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My Way

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(Thibault / François / Reveaux / Anka)

 

Information:
My Way was written by Gilles Thibault, Claude François, and Jacques Reveaux in 1967, using the French title, Comme d'Habitude. On a rainy day in Las Vegas in 1969, Paul Anka remembered the French melody he had heard while in France. He wrote English lyrics to the melody, with Frank Sinatra in mind. Sinatra recorded My Way (Reprise 734) and had a million-seller with it in 1969. The song peaked at #27 on the Hot 100 chart. Sinatra's recording was on the British charts for 122 weeks - a record for that country. The next year, Brook Benton had a rhythm & blues hit with My Way (Cotillion 44072), reaching #25.

 

Elvis sang My Way on his 1973 TV special, Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii, and his 1977 TV special, Elvis In Concert. A version from the latter special, recorded on June 21, 1977, at Rapid City, South Dakota, was used for the single release. My Way reached #22 during its 12 weeks on the Hot 100 chart. It peaked at #6 on the Easy-Listening chart. Sales of the single exceeded one million copies. The 1981 documentary This Is Elvis featured My Way on the soundtrack.

 

Lyrics:
 

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've travelled 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 a
nd saw it through without exemption

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 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 feel, 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 is not
To say the words he truly feels and not the words of the one who kneels
The record shows I took the blows and did it my way
The record shows I took the blows a
nd did it my way

 

Where it was released:

Released for the fist time on Aloha From Hawaii »

 

Singles:

- My Way / America The Beautiful (RCA PB-11165) November 1977. Standard release. Some of the record labels listed the flip side as America »

- My Way / America The Beautiful (RCA JH-11165) November 1977. Disc jockey promotional release. All copies of this release had America The Beautiful incorrectly listed on the label as America.

- Way Down / My Way (RCA GB-11504) May 1979. Gold standard series original release.

 

EPs:

- Aloha From Hawaii via Satellite (1973)

 

LPs/CDs:

- Aloha From Hawaii (1973) »

- Elvis in Concert (1977) »

– Elvis - A Canadian Tribute (1978) »

– Memories of Elvis (1978) »

- Elvis: Memories (1978) »

- Legendary Concert Performances (1978) »

- Elvis! His Greatest Hits (1979) »

– Elvis Aron Presley (1980) »

– This Is Elvis (1981) »

- The Alternate Aloha (1988)

- Forever, Volume 2 (1992)

- Gold – The Very Best of the King (1995)

- Walk a Mile in My Shoes – The Essential 70’s Masters (1995)

- Platinum – A Life in Music (1997)

- A Touch of Platinum, Volume 2 (1998)

- Elvis Aron Presley (1998)

- Elvis - A Canadian Tribute (1999)

- Elvis – The Concert (1999)

- All the Best (1999)

- Elvis Hits (2001)

- Spring Tours ’77 (2002) - FTD »

- New Year’s Eve (2003) – FTD »

- Takin’ Tahoe Tonight! (2003) - FTD »

- Elvis By the Presleys (2005)

- Summer Festival (2005) - FTD »

- Hitstory (2005)

- Elvis Live (2006)

- Unchained Melody (2007) - FTD »

- America (2008) - FTD »

- Showtime! Birmingham/Dallas '76 (2010) - FTD »

- Elvis (Fool) (2010) - FTD »

– Amarillo '77 (2011) - FTD »

Elvis From Hawaii to Las Vegas (2012) - FTD »

- Hits of the 70s (2012) - FTD »

– 3000 South Paradise Road (2012) - FTD »

– Moody Blue (2013) - FTD »

– Destination U.S.A. (2014) - FTD »

- This is Elvis (2015) - FTD »
– Omaha, Nebraska '74 (2018) - FTD »

What Now My Love (2018) - FTD »

St. Louis / Spokane (2020) - FTD »

 

Bootleg Releases:

- Rockin' with Elvis New Year's Eve Pittsburgh, Pa. Dec. 31, 1976 (1977) - Spirit of America Records

- To Know Him is to Love Him (1978) - Black Belt Records

- Aloha Rehearsal Show (1980) - Amiga Records

- A Dog's Life (1980) - Audifon Records

- Susie Q (1985) - Astra

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