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
Love Is a Matter of Distance
Will Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Between you and me
Love is a matter of distance
That you are too far away
Love is a matter of growing
And knowing true feelings
Love is a matter of showing
When my heart is open
My mind is opening to find
I can't let you stay
The love is a matter of difference
You are too far away
Love is a matter of input,
Outlook, deep inside
Love is to know you're on my side
That you are so far away
When my heart is open
My mind is opening to find
I can't let you stay
The love is a matter of difference
You are too far away
When my heart is open
My mind is opening to find
I can't let you stay
The love is a matter of difference
You are too far away
If love is a matter of distance
You are too far away
The song Love Is a Matter of Distance by Will Young is an emotional ballad about the complexities of love and the difficulties of sustaining a relationship over long distances. The lyrics suggest that love is not only a matter of shared feelings and understanding, but also of proximity and closeness. The song explores the sadness and frustration of being apart from someone you love and the longing to be together.
Throughout the song, Young uses the metaphor of distance to capture the sense of separation and disconnection that can arise in a long-distance relationship. He sings, "Love is a matter of difference between you and me" to highlight the ways in which distance can create differences and misunderstandings between two people who love each other. He also sings, "Love is a matter of growing and knowing true feelings / Love is a matter of showing that you are so far away," to emphasize the importance of communication and openness in a relationship, and the challenge of maintaining that connection when two people are separated by distance.
The chorus of the song repeats the heartbreaking phrase, "If love is a matter of distance / You are too far away," highlighting the pain and sadness of not being able to be with the person you love. The song captures the emotional turmoil that often accompanies long-distance relationships, while also acknowledging the hope and resilience that can sustain those relationships over time.
Line by Line Meaning
Love is a matter of difference
Love is defined by the contrast between individuals
Between you and me
It's the gap between us that creates the unique experience of love
Love is a matter of distance
Physical proximity plays a crucial role in putting love to test
That you are too far away
You are beyond my reach, and distance has become a hurdle in our relationship
Love is a matter of growing
Love takes time to develop, and it grows gradually
And knowing true feelings
As love grows, it brings true feelings to the surface
Love is a matter of showing
To love someone, you need to express your feelings openly
That you are so far away
But you being far away makes the task of showing my love difficult
When my heart is open
When I am vulnerable enough to let my heart speak
My mind is opening to find
My mind is receptive to explore the possibilities
I can't let you stay
But the realization that you are too far away makes it hard to hold on
Love is a matter of input
To love and be loved, you need to invest yourself wholly into the relationship
Outlook, deep inside
It is the way you look at yourself and your partner that makes the relationship work
Love is to know you're on my side
Feeling the loyalty and support of your partner is what love means
If love is a matter of distance
Because love is affected by the distance between hearts
You are too far away
You being too far away creates obstacles in our love story
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TIM CHRISTENSEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind