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/

Won't Look Back
Paul Young Lyrics

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before the lights went out
we sat and talked about
all the things we'd be
just needed her to be with me

all around that time
I was feeling high
a mind of my own

I didn't mind being alone

so what do you say when it's all been said
and how do you feel when it's all been felt
and where do you go when it's all gone
and you don't care enough to carry on
now what do you say when it's all been said
and how do you feel when it's all been felt
you will live the present tense - won't look back

we made it up not real
we tried to think not feel
when we closed our eyes
and couldn't find what's deep inside

we looked away not through
we used to say not do
now I understand
I cannot see what I saw then

so what do you say when it's all been said
and how do you feel when it's all been felt
and where do you go when it's all gone
and you don't care enough to carry on
now what do you say when it's all been said
and how do you feel when it's all been felt
you will live the present tense - won't look back

I will be alright
I will be just fine
just as soon as I let go...

so what do you say when it's all been said
and how do you feel when it's all been felt
and where do you go when it's all gone
and you don't care enough to carry on
now what do you say when it's all been said
and how do you feel when it's all been felt
I will live the present tense - won't look back

so what do you say when it's all been said
and how do you feel when it's all been felt
and where do you go when it's all gone

and you don't care enough to carry on
you will live the present tense - won't look back

Overall Meaning

The song "Won't Look Back" by Paul Young is a contemplative piece that explores the struggle of letting go of the past and living in the present. The beginning of the song reflects on a point in time when the singer was feeling content with the current state of their life. However, as time passed, they found it difficult to maintain that same sense of peace and happiness. The lyrics describe how they tried to suppress their emotions and focus on logic rather than feelings, ultimately leading to a sense of confusion and dissatisfaction.

The chorus poses several questions, asking how one can move forward when everything has already been said and felt. The theme of feeling stuck and unable to let go of the past is central to the song. However, by the end of the song, the singer comes to terms with the fact that they cannot change the past and must learn to live in the present. They ultimately find peace in the idea of letting go and moving on.

Line by Line Meaning

before the lights went out
Before the situation turned bad

we sat and talked about
We had a conversation

all the things we'd be
Our future aspirations

just needed her to be with me
My need for companionship

all around that time
At that particular moment

I was feeling high
I was feeling confident

a mind of my own
I valued my independence

I didn't mind being alone
I was okay with being single

so what do you say when it's all been said
What can you add to an already said statement?

and how do you feel when it's all been felt
How do you react when you've experienced it all?

and where do you go when it's all gone
What do you do when everything's lost?