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/
Every Time You Go Away
Paul Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm picking up the pieces (I'm picking up the pieces)
Don't leave me all alone
I'm picking up the pieces (I'm picking up the pieces)
Don't leave me all alone
I'm picking up the pieces (I'm picking up the pieces)
Don't leave me all alone
If we can solve any problem
Then why do we lose so many tears?
Oh, so you go again
When the leading man appears
Always the same thing
Can't you see
We've got everything
Going on and on and on
Every time you go away
You take a piece of me with you
Every time you go away
You take a piece of me with you, ooh
Go on and go free, yeah
Maybe you're too close to see
I can feel your body move
Doesn't mean that much to me
I can't go on
Saying the same thing
'Cause can't you see?
We got everything
Baby, even though you know
Every time you go away, yeah
You take a piece of me with you, oh
Every time you go away
You take a piece of me with you, ooh
Oh
I can't go on
Saying the same thing
'Cause, baby, can't you see?
We got everything
Going on and on and on
Every time you go away
You take a piece of me with you
Every time you go away
You take a piece of me with you
Picking up the pieces
Every time you go away (ooh)
You take a piece of me with you (be careful)
Every time you go away (every time you go)
You take a piece of me with you
You take a piece of me
Every time you go away (oh)
You take a piece of me with you (every time you go)
The song "Every Time You Go Away" by Paul Young is a passionate plea to a lover not to leave. The lyrics are saturated with raw emotions of love and despair, with the singer begging for his love not to leave him. He pleads with them to stay, and promises to pick up the pieces if they stay. He is willing to do anything to keep them with him. The lines "Don't leave me all alone, I'm picking up the pieces" are repeated throughout the song, showing the singer's desperation to keep his love from leaving him.
The chorus of the song is where the singer emphasizes that every time his lover leaves, they take a piece of him with them. This repetition throughout the song shows the intensity of the singer's emotions and how much he needs his lover. The line "Maybe you're too close to see" is a statement by the singer that his lover may be unable to see the pain and hurt they are causing by leaving him continually. He wants them to know how much their departure affects him.
In conclusion, "Every Time You Go Away" is a sincere plea to a lover not to leave. The song is an emotional rollercoaster, with the singer's desperation at the forefront. The lyrics paint a picture of a man who is completely in love, and he doesn't want to lose his love because every time they leave, it feels like a piece of him is taken away.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't leave me all alone
I don't want to be left alone.
I'm picking up the pieces (I'm picking up the pieces)
I am trying to deal with the aftermath of your departure.
If we can solve any problem, then why do we lose so many tears?
We have the ability to resolve issues, so why is there so much sadness and pain?
Oh, so you go again when the leading man appears
You tend to leave me for someone else, especially when a more attractive option arises.
Can't you see? We've got everything going on and on and on
We have a good thing going and it should continue.
Every time you go away, you take a piece of me with you, ooh
Your absence causes me to feel incomplete.
Go on and go free, yeah, maybe you're too close to see
You are free to go, even if you cannot see the impact it has on me.
I can feel your body move, doesn't mean that much to me
Your physical presence is not enough to make up for your emotional absence.
Every time you go away, you take a piece of me with you, oh
Your departure continues to hurt me.
I can't go on saying the same thing, 'cause can't you see?
I am tired of repeating myself, but hoping you will finally understand.
We got everything, baby, even though you know
We have a lot together, despite your awareness of my feelings.
Picking up the pieces, every time you go away (ooh)
I am struggling to move on without you.
You take a piece of me with you, (be careful) every time you go away (every time you go)
Be mindful of the emotional toll your leaving takes on me.
You take a piece of me every time you go away (oh)
Your absence feels like a loss to me.
