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
Faithless Love
Will Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like the golden years are over
Still holding out for closure
Time will only heal so much
Dove too deep swimming through the rivers
Drowning in our own decisions
Just say the word and I'll go
I sold my soul when I took the wrong road home
I guess it's time for us to move on
There's no crime admitting it's gone
I sold my soul when I took the wrong road home
I guess we both moved on
I don't know 'cause you don't call
Always had our flaws, now our faithless love is lost
I guess we both moved on
I don't know 'cause we don't talk
Never woulda thought, our faithless love is lost
Out faithless love is lost
Well, we've rotted down the truth enough, 'ough, 'ough
Growing impatience feeds our frustration
We're too weak to confront the situation
Your absence of trust is complicated
Lies are overrated, convoluted fabrications
I never open my eyes, it's too late to emphasize the good times
Just say the word and I'll go
It's too late for me to right wrongs
I sold my soul when I took the wrong road home
I guess we both moved on
I don't know 'cause you don't call
Always had our flaws, now our faithless love is lost
I guess we both moved on
I don't know 'cause we don't talk
Never woulda thought, our faithless love is lost
Our faithless love is lost
Our faithless love is lost
Our faithless love is lost
Our faithless love is lost
I guess we both moved on
I don't know 'cause you don't call
Always had our flaws, now our faithless love is lost
I guess we both moved on
I don't know 'cause we don't talk
Never woulda thought, our faithless love is lost
The lyrics of Will Young's song "Faithless Love" depict a relationship that is drifting apart and losing its love and trust. The opening lines describe the fading nature of their love, as if the golden years are now over. Despite this, they still hope for some kind of closure or resolution. However, time can only do so much in terms of healing the wounds caused by their past mistakes and wrong decisions.
The phrase "Dove too deep swimming through the rivers, drowning in our own decisions" suggests that they have gone too far and are now overwhelmed by the consequences of their actions. It implies that their choices have led them to a place where they feel lost and unable to find their way back.
The chorus emphasizes the idea of the singer having sold his soul when he took the wrong road home. This could mean that he compromised his values or made choices that went against his true self, leading to the deterioration of their relationship. The lyrics convey a sense of resignation and acceptance that it is time for both parties to move on. Admitting that the love is gone is not a crime, but rather an acknowledgment of reality.
The second verse continues to explore the deterioration of their relationship. The constant distance between them is evident through the lack of communication, as highlighted by the line "I don't know 'cause you don't call." They both recognize their flaws and shortcomings, which have contributed to their faithless love. The phrase "our faithless love is lost" reinforces the idea that their love has dissipated due to their actions and lack of trust.
The lyrics also touch upon the frustration and complications that arise from a lack of trust. Lies and deceit are described as overrated and convoluted fabrications, suggesting that these have played a significant role in their relationship's downfall. The singer acknowledges that it is too late to change the past and to emphasize the good times they once shared.
Overall, the lyrics of "Faithless Love" portray a relationship that has drowned in its own mistakes, leading to a loss of love, trust, and communication. Both parties recognize their faults and accept the reality that it is time to move on. The song conveys a sense of regret, resignation, and reflection on the consequences of their actions.
Line by Line Meaning
We're fading in and out of love, love, love
Our love is wavering and uncertain
Like the golden years are over
It feels like the best times are behind us
Still holding out for closure
Longing for resolution and finality
Time will only heal so much
Time can only mend to a certain extent
Dove too deep swimming through the rivers
We immersed ourselves too profoundly, navigating through obstacles
Drowning in our own decisions
Overwhelmed by the consequences of our choices
Just say the word and I'll go
If you ask, I'll leave immediately
It's too late for me to right wrongs
I can no longer fix the mistakes I've made
I sold my soul when I took the wrong road home
I sacrificed my integrity by choosing the incorrect path in life
I guess it's time for us to move on
I suppose it's necessary for us to let go and move forward
There's no crime admitting it's gone
It's not wrong to acknowledge that our love has vanished
I guess we both moved on
I assume we have both progressed in life
I don't know 'cause you don't call
I'm unsure since you no longer contact me
Always had our flaws, now our faithless love is lost
We always had imperfections, and now our love devoid of loyalty has disappeared
Never woulda thought, our faithless love is lost
I never imagined that our untrustworthy love would vanish
Well, we've rotted down the truth enough, 'ough, 'ough
We've decayed and distorted the truth excessively
Growing impatience feeds our frustration
Increasing restlessness intensifies our annoyance
We're too weak to confront the situation
We lack the strength to deal with the circumstance directly
Your absence of trust is complicated
Your lack of confidence creates a complex situation
Lies are overrated, convoluted fabrications
Falsehoods are highly valued, intricate deceptions
I never open my eyes, it's too late to emphasize the good times
I never realized the positive moments, and now it's too late to highlight them
Our faithless love is lost
Our unfaithful love has disappeared
Our faithless love is lost
Our unfaithful love has disappeared
Our faithless love is lost
Our unfaithful love has disappeared
Our faithless love is lost
Our unfaithful love has disappeared
I guess we both moved on
I assume we have both progressed in life
I don't know 'cause you don't call
I'm unsure since you no longer contact me
Never woulda thought, our faithless love is lost
I never imagined that our untrustworthy love would vanish
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Daniel Neil Mcdougall, Thomas Alexander Walker
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind