Anka called Sinatra and Elvis Presley his two “towers” of music while speaking to Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins on his “The Magnificent Others” podcast<\/a> this week.<\/p>\n “When Elvis was around, he just \u2013 they both owned a room, and they were both given that it factor,” he explained.<\/p>\n FRANK SINATRA’S DESERT HIDEAWAY WAS ‘ALL SEX, ALL THE TIME,’ FORMER VALET CLAIMS<\/a><\/p>\n Paul Anka is seen performing in New York City in 2008. (WireImage)<\/p>\n He added, “And Elvis worked<\/a> his a– off. This was a shy guy. I would sit with him like this: \u2018Hey, Paulie,\u2019” he said in a reserved imitation of Presley. “\u2018How you doing, man? Yeah, Paul. You know, one day I’m going to do that “My Way.” I love that “My Way.”\u2019”<\/p>\n He said he told Presley that he wouldn\u2019t want to cover the song made famous by Sinatra because it wasn\u2019t exactly his style of music.<\/p>\n “But what an amazing force to watch and be around it,” he continued.<\/p>\n The “Put Your Head on My Shoulder” singer said he and Presley learned that it “wasn’t about just getting up there and singing. You had to entertain people.”<\/p>\n Frank Sinatra is seen performing at the United Cerebral Palsy telethon at the studios of KECA-TV in Los Angeles in 1952. (Getty Images)<\/p>\n The 84-year-old gave the example of the notoriously unpredictable Bob Dylan<\/a>, whom he admits he loves, but said would sometimes go on stage and “couldn\u2019t give a s— and people walk out, \u2018What the f—?\u2019 If you don’t entertain people, you’re dead.”<\/p>\n Regarding Sinatra, he vowed the “Fly Me to the Moon” crooner “will get bigger, young people will learn exactly what true quality is, you know, at a time when there was no autotune.”<\/p>\n “Think about the difference. I don’t know who the f— is doing the singing today. Do you?” he admitted. “Can you imagine back then if you said to Sinatra, \u2018We’re going to give you an autotune\u2019? He would have thrown a chair at you.”<\/p>\n Singers in Sinatra\u2019s time, he said, “walked in a studio after rehearsing, as I stated earlier, and you kept singing, and that band kept playing till you got perfect.”<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER<\/a><\/p>\n Elvis Presley is seen singing in front of a mob of fans in 1957. (Getty Images)<\/p>\n “That was it,” he continued. “And he was the guy.”<\/p>\n Anka said Sinatra set the standard and “made it tough for anybody to ever stand in front of a band again. We all came second, but he was the guy we emulated.”<\/p>\n He also said that Sammy Davis, Jr.<\/a> was the most “short-changed” on being recognized.<\/p>\n “To Frank and Dean [Martin] and to all of us, he was the most talented,” Anka said.<\/p>\n![\"Paul](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/paul-anka-songwriters-hall-of-fame.jpg\")
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