Frank Sinatra - My Way (Live At Madison Square Garden, New York City / 1...

HIT-STORY: ‘My Way’ by Frank Sinatra

Published August 24, 2022, 2:22 PM

by Robert Requintina, Manila Bulletin

Released in March 1969, singer Paul Anka wrote the hit ballad “My Way” with crooner Frank Sinatra on his mind.

In 1968, Frank hinted to Paul that he was ready to bid showbiz goodbye.

“Kid, I’m fed up. I’m gonna do one more album, and then I’m out of here. You never wrote me that song you always promised. Don’t take too long,” said Frank, 51, to Paul, then 25, in a book entitled “The Life of A Song.”

One sleepless night, Paul sat down at a piano and sensed himself becoming Frank.

“That’s how I got the first line: ‘And now the end is near, and so I face the final curtain’ I thought of him leaving the stage, the lights going out, and started typing like a madman, writing it just the way he talked: “Ate it up…spit it out.”

Paul finished writing the song at 5 a.m. He immediately called Frank to inform him about the song. “When I played the song for him, he said: “That’s kooky, kid. We’re going in.”

These days, “My Way” is still also one of the favorite karaoke songs around the world.

In the Philippines, at least 12 people were shot dead following altercations over the song from 2002 and 2012, according to the book.

In 2016, the UK’s Co-op funeral company revealed that “My Way” is now UK’s most popular choice of funeral song.

Frank passed away on May 14, 1998. He was 82. But “My Way” was never played at his funeral.

The complete lyrics to the song “My Way”:

“My Way”

And now, the end is near

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 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 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.

(Courtesy of azlyrics.com)