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My Way: An Autobiography
by
Paul Anka
,
David Dalton
teen idol of the 1950s who virtually invented the singer/songwriter/heartthrob combination that still tops pop music today, Paul Anka rocketed to fame with a slew of hits—from “Diana” to “Put Your Head on my Shoulder”—that earned him a place touring with the major stars of his era, including Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Buddy Holly. He wrote Holly’s last hit, and just
...more
Kindle Edition
,
385 pages
Published
April 9th 2013
by St. Martin's Press
(first published April 2nd 2013)
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Community Reviews
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Wow, I don't know whether to give this one star or five. It's a total train wreck and is really badly written. He repeats himself in the same paragraph, loves run on sentences, and rambles on with stories that have no point ("This guy is a good friend. Last year we went out to his private island for vacation. It was fun". The end.) He also has a tendency to reference stories he doesn't tell ("That was quite a night. What a story." The end.)
He mentions people that he doesn't introduce until chapt ...more
He mentions people that he doesn't introduce until chapt ...more
view all 5 comments
Paul Anka pulled off the impossible. He was a teen idol in the 50's and managed to survive the changing tide in music. Why? Because he also wrote his songs and reinvented himself when his breed started to die out. With this book, Paul gives you an inside look into what is was like to tour the country during the birth of rock n' roll. These are the type of stories that never bore me. Paul also writes a very telling story of 60's Vegas and the Rat Pack members, particularly Frank Sinatra. I'm actu
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I like early rock n roll including all those great hits by Paul Anka like "Dianna" and "Put Your head on My Shoulder", etc. Anka's hits were different in that he composed his songs himself - a pure singer/songwriter. Anka details his journey through the late 1950's pop music world to life in Las Vegas as it's premier entertainer in his first person style.
The Beatles fundamentally changed the pop music business in the 60's. Solo performers could no longer get radio air time or concert bookings. A ...more
The Beatles fundamentally changed the pop music business in the 60's. Solo performers could no longer get radio air time or concert bookings. A ...more
May 01, 2013
JoAnne Pulcino
added it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
adult-non-fiction
,
memoir
MY WAY
Paul Anka
Paul Anka is credited as being the composer of the theme for the Tonight Show, and is also credited with composing MY WAY which is not quite true. Mr. Anka bought a French song called Comm d’habitude and wrote new lyrics for his idol, Frank Sinatra.
Having read many biographies this particular one was a great disappointment as there is very little about Mr. Anka’s life in it other than his wonderful accomplishments. His personal life is passed over so thoroughly that it must have ...more
Paul Anka
Paul Anka is credited as being the composer of the theme for the Tonight Show, and is also credited with composing MY WAY which is not quite true. Mr. Anka bought a French song called Comm d’habitude and wrote new lyrics for his idol, Frank Sinatra.
Having read many biographies this particular one was a great disappointment as there is very little about Mr. Anka’s life in it other than his wonderful accomplishments. His personal life is passed over so thoroughly that it must have ...more
Since this book has not been rated very highly, I was determined to keep an open mind and remember that great talent is not usually resident in average everyday people. But what a mess. Just when you think a narrative is developing, from the 50s to the 60s, then the 70s, oops, we are back in Vegas in the 60s again. About once every 2 pages. I can only surmise this wildly scattered memoir approximates a casual conversation with Mr. Anka. Hearing that he idolized Sinatra and the Rat Pack about 150
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I am of Paul Anka's generation and a Canadian too. Wanted to like this book since I have always liked the man and his music. However, it really isn't very good. I expected him to tell me a lot more about the Rat Pack, especially about Frank Sinatra. Mr. Anka doesn't "dish" at all in this book. I guess that is admirable, but makes the book at bit boring. Most of his anecdotes and stories are about people only industry insiders would recognize, and the story always starts with so-and-so is his "ve
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Too funny. Completely sleazy and self-serving, shamelessly namedropping about the little guy's "friendships'' with the likes of Kirk Kerkorian and Donald Trump, and his various romances, it's nevertheless compulsive, popcorn reading. The section on the mob in Las Vegas (he suggests that Scorsese's "Casino'' was a documentary, more or less) is especially revealing. Not exactly Nabokov (although I think they played the same dive once, back in Jersey), but here's a tell all that actually tells all.
