're the man. You're the man.

-Pleasure of a lifetime. -[Paul] Take care.

-Good to see you. -Cheers, mate.

[people chattering]

[knocking]

[Paul] Okay, let's go.

-There an elevator? -[stagehand] Yep.

Okay, we're live.

[♪ band playing "You Are My Destiny"]

[announcer] Ladies and gentlemen,

singer, composer...

Paul Anka.

♪ You are my destiny ♪

[cheering and applause]

♪ That's what you are to me ♪

♪ You are my dream come true ♪

♪ That's what you are ♪

Good evening, everybody! Tokyo!

♪ You share my sweet caress ♪

♪ You fill my emptiness ♪

♪ You are my dream come true ♪

♪ That's what you are ♪

Thank you! Arigato!

[all cheer]

Tokyo, please say hello to my musicians.

They're back. Give 'em the warm love.

♪ You are my destiny ♪

♪ You share my reverie ♪

♪ You are my dream come true ♪

♪ That's what ♪

♪ That is what you are ♪

♪ You're my destiny ♪

♪ That's what you mean to me ♪

♪ That's what you ♪

♪ Are ♪

[cheering and applause]

[♪ band playing "Lonely Boy"]

Same album.

♪ I'm just a lonely boy ♪

♪ Lonely and blue ♪

♪ I'm all alone ♪

♪ Got nothing to do ♪

♪ I've got everything ♪

♪ You could think of ♪

♪ But all I want ♪

♪ Is someone to love ♪

♪ Someone, yes, someone to love ♪

♪ Someone to kiss ♪

♪ Someone to hold ♪

♪ At a moment like this ♪

♪ I'd like to hear ♪

♪ Somebody say ♪

♪ I'll give you my love ♪

♪ Each night and day ♪

[cheering and applause]

[♪ band playing "Diana"]

One more time!

Come on!

♪ I'm so young and you're so old ♪

♪ This, Diana, I've been told ♪

♪ I don't care just what they say ♪

♪ 'Cause forever I will pray ♪

♪ You and I will be as free ♪

♪ As the birds up in the trees ♪

♪ Oh, please ♪

♪ Stay by me ♪

-♪ Diana ♪ -♪ Diana ♪

To all of you, I thank you so much!

For all the years that you've given to me, I love you so much!

Tokyo, Japan, arigato!

Sayonara!

♪ Diana ♪

[cheering and applause]

[♪ sentimental music playing]

-[Michele] Thank you very much. -[Paul] Bye-bye. Thank you very much.

Bye-bye.

Okay, honey.

End of a great Asian run.

[Michele] Yeah.

Nice people. Good audience, huh?

All ages.

They were so nice.

Very, very cool.

Thank you. Arigato.

Yes. Yes.

[Paul] Honey, would you hold this?

[indistinct chatter]

[Paul] I like to go back to everywhere I like.

I don't think of retirement.

I'm not a human being with expectation.

But since I left home at 15,

this is all I know to do.

[♪ orchestral music playing]

[announcer] Live from New York, it's Coke Time!

Starring...

Paul Anka.

Frankie Avalon.

[♪ singing]

♪ Marie ♪

♪ On a night like this ♪

♪ Good God, it's rockin' ♪

-♪ Arrive in a Rolls-Royce ♪ -♪ Marie ♪

♪ Walking in a bathing suit ♪

♪ Swimming in a river ♪

-♪ Marie ♪ -♪ Going out downtown ♪

♪♪

[♪ song fades]

[Paul] Excuse me.

Never miss a cue.

[Paul] Never.

[indistinct chatter]

[Paul] How you doing, sweetie?

You just keep working and working.

-What else are you gonna do? -You look good.

-What, am I gonna die? [laughs] -That's a no.

You started way before me. You started with the trumpet.

Right. The talk was, 'cause I'm a young kid,

-and you're a younger kid. -Mm.

And they talked about you.

"We got this kid, he's 15 years old."

I think I was about 18, so I'm older.

Yeah, y-you're older. What are you, three years older?

-I don't know. -What are you now, 80-- 72?

-I don't give my age. Depends. -[laughs]

Um, you came to that place

that we were playing, that joint we were playing.

-Really? -And you got on the piano.

This is the very beginning, Paul.

Then we were on tour together.

And there we were,

worrying about our hair.

-Right. -[laughing]

Well, we were teen idols.

-We were the beginning of teen idols. -Yes.

-After Sinatra, Johnnie Ray, came us. -That's right.

I don't know anyone in our business

that has had the recognition and success as you.

-Oh, that's not... -No. Paul...

-That's not unique to me. -I'm not blowing it up your ass.

-No, no, no, but that's-- yeah. -I'm saying to you,

no one has had around this world,

the success and recognition with your music.

-What memories we have. -Jesus, that was...

I always thought getting older would take longer.

-Yeah. -It comes--

-[both laughing] -It comes too fast.

It's been quite a journey, buddy.

[Paul] That was good fun.

