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
I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know
Will Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And if I ever hurt you, you know I hurt myself as well
Is that any way for a man to carry on
Do you think I want my loved one gone
Said I love you
More than you'll ever know
More than you'll ever know
When I wasn't making much money
You know where my paycheck went
You know I brought it home to you baby
And I never spent a red cent
Hey
Is that any way for a man to carry on
Do you think I want my loved one gone
Said I love you
More than you'll ever know
More than you'll ever know
Now listen to this
I'm not trying to be
Just any kind of man
No I ain't
I'm just trying to be somebody
You can love, trust and understand
I know, I know, I know that I can be
A part of you that no one else could see
Yeah
But I gotta hear you say
I got to hear you say
It's alright
I'm only flesh and blood
But I can be anything that you demand
I can be King of everything
Or just a tiny grain of sand
Now tell me
Is that anyway for a man to carry on
Do you think that I want my loved one gone
I love you
More than you'll ever know
I said I love you
I love you
I love you
Hey
Don't want nobody else but you
The lyrics of Will Young's song "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know" are poignant and emotive as it paints the picture of a man who knows that he is not perfect, but wants his partner to know how much he truly loves her. The opening lines speak of the possibility of the relationship breaking down; however, as the song progresses, the lyrics reveal the depth of the man's love, devotion, and commitment to his loved one. His words serve to reassure her that he would do anything and everything in his power to make her happy, even if that means sacrificing his own happiness.
The second verse talks about financial struggles between the couple, with the man stating that he brought his paycheck home to his loved one and never spent a "red cent" on himself because his priority was to provide for her. This sentiment emphasizes how his love is selfless, and he never asks for anything in return. He merely wants her to realize that he cares more for her than she could ever comprehend.
In the final verse, the man acknowledges that he is not perfect, but he wants to be somebody that his loved one can trust, love, and understand. He recognizes that he is just flesh and blood, but there is nothing he would not do for her, and she is the only one he truly desires.
In summary, the song speaks of a man's deep, unwavering love for his partner, despite his flaws and shortcomings. He wants her to know that he would do everything within his power to make her happy and feel loved.
Line by Line Meaning
If I ever leave you baby, you can say I told you so
If I ever leave you, you can rightfully say that you saw it coming
And if I ever hurt you, you know I hurt myself as well
If I ever cause you pain, please understand it hurts me deeply too
Is that any way for a man to carry on
Do you think it's acceptable for a man to behave this way?
Do you think I want my loved one gone
Why would I ever want to lose someone so dear to me?
Said I love you
I am expressing my feelings of love towards you
More than you'll ever know
I love you more than I could ever put into words
When I wasn't making much money
During the time when I had limited income
You know where my paycheck went
You know that I spent all of my earnings on you
You know I brought it home to you baby
I always brought my paycheck home to you, my beloved
And I never spent a red cent
I never kept any money for myself because you were always my top priority
Now listen to this
I have something important to say
I'm not trying to be
I do not have any intention of being
Just any kind of man
I aspire to be a better man than just an average one
I'm just trying to be somebody
I am endeavoring to become the kind of person
You can love, trust and understand
That you can love, trust, and comprehend fully
I know, I know, I know that I can be
I am certain that there are facets of me
A part of you that no one else could see
That are unique to our relationship and cannot be found with anyone else
But I gotta hear you say
I need you to affirm for me
I got to hear you say
I require you to say it
It's alright
That everything is going to be okay
I'm only flesh and blood
I am mortal and vulnerable
But I can be anything that you demand
But I am willing to do whatever necessary to make you happy
I can be King of everything
I can be the ruler of everything
Or just a tiny grain of sand
Or just a small and insignificant part of the world
Do you think that I want my loved one gone
Why would I ever want to lose someone so dear to me?
I love you
I am professing my love for you
I love you
I love you deeply
I love you
I will always love you
Don't want nobody else but you
I do not desire anyone else but you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: AL KOOPER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind