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

Hey Ya
Will Young Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

No, mm

My baby don't mess around
Because she loves me so
And this I know for sure
Oh but does she really wanna
But can't stand to see me walk out the door
Don't try to fight the feeling

'Cause the thought alone
Is killing me right now
Thank God for Mom and Dad
For sticking through together
'Cause we don't know how
Yeah

Hey ya ( we don't no how) hey ya (hey ya)
Hey ya (mm hm), hey ya
You think you've got it
Oh, you think you've got it
But got it just don't get it
Til there's nothing at all

We've be together
Oh, we've been together
But separate's always better
When there's feelings involved
If what they say is nothing
Nothing forever,
Then why you, why you, why you here together
No no no

Hey ya (why you here), hey ya (why you here)
Hey ya (I don't no why) hey ya, hey ya
Hey ya (hey ya) hey ya (hey ya)
Hey ya, hey ya
Just 'cause there's nothin' to prove (nothing lasts forever)
No no yeah yeah (nothing nothing at all)
Do do do do do no
(Nothing nothing at all)

Hey ya, hey ya
Hey ya (hey ya) hey ya
Hey ya (I don't I don't know why) hey ya
Hey ya (nothin' lasts forever) hey ya
(Nothin' lasts forever)
Hey ya (nothin' lasts forever) hey ya
Hey ya, hey ya
Hey ya, hey ya

My baby don't mess around
Because she loves me so
And this I know for sure
Oh but does she really wanna
But can't stand to see me walk out the door
Don't try to fight the feeling
'Cause the thought alone
Is killing me right now
Thank God for Mom and Dad

For sticking through together
'Cause we don't know how

Overall Meaning

The song "Hey Ya" by Will Young is a cover of Outkast's original hit. The lyrics delve into the confusing and often complicated nature of relationships. The singer describes his significant other as someone who loves him deeply but seems hesitant to commit. He's torn between wanting to leave and wanting to stay because the thought of leaving is unbearable. The song also touches on the idea that sometimes being apart from someone is better than being together and being unhappy.

The chorus features the repeated phrase "Hey Ya," which seems to represent the noise that people make when they're trying to communicate but not quite making sense. The melody is upbeat and catchy, which adds to the sense of confusion that the lyrics convey. Overall, the song is a reflection on the difficulties of relationships and how they can leave us feeling lost and uncertain.

Line by Line Meaning

My baby don't mess around
My significant other behaves properly and acts appropriately

Because she loves me so
This is because she has feelings of affection towards me

And this I know for sure
I am certain of this fact

Oh but does she really wanna
Although she behaves correctly, is it what she truly desires?

But can't stand to see me walk out the door
She does not want me to leave even though she may have conflicting feelings

Don't try to fight the feeling
I should not resist or deny my true emotions

'Cause the thought alone
Just the idea of it

Is killing me right now
It is causing me great emotional pain presently

Thank God for Mom and Dad
I am grateful for the example set by my parents

For sticking through together
For persevering as a unit and not separating

'Cause we don't know how
Because the future is uncertain, and we are not certain how to proceed

Hey ya ( we don't no how) hey ya (hey ya) Hey ya (mm hm), hey ya
We are unsure of our future and the end result, but we continue to proceed together and enjoy the moments we have now

You think you've got it
You may believe you understand the situation

Oh, you think you've got it
You are convinced of your understanding

But got it just don't get it
However, you truly do not comprehend the situation

Til there's nothing at all
Until you reach a point of confusion and have nothing left

We've be together
We have been a couple

Oh, we've been together
This has been our relationship so far

But separate's always better
But sometimes it is healthier to be apart

When there's feelings involved
When there are emotions at play

If what they say is nothing
If the rumors and predictions are true

Nothing forever,
That nothing truly lasts forever

Then why you, why you, why you here together
Then why do we continue to stay together if everything ends eventually?

No no no
A negative response to the situation

Hey ya (why you here), hey ya (why you here)
Questioning the reasoning behind staying in the relationship

Hey ya (I don't no why) hey ya, hey ya
Expressing confusion and a lack of understanding about the situation

Just 'cause there's nothin' to prove (nothing lasts forever)
There is no reason to stay together just to prove anything, because nothing lasts forever

No no yeah yeah (nothing nothing at all) Do do do do do no (Nothing nothing at all)
Repeating the idea that nothing lasts, there is nothing left eventually

Hey ya, hey ya Hey ya (hey ya) hey ya Hey ya (I don't I don't know why) hey ya Hey ya (nothin' lasts forever) hey ya (Nothin' lasts forever) Hey ya (nothin' lasts forever) hey ya Hey ya, hey ya
Reiterating the idea that nothing lasts forever, and that there is a lack of understanding about why the relationship continues

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Andre Benjamin

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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