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/
Bennie And The Jets
Paul Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The spotlight's hitting something
That's been known to change the weather
We'll kill the fatted calf tonight
So stick around
You're gonna hear electric music
Solid walls of sound
Say, Candy and Ronnie, have you seen them yet
But they're so spaced out, Bennie and the Jets
Oh, but they're weird and they're wonderful
Oh, Bennie she's really keen
She's got electric boots, a mohair suit
You know I read it in a magazine
Bennie and the Jets
Hey kids, plug into the faithless
Maybe they're blinded
But Bennie makes them ageless
We shall survive, let us take ourselves along
Where we fight
Our parents out in the streets
To find who's right and who's wrong
The song "Bennie and the Jets" is a tribute to the glam rock movement that was popular in the 1970s. The lyrics describe a scene of wild and uninhibited dancing and abandon, as if the audience is caught up in the energy of the music. The opening lines, "Hey kids, shake it loose together, the spotlight's hitting something that's been known to change the weather," draws us in and sets the tone for a night of excitement and revelry.
The line "We'll kill the fatted calf tonight" is a biblical reference to a calf that was slaughtered to commemorate the return of the prodigal son in the New Testament. In this context, it suggests that tonight's performance is a celebration of something important, perhaps the liberation of youth culture from the constraints of traditional society.
The chorus of the song is catchy and memorable, featuring the repeated refrain "Bennie and the Jets". The lyrics describe the eponymous characters in surreal and fanciful terms, with the lines "She's got electric boots, a mohair suit, you know I read it in a magazine" emphasizing the glamor and flamboyance of these over-the-top characters.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey kids, shake it loose together
Young is urging the young people to come together and let loose.
The spotlight's hitting something
The spotlight has landed on something important and noteworthy.
That's been known to change the weather
This spotlight is so powerful that it can even change the weather.
We'll kill the fatted calf tonight
Young is celebrating something big tonight, and they're going all out.
So stick around
Young is asking the audience to stay around and listen.
You're gonna hear electric music
Young promises that the audience will be hearing electric music soon.
Solid walls of sound
The music will be loud and powerful.
Say, Candy and Ronnie, have you seen them yet
Young is asking if Candy and Ronnie have seen something or someone special.
But they're so spaced out, Bennie and the Jets
Bennie and the Jets are very unique and eccentric.
Oh, but they're weird and they're wonderful
Young thinks that even though Bennie and the Jets may be weird, they are still wonderful.
Oh, Bennie she's really keen
Young notes that Bennie is very enthusiastic.
She's got electric boots, a mohair suit
Bennie has a unique sense of style.
You know I read it in a magazine
Young is sharing that he read about Bennie in a magazine.
Bennie and the Jets
Young repeats the song's title to emphasize the importance of these characters.
Hey kids, plug into the faithless
Young encourages the audience to connect with those who are typically disconnected or disengaged from mainstream society.
Maybe they're blinded
Faithless individuals might not see or understand the mainstream way of life.
But Bennie makes them ageless
Young implies that Bennie has a positive influence on people and makes them feel like they can exist beyond their time.
We shall survive, let us take ourselves along
Young is urging people to endure and continue onward, no matter what happens.
Where we fight
Young acknowledges that there are disagreements and oppositions among the people.
Our parents out in the streets
Young is referring to the older generation, who are out in the streets protesting or causing a commotion.
To find who's right and who's wrong
The older generation is trying to determine which side is correct, but Young implies that there is no clear-cut answer.
Contributed by Ellie W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.