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/
In the Long Run
Paul Young Lyrics
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I feel the hurt of the lonely
If you believe in me,
Know that your will is keeping me strong,
Though as my heart is beating faster
The pain won't ever last
And I'll feel myself reaching the end
When I hold you again; carry me.
Fate will turn the key to tomorrow.
Oh, the memory holds me,
Of the love that you sold me.
Sold for a heart that is battered; but true!
I gave it to you;
And our lips were so close
But they never quite touched
As you listening to me tell you
"I will return in the long run
Fate turns the key to tomorrow".
(We took that moment alone on the harbour,
I held your hand.
We explained to each other
The ways of never missing each other
And keeping it strong in the long run)
Fate turns the key to tomorrow
The song "In The Long Run" by Paul Young is a song about enduring through the pain of missing someone and the hope of being reunited with them in the future. The lyrics, "I see the finish before me, I feel the hurt of the lonely" demonstrate that the singer is in a dark and lonely place without his loved one. However, he finds comfort in the belief that his loved one's support is keeping him strong. He tells her that "the pain won't ever last" because he knows that they will be reunited soon. This demonstrates the power of love and how it can give us strength even in the darkest of times.
The chorus of the song, "In the long run, fate will turn the key to tomorrow" is an uplifting reminder that even though the present may be difficult, the future holds the promise of happiness and reunification. The fact that they took a moment alone on the harbor and discussed ways to remain close together and strong in the future shows that they are committed to making their love last.
In conclusion, "In The Long Run" is a powerful song that speaks about the power of love and the hope of being reunited with a loved one. Despite the pain and loneliness of missing someone, the song reminds us that love will endure and we can find hope even in the darkest of times.
Line by Line Meaning
I see the finish before me
I am aware of the end coming my way.
I feel the hurt of the lonely
I am pained by the sense of loneliness.
If you believe in me,
If you have faith in me,
Know that your will is keeping me strong,
Your determination gives me the courage to be determined too,
Though as my heart is beating faster
Even with my heart racing,
The pain won't ever last
The pain will be temporary.
And I'll feel myself reaching the end
I will feel closer to the end.
When I hold you again; carry me.
When I get to hold you again, support me emotionally.
In the long run,
Eventually,
Fate will turn the key to tomorrow.
Destiny will determine the course of the future.
Oh, the memory holds me,
The thoughts of the past haunt me,
Of the love that you sold me.
Of the affection that you gave to me in the past.
Sold for a heart that is battered; but true!
Given away in exchange for love that was genuine despite its struggles.
I gave it to you;
I gave you my heart,
And our lips were so close
We were close to kissing,
But they never quite touched
However, it never happened.
As you listening to me tell you
While you were attentively listening to me say,
"I will return in the long run
"I will come back eventually
Fate turns the key to tomorrow."
Destiny decides what happens next."
(We took that moment alone on the harbour,
(We enjoyed a private moment on the harbor,
I held your hand.
I held your hand.
We explained to each other
We shared our thoughts with each other,
The ways of never missing each other
How to always stay connected with each other,
And keeping it strong in the long run)
And maintaining our bond over time.)
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: IAN KEWLEY, PAUL YOUNG, PINO PALADINO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind