Rock Swings

Rock Swings
Studio album by Paul Anka
Released May 31, 2005 (Can)
June 7, 2005 (US)
Recorded November 2004
Genre Swing jazz
Length 58:18
Label Verve Music Group
Producer Paul Anka
Paul Anka chronology
Times of Your Life
(1975)		 Rock Swings (2005) Classic Songs, My Way (2007)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic link
Rolling Stone link
BBC.co.ukNegative link

Rock Swings is an album by Paul Anka. Recorded in November 2004 and released on May 31, 2005 in Canada and June 7, 2005 in the United States, it contains swing jazz covers of popular rock 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 in the 1997 album, In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy, with Boone doing covers of songs by Alice Cooper, Van Halen and Judas Priest. That same year, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé covered Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun" in a lounge-jazz style on the 1997 compilation album release, Lounge-A-Palooza. Anka also covers "Black Hole Sun" on Rock Swings.

Reportedly, the Michael Jackson song "Billie Jean" 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.[1] The album features "It's My Life" by Bon Jovi, a song which includes the line "Like Frankie said, 'I did it my way'" - a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Sinatra classic "My Way", 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 in Toronto. A DVD release of the same name, including live performances of these songs by Anka, was released on December 6, 2005.

Charts

Debuted at:

Track listing

  1. "Eye of the Tiger" (original version by Survivor)
  2. "Jump" (original version by Van Halen)
  3. "Everybody Hurts" (original version by R.E.M.)
  4. "Wonderwall" (original version by Oasis)
  5. "Black Hole Sun" (original version by Soundgarden)
  6. "It's My Life" (original version by Bon Jovi)
  7. "It's a Sin" (original version by Pet Shop Boys)
  8. "True" (original version by Spandau Ballet)
  9. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (original version by Nirvana)
  10. "Hello" (original version by Lionel Richie)
  11. "Eyes Without a Face" (original version by Billy Idol)
  12. "Lovecats" (original version by The Cure)
  13. "The Way You Make Me Feel" (original version by Michael Jackson)
  14. "Tears in Heaven" (original version by Eric Clapton)

Certifications

Country Certification Sales/shipments
Canada Gold[2] 50,000

Samples
Smells Like Teen Spirit
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" as covered by Paul Anka on his album, Rock Swings.
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Personnel

Musicians

See also

References

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Gatehouse, Jonathan, Macleans.ca, 2005. Anka's Back, Baby!
  2. ↑ CRIA Gold & Platinum certifications for February 2007. Retrieved July 25, 2007.
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