''Rock Swings'' is an

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

Paul Anka Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his signature hit songs including " Diana", " Lonely Boy", " Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and "(You're) Having My Baby". Anka also ...

. Recorded in November 2004 and released on May 31, 2005 in Canada and June 7, 2005 in the United States, it contains

swing jazz Swing music is a style of jazz that developed in the United States during the late 1920s and early 1930s. It became nationally popular from the mid-1930s. The name derived from its emphasis on the off-beat, or nominally weaker beat. Swing bands ...

covers of popular

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

and pop songs from the 1980s and 1990s. The idea of an established vocalist giving rock hits a " standards" treatment was earlier realized by Anka's contemporary

Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer and actor. He was a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He sold more than 45 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and appeared in mo ...

in the 1997 album, '' In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy,'' with Boone doing covers of songs by

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...

Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...

and Judas Priest. That same year,

Steve Lawrence Steve Lawrence (born Sidney Liebowitz; July 8, 1935) is an American singer, comedian and actor, best known as a member of a duo with his wife Eydie Gormé, billed as " Steve and Eydie", and for his performance as Maury Sline, the manager and f ...

and

Eydie Gormé Eydie Gormé ( ; born Edith Gormezano; August 16, 1928 – August 10, 2013) was an American singer who had hits on the pop and Latin pop charts. She sang solo and in the duo Steve and Eydie with her husband, Steve Lawrence, on albums and telev ...

covered

Soundgarden Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil (both of whom are the only members to appear in every incarnation of the band), and bassist Hiro Yama ...

's "

Black Hole Sun "Black Hole Sun" is a song by American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris Cornell, the song was released in 1994 as the third single from the band's fourth studio album, '' Superunknown'' (1994). Considered to be the band's signatu ...

" in a lounge-jazz style on the 1997 compilation album release, '' Lounge-A-Palooza.'' Anka also covers "

" on ''Rock Swings.'' Reportedly, the

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

song "

Billie Jean "Billie Jean" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson, released by Epic Records on January 2, 1983, as the second single from his sixth studio album, '' Thriller'' (1982). It was written and composed by Jackson and produced by Jackson and ...

" was slated to be on the album in the recording stages, but Paul Anka could not get through a vocal take without bursting into laughter. The album features "It's My Life" by Bon Jovi, a song which includes the line "Like

Frankie Frankie may refer to: People *Frankie (musician), indie pop musician from Los Angeles, California * Frankie Abernathy (1981–2007), American MTV Real World cast member *Frankie Adams (born 1994), Samoan New Zealand actress *Frankie Avalon (born ...

said, 'I did it my way'", a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Sinatra classic "

My Way "My Way" is a song popularized in 1969 by Frank Sinatra set to the music of the French song "Comme d'habitude" composed by Jacques Revaux with lyrics by Gilles Thibaut and Claude François and first performed in 1967 by Claude François. Its E ...

", the lyrics to which were written by Anka. After the release of this album, Anka was awarded a star on

Canada's Walk of Fame Canada's Walk of Fame (french: link=no, Allée des célébrités canadiennes) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a walk of fame that acknowledges the achievements and accomplishments of Canadians who have excelled in their respective fields. It is a ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

. A

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

release of the same name, including live performances of these songs by Anka, was released on December 6, 2005.

Charts

Debuted at: * #120 on the ''Billboard'' 200 * #9 on the Official UK Album Chart * #2 on Billboard's Top Jazz Albums chart * #1 on Amazon.de

Track listing

Certifications

Samples

Personnel

* Paul Anka: Executive producer * Alex Christensen: Production *

Al Schmitt Albert Harry Schmitt (April 17, 1930 – April 26, 2021) was an American recording engineer and record producer. He won twenty Grammy Awards for his work with Henry Mancini, Steely Dan, George Benson, Toto, Natalie Cole, Quincy Jones, and other ...

: Engineering, mixing * Jon Crosse: Conductor * Patrick Williams,

Randy Kerber Randy Kerber (born September 25, 1958) is an American composer, orchestrator and keyboard player, who has had a prolific career in the world of cinema.SeRandy Kerberat the IMDb Kerber was born in Encino, California. He began his first national ...

