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/
It Will Be You
Paul Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You remember though
Like it′s yesterday
How you took my innocence and then you stole away
Never to return
Glad it's over now
I can laugh at now
You said I′m the one
And it's me who got burned
But you'll always stay in love they say
(With the first love, it′s your last love)
And you′ll always be a part of me
Wouldn't want it any other way
And I wish you luck
I wish you love
Wherever you call home
And you′ll always be a part of me
May you never be alone
There's been many times
When I feel that I′m
Living in despair
And believing in a dream that nobody shares
Well you live and learn
But you'll always stay in love they say
(With the first love, it′s your last love)
And you'll always be a part of me
Wouldn't want it any other way
And I wish you luck
I wish you love
Wherever you call home
And you′ll always be a part of me
May you never be alone
But you′ll always stay in love they say
And you'll always be a part of me
But you′ll always stay in love they say
(With the first love, it's your last love)
And you′ll always be a part of me
Wouldn't want it any other way
And I wish you luck
I wish you love
Wherever you call home
And I′m here to tell
I wish you well
May you never be alone
The lyrics of Paul Young's song "It Will Be You" reminisce on the past and an old relationship that ended badly. The lyrics paint a picture of a young girl who was taken advantage of by her first love, who then ran away. The singer speaks about how time has passed and they can look back and laugh at their innocence. The beauty of the song is in the message of wishing someone who has hurt you, luck and love in their life. The singer acknowledges that this person may have taken a part of them but you will always be a part of their story, and they hope that they will never be alone.
The song is not only about heartbreak, but it is also about the struggles of life, learning, and moving on. The song implies that the singer has a deep understanding and empathy towards the person who has hurt them, recognizing that they too may have gone through their struggles in life. It takes a good heart and a lot of maturity to wish someone who has wronged us, love and luck in their life. It is a beautiful message of forgiveness and moving forward.
Line by Line Meaning
It was long ago
The event being referred to occurred a long time back
You remember though
The memory of that event is still fresh in your mind
Like it's yesterday
The memory is so vivid that it feels like it happened recently
How you took my innocence and then you stole away
You took advantage of my naivety and then left without a trace
Never to return
You never came back and there's no possibility of reconciliation
Glad it's over now
Despite the pain, I am happy that it's all in the past now
I can laugh at now
I have healed from the hurt and can now find humor in the situation
You said I'm the one
You claimed that I was the only one for you
Then you lit the fuse and so amused you turned and run
You instigated the problem and found it amusing as you left me to deal with the aftermath
And it's me who got burned
I was the one who suffered the consequences of your actions
But you'll always stay in love they say
People believe that you never forget your first love
(With the first love, it's your last love)
The first love is perceived to be the only true love
And you'll always be a part of me
I will never forget the love that we once shared
Wouldn't want it any other way
Despite the heartache, I wouldn't change a thing about our past relationship
And I wish you luck
I hope things go well for you
I wish you love
I hope you find true love and happiness
Wherever you call home
Regardless of where you end up in life, I still wish you the best
May you never be alone
I don't want you to feel lonely or abandoned
There's been many times
I have experienced numerous moments
When I feel that I'm
During moments when I feel like
Living in despair
I am overwhelmed with sadness and hopelessness
And believing in a dream that nobody shares
I hold onto a hope or a vision that no one else seems to understand or appreciate
Well you live and learn
That's just the way life goes; you learn from your experiences
And I'm here to tell
I want to express to you
I wish you well
I hope that good things come your way
Writer(s): Philip Roy, Bob Thiele Jr
Contributed by Eliana E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Soninha Mendes
Existem canções e cantores que jamais perderão seu significado, seu primor e sua essência, e este é um deles...eternamente essênciais e inesquecíveis. 😍😍😍😍
Tracy
Wow. I’ve been a Paul Young fan since my teens (‘80s), and tonight is the first time I’m hearing this amazingly moving song on YT.
Soninha Marron
Não me canso de ouvir,essa música linda e essa voz hipnotizante...sem palavras...
mmariamm
Amo essa música sensacional !
Randie Wasserman
Wow Paul, fabulous… I’m falling in love again! You sound better than ever. 👍❤️
Soninha Marron
Olha eu aqui ouvindo essa canção,linda de novo!!!!
Soninha Mendes
Continuo aqui ouvindo suas belas canções e me emocionando com os seus clips maravilhosos.
Marie Whitney
Tall sexy hair eyes smile sexy moves and clothes darling dimple
Great voice and personality When he died it shattered my heart into a million pieces
Angela Pirie
Beautiful voice ♥️
maria aparecida
Linda música!💐❤💐❤💐❤.