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/
Hard Cargo
Paul Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Building boats is what I know
Each one takes another year of my life
And then I watch them go
There are no lights around this harbour
The tide has never been so low
You teach them to walk and then you teach them to run
And then you watch them go. You watch them go
And it's a hard cargo to carry
To see them slipping away
And it's a hard cargo to carry
To see them slipping away, slipping away
Mary was the one who waited
Even when the working was getting slow
You think you know somebody inside out
And then you watch them go. You watch them go
(Repeat chorus)
I believe that when you go
You leave something behind
I believe that out of sight
Is never out of mind
And then you watch them go, you watch them go...
And it's hard cargo to carry
To see them slipping away...
Slipping away, slipping away
Paul Young's "Hard Cargo" is a poignant song that speaks of the pain of losing someone or something that you have invested a significant amount of time, effort and emotion into. The song is about a worker on the dockside who has spent his life building boats only to watch them sail away. He is aware that boats are more than just objects, they are creations that he has invested his time, energy, and skill into. The boats are like his children whom he has taught to walk and run, but now must let go. The metaphor of boats and children here conveys the idea that they both require painstaking care and undertake a long journey to a destination unknown.
The song also speaks of Mary, a woman who has stood by the singer even when times were tough, and now that he has to let go of these boats unless they slip away, Mary too has left him. The chorus of the song captures the essence of the emotions felt by the singer, who is burdened by the weight of loss and the struggle to move on. The line, ‘And it's a hard cargo to carry, To see them slipping away, slipping away’ talks about the burden and the agony of loss.
Line by Line Meaning
I work the long haul on the dockside
I have a job of working for long hours on the dock.
Building boats is what I know
My skill set involves building boats, and that's what I am used to doing.
Each one takes another year of my life
Building boats is an arduous task and takes significant amounts of time and effort, which caters to years of my life doing so.
And then I watch them go
After the boats are constructed, I must watch them leave the place and go far away from it.
There are no lights around this harbour
The harbor is not illuminated, making it dark in the night time.
The tide has never been so low
The harbor's water level is remaining low, and it's a rare sight to encounter.
You teach them to walk and then you teach them to run
In building boats, one takes the time to guide and help the boats evolve to its developed form, from the initial stages to functional ones.
And then you watch them go. You watch them go
After aiding in the boat growth process, one must also watch the boat go once it's done - understanding that it has a life beyond the working hands.
And it's a hard cargo to carry
It is emotionally strenuous to watch the boats leave as the builder knows the sweat and tears that took place to make them.
To see them slipping away
The boats are departing so fast that it's heartbreaking to witness.
Mary was the one who waited
Mary is someone who waited for me with patience and kindness despite the struggle that overcame me while building boats.
Even when the working was getting slow
Mary was not one to give up, even through times of downtime while making boats.
You think you know somebody inside out
We may still not always understand someone's pain or feel what they experience well and deep.
And then you watch them go. You watch them go
The boats slip away in the end, as does the time and life invested in them, especially as a true builder.
I believe that when you go
I believe that when somebody leaves, they leave a part of them behind- may it be the moments lived together, memories, or experiences shared.
You leave something behind
Despite departure, one does leave some parts of their presence behind as they move on.
I believe that out of sight
When people are away, we still keep thoughts of them because they have had a significant impact on our lives.
Is never out of mind
Meaningful people remain in our minds and hearts, even when they are physically absent or gone.
And it's hard cargo to carry
Knowing that people who have left will have left a part of them behind is a heavy weight to lug around emotionally.
To see them slipping away...
It is sad to see them slipping away, fluttering through life even after they are gone.
Slipping away, slipping away
The sense of life and people slipping away is a continuous and gradual reality.
Contributed by Charlotte D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
MsAppassionata
Great song about children.