John Clayton John Clayton may refer to: Arts and entertainment Writing *John Clayton (architect) (died 1861), English architect and writer *John Bell Clayton and Martha Clayton, John Bell Clayton (c. 1907–1955), American writer *John Clayton (sportswriter) ( ...

: Session arrangers and conductors

Musicians

* Paul Anka: Vocals * Jon Bon Jovi: Guitar, Piano, Backing Vocals *

: Piano on all tracks except 5, 8 * Mike Lang: Piano on tracks 5, 8 * Jon Crosse: Tenor Saxophone on track 12 *

Vinnie Colaiuta Vincent Peter Colaiuta (born February 5, 1956) is an American drummer who has worked as a session musician in many genres. He was inducted into the '' Modern Drummer'' Hall of Fame in 1996 and the ''Classic Drummer'' Hall of Fame in 2014. Cola ...

: Drums * Mike Valerio: Bass guitar * Larry Koonse: Guitar on tracks 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14 *

Dean Parks Weldon Dean Parks (born December 6, 1946) is an American session guitarist and record producer from Fort Worth, Texas. Albums Parks was member of the North Texas State One O'clock Lab Band before moving to Los Angeles to work with Sonny and Cher ...

: Guitar on tracks 1, 5, 8, 10 *

Emil Richards Emil Richards (born Emilio Joseph Radocchia; September 2, 1932 – December 13, 2019) was an American vibraphonist and percussionist. Biography Musician Richards began playing the xylophone aged six. In High School, he performed with the Hartf ...

: Vibraphone * Gary Grant (Lead), Charles Davis, Larry Hall: Trumpet * Warren Luening: Trumpet on tracks 3, 4, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14 * Sal Cracchiolo: Trumpet on tracks 1, 2, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11 * Steve Holtman, Andrew Martin: Trombone * Alex Iles, Bill Reichenbach: Trombone on tracks 3, 4, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14 * Bob McChesney, Bryant Byers: Trombone on tracks 1, 2, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11 * Gene Cipriano: Tenor Saxophone, Flute * Dan Higgins, Greg Huckins: Alto Saxophone, Flute * Bill Liston: Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet * Joel Peskin: Bass Clarinet, Baritone Saxophone * Joel Derouin ( Concert-master): Violin on tracks 4, 6, 7, 11, 12, 14 * Rebecca Bunnell, Mario De Leon, Tiffany Yi Hu, Patricia Johnson, Peter Kent, Miran Kojian, Haim Shtrum, Mari Tsumura, Shari Zippert, Kirstin Fife, Razdan Kuyumjian, Dennis Molchan, Les Terry: Violin on tracks 4, 6, 7, 11, 12, 14 * Bruce Dukov (Concert-master): Violin on tracks 6 and 7 * Jennifer Munday, Anatoly Rosinsky, Charles Everett, Armen Garabedian, Berj Garabedian, Darius Campo: Violin on tracks 6 and 7 * Marilyn Baker, Jorge Moraga, James Ross, Harry Shirinian, Karie Prescott, Evan Wilson: Viola on tracks 4, 6, 7, 11, 12, 14 * Simon Oswell, Pam Goldsmith: Viola on tracks 6 and 7 * Larry Corbett, Vanessa Freebairn-Smith, Miguel Martinez, Steve Richards, Andrew Shulman, Anne Karam: Cello on tracks 4, 6, 7, 11, 12, 14 * Ernie Ehrhardt: Cello on tracks 6 and 7 * Peter Doubrovsky, Frances Liu-Wu: Bass guitar on track 14 * Gayle Levant: Harp on track 14 * Brad Warnaar, Jim Atkinson, Kurt Snyder: French Horn on track 14

References

Verve Music information page

Verve Music press release

Billboard Bits: Paul Anka

Footnotes

External links

Paul Anka Spins Pop His Way with 'Rock Swings
on

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{{Authority control 2005 albums Covers albums Paul Anka albums Verve Records albums