📺 It Started with a Commercial
In the mid-1970s, television commercials were beginning to shift. They weren’t just about selling products anymore—they were about selling feelings. Kodak, the film company whose name was synonymous with family photos, wanted a campaign that captured the fleeting beauty of everyday moments. They didn’t want a sales pitch. They wanted emotion.
So, they approached Paul Anka.
By then, Anka was no longer the teenage idol who had written “Diana” or “Put Your Head on My Shoulder.” He was in his thirties, a seasoned songwriter who had already penned “My Way” for Frank Sinatra and hits for Tom Jones. He was also a father himself, with a deepening sense of how quickly life moved.
Kodak gave him a simple request: create a melody and lyrics that could bring tears to the eyes of a parent watching their children grow.
Paul Anka delivered.
🎶 The Jingle That Touched a Nation
The original commercial was just 60 seconds long. Families were shown flipping through photo albums, parents watching children blow out birthday candles, couples walking hand-in-hand. Over these images, Paul Anka sang:
“Good morning, yesterday / You wake up and time has slipped away…”
It was soft. Nostalgic. Poignant.
When the ad first aired in 1975, viewers didn’t just notice it—they felt it. Letters poured in to Kodak asking about the song. Radio stations received requests to play it, even though it wasn’t released as a single.
It was clear: this wasn’t just a jingle. It was a song that needed to stand on its own.
📀 From Advertising to the Charts
Recognizing the overwhelming response, Paul Anka recorded a full version of “Times of Your Life.” The song expanded on the themes of the commercial, turning a one-minute jingle into a three-minute ballad.
In November 1975, the single was released—and by early 1976, it was climbing the Billboard Hot 100. Eventually, it reached #7, making it one of Anka’s last major charting hits in the U.S.
What made it extraordinary wasn’t just its chart success. It was the fact that the song began as an advertisement and transcended its origin. Very few jingles had ever become legitimate pop hits. “Times of Your Life” wasn’t a brand anthem—it became a life anthem.
👨👩👧 A Song About Fatherhood
For Paul Anka, the timing couldn’t have been more personal. He was in the middle of raising his daughters. Fame had carried him around the world, but home life was where his heart settled. Watching his children grow—first steps, first days of school—gave him a new kind of inspiration.
The lyrics reflected that sense of time slipping by:
“Gather moments while you may / Collect the dreams you dream today…”
Anka wasn’t writing abstract poetry. He was writing about what he lived—sitting at the breakfast table, realizing how fast childhood disappears. “Times of Your Life” wasn’t just for Kodak’s audience. It was for Paul Anka himself.
🏆 Why It Resonated with America
By the mid-1970s, America was going through a period of change. The Vietnam War had ended. Watergate had shaken trust in leadership. Families were searching for stability, for something grounding.
“Times of Your Life” offered that. It reminded people that no matter how chaotic the world became, the simple act of cherishing everyday moments still mattered.
Graduations adopted it. Weddings played it. Even funerals found comfort in its words. It became a song for life’s milestones, not just a chart hit.
📸 The Kodak Connection
Interestingly, the song also reinforced Kodak’s brand in ways no marketing strategy could have planned. Every time someone heard “Times of Your Life,” they thought of photographs, of snapshots frozen in time. Kodak’s campaign became legendary—not because of commercials, but because of Paul Anka’s melody.
Decades later, advertising executives would cite “Times of Your Life” as one of the most successful brand crossovers in history. It was proof that sometimes, music could sell more than a product—it could sell a feeling.
🌍 International Reach
The song didn’t just stay in the U.S. In Canada, where Paul Anka was a national hero, “Times of Your Life” struck a similar chord. Around the world, the melody was used in graduations, TV specials, and family gatherings.
It also found a second life in Asia, where it was adopted for commercials and variety shows, reminding global audiences of its universal message.
🎤 Performing the Song Through the Years
For Paul Anka, performing “Times of Your Life” live was always different from his earlier hits. When he sang “Diana,” audiences screamed with nostalgia. But when he sang “Times of Your Life,” they often cried.
At concerts, Anka would introduce it by talking about his children and grandchildren. The song wasn’t just entertainment—it was a moment of shared humanity between the artist and the audience.
Even in Las Vegas showrooms, a place known for glitz and energy, “Times of Your Life” would hush the crowd into reflective silence.
🎼 Legacy Beyond the Charts
Although Paul Anka would go on to record and perform for decades, “Times of Your Life” holds a special place in his career. It represents not just a hit single but a moment where his songwriting aligned perfectly with the culture around him.
It remains one of the few songs that can move across generations seamlessly. Parents pass it down to children. Couples use it to mark anniversaries. Students use it as a farewell theme.
And through it all, Paul Anka’s voice—gentle, reflective, timeless—carries the same weight it did in 1975.
⏳ A Universal Reminder
When you listen to “Times of Your Life,” it’s hard not to stop and think: Am I capturing my own moments? Am I living them, appreciating them, before they slip away?
That was the magic of Paul Anka’s song. Born from a commercial, it outlived the brand that commissioned it. Kodak may have faded into history, but the song remains—eternal, humming in the background of our lives.
Because while film and photographs preserve images, music preserves feelings.
And Paul Anka gave us both.