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/
Hungry Heart
Paul Young Lyrics
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I went out for a ride and I never went back
Like a river that don't know where it's flowing
I took a wrong turn and I just kept going
Everybody's got a hungry heart
Everybody's got a hungry heart
Lay down your money and you play your part
I met her in a Kingstown bar
We fell in love I knew it had to end
We took what we had and we ripped it apart
Now here I am down in Kingstown again
Everybody's got a hungry heart
Everybody's got a hungry heart
Lay down your money and you play your part
Everybody's got a hungry heart
Everybody needs a place to rest
Everybody wants to have a home
Don't make no difference what nobody says
Ain't nobody like to be alone
Everybody's got a hungry heart
Everybody's got a hungry heart
Lay down your money and you play your part
Everybody's got a hungry heart
The lyrics of Paul Young's song "Hungry Heart" are about the universal human experience of longing for something that is just out of reach. The singer tells the story of a man who has left his wife and kids in Baltimore and gone on a journey that he never returned from. He likens himself to a river that has taken a wrong turn and kept flowing in the wrong direction. The man meets a woman in a Kingstown bar and falls in love, but he knows that their affair is destined to end. When it does, he finds himself back in Kingstown - a place that is both a reminder of his lost love and a symbol of his restless spirit.
The chorus of the song emphasizes that everyone has a "hungry heart" - a desire or need that they are always striving to satisfy. People will do anything to try to fill that emptiness, including laying down their money and playing a part in society. The song also touches on the universal human need for connection and belonging. Everyone wants a place to rest and a home to call their own, and nobody likes to be alone.
Overall, "Hungry Heart" is a song about the human experience of longing and searching for something more. It speaks to the deep emotional and psychological needs that we all share, and reminds us that we are never truly alone in these struggles.
Line by Line Meaning
Got a wife and kids in Baltimore, Jack
I have a family in Baltimore, but I left them behind when I went out for a ride and never returned.
Like a river that don't know where it's flowing
I kept moving without direction, unsure where I was going or what I wanted.
I took a wrong turn and I just kept going
I made a mistake, but instead of turning back, I kept going further and further away.
Everybody's got a hungry heart
Everyone has a yearning for something, a desire that needs to be fulfilled.
Lay down your money and you play your part
Sometimes, we have to pay a price to pursue our desires or dreams.
I met her in a Kingstown bar
I found someone I fell in love with in a bar in Kingstown.
We took what we had and we ripped it apart
Our relationship was doomed from the start, and we ended up destroying what we had together.
Now here I am down in Kingstown again
Despite how things went with her, I find myself in Kingstown again, revisiting old memories.
Everybody needs a place to rest
Everyone needs a place where they feel safe and at ease.
Everybody wants to have a home
We all want a sense of belonging, a place to call our own.
Don't make no difference what nobody says
It doesn't matter what others say or think, our desire for a home and companionship remains the same.
Ain't nobody like to be alone
No one enjoys being lonely, everyone feels the need for companionship.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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