Paul Young born Paul Antony Young on 17 January 1956 in Luton, Bedfordshire… Read Full Bio ↴Paul Young born Paul Antony Young on 17 January 1956 in Luton, Bedfordshire) is an English pop musician. Young was the lead singer in blue eyed soul group Q-Tips before going solo in 1982. Young's biggest worldwide hit followed in 1985 with a version of Daryl Hall's "Everytime You Go Away". The song reached #1 on the U.S. pop charts.

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/

Sex
Paul Young Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

(Sex)
(Sex...Sex...Sex)
(Why did you say "sex", Les?)
(Sex)
(it's great)
(Sex-sex-sex-sex)
(that's right here, cool.)
(Sex)

(Ha ha ha ha)
(Sex)
(Sex)
(Sex)
(Sex)
(do sex. Which one...)
(Sex)
(Distribution)
(Sex...Sex...Sex...)

Let me guess what's on your mind
That's all right 'cause it's all mine
You better get me what I want
'Cause that's what I've been waiting for

Seen upon the silver screen
Even on the cover of magazines
You can watch it on TV
But just don't let your children see
(Sex...Sex...Sex...Sex...)

What's wrong with you and me?
There's more to it than biology
I'm gonna really try
To keep you satisfied
(Sex...Sex...Sex...Sex...)

Another one from making love (sex)
That's where we all came from
(Yeah) that's where this world began
So let's all do it while we can
(Sex...Sex...Sex...Sex...)
(Young man, young man!)

(Sex! Sex! Sssssss...Sex...Sex...Sex...)

Let me guess what's on your mind (Sex)
That's all right 'cause it's all mine (Sex)
You better get me what I want
'Cause that's what I've been waiting for
(Sex...Sex...Sex...Sex...)

Another one from making love (Sex)
(Oh) that's where we all came from (Sex)
That's where this world began
So let's all do it while we can
(Sex...Sex...Sex...Sex...You're crazy!)

What's on your mind? it's all mine
What's on your mind?
D-d-d-d-d-d-What's on your mind?
It's all mine, what's on your mind?
(it's all right!) Aaaaahh!!

Bum bum de dum, ba bum ba ba bum bum ba bum

You-you-you-you-you-you-you-you
You better you better you better what I want

You-you-you-you-you-you-you-you-you-you-you-you-you-you-you
You better you better you better what I want

You better you better you better you better you better what I want

(Wanna get into it, man! You know, love is like a sex machine!)

Overall Meaning

The song "Sex" by Paul Young may seem straight to the point on the first listen, but a closer analysis reveals a message about how sex has been portrayed in media and society. In the chorus, Paul Young sings "Let me guess what's on your mind. That's all right 'cause it's all mine. You better get me what I want 'cause that's what I've been waiting for." He is suggesting that the media has implanted the idea of sex into our minds and that we are all subconsciously waiting for it. The line "What's wrong with you and me? There's more to it than biology" suggests that sex is not just a physical act but also an emotional connection.

Young also acknowledges the origin of life in the line "Another one from making love, that's where we all came from. That's where this world began. So let's all do it while we can." He is reminding us that sex is important for procreation and therefore essential for our survival as a species. The repetition of the word "sex" throughout the song is not just shock value but a way to drive home the message that sex is everywhere in our lives, whether we like it or not.

Line by Line Meaning

Let me guess what's on your mind
I'm trying to read your mind and I think I know what you want

That's all right 'cause it's all mine
It's okay if you're thinking about sex because I am too

You better get me what I want
You need to satisfy my sexual desires

'Cause that's what I've been waiting for
I've been waiting for someone to fulfill my sexual needs

Seen upon the silver screen
Sex is often portrayed in movies

Even on the cover of magazines
Sex is often used to sell magazines

You can watch it on TV
Sex is also shown on television shows

But just don't let your children see
It's not appropriate for children to witness sexual content

What's wrong with you and me?
There's nothing wrong with us having sex

There's more to it than biology
Sex is more than just a biological function

I'm gonna really try
I'll do my best