The Song Paul Anka Wrote for Sammy Davis Jr. That He Still Loves Performing

By any measurement, singer-songwriter Paul Anka has had a spectacular career, with his recorded work spanning a truly astonishing eight decades.

Born in 1941 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada to parents from Lebanon and Syria, Anka began songwriting at a very early age. His very first single, “I Confess,” was recorded when he was just 14 years old. One or two years later, Anka traveled to New York City to audition for ABC/Paramount Records. At that successful audition, he performed his original song, “Diana,” and in May 1957, when Anka was still only 15, he recorded the song professionally.

This was the start of a career that has seen him outlast countless contemporaries and which continues to this day.

Paul Anka’s Favorite Songs to Perform

With so many songs written and recorded, and thousands of concerts performed, you would think it would be understandably difficult for Anka to choose a single song that is his favorite to sing on stage. However, in an interview he conducted with the Library of Congress in May 2026 to mark the induction of his composition, “Put Your Head on My Shoulder,” into the National Recordings Registry, the singer was surprisingly quick to list a handful of numbers that he absolutely loves to perform live.

“Do I Love You” from Anka's 1972 self-titled album was one choice, with another being “My Way,” a song made famous by Frank Sinatra. Anka's third choice was a number he actually wrote for another artist—the great Sammy Davis Jr. That song, the sweet ballad “I'm Not Anyone,” was recorded by Davis back in 1973. It was covered by Shirley Bassey the following year, and by singer Vic Franklyn in 1976.

In 2007, Anka and Davis Jr. teamed up to lay down their own version as a duet, and, as recently as 2024, English musician Marc Almond also recorded the song.

“I would say that those [songs] are the three that I get really invested in in a different way,” Anka stated.

His Love for the Stage

In his heart, Anka has always been a performer first and recording star second. A connection to his audience is what drives him on. As he noted, in that same interview:

"You know, I see a lot of performers today and they’ll go nameless but they’re in it for the money, they’re lip-syncing and there's no respect for their audience. You’ve got to get up there and give 100% and enjoy it, you know, because it's music. It's there to share with people. And that’s what I do. I was in Mexico City recently. Played for 10,000 people. You come off stage and go, 'Wow!'"