William Robert Young (born January 20, 1979), is a British singer and actor… Read Full Bio ↴William Robert Young (born January 20, 1979), is a British singer and actor. He catapulted to fame after winning the inaugural UK Pop Idol contest in 2002.

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

Don't Let Me Down
Will Young Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Yeah yeah, oohh
Even though I'm scared,
And I'm not prepared
I need to know
A way
To be oh so sure
That I can adore your heart (your heart) your soul (your soul) your love

'Cause baby I care,
And I hope you feel the same

Don't let me down

I'm telling you that you're my baby
The world's gone crazy
This love we've found
Don't always come around (won't you dance)
So I'm telling you baby

I'm still around

Ohh oh oh oh
Hhmmmmm hmm hmm

I apologize,
For the way that I
Describe
My mind
To you.
With my love for you,
I Would not fail to keep you true
It's all, I have, to do do do

'Cause baby, I care,
And I hope you feel the same
Don't deny me

Don't let me down

I'm telling you that you're my baby
The world's gone crazy,
This love we've found
Don't always come around (won't you dance)
So I'm telling you baby

I'm still around

'Cause baby I care,
I hope you feel the same
Don't deny me (Don't let me down, I'm telling you)
I'm telling you (that you're my baby, the world's gone crazy)
This love we've found
Don't always come around (won't you dance)
So I'm telling you baby

Don't let me down (Don't let me down down)

I'm telling you that you're my baby (you're my baby)
The world's gone crazy

This love we've found (we've found)
Don't always come around (won't you dance)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Don't Let Me Down" by Will Young convey a sense of vulnerability and uncertainty, as the singer admits to being scared and not prepared, but at the same time professes his love and desire for a deeper connection. The opening lines suggest that the singer is hesitant about taking a risk, but he wants to find a way to be sure that he can love and appreciate the person he cares about, with their heart, soul, and love. This fear is contrasted with the repeated refrain of "baby I care, and I hope you feel the same" which underscores the emotional stakes for the singer, and makes clear his desire for reciprocated feelings.

As the song progresses, the singer reaffirms his commitment to the relationship, even apologizing for any misunderstandings or communication difficulties that may have arisen. He makes it clear that he wants to keep the other person true to their mutual feelings, suggesting a deep sense of trust and commitment. The song ends with a plea not to be let down, as the singer recognizes that love is a rare and valuable thing that does not always come around.

Overall, the lyrics of "Don't Let Me Down" suggest a complex emotional landscape, in which love and vulnerability exist alongside fear and doubt. This dynamic is underscored by the gentle, almost pleading tone of the melody and the stripped-down, acoustic instrumentation.

Line by Line Meaning

Yeah yeah, oohh
Starting the song with an upbeat and emotional tone

Even though I'm scared,
Although I am afraid,

And I'm not prepared
I am not ready

I need to know
I have to be certain

A way
A method

To be oh so sure
To be completely confident

That I can adore your heart (your heart) your soul (your soul) your love
That I can completely love every part of you

'Cause baby I care,
Because I care about you,

And I hope you feel the same
And I hope you feel the same way about me

Don't let me down
Please do not disappoint me

I'm telling you that you're my baby
I want you to know that you mean a lot to me