His inspiration came from his fans, whom he would observe in the audience during his performances. “I was very much aware of the ambience of these record hops…that was a room full of kids, and a lot of ballads, and everyone was holding each other, and I am up there singing alone to all of these teenagers and everybody’s head was on each others’ shoulders. It was kind of important back in the 50’s, a time of innocence and romance…”
Put Your Head on my Shoulder reached #2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. Nine years later, it resurfaced at #44 on the charts with The Lettermen’s 1968 rendition.
Canadian singer Michael Bublé—who began as Anka’s protégé—also covered Put Your Head on my Shoulder on his widely successful 2003 self-titled debut album.
