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/
ball and chain
Paul Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As her face comes back to haunt you once again
And the rumour's going 'round she's with another guy
Don't worry, all of the damage is done
No reason to tell her 'Get outta here'
She's in a party of one
And one is such an unhappy number
(Chorus)
Everywhere there's thunder
Sure you're gonna find some rain
I wonder why you play the game
Oh that spell you're under
Maybe she's your ball and chain
All I see is a girl who's having to pretend
And I'd tell her 'have a heart'
If she had a heart to mend
Don't worry, all of the damage is done
No reason to tell her "Get outta here"
She's in a party of one
And one is such an unhappy number
(repeat chorus)
Don't worry, poor little rich girl have fun
Her jealousy fears you're the stronger one
Maybe tomorrow won't come
And one is such an unlucky number
I wonder why she came
Everywhere there's thunder
Sure you're gonna find some rain
I wonder why you play the game
Oh that spell you're under
Maybe she's your ball and chain
The first verse of “Ball and Chain” by Paul Young presents a haunting image of a woman who is still very much present in the memory of the person singing. The mention of her name brings with it a wave of emotions, and the lyrics suggest that she’s with another guy, adding to the heartache the singer is feeling. The chorus of the song continues this theme of heartbreak and confusion, with the singer wondering why the woman in question has come back into their life. The lyrics suggest that this woman may be the singer’s “ball and chain,” a phrase used to describe a person or situation that weighs you down and makes you feel trapped.
However, the verse that follows complicates this image of the woman as a negative force in the singer’s life. The lyric “all I see is a girl who’s having to pretend” suggests that despite her seeming confidence and possibly outward happiness, the woman may be struggling internally. The singer expresses sympathy, wishing that the woman had a heart to mend, but ultimately, there’s no need to tell her to leave because she’s already “in a party of one.” Overall, the song paints a complex picture of a past love, exploring the emotional baggage that comes with such a relationship and the lingering questions that can follow.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh the room goes quiet at the mention of her name
When someone talks about her, it becomes pin-drop silence in the room.
As her face comes back to haunt you once again
Her memories continue to haunt you.
And the rumour's going 'round she's with another guy
There's a rumor that she is seeing someone else.
Don't worry, all of the damage is done
There is no need to worry, the harm has already been done.
No reason to tell her 'Get outta here'
There is no reason to ask her to leave.
She's in a party of one
She is alone in this party.
And one is such an unhappy number
Being alone is not a happy feeling.
I wonder why she came
I'm wondering why she is here.
Everywhere there's thunder
There seems to be a storm brewing everywhere.
Sure you're gonna find some rain
There will definitely be some problems.
I wonder why you play the game
I'm wondering why you are involved in this situation.
Oh that spell you're under
You are under some kind of influence which is not allowing you to come out of this situation.
Maybe she's your ball and chain
Maybe she is the reason that's holding you back from moving on.
All I see is a girl who's having to pretend
All I can see is a girl who is trying to act as if everything is normal.
And I'd tell her 'have a heart'
If she had a heart, I would ask her to be compassionate.
If she had a heart to mend
If she had a heart that needed to be fixed.
Don't worry, poor little rich girl have fun
She should enjoy herself, despite being a rich girl who maybe has problems.
Her jealousy fears you're the stronger one
She is jealous of you and is afraid that you might be stronger than her.
Maybe tomorrow won't come
Perhaps there is no future for this situation.
And one is such an unlucky number
Being alone is an unlucky situation.
Contributed by Scarlett H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@nataliotovich7820
Beautiful song. Paul's wonderful voice. Paul is a handsome man.
@davidkelly1414
Paul's best song, with that superb ringing guitar background. Brings back nice memories
@kevinlawlor412
I like the guitar work, plus, Paul's Bill Ray Cyrus look.
@thebassbat7882
Takes me back to spending time in London 96-98 happy days.
@randiewasserman8831
Love the Barry Gibb hairstyle!!!
@philipperepetylo3742
Pour moi la meilleure de toutes
Merci Paul pour cette magnifique musique...
Your's the best Singer ...with love
@Bojan1764
Great album! Should be remastered and re-released on vinyl.
@iainholmes2735
I loved this album.
@rosangelabandeira122
Você não tem noção do quanto te amamos aqui no Brasil 🇩🇰❤️🇧🇷🎅🎄
@user-iq9lc4dw2g
いい