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
Runaway
Will Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You can't hide from me
Feeling scared ready to escape
I can read your neurology
Won't you, won't you save me
I'm looking for a remedy
Won't you save me
Take your time don't go running away from this
Know your mind don't go running around like this
If you set yourself up to fall down
When you do you learn to shift the blame
And lose the one you love
Take your time don't go running away from this
Runaway
There's a boom echoes in my heart
Still don't know if you're near or far
Feel a breeze of a new beginning
You're for keeps don't you runaway
Just place both your feet on the ground
(It keeps you stable)
The ground
(It keeps you stable)
The ground
(It keeps you stable)
You know you've got to
Take your time don't go running away from this
Know your mind don't go running around like this
If you set yourself up to fall down
When you do you learn to shift the blame
And lose the one you love
Take your time don't go running away from this
Runaway
Always run away
Always run away
Always run away
Always run away
The song "Runaway" by Will Young is essentially about the singer's attempt to reach out to a person who is scared and contemplating escape. He urges them to stay grounded and face their fears, to not set themselves up for failure by shifting blame, and to stay away from running. The singer understands the other person's feelings as he claims to be able to read their "neurology." However, he believes that the other person is not lost, and encourages them to be firm, and not engage in the act of "running away." The song highlights the importance of staying true to oneself, being courageous, and facing our fears as this could end up costing us everything we love.
In the first verse, he sings that he can see the fear and surprise in the other person's eyes, and that he is aware of their intention to escape. He understands that the person is afraid and promises to offer help, thinking of it as a remedy that they need. In the chorus, he asks the person not to run away from their problems and to know their mind, as this will eventually lead to shift the blame to others and the loss of the one they love. The song ends with the repetition of the phrase "Always run away," as if to remind the listener that running again and again may bring temporary relief, but will inevitably lead to a bigger problem.
Line by Line Meaning
Surprise, I can see it in your eyes
I can tell that you are feeling a certain way just by looking at your eyes.
You can't hide from me
You may be trying to keep your feelings a secret, but I can still see them.
Feeling scared ready to escape
You are feeling frightened and are preparing to run away from something.
I can read your neurology
I am able to interpret your emotions and behavior based on the science of how the brain works.
Won't you, won't you save me
I am asking for your help and protection from whatever is making me feel scared.
I'm looking for a remedy
I am searching for a solution to my problem or a way to make myself feel better.
Take your time don't go running away from this
Don't rush to escape from whatever is troubling you, take your time to deal with it instead.
Know your mind don't go running around like this
Be aware of your thoughts and emotions and don't let them control you to the point where you feel like running away.
If you set yourself up to fall down
If you don't face your fears or problems directly, you are almost guaranteeing that you will fail or be hurt in some way.
When you do you learn to shift the blame
If you don't take responsibility for your actions or decisions, you will start to blame others for your problems.
And lose the one you love
If you let your problems control you and you push away the people you love, you will end up losing them in the end.
There's a boom echoes in my heart
There is a powerful feeling inside of me that I can feel in my chest.
Still don't know if you're near or far
I am not sure if you are close to me or far away from me, both physically and emotionally.
Feel a breeze of a new beginning
I sense that there is change coming or a fresh start ahead.
You're for keeps don't you runaway
I want to hold onto you forever and I don't want you to leave or run away from me.
Just place both your feet on the ground
Stay rooted and grounded in reality, don't get lost in your thoughts or emotions.
(It keeps you stable)
Being grounded and stable helps you stay balanced and steady, both physically and emotionally.
Always run away
Running away is not a good solution to your problems, it will only make things worse in the long run.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JONATHAN THOMAS SLOAN, WILLIAM ROBERT YOUNG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
White Goodman
Will is probably one of the most underated singers. He is fantastic.
Rami Nemei
Most underrated singer
themayorofflair
Closest vocalist I have heard to the late great George Michael. These is a purity, smoothness & honesty in his voice that is so very rare. The late great Nat King Cole was the first male singer I heard with this ability. God given talent.
remy paraskovia
This album is extraordinary, with Sophisticated music and beautiful vocals ,and great lyrics, Will young is perfect.
D & N F
Saw Will live at Blackpool in 2019-wife booked the tickets-didn't really fancy going but I was blown away with his talent!
Ely leon
Love this song is like been in heaven 😍
Angel Visions
What a tune!!!
Pickles-the- Chimp
the whole album is great!
Nora Quinn
Why can't I buy this amazing song on iTunes? I need this in my life!
Martin
Nora Quinn this song sends one out..into space