Young was born in Wokingham, Berkshire, UK, with a non-identical twin, Rupert. He was educated at Horris Hill preparatory school and Wellington College.
He then attended the University of Exeter where he read Politics. At university, some of Young's old haunts included Timepiece, The Old Firehouse, and Harry's, where he used to work. In September 2001, he became a student at the Arts Educational School in Chiswick, London, starting a three-year course in musical theatre with a scholarship.
In February 2002, Young came to national prominence by singing in and winning the ITV singing contest/reality tv show Pop Idol.
Contrary to popular belief, Will was not a surprise winner when beating Gareth Gates in the final show; in fact, he gained the most votes nearly every week throughout the entire finals. A lot of 'casual' viewers of Pop Idol may have been surprised at Will's victory because Gareth had got a lot of publicity (partly) due to his stutter, perhaps creating the illusion that he was more likely to win than Will.
Young's first single was a double A-side featuring Westlife's song "Evergreen" and "Anything Is Possible", a new song written for the winner of the show by Cathy Dennis. This became the fastest-selling debut in UK chart history selling 403,027 copies on its day of release. It went on to sell over 1.4 million copies and in the official list of the all-time best-selling singles in the UK issued later that year, it appeared 12th. Will subsequently made headlines by revealing he was gay. He went on to win the Brits Best Breakthrough Act Award and a plethora of other awards, including most recently Best Artist in the Digital Music Awards October 2004. Early singles of note include "Light My Fire" (done José Feliciano style), "Leave Right Now", and "Friday's Child". The latter is the title of his second album, which was largely self-penned, went five-times platinum, also receiving awards and critical acclaim.
Young received his second Brit Award in February 2005 for his co-written single "Your Game". Following sell out theatre and arena tours in 2004, he toured again at outside festival venues in Summer 2005. On July 6, 2005, he performed at Edinburgh 50,000 - The Final Push, the final concert of Live 8, where he did a duet with James Brown on "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag". His third album, Keep On was released in November 2005, together with the first single from same, "Switch It On".
On 29 September 2008, Young's fourth album, Let It Go, was released, and peaked at #2 in the UK albums chart. It was preceded by the single "Changes" on 15 September, which peaked at #10. His next single "Grace" was released on 1 December 2008, and peaked at #33 on the UK Singles Chart. Will's third single taken from the album will be "Let It Go", was released on 2 March 2009 in the UK, and peaked at #58 on the UK Singles Chart. The fourth and final single was "Tell Me the Worst", and was released on July 5, 2009 only in the UK. It served as a club promo, and featured some Fred Falke remixes.
A greatest hits collection, The Hits, was released on the 16th of November 2009. contains twelve songs from Young's first four studio albums, and two new tracks. The first is new single "Hopes & Fears", and the second is a ballad called "If It Hadn't Been for Love". The album will be released as a standard edition and a deluxe edition, which will include a DVD of all the music videos.
Songfacts reports that Jealousy, the first single from Young’s fifth studio album Echoes is a dance pop track produced by Richard X (Sugababes, Annie). The song will be released on August 21, 2011.
Young has been nominated for Ten BRIT Awards [4 x Best British Male - 4 X Best British single - Best pop Act- Best Breakthrough] . In May 2006, he was voted the UK's favourite artist ever in a poll conducted by commercial radio. In May 2007, he was voted the UK's favourite artist of all time for the second consecutive year.
Young has also broadened his repertoire by launching an acting career, taking a role in the BBC film, Mrs. Henderson Presents, starring Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins, with Will playing the character of 'Bertie'. The film went on release in the UK on 25 November 2005, and received excellent reviews, not least for Young's performance as actor and singer in the movie. It includes a scene in which he appears naked.
Will Young supports the charity Women's Aid, about which he wrote: "I am proud to put my name beside this cause and hope that I may be able to help more people affected by the terrors of domestic violence as well as help to create a wider awareness within our society."
Will also supports Mencap and Positive Action Southwest (PASW) for which he performed at his first solo concert in July 2003 at Killerton Hall, Exeter.
