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/
Bring Me Home
Paul Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And everywhere but here
Shutting out the voice of reason
Whispering in my ear
Running from love, fuelled by fear
I’ve seen the line from love to tears
Etched in stone
All too clear
I need someone to remind me
Love is trying to find me
And bring me home
Bring me home to you
No one lives a life protected
Safe from injury
And I have been a fool expecting
Immunity
So take my heart, lock and key
Promise you won’t run from me
I count on you
Count on me
Oh, I need someone to remind me
Love is trying to find me
And bring me home
Bring me home to you
The heart is a lonely hunter
It’s suddenly so clear
What it is that brought me here
On a winding trail of loneliness
Across plains of disappointment
Across rivers of tears
Never slowing down
Never giving time to rest
The heat is a lonely hunter
It’s hunger drives you on and on
The heart is a lonely hunter
Till you find the place your heart belongs
So many nights I’d had enough
So many times I’d given up
Now I see is aim was true
From the first time you touched my hand
I knew the one my heart demands
And all the while
It was leading me to you
You can feel your heart beat faster
And the tremble in your hands
And the thrill of getting closer to
The one your heart demands
And baby you’re the place my heart belongs
Gotta find the place your heart belongs
In the song "Bring Me Home," Paul Young sings about his struggle with love and fear, and how he needs to be brought home to the right person who can remind him that love is trying to find him. He confesses that he has been shutting out the voice of reason and running from love fueled by fear, but now realizes that he can't live a life protected from injury or expect immunity from emotional pain. He pleads with the person he trusts, whom he counts on, and promises not to run away from them. The heart, he says, is a lonely hunter, always searching for its place of belonging, and when you find it, your heart beats faster, your hands tremble, and you feel the thrill of getting closer to the one your heart demands.
The lyrics in this song are quite poignant and relatable. It is easy to see how one could get lost in their fears and doubts, shutting out the possibility of love and happiness. The metaphor of the heart as a lonely hunter is apt, describing the constant search for a true connection, a place where one can belong.
The song "Bring Me Home" was written by Diane Warren and was originally intended to be recorded by Celine Dion. However, Paul Young's version became more popular and successful, reaching number 53 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 19 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart in 1993.
Line by Line Meaning
I’ve been keeping myself far away
I've been keeping my distance from everyone.
And everywhere but here
I've been avoiding being in the present.
Shutting out the voice of reason
I've been ignoring rational thought.
Whispering in my ear
Temptation has been alluring me.
Running from love, fuelled by fear
I'm scared of being hurt and avoiding love.
I’ve seen the line from love to tears Etched in stone All too clear
I have experienced the pain of love and know it can lead to heartbreak.
I need someone to remind me
I require help remembering.
Love is trying to find me
Love is seeking me out.
And bring me home
Bring me back to where I belong.
Bring me home to you
Bring me back to my true love.
No one lives a life protected
Nobody is invulnerable.
Safe from injury
Everyone is susceptible to harm.
And I have been a fool expecting
I was foolish to anticipate immunity from pain.
Immunity
Being immune to pain.
So take my heart, lock and key
Please keep my heart safe.
Promise you won’t run from me
Promise not to leave me behind.
I count on you
You are my support.
Count on me
You can depend on me.
Oh, I need someone to remind me
I need someone to jog my memory.
The heart is a lonely hunter
When searching for love, it's like searching for prey.
It’s suddenly so clear
I have a newfound understanding.
What it is that brought me here
Why I ended up in this position.
On a winding trail of loneliness
I have been traveling a path of isolation.
Across plains of disappointment
Over an expanse of letdown.
Across rivers of tears
Having to cross various hardships.
Never slowing down
Never stopping to take a break.
Never giving time to rest
I never take time to relax.
The heat is a lonely hunter
Passion will make you feel isolated.
It’s hunger drives you on and on
The craving compels you to keep going relentlessly.
Till you find the place your heart belongs
Until you find where you feel at home.
So many nights I’d had enough
I've been tired of being alone for so long.
So many times I’d given up
I've lost hope numerous times.
Now I see is aim was true
Now, I see that my intended goal was accurate.
From the first time you touched my hand
From the moment you first touched me.
I knew the one my heart demands
I knew you were the one I wanted.
And all the while
Through everything that has occurred.
It was leading me to you
It guided me to you.
You can feel your heart beat faster
You can sense your heart racing.
And the tremble in your hands
You can feel your hands shaking.
And the thrill of getting closer to
The excitement of getting closer and closer to.
The one your heart demands
The person you truly love.
And baby you’re the place my heart belongs
You are where my heart belongs, honey.
Gotta find the place your heart belongs
I need to find where you belong in your heart.
Contributed by Lila B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.