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/
Everything Must Change
Paul Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And say I was wrong.
Even when I'd seen the other side
I'd hide my foolishness and carry on.
But still I'd embarrassed
'Cause they'd seen what happened and they playin' along.
I will only realize when they had gone.
And like a dream alive
A reason everything must change.
Every
Everything
Everything must change
And like a world this earth and seasons
Everything must change.
Every
Everything
Everything must change
In the same way when we disagree
I wouldn't be the one to back down.
Still I'd know that you had faith in me
Tell me something am I letting you down?
'Cause when I woke up and I saw the note
You pressed into the mirror frame
But it was easy to be angry at you
But deep inside I know
We share the blame.
And now
Like a dream alive
A reason
Everything must change
I'm going back to the top to start myself off
But first of all something's I need to know:
When I'm scared of being wrong again
Won't you be the one I turn to
To let me know
Oh let me know.
Oh
Please
Let me be right for once
'Cause right now all I feel
I do is wrong.
And it's never too late to learn about love
And this victim needs your hand to hold on.
And like a dream alive
A reason everything must change
And like a dream alive
A reason everything must change.
And like a world this earth and seasons
Everything must change
And like a dream alive
A reason everything must change
The song "Everything Must Change" by Paul Young touches on the themes of growth, maturity, and the inevitability of change. The first stanza speaks to the singer's past behavior, where they are adamant about their views and refuse to admit they are wrong. However, they eventually realize their stubbornness has caused them to push away those they care about. This leads into the chorus, which repeats the phrase "everything must change," emphasizing that change is a necessary and healthy part of life. The second stanza shifts to the singer's current relationship, where the fear of being wrong causes them to doubt themselves and question their partner's faith in them. The final stanza expresses a desire to learn about love and receive support, as the singer realizes they don't have to face challenges alone. Overall, the song encourages a mindset of openness and growth in the face of change and challenges.
Line by Line Meaning
I was never one to back out of an argument
I always stood my ground in a disagreement
And say I was wrong.
I couldn't admit when I was in the wrong
Even when I'd seen the other side
Even if I understood the other perspective
I'd hide my foolishness and carry on.
I would pretend I knew what I was talking about and continue as if I was right
But still I'd embarrassed
But deep down I felt ashamed
'Cause they'd seen what happened and they playin' along.
Because others saw what happened and were pretending to agree
Until I backed myself into a corner
Until I found myself in a difficult position
I will only realize when they had gone.
I only realized my mistake after they had left
And like a dream alive
Just like a dream that seems real
A reason everything must change.
There is a reason why everything must change
Every
Everything
Everything must change
Every single thing must change
And like a world this earth and seasons
Just like the world and the changing seasons
In the same way when we disagree
Likewise, when we have different opinions
I wouldn't be the one to back down.
I wouldn't be the one to give in
Still I'd know that you had faith in me
But even then, I'd know that you believed in me
Tell me something am I letting you down?
But do you think I'm disappointing you?
'Cause when I woke up and I saw the note
Because when I woke up and saw your message
You pressed into the mirror frame
That you had left on the bathroom mirror
But it was easy to be angry at you
But it was easy for me to feel angry with you
But deep inside I know
But I know deep down
We share the blame.
That we are both at fault
And now
Like a dream alive
And now, like a vivid dream
A reason
Everything must change
There is a reason why everything must change
I'm going back to the top to start myself off
I am going back to the beginning to start fresh
But first of all something's I need to know:
But first, there are things I need to learn
When I'm scared of being wrong again
When I am afraid of making mistakes again
Won't you be the one I turn to
Can't you be the one I rely on
To let me know
To inform me
Oh let me know.
Please let me know
Oh
Please
Let me be right for once
Please let me be correct for once
'Cause right now all I feel
I do is wrong.
Because right now, everything I do feels wrong
And it's never too late to learn about love
It is never too late to learn about love
And this victim needs your hand to hold on.
And I, as the victim, need your support to hang on
Everything must change
Every single thing must change
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: IAN KEWLEY, PAUL YOUNG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@benzflynn
The Scene: A comprehensive school in Luton, Bedforshire at September 1972.
==============================================================
A teacher is reviewing the new 5th form prior to streaming for the senior cycle
Teacher (sighing): And what do you want to be, Young ?
Paul Young (whining): I think I'd like to be a singer, sir.
Teacher: A singer ? You, Young ? A singer ?
PY: Yes, sir.
Teacher: Then you won't have further use for school then, I suppose . . .
PY: Er - no, sir.
Teacher: Well - off with you then, Young. No sense in whining around this school when you could be whining somewhere else and be paid for it.
@otman558
Paul Young's soulful voice was very much a hallmark of the mid 80's. He was one of the biggest acts back then. Never understood why he just seemed to disppear after all this amazing music.
@johnshiels885
One of the most under rated singers of all time, I cannot listen to this with out thinking of Christmas. I was in a kids home in England from 84 to 86, There was a boy there i knew from a little boy, and he was nuts for this guy, that is where my love for Paul comes from. memories of Christmas and the home :)
@1968latics
Such an underrated song and performer!
@craigmitchell6390
Takes me back to my childhood.The 80's were brilliant.
@m.n.sharif5306
Me too.. Golden years in Britain for sure, even with the grime and early morning sirens for the pits, no political correctness, less crap generally, more realness for sure!
@123WelshDan321
God, I do miss the 80s. Not everyone had money, but at least people were happy and we were allowed to be kids. Fast forward to now and everything is so grim. 'Everything must change' I suppose.
@darrenw4778
The 80s were the best
@thebassbat7882
happy days, I miss them so so so much.
@thebassbat7882
the bass and steel is amazing in this song
@jamesnelan-taylor9661
2021 and this is still Amazing