加拿大這個國家雖然人很少，在流行音樂方面，出產了很多明星。Paul Anka是上個世紀最好的songwriter之一。Paul Anka出生在Ottawa，也是當時的北美Teen Idol,可能象現在的Justin Bieber一樣。加拿大盛產Teen Idol麼。當然Justin Bieber不寫歌。而Paul Anka就更加多才多藝，不但寫而且唱。1957年，16歲的Paul Anka寫了首歌叫Diana,當時，在美國，加拿大，英國和澳洲都是排行榜的第一名。也就是從這個時候開始，Paul Anka的teenager time就結束了。

Paul Anka有很多歌曲都是排行榜的第一名。當然最有名的還是Diana，Lonely Boy, Having my baby, My Way, 以及She is a lady等。都是當時的超級Hit。成年後的Paul Anka給Frank Sinatra寫的 My Way成為流行音樂中經典。他給Tom Jones寫的She is a lady成為Tom Jones最成功的歌曲， the biggest hit。Tom Jones是60年代英國入侵時的為數不多的成功的單人歌星，也是貓王的最好的朋友之一。

這段時間，才是美國流行音樂以及文化最繁榮的時期，黑白互融，交相輝映。之前，我講過田那西的Nashville和Memphis,是美國南方的音樂之都。貓王，Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison,和Jerry Lee Lewis等人都是從那裡出來的。當時的流行音樂界就講”條條大路通Nashville”。還有Detroit的Motown。 還有一個就是Rat Pack。Rat Pack包括Frank Sinatra，Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr.,以及Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop,。。Rat Pack代表了白人上層流行音樂的風格，Paul Anka的風格就屬於這一類， 跟南方Nashville的鄉村以及黑人藍調的風格截然不同。當時，Frank Sinatra還公開反對過貓王和搖滾音樂。實際上，Frank Sinatra和Dean Martin這兩個意大利裔的超級歌星的成名也跟Mafia有關係。作為一個流行音樂的愛好者，這幾種音樂都有感動我的成分。

這裡一定要提=一下Paul Anka給Frank Sinatra寫的 My Way。我非常喜歡這首歌。最好的Songwriters總是能用最簡單的語言capture那種感覺。將來，我死的時候，一定要在我的葬禮上放這首歌。至今，Paul Anka仍然在寫歌，2009年，還跟Michael Jackson 一起寫了首歌。

下面這個Paul Anka的演唱會，包括了他的所有經典之作。

My Way

And now, the end is here
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 ev'ry 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 exemption
I planned each charted course, each careful step along the byway
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 faced 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 losing
And now, as tears subside, I find it all so amusing
To think I did all that
And may 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 naught
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!

Yes, it was my way