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/
Together
Paul Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Than anything I’ve known
And it walks upon the water
The seeds of love are sown
The wind may be against us
But I’m pushing all the way
We get a little closer
Every single day
Forever, we should always be
Together, we can hold our own
Forever, we’ll be together
(Seremos muito mais fortes, cantando juntos na vida)
I spoke a million phrases
Trying to be heard
And now so many feelings
Are spoken in one world
Together, we can hold our own
Forever, we should always be
Together, we can hold our own
Forever, we’ll be together
(Seremos muito mais fortes, cantando juntos na vida)
The lyrics of Paul Young's song "Together" express the strength and resilience of love. The opening line "It's stronger than emotion than anything I've known" refers to the idea that love can withstand any challenges or obstacles that may come its way. The metaphor "And it walks upon the water" adds to the power of the idea, alluding to the miraculous nature of love. The line "The seeds of love are sown" suggests that love is something that develops over time and requires nurturing, but once it takes root, it can't be easily destroyed.
The verses continue with the theme of love being able to overcome obstacles. The line "The wind may be against us, but I'm pushing all the way" indicates the determination of the singer to fight for love, no matter what. Furthermore, the line "We get a little closer every single day" stresses the idea that love takes effort and requires constant work to maintain.
The chorus, with its repetition of "Together, we can hold our own, forever we should always be, together we can hold our own, forever we'll be together," emphasizes the idea of the strength and resilience of love. It repeats the message of the song that no matter what happens, love can withstand it all as long as there is unity and togetherness.
Overall, the lyrics to "Together" portray a hopeful and romantic view of love, and they encourage listeners to hold onto love, no matter what life brings.
Line by Line Meaning
It’s stronger than emotion
The bond between us is more powerful than any fleeting feeling
Than anything I’ve known
I haven't experienced anything as impactful as this connection before
And it walks upon the water
This bond is so strong, it defies logic and can achieve the impossible
The seeds of love are sown
Our love has been planted and will grow into something beautiful
The wind may be against us
We will face challenges and obstacles in our journey together
But I’m pushing all the way
Despite the challenges, I am committed to making this work
We get a little closer
With every passing moment, our love deepens and strengthens
Every single day
Our love grows and flourishes with each new day we spend together
Together, we can hold our own
As a team, we have the strength and resilience to overcome any obstacle
Forever, we should always be
Our love should endure throughout our lives and never fade away
(Seremos muito mais fortes, cantando juntos na vida)
(We will be much stronger, singing together in life)
I spoke a million phrases
I used to try expressing myself a lot, but now it's unnecessary because our bond speaks for itself
Trying to be heard
I used to struggle to make myself understood, but now our love is the loudest voice
And now so many feelings
Our bond is so strong, it encompasses a wide range of emotions
Are spoken in one world
Our love is a language of its own that we both can understand perfectly
(Seremos muito mais fortes, cantando juntos na vida)
(We will be much stronger, singing together in life)
Forever, we’ll be together
Our love will never fade, and we will spend the rest of our lives together
Contributed by Declan A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.