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/

This Means Anything
Paul Young Lyrics

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All of the warnings you gave, I ignored
And I took all the gibes as if asking for more
I'll be with you again
Words without credence

The twist in your answer evades
Every question, reaction belies everything
That you mention

I'll be with you again

Words without credence
Oh, I choke in the air and it catches
And burns my eyes
Queue those tears in my eyes

I'll be with you again
Words without credence
You call me your lover, but I made the first move
You say that I'm special

But when do you prove it to me?
I'll be with you again
Words without credence
Oh, these statements are empty and allow

And they don't feed the anger inside
See those tears in my eyes
Words without credence mean anything
So maybe you should be told

It's for real
It's the end of our time

It's the end of our time
The end of our time

Overall Meaning

In Paul Young's song "This Means Anything," the lyrics tell a story of a person who has ignored previous warning signs and taken insults without standing up for themselves. The singer speaks of being with someone again, even though their words have no credibility. The twist in this person’s answer evades all questions, and their reaction betrays everything they mention. The singer feels as though they choke in the air when they are around this person, and their tears cue the hurt inside. The person calls the singer their lover, but the singer made the first move, which makes them wonder when they will prove their love to them. The singer realizes that these empty statements don't do any good and don't feed the anger inside. They see the tears in their eyes and realize that words without credence mean anything.

The song speaks to the struggle of trust in a relationship where one person may not be honest or truthful about their intentions. While the singer may love this person, they know that words without meaning or truth are empty gestures. The song implies that it is the end of their time together, possibly due to infidelity or a lack of trust. The lyrics convey the pain and uncertainty of ending a relationship but also the strength to recognize and act on one's intuition.

Line by Line Meaning

All of the warnings you gave, I ignored
I ignored all the warnings you gave me

And I took all the gibes as if asking for more
I accepted all the insults and humiliations you gave me as if I wanted more

I'll be with you again
I'll be with you again (even though I probably shouldn't)

Words without credence
Your words have no value or truth

The twist in your answer evades
Your answers avoid the truth

Every question, reaction belies everything
Everything you say or do contradicts each other

That you mention
Anything you say or do

Oh, I choke in the air and it catches
I feel suffocated and overwhelmed

And burns my eyes
I feel pain and sadness

Queue those tears in my eyes
I'm crying

You call me your lover, but I made the first move
You say I'm your lover, but I was the one who initiated the relationship