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/
Walk On The Wild Side
Paul Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hitch-hiked her way across the USA
Plucked her eyebrows on the way
Shaved her legs and then he was a she
She says, "Hey babe,
Take a walk on the wild side."
She said, "Hey honey,
Take a walk on the wild side."
Candy came from out on the Island
In the backroom she was everybody's darlin'
But she never lost her head
Even when she was giving head
She says, "Hey babe,
Take a walk on the wild side."
Said, "Hey babe,
Take a walk on the wild side."
And the colored girls go:
"Doo do doo do doo do do doo, ...."
Little Joe never once gave it away
Everybody had to pay and pay
A hustle here and a hustle there
New York City's the place where
They said, "Hey babe,
Take a walk on the wild side."
I said, "Hey Joe,
Take a walk on the wild side."
Sugar Plum Fairy came and hit the streets
Lookin' for soul food and a place to eat
Went to the Apollo
You should've seen 'em go, go, go
They said, "Hey sugar,
Take a walk on the wild side."
I said, "Hey babe,
Take a walk on the wild side."
All right, huh
Jackie is just speeding away
Thought she was James Dean for a day
Then I guess she had to crash
Valium would have helped that bash
She said, "Hey babe,
Take a walk on the wild side."
I said, "Hey honey,
Take a walk on the wild side."
And the colored girls say:
"Doo do doo do doo do do doo, ...."
The song "Walk on the Wild Side" by Paul Young, is about the lives of five people from different parts of America who each found themselves in New York City searching for something better. The first verse details Holly, a young woman who hitchhikes her way to New York City from Miami, undergoing a gender reassignment surgery along the way. Holly encourages others to embrace their wilder side and live life beyond the constraints of social norms. Candy, from Long Island, is a popular figure in a brothel, but she didn't lose her head and always remained level-headed. The chorus is repeated twice in this section, as a phrase said by the women encouraging others to embrace their individual desires and break through any norms they might feel restricted by. The second verse features Little Joe, whose name suggests he's a small-time hustler. New York City is known as the place where the energy is high and people hustle for an opportunity. The phrase "take a walk on the wild side" is repeated here as encouragement to others to head into the city and and experience everything the city has to offer. Sugar Plum Fairy is the fourth character to be introduced, who goes to the Apollo Theater for a meal before going out on the street in search of whatever else the night might have in store for her. The chorus is repeated once more before the song wraps up with Jackie, whose life was in a complete mess with drug addiction and depression. She, like Holly and Sugar Plum Fairy, tells the listener, to head into the unknown and take a leap of faith.
Line by Line Meaning
Holly came from Miami, FLA
Holly grew up in Miami, Florida.
Hitch-hiked her way across the USA
She traveled across the country by hitchhiking.
Plucked her eyebrows on the way
She groomed herself while traveling.
Shaved her legs and then he was a she
She underwent gender reassignment surgery and became a woman.
She says, "Hey babe, Take a walk on the wild side."
She encourages people to experience life outside their comfort zone.
Candy came from out on the Island
Candy was from Long Island.
In the backroom she was everybody's darlin'
She was a popular figure at the party.
But she never lost her head Even when she was giving head
She was still calm and collected even when performing oral sex.
She says, "Hey babe, Take a walk on the wild side."
She encourages people to experience life outside their comfort zone.
And the colored girls go: "Doo do doo do doo do do doo, ...."
Background singers hum along in repeating chorus.
Little Joe never once gave it away
Little Joe didn't reveal his secrets.
Everybody had to pay and pay A hustle here and a hustle there
People were charged for services rendered.
New York City's the place where
New York is where people encountered this kind of behavior.
They said, "Hey babe, Take a walk on the wild side."
They tried to encourage participation in this lifestyle.
I said, "Hey Joe, Take a walk on the wild side."
The singer invites Joe to try experiencing life outside the norm.
Sugar Plum Fairy came and hit the streets Lookin' for soul food and a place to eat
Sugar Plum Fairy went looking for a good time and a place to procure resources.
Went to the Apollo You should've seen 'em go, go, go
She went to the Apollo Theater and danced energetically.
They said, "Hey sugar, Take a walk on the wild side."
People try to persuade Sugar to join them in their non-standard behavior.
I said, "Hey babe, Take a walk on the wild side."
The singer invites people to look outside their usual choices.
Jackie is just speeding away Thought she was James Dean for a day
Jackie is driving too fast and a little crazy.
Then I guess she had to crash
She probably had an accident.
Valium would have helped that bash
She could have used calming medicine after the crash.
She said, "Hey babe, Take a walk on the wild side."
She encouraged people to take risks.
I said, "Hey honey, Take a walk on the wild side."
The singer invites people to try something out of their comfort zone.
And the colored girls say:
The chorus repeats again.
"Doo do doo do doo do do doo, ...."
The chorus sings along in the background, humming.
Contributed by Chase G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.