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/
I Was in Chains
Paul Young Lyrics
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Lying sleeping below the silver trees
Then up comes Davey and says
You must be running boy
Now I must fly, now I must fly
First to my darling down in the valley
I cried madly, hey, I'm here at your door
You and your misery I'll taste no more
I was in chains and bound for Australia
Dreaming wildly about my life before
Of my distrust all across the dreadful ocean
And of my true love I'll lay no more
And of my true love I'll lay no more
Oh, I was in chains and bound for Australia
Dreaming wildly about my life before
Of my distrust all across the dreadful ocean
And of my true love I'll lay no more
And of my true love I'll lay no more
Oh the, oh the future
The future before me, oh
?
The song "I Was In Chains" by Paul Young is a hauntingly beautiful and melancholic song that talks about the singer's journey from being in love to being heartbroken and then finally finding freedom. The lyrics talk about being chained to one's love and lying sleeping below the silver trees, which symbolizes the singer's captivity to his emotions. Then up comes Davey and tells him that he must be running boy, which represents the singer's realization that he should be moving on from his situation.
The singer then says that he must fly to his darling down in the valley, but when he arrives, she tells him to be gone from her door and that she will taste no more of his misery. This rejection represents the singer's realization that his love is not reciprocated and that he must move on. The lyrics also talk about the singer dreaming of his life before and his true love, but he realizes that he cannot lay in the pain and misery anymore and must move on to the future.
Overall, the lyrics are a poignant portrayal of a painful breakup, and the singer's journey towards finding freedom from his emotions and finally looking towards the future.
Line by Line Meaning
I was in chains, chained to my love
I was imprisoned in the bonds of love; unable to escape the overpowering emotions of love.
Lying sleeping below the silver trees
I was resting under the bright and shiny trees, feeling the serenity of nature all around me.
Then up comes Davey and says
Suddenly, my friend Davey appeared and said something to get my attention.
You must be running boy
Davey advised me to run away from my current situation and start a new life.
Now I must fly, now I must fly
I realized that I needed to leave my past behind and begin a new journey towards freedom.
First to my darling down in the valley
My first destination was to meet my beloved who was living in the valley.
I cried madly, hey, I'm here at your door
When I reached her door, I cried out desperately to let her know that I had come to her.
She says, John, John now be gone from my door
However, she refused to let me in and asked me to leave her alone.
You and your misery I'll taste no more
She was tired of my constant presence which brought her only misery, so she decided to move on and forget me.
I was in chains and bound for Australia
I was trapped and heading towards an unpleasant future, specifically deportation to Australia.
Dreaming wildly about my life before
I often daydreamed about my life before it took a bad turn, trying to escape from my harsh reality.
Of my distrust all across the dreadful ocean
I had a strong sense of suspicion and betrayal towards people all over the ocean who had led me to this point in life.
And of my true love I'll lay no more
I had given up on my true love, realizing that I could never make her happy and had lost her forever.
Oh the, oh the future
The future ahead seemed uncertain and ominous, full of unknown challenges and difficulties.
The future before me, oh
The future stood before me like a blank slate, waiting for me to create my own destiny.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: IAIN GEORGE SUTHERLAND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind