Dad's Way, A Tribute To His Life by Elvis
Today was Dad's 85th Birtday. While Barbara and I were chosing songs for his funeral we were listening to Elvis songs. When we listened to Elvis singing My Way, both Barbara and I agreed Dad lived his life His Way. For his Memorial Service, (we chose Peace In The Valley by Elvis,one of Dad's favorite songs and from his own CD's) so I chose "My Way" as a tribute of Dad's life for his birthday.
When I listen to the song, it describes the way Dad lived his entire life. The ups and downs, the good the bad, he dealt with His Way.
Themes
The lyrics of "My Way" tell the story of a man who is nearing death. As he reflects on his life, he has no regrets for how he lived his life, saying that, until the end, he did things his way.
Origin
Paul Anka heard the original 1967 French pop song, Comme d'habitude performed by Claude Francois with music by Jacques Revaux and lyrics by Gilles Thibault, while on holiday in the south of France.
Back in New York, Anka re-wrote the original French song for Sinatra, subtly altering the melodic structure and changing the lyrics: "At one o'clock in the morning, I sat down at an old IBM electric typewriter and said, 'If Frank were writing this, what would he say?' And I started, metaphorically, 'And now the end is near.' I read a lot of periodicals, and I noticed everything was 'my this' and 'my that'. We were in the 'me generation' and Frank became the guy for me to use to say that. I used words I would never use: 'I ate it up and spit it out.' But that's the way he talked. I used to be around steam rooms with the Rat Pack guys - they liked to talk like Mob guys, even though they would have been scared of their own shadows." Anka finished the song at 5am. "I called Frank up in Nevada - he was at Caesar's Palace - and said, 'I've got something really special for you.'?"[2] Anka claimed: "When my record company caught wind of it, they were very pissed that I didn't keep it for myself. I said, 'Hey, I can write it, but I'm not the guy to sing it.' It was for Frank, no one else."[2]
Elvis Presley version
Elvis Presley began performing the song in concert during the mid-1970s, in spite of suggestions by Paul Anka, who told him it was not a song that would suit him. Nevertheless, on January 13 and 14 of 1973, Presley sang the song during his satellite show "Aloha from Hawaii", beamed live and on deferred basis ( for European audiences, who also saw it in prime time), to 43 countries via INTELSAT, the only time that a single entertainer faced such a worldwide audience. In the continental US, the show was carried by NBC, and shown in primetime on 14 April, thus achieving very high ratings and eventually helping the show reach a worldwide viewership of over 1 billion.
On October 3, 1977, several weeks after his death, his live recording of "My Way" (recorded for the "Elvis In Concert" CBS-TV special on June 21, 1977) was released as a single. In the U.S., it reached number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart, number 6 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, and the following year reached number 2 on the Billboard Country singles chart but went all the way to number 1 on the rival Cash Box Country Singles chart. In the UK, it reached number 9 on the UK Singles Chart.
My Way(words & music by Anka - Francois - Revaux)
And now the end is near
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`ve traveled each and every 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 exception
I planned each charted course
Each careful step along the byway
Oh, and more, much more than this
I did it my way
Yes, there were times, I`m sure you know
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 fails, 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, no not me
I did it my way
For what is a man, what has he got
If not himself, then he has not
To say the words he truly feels
And not the words he would reveal
The record shows I took the blows
And did it my way
The record shows I took the blows
And did it my way
When I listen to the song, it describes the way Dad lived his entire life. The ups and downs, the good the bad, he dealt with His Way.
Themes
The lyrics of "My Way" tell the story of a man who is nearing death. As he reflects on his life, he has no regrets for how he lived his life, saying that, until the end, he did things his way.
Origin
Paul Anka heard the original 1967 French pop song, Comme d'habitude performed by Claude Francois with music by Jacques Revaux and lyrics by Gilles Thibault, while on holiday in the south of France.
Back in New York, Anka re-wrote the original French song for Sinatra, subtly altering the melodic structure and changing the lyrics: "At one o'clock in the morning, I sat down at an old IBM electric typewriter and said, 'If Frank were writing this, what would he say?' And I started, metaphorically, 'And now the end is near.' I read a lot of periodicals, and I noticed everything was 'my this' and 'my that'. We were in the 'me generation' and Frank became the guy for me to use to say that. I used words I would never use: 'I ate it up and spit it out.' But that's the way he talked. I used to be around steam rooms with the Rat Pack guys - they liked to talk like Mob guys, even though they would have been scared of their own shadows." Anka finished the song at 5am. "I called Frank up in Nevada - he was at Caesar's Palace - and said, 'I've got something really special for you.'?"[2] Anka claimed: "When my record company caught wind of it, they were very pissed that I didn't keep it for myself. I said, 'Hey, I can write it, but I'm not the guy to sing it.' It was for Frank, no one else."[2]
Elvis Presley version
Elvis Presley began performing the song in concert during the mid-1970s, in spite of suggestions by Paul Anka, who told him it was not a song that would suit him. Nevertheless, on January 13 and 14 of 1973, Presley sang the song during his satellite show "Aloha from Hawaii", beamed live and on deferred basis ( for European audiences, who also saw it in prime time), to 43 countries via INTELSAT, the only time that a single entertainer faced such a worldwide audience. In the continental US, the show was carried by NBC, and shown in primetime on 14 April, thus achieving very high ratings and eventually helping the show reach a worldwide viewership of over 1 billion.
On October 3, 1977, several weeks after his death, his live recording of "My Way" (recorded for the "Elvis In Concert" CBS-TV special on June 21, 1977) was released as a single. In the U.S., it reached number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart, number 6 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, and the following year reached number 2 on the Billboard Country singles chart but went all the way to number 1 on the rival Cash Box Country Singles chart. In the UK, it reached number 9 on the UK Singles Chart.
My Way(words & music by Anka - Francois - Revaux)
And now the end is near
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`ve traveled each and every 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 exception
I planned each charted course
Each careful step along the byway
Oh, and more, much more than this
I did it my way
Yes, there were times, I`m sure you know
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 fails, 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, no not me
I did it my way
For what is a man, what has he got
If not himself, then he has not
To say the words he truly feels
And not the words he would reveal
The record shows I took the blows
And did it my way
The record shows I took the blows
And did it my way
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