You take a piece of me with you (every time you go)
Each time you leave, it feels like a part of me goes with you.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sentric Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Daryl Hall
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TheNotoriousJP
This was the song I had played for a girl I was strongly interested in, as my means to ask if she was interested in being more than just friends. This was back in the 1990s. She notified me the feelings were mutual and she was holding it in for awhile because she was scared I didn’t share them. We had a fun relationship while it lasted, however unfortunately things didn’t work out between us. When we split, I left the town we both were living in because the idea of being in the town with her and us not being together was pretty heartbreaking to endure. I was young and immature at the time, but that was the decision I felt was best. When I got to the bus terminal for my cross county to join a different life, she stopped by to see me off and played the song one more time. We both shed plenty of tears that day, however we both knew it was for the best to move on with that chapter of our lives. It took a little time to get used to, but eventually we became the good friends again we were before we got together. We both also moved on to other relationships, I got married and have two wonderful kids with an equally wonderful woman, and she had two kids of her own who thought the world of her. The day I got married, she sent me a message saying “I know this is right, and she’s best for you, far better than I could be, but somehow I feel like seeing you go on to marry someone else is the biggest mistake I’ll ever make.” I made a joke about her ending up with less grey hairs later in life that anyone who married me assuredly would get.” We both shared a hell of and laugh that day and many others in the years that followed.
Last February, two days before my 41st birthday, I received heartbreaking news that she suddenly passed away. While we had been apart almost 2 decades, we still (as mentioned above) remained close friends and confidantes. The news of her death absolutely kicked my ass, knowing the world lost a tremendous soul, and so many (myself included) lost a piece of them. As I went for a to reflect immediately after, about 25 into the drive, this song came on the local station. Not going to lie and say I didn’t shed a few dozen tears after pulling off the road as it played. However, without sounding too religious, I honestly felt that was her way of saying she was ok, and in a far better place. Yet, I will forever miss my friend, and anytime this song plays, I will forever think of her. Love you KC! Always will. Wherever you are is a better place because you are there.
Edit: To those who questioned why I became romantically linked to, and married another woman after— it was far from immediately after. It was several years after KC and I decided we were better friends. She also had moved on at that point, as she had every right to. When her and I took the next step in our relationship, we were both relatively young (I was 20, she was 19). As the relationship progressed, we both realized we had different perspectives on life and what we wanted for a long term thing. I wanted kids eventually, she didn’t want them period (ultimately had them, so she changed her mind but at the time…). I wanted the white picket fence eventually, she was more of a free spirit that wasn’t thinking that way, and was happy being involved but didn’t want happily ever after. What ultimately led to us agreeing to be friends was I enlisted in the military, a convo I had with her many times before doing so. She was uncertain from the jump when I mentioned it but supported me following my dream. When I joined, she said she wasn’t wanting to be part of the military life, and believe me— if you are a significant other, it’s not the easiest or for everyone. She really pondered it when it was brought up, but ultimately decided she couldn’t make that firm a long term commitment and having us separated possibly by continents wasn’t something she was crazy about. We decided for the sake of the friendship that we would forever remain friends, and did for the remainder of her life, but that the next level wasn’t going to work. Not every relationship ending needs to be nefarious and hostile. Ours wasn’t. Far from it. Sometimes as much as two people love each other, life takes them on different paths.
I will always hold a special place in my heart for her, as I know she did me. Do I have regrets the relationship didn’t fully work in a romantic sense? Anytime any relationship ends, you always ask yourself the what if question till you find the one. That all said, I never had a single regret that we became romantically involved, and I know she never did either. Sometimes being a grown up sucks, and making decisions like that aren’t easy, but as I said— not every relationship needs to end with hostility. We are proof of that. I’ll forever love my friend and miss her every day.
To those with all the positive comments: thank you! It means so much to me to see your kind words and how this hit close to home and resonated with you. To the people I made cry, sorry about that 😎.
Peace
JP
@samiebaker
2024... who's still listening to this masterpiece 🔥❤
@RajSharma-ro9ut
Me
@danahenderson7640
Yess
@David-dc3nk
Me!
@user-uv9xt2nw2d
Я-Україна, Миколаїв, зараз в Брайтон-ХОВЄ, ВІЙНА В Україні
@hardytorrespadilla2424
Right now trought YouTube but in a couple of weeks he's in my city I already bought the ticket for the gig cant wait
@TheAnthonyr32
The greatest hits of all time were penned in the '60s, '70s, and '80s. So many cherished memories! I'm grateful to have lived through the era of '80s music, the greatest melodies ever composed!
@ronellmeijerink442
🎵
@user-ir5is9ch5w
I'm still here, old man dave.
@sarthikamungase8227
Give me ur playlist pls-