Growing up with an older brother Mark and a younger sister Joanne, Young first went to work at the Vauxhall Motors factory and in his spare time played in several bands as bass guitarist. The first group for which he became lead singer was Kat Kool & The Kool Kats. In the late 1970s he joined the Streetband, who had one Top 20 hit in the UK, with the humorous, novelty track "Toast", reaching No. 18 in November 1978.
In December 1979 the Streetband broke up and Young formed the Q-Tips, who established their name by playing live and supporting The Who on their 1982 tour but had no chart hits in the UK, although their single "Letter Song" did enjoy minor success in mainland Europe.
The Q-Tips went their separate ways in 1982, and Young was signed by CBS Records as a solo performer, uniting the fields of New Wave and Soul. His first two singles, "Iron Out the Rough Spots" and a cover of Nicky Thomas’ "Love of the Common People" had no success, but the third, a cover of the Marvin Gaye B-side "Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)" was No. 1 in the UK singles chart for three weeks in the summer of 1983, the first of fourteen British Top 40 singles.
Similar success followed all over Europe. In the UK, follow-up single "Come Back and Stay" reached No. 4, and a re-release of "Love of the Common People" made it to No. 2, while his début album No Parlez was certified platinum in various countries.
Young's style at the time was a warm, approachable white soul, though he sometimes received playful criticism for his fashion decisions. However, his choice of an Antony Price leather suit for the cover of No Parlez was impractical for stage, where an energetic show dictated more robust clothing.
1984 was a difficult year for Young, as his first heavy promotional and live concert tour of America affected his vocal cords to the extent that he couldn't sing at all for most of the year. He recovered, however, to famously perform the opening line to the Band Aid single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and his second album, The Secret of Association, secured his future success in the U.S., Japan and Australia. Young's biggest worldwide hit came from this album in 1985 with a version of Daryl Hall & John Oates's album track "Everytime You Go Away". The song reached #1 on the U.S. pop charts.
His third and fourth albums, Between Two Fires, in 1986, and Other Voices, in 1990, were commercial failures (though the latter was a success in the US) but a popular duet, "Senza una donna-Without a Woman", with Italian blues singer Zucchero in 1991 and a corresponding greatest hits album (which also featured duets with Clannad and Joni Mitchell) returned him to success. It also included a new track, 'I’m Only Foolin Myself'. He sung "Radio Ga Ga" with Queen in 1992, at the tribute concert to the recently deceased Freddie Mercury.
In 1992, Paul Young formed Los Pacaminos, a Tex-Max style live band including other top-class musicians such as Jamie Moses and the late Matt Irving. The group have released two albums, with a third scheduled for released in 2024.
In 1993, Young released The Crossing, which produced his first solo Top 20 hit since 'Everytime You Go Away', 'Now I Know What Made Otis Blue'. After this, Young was freed from his contract with CBS. In 1994, he released the covers album Reflections, which was a commercial failure.
He reformed the Q-Tips for a short series of concerts that year in 1993. A year later he suffered significant vocal damage, which has followed him ever since. He contributed to the Vangelis album Voices in 1995. Young sang the British national anthem "God Save the Queen", on the eve of England's Euro '96 semifinal match against Germany.
In 1997, he released his final album to feature original material on EastWest Records. The album featured his final UK Top 40 hit, 'I Wish You Well' and abandoned soul in favour of a more country style somewhat similar to that of Garth Brooks. In 2006 and 2016, he released covers albums, Rock Swings On The Wild Side of Swing and Good Thing, with the former being only released in Germany.
Paul still actively tours solo and with Los Pacaminos and is releasing a new albums both solo and with his group in 2023. He spends his time with his family and following his past time of cooking.
www.paul-young.com/
A Little Bit Of Love
Paul Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A little bit of love, oh, has got to come your way
Well in my mind, it's easy to lose sight of the truth
But in my high I can't deny my feeling inside
Cause I believe If you give a little bit of love to those you live with
A little bit of love - oh, has got to come your way
Man in the sky, you say you're flying to lose sight of the world
You wanna stay high? Then don't deny your feeling inside
A little bit of love, has got to come your way
I believe If you give a little bit of love to those you live with
A little bit of love has got to come your way, now, yeah
I believe If you give a little bit of love to those you live with
A little bit of love - woo! - has got to come your way
And I do believe
Oh ho, give a little love
The lyrics to Paul Young's song A Little Bit of Love speaks to the importance of love and how it can have a positive impact on one's life. In the first verse, Young sings about believing that if one gives a little bit of love to those they live with, then love has to come their way. He acknowledges that in life, it is easy to lose sight of the truth, but that love can be found within oneself. The chorus reinforces this belief, repeating that love will come one's way if it is given out to those close to them.
The second verse seems to be directed towards someone who is high, potentially on drugs. Young sings about a person who wants to stay high but shouldn't deny their feelings inside if they want to find true happiness. This may be interpreted as a message of hope for those who may be struggling with addiction, encouraging them to be true to themselves and not let their struggles take away from self-love and love for others. The chorus is repeated again, emphasizing the importance of love and its power to bring positive change into one's life.
Overall, the lyrics to A Little Bit of Love highlights the importance of love in one's life, both giving it and receiving it. It encourages listeners to be true to themselves and their feelings, as love comes from within and can lead to a better, happier life.
Line by Line Meaning
I believe If you give a little bit of love to those you live with
The act of showing kindness to those you live with is crucial and I believe that it can make a positive difference in your life.
A little bit of love, oh, has got to come your way
When you show love to others, it is bound to come back to you in some form.
Well in my mind, it's easy to lose sight of the truth
It is easy for me to become disconnected from reality and lose touch with what truly matters.
But in my high I can't deny my feeling inside
Even when I am in a good mood or feeling high, I cannot ignore what I truly feel inside.
Man in the sky, you say you're flying to lose sight of the world
You may think that escaping from reality is a good thing, but it can cause you to lose touch with what is happening around you.
You wanna stay high? Then don't deny your feeling inside
If you want to maintain a positive state, do not ignore your emotions and innermost feelings.
Man in the sky, you say you're flying to show me how
You think you are flying high to show me what it's like, but I cannot bring myself to fly and lose touch with reality.
And I do believe
I strongly believe that showing love and kindness to those around you is essential for a fulfilling life.
Oh ho, give a little love
It is important to give away love to the world in order to receive more of it.
Contributed by Lincoln V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.