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Anka had an interesting life, but unfortunately this narrative is so repetitive that it is boring. Plus, he comes off as quite sexist and patronizing. It is also hard to believe some of his stories - his take on Bobby Darin is full of factual errors - and he brags so much it comes off as defensive. Also, why no mention of son in law Jason Bateman? Still, fans may like this - you can skim through the parts where he retells a story he told 50 pages earlier.
This book was panned by virtually everyone on Good Reads and there are spots where it is repetitive and trite and too much time is devoted to associations and experiences with organized crime and developers, but that was his life. It also does not reveal much insight into his personal family life, however that is his right to protect them. Through out the book he speaks with justifiable pride of his ability to re invent himself and continue successfully in a career that many others enjoyed for a
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I never knew how important an editor was until I read this book which was badly in need of one. The book is repetitive, disorganized, and in parts boring. It sounds like he recorded his musings of his life in a tape recorded and then David Dalton the editor/ghost writer put it into paragraphs and hit spell check. I looked David up and he is a founding editor of Rolling Stone magazine. This book is not a credit to him. Paul is Paul's biggest fan. He is wonderful and responsible for oh so many thi
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Poorly written and it bounced around the decades on a regular basis. The only negatives traits were awarded to people who are deceased, other people were all "very good friend, warm and giving human being", etc. His personal life was particularly incomplete, with a marriage of 38 years ending somewhat abruptly. Not worth the money.
Not well written, but an interesting history of one of America's greatest songwriters. It was disappointing that he did not spend more time writing about his family, in particular, his wife and daughters. Lot's of war stories, some not particularly interesting.
Totally self-serving with a few bits of gossip, however nothing to make you sit up and take notice .
According to Anka he never met a woman who didn't want to bed him.
Quite an ego .......
According to Anka he never met a woman who didn't want to bed him.
Quite an ego .......
I really did enjoy this book although it seemed to be just as much about Frank Sinatra and the Rat pack as much as it did Anka. Never get tired of reading about 'old' Vegas during the 60's.
Jul 31, 2013
David Mckinnon
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
autobiography-read
We could quibble about whether the book is "badly written" and whether there is continuity, but the bottom line is that this volume is rich with stories from all facets of his vast career experiences. He gives an inside view of his life as a teen-aged teen idol, touring the country in a bus with Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Fabian, Frankie Avalon, Bobby Rydel and most of the early Rock stars. There are world tours and then there is Las Vegas and the people who made it come alive: Si
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A great, breezy read that's very insightful about making it in the music world, especially in the 1960s and '70s. A great deal on the history of Las Vegas and the influence of the mob, racism in the music industry, and the influence of the British Invasion of the mid-1960s on American pop stars, who often fell by the wayside if they didn't find new audiences or turn to writing there material (as Anka has always done. He would also become famous for writing for others, esp. for "My Way," written
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I wanted to read about the early days of Las Vegas and I thought he covered that very well. Lots about his efforts to impress the Rat Pack, Sinatra et al, with whom he so desperately wanted to socialize. He also talks extensively of his rise up the ranks and his businessman-like thinking process behind it and the need to constantly re-invent himself to stay alive during the early 60s when the British Invasion and Elvis threatened his livelihood and he watched the careers of many of his friends d
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Book is poorly written and jumps all over the place. No continuity. It is obvious that there was not a talented editor on board. The poor English throughout is nothing short of scandalous. There are some hundreds of people written about in the book and they are all, “wonderful, very talented, as intelligent as they come, warm and affectionate and willing to do anything for you”. All these people are Paul’s, “Very best friends, known them for years”. It becomes a little tedious.
However, if you a ...more
However, if you a ...more
I knew very little about Paul Anka but I found the book in a used bookstore for $2.oo and decided to buy it. From his rise to fame as a Teen Idol to his days in Vegas with the Rat Pack, this book is full of interesting stories and insights. Paul arrived on the scene before the Beatles and got to know them as they were rising stars. He toured with everyone from Chuck Berry to Buddy Holly. He opened shows for Frank Sinatra and wrote "My Way" about Frank and more importantly, for Frank. He's a sing
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This book is more than just about the songs that Paul Anka wrote and sang. He talks about his time on the road with a group of singers who drove around on buses. Not like buses of today but the old buses. The different people he meet who he got along with and who he did not. He also talks alot about old Las Vegas. The Rat Pack and some day being like them. The part of old Vegas was really interesting especally about the Sands Hotel and just the vibe that was going off in that town. There are sto
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I have been a fan of Anka for decades. I was truly anxious to read this autobiography. I was not disappointed; actually I was surprised! We all know that Anka is a showman, a great showman but in this book we also learn that he is a true visionary and a natural businessman. His friends and acquaintances are all part of our culture and leaders in their own field. There are few artists of his generation that are still as active as he is. His constant search for style renewal over several decades h
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Skimmed through......oddly enough I am no longer such a big fan. Poorly written, self centered and selfish. Not what I expected. Wow !! Glad I bought it used for a penny !
Jul 19, 2015
Steve Cobleigh
added it
For those interested in how the early music biz worked, this is it. Lots about how Vegas matured as well, without being a kiss and tell.
It was a long read and should have been condensed, but I stick with it and it was enjoyable
Paul was a big star at a young age. He achieved popularity and financial success while still in his teens. The part about his climb and his history of Las Vegas were interesting. My problem was the "inside information" about the Rat Pack stars that we did not need to know, especially from him. The people he revealed information about are no longer alive to refute or agree. I was embarrassed and disturbed by that. I didn't need to know everything about Sinatra's medical problems or Sammy Davis, J
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well, interesting man, very successful songwriter (who knew all the songs he had written?), but, wow, this needed an editor.
The first part for the book is traditional autobiography, but then it’s like they just transcribed Paul talking for the next two-thirds. It’s repetitive, and easily half the book is speculation and stories about the mob, and while interesting, not what I am expecting from his autobiography (“oh, and I had five kids then divorced my wives..but let me tell you more about the ...more
The first part for the book is traditional autobiography, but then it’s like they just transcribed Paul talking for the next two-thirds. It’s repetitive, and easily half the book is speculation and stories about the mob, and while interesting, not what I am expecting from his autobiography (“oh, and I had five kids then divorced my wives..but let me tell you more about the ...more
The life and times of singer Paul Anka from the time he left Ottawa, Canada at 15 years old, headed to NY to write songs and sing through the current day. Anka talks about the teen idol days of the 50s and 60s, his movie career, and fufilling one of his dreams by meeting Frank Sinatra and hanging out with the Rat Pack. He includes his ideas about how to keep re-inventing himself to stay in the limelight, and about all of the famous people he has met and became friends with along the way.
I was so disappointed by this book. Anka shares almost nothing of his life other than his love of the Rat Pack and Las Vegas lifestyle. (This is something to be emulated?) I kept reading to the end in hopes that it would get better but it never did. I ought to have quit on page 10. Worse, some of his most caustic stories were related to people he swears are his friends....if that's how he treats friends, one certainly wouldn't want to be his enemy. I lost respect for him with each page.
This book really gives one an outlook into the entertainment scene of the 60's,70's and 80's and the inner workings of Las Vegas with its movers and shakers, the mobsters, the showgirls, entertainers and the politicians. Inside information on the Rat Pack personalities, Elvis Presley, and the people surrounding them. Paul Anka's career has spanned decades even as music styles changed. His career as a singer and songwriter are evidence of this.
It is hard to believe Paul Anka once considered becoming a writer. His writing skills leave much to be desired. He does get his point across (repeatedly) and gives a good description of the music business throughout the decades he has worked. A bit of a name dropper, I did think he was very discreet in not dissing people he might have and not glorifying juicy bits, just stating the facts, as he saw them.
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