Young was born in Cinderford, Gloucestershire. The son of a baker and a dressmaker, he attended East Dean Grammar School. After his parents divorced in 1939, he left for South Wales to work as an electrician. Young later joined the RAF staying until 1949 and attaining the rank of sergeant PT Instructor.
Young was signed to the then new label Polygon Records in 1950, alongside Petula Clark. He released numerous records on the label, all conducted by Ron Goodwin, the biggest seller of which was "Too Young" (1951), a big sheet music seller at the time. It was a cover of Nat King Cole's American recording. There were also two duets with Petula Clark that year, "Mariandl" and "Broken Heart".
In 1952, he signed a recording contract with Decca. Young enjoyed Top 10 successes with "Eternally", "Chain Gang" and "More" (with which he surpassed Perry Como's American original in the British Singles Chart listings). His most successful year as a recording artist was 1955, when "Unchained Melody" (from the film Unchained) and "The Man from Laramie" (from the film of the same name) were successive releases and both number one hits.
After a period with Radio Luxembourg, Young joined the BBC as one of the first disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, presenting the weekday mid-morning show from 1967 to 1973.[4] In 1973 he joined BBC Radio 2, where he presented a regular programme (which he referred to as 'The JY Prog'), until his retirement from broadcasting at the end of 2002.
He developed a popular approach to current affairs and regularly interviewed Margaret Thatcher while she was prime minister. He broadcast from around the world, including several live shows from Moscow, the first in 1977, and interviewed every British prime minister from 1964 to 2010. His theme music was "Town Talk" by Ken Woodman & His Piccadilly Brass. BFN ('Bye for now') was one of his catchphrases.
Although he was offered the opportunity to present a weekend current affairs programme, he turned it down. His radio slot was taken over by the former Newsnight presenter, Jeremy Vine. Shortly after leaving the BBC, Young wrote a newspaper column attacking his former employer for instances of "brutality", and making clear that it had not been his idea to leave.
Young returned to BBC Radio 2 in 2011 with a special one-hour programme in celebration of his 90th birthday. Sir Jimmy Young at 90, broadcast on 20 September 2011, heard him in conversation with his friend and former sparring partner Ken Bruce, looking back over his career. In March 2012 Young returned to presenting on BBC Radio 2 after over nine years when he joined Desmond Carrington on a weekly show entitled Icons of the 50s. Young received an OBE in 1979, a CBE in 1993, and, at the beginning of 2002, he was knighted for services to broadcasting.
Young continued to write a weekly column for the Sunday Express newspaper until he retired from this role in November 2014.
Discography
"Too Young" – (1951)
"Faith Can Move Mountains" – (1953) – UK Number 11
"Eternally" – (1953, music by Charles Chaplin, words by Geoff Parsons) – UK Number 8
"Unchained Melody" – (1955) – UK Number 1 (with Bob Sharples and His Music, Decca: F10502)
"The Man from Laramie" – (1954) – UK Number 1 (with Bob Sharples and His Music, Decca: F10597)
"Someone on Your Mind" – (1955) – UK Number 13
"Chain Gang" – (1956) – UK Number 9
"Wayward Wind" – (1956) – UK Number 27
"Rich Man Poor Man" – (1956) – UK Number 25
"More" – (1956) – UK Number 4
"Round and Round" – (1957) – UK Number 30 (with the Mike Sammes Singers)
"Miss You" – (1963) – UK Number 15
"Unchained Melody" (re-recording) – (1964) – UK Number 43 (with the Mike Sammes Singers)
According to a family spokesperson, Young died "peacefully at home" in the afternoon of 7 November 2016, with his wife Alicia by his side.
Too Young
Jimmy Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Too young to really be in love
They say that loves a word
A word weve only heard
But cant begin to know the meaning of
And yet were not too young to know
This love will last though years may go
We were not too young at all
And yet were not too young to know
This love will last though years may go
And then some day they may recall
We were not too young at all
In Jimmy Young's song "Too Young", he explores the theme of young love being dismissed by older, more experienced individuals. The opening line "they try to tell us we're too young" sets the tone for the rest of the song, as the singer is trying to convince someone that their feelings are valid despite societal norms dictating otherwise. The lyrics imply that older people view love as merely a word, something they've heard a lot, but don't understand the true meaning of. The singer, on the other hand, argues that they do understand what love is, even if they are young.
The second verse reinforces this idea by stating that their love will stand the test of time, even as years go by. The final lines of the song "and then some day they may recall we were not too young at all" imply that the singer knows their love is real, and that eventually older individuals may recognize that their initial dismissal of young love was misguided. Overall, the song stands as a poignant and relatable ode to young love and the challenges that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
They try to tell us were too young
Other people think we are too young to understand love
Too young to really be in love
According to others, we are not old enough to be genuinely in love
They say that loves a word
People suggest that love is just a concept
A word weve only heard
We have heard the term love, but we don't fully comprehend what it means
But cant begin to know the meaning of
We are nowhere near understanding the true implications of love
And yet were not too young to know
Despite what others say, we do know about love
This love will last though years may go
Our love is real, and it will survive the test of time
And then some day they may recall
In the future, others might remember our love
We were not too young at all
They'll realize that we were mature enough to experience true love
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION
Written by: Sidney Lippman, Sylvia Dee
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind