Introduction:
In August 1958, Paul Anka was still a teenager when he stepped into Bell Sound Studios in New York with a song he had written himself. Backed by Don Costa’s orchestra—with Costa also serving as producer—the session captured more than youthful promise; it revealed a young artist already thinking like a career builder. The label, ABC-Paramount, held the recording for months before finally releasing it on May 11, 1959.
When the song reached radio, its impact was immediate. It surged to No. 1 on the *Billboard* Hot 100, where it remained for four weeks, marking Anka’s first chart-topping single. Later that year, it found a second life on the big screen, appearing in the 1959 film *Girls Town*—a rare crossover moment for a teenage songwriter at the time.
What made the achievement remarkable wasn’t just the chart success, but the authorship behind it. At an age when many teen idols relied heavily on professional songwriters and carefully managed images, Anka was already asserting himself as both writer and singer. The record signaled that he was not merely a youthful face on a sleeve, but a creative force shaping his own material and direction.
That early decision—to write, to collaborate seriously, and to take ownership of his sound—set the tone for a career that would span decades. Long before the industry knew what to make of him, Paul Anka had already decided who he wanted to be.