Official Website: http://www.willyoung.co.uk/global/home
Cruel to Be Kind
Will Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you're leaving baby,
Let me say one last thing
You tell me I don't care
But you know it just ain't true
I got news
That I'm still in love with you
Long enough to know
Oh, that I need your love
And I won't let go
Oh, you don't have to be cruel to be kind
You break my heart you hurt me so
Kick me out because I ain't leaving
Oh, you don't have to be cruel to be kind
I'm feeling that you got me wrong
All I want is you back where you belong
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Forget about the things
That we could and should have done
'Cause it's not too late, no no
Ain't the best still yet to come
What we have is a chance to start over
And make it anew
So trust what you feel
Don't hide from what's real
Every word I say is real
Girl, haven't I told you this a thousand times before
Oh, that I don't want you going through that door
Oh, you don't have to be cruel to be kind
You break my heart you hurt me so
Kick me out because I ain't leaving
Oh, you don't have to be cruel to be kind
I'm feeling that you got me wrong
All I want is you back where you belong
No contest
(I'm telling you yeah)
No question
('Cause I need you)
Believe me, I ain't leaving
No contest
(I'm telling you girl)
No question
('Cause I need you, yeah)
Believe me, I ain't leaving
You don't have to be cruel to be kind
You break my heart you hurt me so
Kick me out because I ain't leaving
Oh, why must you be cruel to be kind
I'm feeling that you got me wrong
All I want is you back yeah yeah
Oh, you don't have to be cruel to be kind
You break my heart you hurt me so
Kick me out because I ain't leaving
Oh, you don't have to be cruel to be kind
I'm feeling that you got me wrong
All I want is you back where you belong
Baby don't do the things you do
Baby don't hurt me like you do
Baby don't hurt me, hurt me
Don't go
The lyrics to Will Young's song "Cruel to Be Kind" speak of a relationship on the brink of collapse. The singer is pleading with his partner not to leave him, telling her that he's still in love with her, despite whatever has gone wrong between them. He asks her if she's been around him long enough to know that he needs her love and won't let go. He urges her to forget about their past mistakes and focus on building something new, emphasizing that he only wants her back where she belongs.
The chorus repeats the phrase "you don't have to be cruel to be kind," suggesting that the singer's partner is hurting him unnecessarily in her attempts to push him away. He begs her not to be cruel, reminding her that he loves her and wants to make things work. The song ends with a plea for her to stay, with the singer begging her not to do the things that hurt him and not to leave.
Overall, the lyrics to "Cruel to Be Kind" are a poignant reminder of how difficult it can be to salvage a relationship that's falling apart. The singer's desperation and vulnerability are palpable, making the song a moving meditation on the trials and tribulations of love.
Line by Line Meaning
Babe I'm sorry but I just can't stand the pain
I'm sorry for the way things have turned out but I can't handle the emotional pain of losing you.
If you're leaving baby, Let me say one last thing
Before you go, let me express my final thoughts.
You tell me I don't care But you know it just ain't true
You accuse me of not caring, but deep down you know that I do.
I got news That I'm still in love with you
I have news to share that I am still deeply in love with you.
Girl, haven't you been around me Long enough to know Oh, that I need your love And I won't let go
Haven't we been together long enough for you to understand that I need your love and that I won't give up on it.
Oh, you don't have to be cruel to be kind You break my heart you hurt me so Kick me out because I ain't leaving
You don't have to be mean in order to show me kindness. It hurts when you break my heart and try to force me to leave.
I'm feeling that you got me wrong All I want is you back where you belong
I feel that you've misunderstood me. All I want is for you to come back to where you belong.
Forget about the things That we could and should have done 'Cause it's not too late, no no Ain't the best still yet to come
Let's put aside the things we didn't do or should have done, because it's not too late and the best is yet to come.
What we have is a chance to start over And make it anew So trust what you feel Don't hide from what's real Every word I say is real
We still have a chance to start fresh and rebuild our relationship. Trust your feelings and don't ignore what's real. Every word I say is genuine.
Girl, haven't I told you this a thousand times before Oh, that I don't want you going through that door
Haven't I made it clear before that I don't want you to leave and walk out that door?
No contest (I'm telling you yeah) No question ('Cause I need you) Believe me, I ain't leaving
It's not up for debate (I'm telling you this outright). It's a given that I need you, and believe me - I'm not leaving.
Baby don't do the things you do Baby don't hurt me like you do Baby don't hurt me, hurt me Don't go
Please don't keep hurting me with your actions. Don't go away and leave me.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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