The Hollywood Godfather Podcast · GRI Entertainment

Legends Series: Singing with the Stars: Paul Anka Shares His Story

April 8, 2026·44 min·3 clips

Paul Anka shares that his hit song 'Put Your Head on My Shoulder' was originally titled 'Put Your Legs on My Shoulder'.

1. The Hollywood Godfather Podcast features Gianni Russo — broadcasting from the Chill Out convention in New Jersey — and co-host Jeannie Raymond calling in from Remington Park racetrack in Oklahoma to interview Paul Anka. 2. Gianni Russo is the actor and host; Jeannie Raymond is the co-host; Paul Anka is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter who has been professionally active since age 15 and is now in his 80s. 3. The episode covers Paul Anka's current projects — an HBO documentary, a Broadway show in development, and an active touring schedule — alongside his philosophy on longevity, the TikTok revival of his catalog, and his origin story. 4. Paul Anka's HBO Max documentary 'Paul Anka: His Way' has been running for roughly two months with strong ratings; it covers his career from his debut in the late 1950s through a recent Times Square performance of 'My Way.' 5. Anka says TikTok has unexpectedly renewed interest in 'Put Your Head on My Shoulder,' 'My Way,' and 'Puppy Love' among young people who are lip-syncing and singing the songs, and he credits the platform as 'a different kind of animal.' 6. A Broadway show about his life is in development, written by Rupert Holmes; Anka confirms he will not perform in it — a young actor and an older actor will play him — and calls eight shows a week 'how many times I go to the bathroom.' 7. Anka's touring schedule is booked through next March: East Coast dates through April, California in May, summer dates, a return to Florida from March 10th, and specific shows at the Borgata Hotel in Atlantic City on approximately April 17-18, plus dates in Toronto and Caesars Windsor. 8. Anka's 20-year-old son Ethan, who he describes as his motivation to 'go the distance,' will begin an internship at Primary Wave, the music publishing company Anka is partnered with, to learn the copyright publishing business. 9. Anka's five daughters include one married to actor Jason Bateman, who Jeannie says 'talks very highly' of his wife on his podcast. 10. Anka describes his health regimen as a daily shot of olive oil with lemon morning and evening, hot water with lemon juice in the morning to clean the system, boiled eggs and avocado, and no large meals — a routine he attributes to observing Italian mountain communities during years of recording in Italy. 11. He says he transitioned from heavy alcohol consumption in the 1960s lifestyle to now drinking only red or white wine, framing the shift as what happens when 'your body starts betraying you' around age 50. 12. On AI, Anka says he is hopeful rather than fearful and believes medical advances over the next few years will be transformational; he frames it as 'an amazing new chapter' for young people. 13. Anka traces his music career to hating his shorthand teacher, switching to a music class, and beginning to write songs; he saved $100 from a paper route and caddy work and traveled to New York at 15 to audition at ABC Paramount. 14. Don Costa at ABC Paramount signed him after hearing him play, contacted his parents in Ottawa to bring them to New York for the contract, and within two weeks Anka was recording 'Diana' at Bell Sound Studio. 15. Four months after recording 'Diana,' Anka appeared on American Bandstand; after the song became a hit, he traveled to Italy, Japan, and France. 16. Anka's original working title for 'Put Your Head on My Shoulder' was 'Put Your Legs on My Shoulder,' which he says he kept singing at parties 'and a couple of girls complied.' 17. He also corrects a common misconception about 'My Way': he wrote the English lyrics to an existing French composition, adapting rather than originating the melody, and notes there was a lawsuit over this. 18. The conversation is warm and anecdote-rich; Russo and Anka know each other from the Caesar's Palace opening and the Jubilation nightclub era in Las Vegas, and Russo's father ran the Jubilation. 19. Fans of classic pop music history, Old Hollywood Las Vegas, and stories about longevity and active aging will find this episode compelling. 20. Listeners looking for structured interview questions or new musical content rather than reminiscences and tour announcements may find the format too loose.

As heard by us

A warm, loose conversation full of Vegas and Atlantic City memories from a guest who still loves the stage.

Paul Anka makes this Legends Series stop feel like an easy walk through shared history. The hosts and guest move naturally from friendship into stories about Caesar's Palace, Jubilation, the Steel Pier diving horse, and the Borgata, so the conversation stays rooted in…

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Why you'd press play

If you want Paul Anka swapping Vegas and Atlantic City stage stories in a loose, behind-the-scenes chat.

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