Good memories.

Paul Anka Drive.

There is a street named after me

in the '60s.

And it's still there with no potholes.

My first dog I had in New Jersey...

called Bijou.

This was in the '50s.

There you go.

You know...

I believe in some luck.

Here's the beginnings.

This is the New York Paramount the first time I performed.

But what I learned was to always try to look ahead at the trends,

always to be open, to be curious.

Oh, here you go.

This is Michael Jackson.

There we are, talking.

For instance, in the '80s,

I was asked to do a duets album,

and it was brought to me

that Michael wanted to be on the album.

So, Michael came up and stayed at my guest home.

We went to the studio.

We write, and we spend time together.

And we get about three or four things down.

Uh, I get his vocal and the piano, and we'd have it.

In the interim, Michael's record Thriller

goes into orbit.

And Michael is now feeling a new success.

So, these songs never come out.

Time goes by.

Well, today is a big day for Michael Jackson fans.

His first new song since his death hit the airwaves today.

It's called "This Is It."

-On that song, I read... -Yes.

...that they found it like in a box

-among his possessions. -Yeah, randomly there.

[Paul] One day, I get a phone call from TMZ.

"We were told that you wrote this song with Michael."

I said, "I don't know what you're talking about.

"I don't have any song called 'This Is It.'

I wrote a song with Michael called 'I Never Heard.'"

They said, "No." I said, "Well, send it to me.

How do I hear it?"

-[hits piano keys] -♪ This is it ♪

♪ Here I stand ♪

♪ I'm the light of the world, I feel grand ♪

♪ And this love ♪

So, when I hear the song, I go, "Now I get it!"

They had taken the first line of the song that I had.

♪ This is it ♪

♪ Here I... ♪

And "This Is It" became the new title.

Not...

♪ I never heard a single word ♪

[laughing] Okay.

♪ This is it ♪

♪ Here I stand ♪

♪ I'm the light of the world ♪

♪ I feel grand ♪

♪ Got this love ♪

[news anchor] I think Paul Anka writes every song there is.

-Every single one out there. -I'm convinced of that.

-Every single-- -Every single one.

U2's new album? Look, he wrote every song

-on that album. -Paul Anka, check it out.

♪ Feels as though ♪

♪ I've seen your face a thousand times ♪

[Paul] "This Is It" comes out, does very well.

And then, I get a call from one of the music guys in his camp

that was producing everything, Mr. McClain.

Nice guy. He said, "Thank you for sorting out,

you know, the 'This Is It' problem,"

and, "We had no idea."

He said, "And we've got so many wonderful songs, though,

that we found in Michael's drawer."

He said, "You should hear this one."

And he plays this over the phone to me.

♪ Baby ♪

♪ Love never felt so good ♪

♪ And I doubt-- ♪ I said, "Mr. McClain...

"I-- I don't want to burst your bubble,

but I wrote that too."

♪ Baby ♪

♪ Love never felt so good ♪

♪ And I doubt... ♪

[Paul] So, what unfolded was what I started

with dear Michael ultimately comes out.

♪ Baby ♪

♪ Love never felt... ♪

[Paul] We put Justin Timberlake on it.

♪ And I doubt if it was ever mine ♪

♪ Not like you hold me ♪

[Paul] It became a big record.

Later, we get to "It Don't Matter to Me."

♪ It don't matter to me ♪

Drake had heard that there was this track.

♪ Don't matter to me what you say ♪

So, he came to my house, and I play him what I've got.

Few weeks later, maybe,

they send down the rough of his portion

and how they're going to tag it on, and I liked it.

♪ I can't ♪

♪ Recover from our last conversation ♪

[Paul] All three songs that I wrote with Michael come out.

All of them are a hit.

And that's the story.

So, it's that old building up in there.

It says Paramount. It's way up there.

Fifteen years old,

a hundred bucks in my pocket.

Walk down Broadway to that old building right over there.

Went up to, I don't know, 10th floor.

That's where I got lucky.

That's where it all started, and here I am, back again.

Full circle.

All these years later.

Alive and healthy to talk about it, how lucky.

[chuckles]

-[fans] We love you, Paul! -[overlapping shouting]

[cheering and applause]

-[fan] Happy New Year. -Happy New Year.

You got cool glasses.

-[fan] Yeah! -I like those.

Nice to meet you, Paul!

-Nice to meet you! -Good to see you.

[fan 1] What's going on?

Everything, man. Everything's cool, man.

-[indistinct shouting] -You got it, baby. You got it.

[fan 2] And Sinatra, baby!

Happy New Year. Happy New Year to you.

Happy New Year. Happy New Year. See you tonight.

[fan 3] Happy New Year, sir.

[crowd cheering]

[Paul] Okay, guys, one more thing and we're moving.

Bye, honey. I'll see you out there.

[Michele] Okay, have fun. Very handsome.

[Paul] Well, thank you. You're beautiful.

-Okay, here we go. -Oh, hello.

[laughter]

Exposed!

