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
Long and Winding Road
Will Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The long and winding road
That leads to your door
Will never disappear
I've seen that road before
It always leads me here
Leads me to your door
The wild and windy night
That the rain washed away
Has left a pool of tears
Crying for the day
Why leave me standing here
Let me know the way
[Gareth]
Many times I've been alone, many times I've cried
[Will]
Anyway you'll never know, the many ways I've tried
[Both]
But still they lead me back to the...
[Gareth]
Long, winding road
You left me standing here
A long, long time ago
Don't leave me waiting here
Lead me to your door
[Will]
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
Still they lead me back
To the long winding road
You left me standing here
A long, long time ago
Don't leave me waiting here
Lead me to your door
Yeah yeah yeah
In Will Young's song "The Long and Winding Road," the two main characters are lamenting over a failed relationship. The song's title refers to the emotional journey that they have had to undertake to try and win back their lover. The lyrics "The long and winding road that leads to your door" symbolize the vast and arduous journey that they have had to embark on to try and make amends with their partner. The line "I've seen that road before, it always leads me here, leads me to your door" indicates that they keep coming back to the same place, the same person, no matter how far they travel, or how many obstacles they face.
The second verse is sung by Will Young and mentions a wild and windy night washed away by rain that left him with a pool of tears crying for the day. This poignant image symbolizes a painful memory that has left him heartbroken and despairing. He pleads with his lover to show him the way, to not leave him standing alone waiting for another chance. The chorus repeats the same line, emphasizing that the journey is never-ending, and the longing to be reunited with his lover is insatiable.
Line by Line Meaning
The long and winding road
Life's journey is filled with twists and turns, but eventually leads to your destination
That leads to your door
The path of life that brings you to the one you love
Will never disappear
Despite challenges and obstacles, that path will always be there
I've seen that road before
I know the journey to love and connection and have traveled it before
It always leads me here
The path always leads to the one I love
Leads me to your door
Brings me closer to you
The wild and windy night
A tumultuous time that is difficult to navigate
That the rain washed away
A challenging period that has passed, leaving a trail of tears
Has left a pool of tears
A lingering sorrow from the past
Crying for the day
Saddened by the distance between loved ones
Why leave me standing here
Feeling lost and uncertain about what to do next
Let me know the way
Help me find my direction and purpose
Many times I've been alone, many times I've cried
Frequently feeling alone and experiencing sadness
Anyway you'll never know, the many ways I've tried
Despite my efforts, it's difficult for anyone to truly understand
But still they lead me back to the...
Despite everything, my path still leads to my true love
You left me standing here
Feeling abandoned and lost without you
A long, long time ago
It feels like an eternity since we were together
Don't leave me waiting here
Please come back to me
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
An emphatic and hopeful affirmation
Still they lead me back
No matter what happens, my journey always leads back to you
To the long winding road
The challenging but rewarding path towards lasting love
Lead me to your door
Bring me closer to you
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul Mccartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Susie Parker
Still love this song and loved pop idol - will young is utter wow! one of the best acts to come out of the show.
Charmaine Baines
What a trip down memory lane! Still love this, still makes me cry. Gareth Gates had such a sweet voice + Will = magical. I wish they’d made an album together. Each is so talented, but something extra beautiful happens when together. Those harmonies are breathtaking! Wow guys. Best version ever imo.
The Original
The standard of talent when these shows first started versus nowadays is absolutely stunning. I remember the nation torn on who was going to win. Both extremely talented and beautiful together
Tressala
I love their voices together. I think it is beautiful
Tony Crofts
Will is fantastic. Went to see him last year. He put on a great show.
Lewis Snell
One of the best performances even after 21 years.
Mihaela
Will young does effortless singing. Top singer.
Jay Sherriff
Both were amazing at this point. True competion.
R G
Possibly the two best singers to ever enter the Idols competition, and they competed in the same year, and incredibly, finished first and second. They were streets ahead of the others that year!
Joanna Pocock
Two fantastic voices love them both and this song really suited their voices