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/
The Boys Of Summer
Paul Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nobody on the beach
I feel it in the air
The summer's out of reach
Empty lake, empty streets
The sun goes down alone
I'm driving by your house
But I can see you
Your brown skin shining in the sun
You got your hair combed back and your
Sunglasses on baby
I can tell you my love for you will still be strong
After the boys of summer, have gone
I never will forget those nights
I wonder if it was a dream
Remember how you made me crazy
Remember how I made you scream
Now I don't understand
What happened to our love
But babe I'm gonna get you back
I'm gonna show you what I'm made of
I can see you
Your brown skin shining in the sun
I see you walking real slow
Smiling at everyone
I can tell you my love for you will still be strong
After the boys of summer, have gone
Out on the road today
I saw a deadhead sticker on a cadillac
A little voice inside my head said:
"Don't look back, you can never look back"
I thought I knew what love was
What did I know?
Those days are gone forever
I should just let them go but,
I can see you
Your brown skin shining in the sun
You got the top pulled down
Radio on baby
I can tell you my love for you will still be strong
After the boys of summer have gone
I can see you
Your brown skin shining in the sun
You got your hair slicked back and those
Wayfarers on, baby
I can tell you my love for you will still be strong
After the boys of summer, have gone
The lyrics to Paul Young's "The Boys of Summer" explore themes of nostalgia, lost love, and the fleeting nature of youth. Throughout the song, the singer describes an idyllic summer that has since passed, when he used to spend time with his lover on the beach and drive by her house, even when she wasn't home. He reminisces about their love, which he now feels has slipped away, but still holds onto the hope that it will endure long after their memories of youth have faded.
The chorus of the song is particularly poignant, as the singer declares that his love for his partner will still be strong "after the boys of summer have gone." This line refers to the transient nature of youth and the fact that, even though we may feel invincible in the moment, time moves on and memories fade. Nonetheless, the singer is still holding onto the love he once shared with his partner and believes that it will endure.
Overall, "The Boys of Summer" is a bittersweet reflection on the impermanence of youth and the enduring nature of love. While the song is imbued with a sense of melancholy, it also carries a message of hope, as the singer believes that true love can survive even the passage of time.
Line by Line Meaning
Nobody on the road
There are no cars on the road
Nobody on the beach
There are no people on the beach
I feel it in the air
I sense something in the atmosphere
The summer's out of reach
Summer is unattainable
Empty lake, empty streets
Both the streets and lake are vacant
The sun goes down alone
The sun sets unaccompanied
I'm driving by your house
I am passing by your dwelling
Though I know you're not home
Even though I know you are not present
But I can see you
But still, I can visualize you in my mind
Your brown skin shining in the sun
Your tanned skin glistening in the sunlight
You got your hair combed back and your
Your hair is slicked back and you're wearing your
Sunglasses on baby
Sunglasses, baby
I can tell you my love for you will still be strong
My affection towards you will continue to be potent
After the boys of summer, have gone
Even when summertime comes to an end
I never will forget those nights
I'll never forget those nights
I wonder if it was a dream
I have to question if it was a dream
Remember how you made me crazy
Remember how you drove me insane
Remember how I made you scream
Recall how I induced screams from you
Now I don't understand
Now, I am unable to comprehend
What happened to our love
What happened to the love we shared
But babe I'm gonna get you back
But honey, I'm going to win you back
I'm gonna show you what I'm made of
I'm going to prove my worth to you
I see you walking real slow
I perceive you walking leisurely
Smiling at everyone
Smiling at each and everyone
Out on the road today
Today, driving down the street
I saw a deadhead sticker on a cadillac
I noticed a deadhead sticker on a cadillac
A little voice inside my head said:
A small voice inside me said:
"Don't look back, you can never look back"
"Don't reflect on the past, you cannot reverse it"
I thought I knew what love was
I believed I comprehended the meaning of love
What did I know?
But what did I really know?
Those days are gone forever
Those days have vanished for good
I should just let them go but,
I should abandon them, nonetheless,
You got the top pulled down
You have the roof down
Radio on baby
The radio is blasting, baby
You got your hair slicked back and those
Your hair is styled back and you're wearing those
Wayfarers on, baby
Wayfarer sunglasses, baby
Contributed by Hunter H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.