Paul Anka wrote the English-language version of “My Way” for Frank Sinatra, adapting it from the French song “Comme d’habitude.”

Quick Scoop

  • The song “My Way” that Frank Sinatra made famous in 1969 is an English adaptation, not an original composition by Sinatra.
  • Canadian singer-songwriter Paul Anka wrote the English lyrics specifically for Sinatra after hearing the French song “Comme d’habitude.”
  • The original French version’s music was by Jacques Revaux, with lyrics by Gilles Thibaut and Claude François, and was first recorded by Claude François in 1967.

A bit of backstory

In the late 1960s, Paul Anka came across “Comme d’habitude,” a French pop song with a very different lyric and mood from what we now know as “My Way.”

He bought the adaptation rights, rewrote the words in English with Sinatra’s life and persona in mind, and turned it into a reflective song about looking back on one’s life “my way.”

Anka then offered the song to Sinatra, who recorded it in 1968; it became the title track of his 1969 album and one of his signature performances.

In short: the melody began in France, but the iconic English lyric that Sinatra sings was crafted by Paul Anka just for him.

TL;DR: Paul Anka wrote “My Way” for Frank Sinatra (English lyrics), adapting it from the French song “Comme d’habitude” by Jacques Revaux, Gilles Thibaut, and Claude François.

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