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 Jean Genie
Paul Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Strung out on lasers and slash back blazers and
Ate all your razors while pulling the waiters
Talking 'bout Monroe and walking on Snow White
New York's a go-go and everything tastes nice
Poor little Greenie, woohoo
The Jean Genie lives on his back
(The Jean Genie) he's outrageous, he screams and he bawls
The Jean Genie, let yourself go
Sits like a man, but he smiles like a reptile
She loves him, she loves him, but just for a short while
She'll scratch in the sand, won't let go his hand
He says he's a beautician and sells you nutrition
And keeps all your dead hair for making up underwear
Poor little Greenie, woohoo
The Jean Genie lives on his back
The Jean Genie loves chimney stacks
(The Jean Genie) he's outrageous, he screams and he bawls
The Jean Genie, let yourself go
He's so simple minded, he can't drive his module
He bites on the neon and sleeps in the capsule
Loves to be loved
Loves to be loved
The Jean Genie lives on his back
The Jean Genie loves chimney stacks
(The Jean Genie) he's outrageous, he screams and he bawls
The Jean Genie, let yourself go
Go
Go
The Jean Genie lives on his back
The Jean Genie loves chimney stacks
(The Jean Genie) he's outrageous, he screams and he bawls
The Jean Genie, let yourself go
Go
Go, go
The Jean Genie by Paul Young is a tribute to David Bowie's alter-ego Ziggy Stardust, who was also known as the Jean Genie. In the first verse, the character is portrayed as a small entranced creature who has been consumed by the city's allure and has become addicted to drugs and fashion. The line "strung out on lasers and slash back blazers" refers to the glam rock scene in which Ziggy Stardust was a prominent figure. The Jean Genie is depicted as eccentric and unpredictable, eating razor blades and discussing Marilyn Monroe while walking on Snow White.
The second verse describes the Jean Genie's relationship with a woman who is infatuated with him, but it is made clear that the love is short-lived. The man claims to be a beautician and sells nutrition while keeping dead hair for making up underwear. The chorus repeats the earlier lines, highlighting the Jean Genie's love for living a hedonistic lifestyle, and him being outrageous and unpredictable.
Overall, the song is a tribute to Bowie and his alter-ego Ziggy Stardust, who was iconic in the 1970s rock scene. Bowie's influence on the music industry is reflected in the lyrics and the music video.
Line by Line Meaning
A small Jean Genie snuck off to the city
A little man who goes by the name Jean Genie went to the city unnoticed
Strung out on lasers and slash back blazers and
He was addicted to bright lights and fashion trends
Ate all your razors while pulling the waiters
He caused trouble by ingesting objects that were not meant to be eaten, while also harassing the service staff
Talking 'bout Monroe and walking on Snow White
He was discussing Marilyn Monroe and imagining himself in the fairy tale Snow White
New York's a go-go and everything tastes nice
He found everything to be exciting and enjoyable in New York
Poor little Greenie, woohoo
He feels sorry for himself, using Greenie as a nickname for himself
The Jean Genie lives on his back
Jean Genie likes to be lazy and rely on others
The Jean Genie loves chimney stacks
He feels excited and energized around tall structures, particularly chimneys
(The Jean Genie) he's outrageous, he screams and he bawls
Jean Genie is eccentric, an attention seeker and makes loud noises
The Jean Genie, let yourself go
He encourages people to be carefree and wild like him
Sits like a man, but he smiles like a reptile
Jean Genie looks human but has reptilian traits like his smile
She loves him, she loves him, but just for a short while
People may find him charming initially, but it doesn't last long
She'll scratch in the sand, won't let go his hand
Women find him attractive and hold on to him tightly, even though he is not good for them
He says he's a beautician and sells you nutrition
Jean Genie pretends to be a health expert and sells things that are unlikely to be beneficial
And keeps all your dead hair for making up underwear
He collects even the gross remnants of people's grooming habits to create clothing
He's so simple minded, he can't drive his module
Jean Genie is not intelligent enough to operate a vehicle
He bites on the neon and sleeps in the capsule
He needs excessive stimulation and sleeps in confined spaces
Loves to be loved
Jean Genie desires attention and affection from others
Go
A command encouraging someone to let loose and have fun
Go, go
An emphatic repeat of the previous command
Contributed by Evan H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Soninha Mendes
Este cantor é muito dinâmico.Adoro os seus sons...simplesmente maravilhoso.Sou sua eterna fã.
wardrobespice
Love this 😍 play the rock swings album a lot
MsAppassionata
I love that album and this and Enter Sandman are my favorites.
Z.J. Gordon
Listening and visualizing you performing at the same time, it is a priceless experience!!!!
Great song, perfect voice, Gorgeous you! Paul Young ❤👍✨✨✨
Renegades Bass
Not usually my style of music but I'll admit it's quite catchy.
Renegades Bass
@Ginny Bloomer I can't argue there.
Ginny Bloomer
Yes....he's got the voice for it too
Rosa isela Mendez
Que voz tan hermosa mi Paul Young!!
Tray C
Paul could sing the Phone directory and still sound Amazing 🎶🎶❤
Ginny Bloomer
Good one Paul! It's catchy...it's fun...and it's really quite addictive