-Oh, you can't... -[laughter]

Prettiest girl in the world.

Here we go, guys.

Looks like they're bringing some towels for your room.

[Paul] Oh. Leave it on the couch and take the old ones.

-Here you go. -Okay, okay, okay, thank you.

[Paul] Happy New Year.

♪ One, two, three ♪

♪ Welcome to my house ♪

♪ Baby, take control now ♪

♪ We can't even slow down ♪

♪ We don't have to go out ♪

[Flo Rida] I've been watching this show since I was a kid,

and to be standing up here next to Ryan Seacrest

on New Year's Eve in New York City!

The stage managers will do the same as before.

[Flo Rida] What a crazy dream come true!

When you're done, on the last note,

we're gonna get your entire family

and everybody onstage with you.

Oh, that's nice. Oh, then their families will--

-All on the stage together. -Okay, man.

Yeah, I just wanted you to know that.

[♪ hip-hop music playing]

Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!

Yeah!

[laughing]

[muffled background chatter]

[crowd cheering]

[emcee] Let's hear it!

[cheering and applause]

[announcer] And up next, just before midnight,

we have a final performance of the evening.

Legendary singer-songwriter Paul Anka

brings the world together

with a special version of his song "My Way."

[all cheering]

♪ We share ♪

♪ From here in Times Square ♪

♪ These moments rare ♪

♪ So I remind us ♪

♪ No map ♪

♪ No magic app ♪

♪ Could quite recap ♪

♪ This year behind us ♪

♪ Instead ♪

♪ Let's look ahead ♪

♪ My light will lend ♪

♪ Our superpower way ♪

♪ If peace relies ♪

♪ On compromise ♪

♪ Let's live life ♪

♪ Let's live it our way ♪

♪ We follow through ♪

♪ It's not naive ♪

♪ Dreams can come true ♪

♪ When you believe ♪

♪ And making blessings ♪

♪ Each and every day ♪

♪ When human kindness ♪

♪ Leads the way ♪

♪ From yours truly, Paul ♪

♪ Happy New Year, one and all ♪

♪ Let's do it ♪

♪ Our ♪

♪ Our way ♪

♪ Our way ♪

Happy New Year, everybody!

-Happy New Year! -[crowd cheering]

Let's do it...

♪ Our way ♪

[cheers and applause]

[ticking]

Hey, buddy.

We pulled it off.

[indistinct chatter]

[crowd] Ten,

nine, eight, seven,

six, five, four,

three, two, one.

[all cheering]

[♪ "New York, New York" by Frank Sinatra playing]

[Peter Arnell] Can I get a hug?

I love you both so much.

♪ Start spreading the news ♪

[Arnell] Come here, come here. Group hug.

[Paul] I'm kinda the last of that breed, you know?

I-I've come out of that '50s school,

the Sinatra school.

♪ New York, New York ♪

I just never wanted to get out of it. That's me.

♪ I want to wake up ♪

♪ In a city... ♪

You know, it's like politicians.

Why do they keep running up there, doing it?

Can't help themselves.

They got the needle in their arm.

They're gonna keep doing it. That's what they are.

It's the same with us in this business.

You know, people have to understand the reward value

of being in this business the right way.

It's like nothing else.

♪ Are melting away ♪

[Maggio] You told me when you and your first wife separated,

you said you felt like you hadn't planted the flag.

-Mm-hmm. -[Maggio] Do you feel like you-- you've planted the flag?

-No. -Or where are you on that?

No, the flag is not on the mountain yet.

I can see the top of the mountain,

but I'm not there yet.

Will you know when you're there?

I think so.

♪ To you ♪

♪ New York ♪

♪ New York ♪

♪ New York ♪

-[♪ music ends] -[crowd cheers and applauds]

[♪ "Jubilation" by Paul Anka playing]

♪ Jubilation ♪

♪ A celebration beginning ♪

♪ Total rejection ♪

♪ To lies, deception ♪

♪ And sinning ♪

♪ Sinners, take heed ♪

♪ The life you lead ♪

♪ Deceiving ♪

♪ Nothing embraces ♪

♪ The man who embraces believing ♪

-♪ Believing ♪ -♪ No, no, no ♪

♪ I'm betting, betting on Jesus ♪

♪ Jesus ♪

♪ I'm hoping, hoping hell freezes ♪

♪ I'm hoping ♪

♪ Hoping it displeases the devil ♪

♪ Devil ♪

♪ Talking about the devil ♪

♪ And as for the children ♪

♪ God bless and God will, they'll know sorrow ♪

♪ Be honest with yourself ♪

♪ Spare the confusion ♪

♪ And life's disillusions ♪

♪ Tomorrow and today ♪

♪ Sisters, brothers ♪

♪ Come on, love one another and start praying ♪

♪ Faith in the Father ♪

♪ Your sons and your daughters ♪

♪ Believe what that Good Book is saying ♪

♪ Hey ♪

-[♪ music ends] -[audience cheering]