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/
Why Does It Always Rain On Me
Paul Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everybody saying everything's alright
Still I can't close my eyes
I'm seeing a tunnel at
The end of all these lights
Sunny days
Where have you gone?
Why does it always rain on me?
Is it because I lied when I was seventeen?
Why does it always rain on me?
Even when the sun is shining
I can't avoid the lightning
I can't stand myself
I'm being held up by invisible men
Still life on a shelf when
I got my mind on something else
Sunny days
Oh Where have you gone?
I get the strangest feeling you belong.
Why does it always rain on me?
Is it because I lied when I was seventeen?
Why does it always rain on me?
Even when the sun is shining
I can't avoid the lightning
Oh, where did the blue skies go?
And why is it raining so?
It's so cold
I can't sleep tonight
Everybody saying everything's alright
Still I can't close my eyes
I'm seeing a tunnel at the end of all these lights
Sunny days
Oh Where have you gone?
I get the strangest feeling you belong.
Why does it always rain on me?
Is it because I lied when I was seventeen?
Why does it always rain on me?
Even when the sun is shining
I can't avoid the lightning
Oh, where did the blue sky go?
Oh, and why is it raining so?
It's so cold
Why does it always rain on me?
Is it because I lied when I was seventeen?
Why does it always rain on me?
Even when the sun is shining
I can't avoid the lightning
Why does it always rain on me?
Why does it always rain on... on...
"Why Does It Always Rain On Me" is a song by English singer Paul Young. It was released in 1999 as a single from his album "The Man Who". It's a song that talks about feeling down and depressed, and the feeling of bad luck that follows despite everything looking okay. The lyrics paint the picture of someone who is struggling with mental health issues and can't seem to find any relief.
The opening line of the song "I can't sleep tonight" sets the tone for the rest of the track. The singer is feeling restless, even though they hear people saying everything is okay. The line "I'm seeing a tunnel at the end of all these lights" can be interpreted as seeing no end to the darkness they are currently experiencing. The chorus, which repeats the phrase "Why does it always rain on me?" shows the frustration and confusion of the singer about the unlucky situation they find themselves in.
The song seems to have a deeper meaning behind its lyrics, it could be about the struggles of life in general or about a specific bad experience that the songwriter had gone through. The lines "Is it because I lied when I was seventeen?" and "Even when the sun is shining, I can't avoid the lightning" suggest guilt and the consequences of wrong actions. In conclusion, the song portrays the feelings of someone who can't shake off the bad luck that follows despite everything appearing to be fine.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't sleep tonight
The singer is having trouble sleeping
Everybody saying everything's alright
Others are telling the singer that everything is okay
Still I can't close my eyes
Despite reassurances, the singer is still anxious
I'm seeing a tunnel at the end of all these lights
The singer is experiencing a sense of hopelessness
Sunny days
Where have you gone?
The singer misses happier times
I get the strangest feeling you belong
The singer feels like happier times are where they belong
Why does it always rain on me?
Is it because I lied when I was seventeen?
The singer feels like they are constantly dealing with hardship, possibly due to past mistakes
Why does it always rain on me?
Even when the sun is shining
I can't avoid the lightning
The singer feels like they can never escape their problems
I can't stand myself
The singer feels a sense of self-loathing
I'm being held up by invisible men
The singer feels like they are being held back by intangible obstacles
Still life on a shelf when
I got my mind on something else
The singer feels like they are not living their life to the fullest
Oh, where did the blue skies go?
And why is it raining so?
It's so cold
The singer is lamenting the loss of happier times and experiencing a sense of despair
Why does it always rain on me?
Is it because I lied when I was seventeen?
The singer repeats their frustration with constantly dealing with hardship, possibly due to past mistakes
Why does it always rain on me?
Even when the sun is shining
I can't avoid the lightning
The singer repeats their feeling of helplessness and inability to escape their problems
Why does it always rain on me?
Why does it always rain on... on...
The singer continues to question why they seem to always face hardships
Contributed by Jake L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.