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/
Iron Out The Rough Spots
Paul Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The rough spots
(Iron out) the rough spots
(Iron out) the rough spots
(Iron out) the rough spots
(Iron out) the rough spots
I've been feelin' meager
But I've got faith in you
You can ease my troublin' mind
Hurts gotta hold on me girl
And i can't explain just what it is now
But if you'll turn to me
I'll be alright if you will
Come on now
Iron out the rough spots
Iron out the rough spots
Hurts gotta hold on me girl
And i can't explain just what it is now
But if you'll turn to me
I'll be alright if you will
Iron out the rough spots
Iron out the rough spots
Iron out the rough spots
Iron out the rough spots
What you gon' do?
About this wrinkle in my heart?
(About this wrinkle in my heart?)
Say, whatcha gonna do?
(About this wrinkle in my heart?)
(About this wrinkle in my heart?)
Well, I'll be headed in the right direction
You just give me twenty-four hours of your protection
And I'll be headed in the right direction
Twenty-four hours of your protection
Heading in the right direction
Twenty-four hours of your protection
Iron out the rough spots
Iron out the rough spots
Iron out the rough spots
Iron out the rough spots
The rough spots
The rough spots
The rough spots
The rough spots
The rough spots
The rough spots
Heading in the right direction
Iron out the rough spots
Iron out the rough spots
Iron out the rough spots
Iron out the rough spots
Iron out the rough spots
Iron out the rough spots
Iron out the rough spots
Iron out the rough spots
The lyrics to Paul Young's song Iron out the Rough Spots is about a person who has been hurt and feeling down, but has faith in someone who can help ease their troubled mind. This person is asking for help to iron out the rough spots, which refers to smoothing out the emotional pain that they are feeling. The repetition of the phrase "iron out the rough spots" emphasizes the importance of finding emotional support and healing.
The song talks about how the person is willing to turn to someone for help, as they are struggling with hurt that they cannot explain. The phrase "what you gon' do? About this wrinkle in my heart?" suggests that there is an emotional wrinkle or issue that needs to be sorted out. However, despite this pain, the person is willing to take steps towards healing, saying that they will be headed in the right direction with just 24 hours of protection from the person they are turning to.
Overall, Iron out the Rough Spots is about finding emotional support and healing from someone who can help ease one's troubled mind. The lyrics emphasize the importance of opening up and turning to others for help when needed.
Line by Line Meaning
The rough spots
Life has been tough for me lately, with several difficult situations and emotions clouding my mind
The rough spots
Despite my repeated hurt, I believe that you can help me overcome these challenges
(Iron out) the rough spots
I am requesting your help in smoothing out the rough patches in my life
(Iron out) the rough spots
I need you to support me emotionally and help me move past the pain
(Iron out) the rough spots
I am confident that if you help me, we can resolve my current struggles
(Iron out) the rough spots
I need your assistance in working through the difficulties I'm facing
I've been feelin' meager
I am feeling weak and powerless, as though I cannot overcome my problems alone
Been hurt so many times
I have been emotionally injured multiple times, and I am struggling to move on
But I've got faith in you
Despite my doubts and uncertainties, I truly believe that you can help me through my current struggles
You can ease my troublin' mind
Your support can help alleviate the mental strain I'm experiencing
Hurts gotta hold on me girl
My emotional pain has become too much for me to handle on my own
And i can't explain just what it is now
I don't fully understand my current emotions or why they are affecting me so deeply
But if you'll turn to me
If you offer me the support I need, I will be able to work through my problems
I'll be alright if you will
If you are willing to support me, I know that I can overcome the challenges I'm facing
Come on now
I am eagerly asking for your help and hoping you will agree
What you gon' do?
What is your response to my request for assistance?
About this wrinkle in my heart?
Can you help smooth out the emotional pain I'm experiencing?
Say, whatcha gonna do?
Can you offer me the support I need?
Well, I'll be headed in the right direction
With your assistance, I can start to move forward and recover from my current struggles
You just give me twenty-four hours of your protection
I'm asking for your emotional support for a brief but meaningful period of time
And I'll be headed in the right direction
With your help, I can begin to move forward and recover from my struggles
Twenty-four hours of your protection
I am asking for your emotional support for a short period of time
Heading in the right direction
With your assistance, I know I can start to work through my problems and find a way forward.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BOOKER T. JONES, STEVE CROPPER, DAVID PORTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Steve Furjes
Always like this song - makes people think about how short life - sort it out - be brave and sort out the *hit - lovingly
robert allan
Love it
About 1983 from no parlez album