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
Thank You
Will Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Banging my fists, to see if anyone’s there
I gave you my heart, felt it was the only way
Thought it was love, how could love only last for a day
I was under your charge, did you see you did me wrong
I learned to read the signs, to know what was going on
In my heart I hated you, for taking away my sun
Thank you, thank you, thank you
Oh my God
You broke my heart
Tore me apart
Thank you
Not a good teacher, you marked my papers all wrong
I sense the danger, as you were dragging me along
My hands are burned, the medicine doesn't work
Oh my God
Thank you, thank you, thank you
Thank you, thank you, thank you
Oh my God
You broke my heart
Tore me apart
Thank you
Thank you, thank you, thank you
Thank you, thank you, thank you
Oh my God
You broke my heart
Tore me apart
The lyrics to Will Young’s song “Thank You” is an emotional and bittersweet account of the singer’s experience of being mistreated by a former lover or teacher, resulting in a broken heart. The song’s first verse is particularly evocative, as the singer describes feeling trapped and suffocated, shut inside a cupboard and struggling to breathe. The imagery in this verse is powerful, evoking a sense of claustrophobia and abandonment, as the singer bangs their fists against the walls to attract attention but receives no response.
The following lines reveal that the singer had given their heart to this person, who they thought they loved, only to be hurt and let down in the end. The chorus repeats the title phrase “thank you” multiple times, which initially seems ironic given the painful experiences the singer has undergone. However, as the song progresses, it becomes clear that the singer is expressing gratitude for the lessons they’ve learned and the strength they’ve gained as a result of their suffering.
The second verse suggests that this person may have been a teacher, as they marked the singer’s papers incorrectly and dragged them along dangerously. The final lines of the song return to the image of a broken heart, emphasizing the lasting impact of this person’s actions. Overall, “Thank You” is a heartfelt and honest expression of pain and resilience, ultimately culminating in a message of gratitude for the growth that can come from even the most painful experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
Shut in a cupboard, can’t even breathe in the air
I was trapped and suffocating, with no escape.
Banging my fists, to see if anyone’s there
I was desperate for help and attention, even if it meant making noise with my fists.
I gave you my heart, felt it was the only way
I trusted you completely, and gave you everything I had.
Thought it was love, how could love only last for a day
I believed it was true love, and couldn't understand how it could end so quickly.
I was under your charge, did you see you did me wrong
I was in your care, but you failed to protect me and caused me harm.
I learned to read the signs, to know what was going on
I became aware of the warning signs and how to recognize them.
In my heart I hated you, for taking away my sun
I harbored intense anger towards you, because you took away something that gave me happiness and light.
Not a good teacher, you marked my papers all wrong
You didn't do a good job at teaching me, and made mistakes in grading my work.
I sense the danger, as you were dragging me along
I felt the danger of being pulled along by you, and knew it wasn't safe.
My hands are burned, the medicine doesn't work
I am hurting and in pain, and nothing seems to be able to ease it.
Oh my God
You broke my heart
Tore me apart
Thank you
Despite the pain and heartbreak, I am grateful for the lessons I learned and the strength I gained.
Thank you, thank you, thank you
Thank you, thank you, thank you
I am repeatedly expressing my gratitude, as it is an important feeling that I want to emphasize.
Oh my God
You broke my heart
Tore me apart
I am acknowledging the pain and devastation caused by this experience.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: WILL YOUNG, JAMES ELIOT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kerry Spring
LOVE this song right now....
Shut in a cupboard
Can’t even breathe in the air
Banging my fists
To see if anyone’s there
I gave you my heart
Felt it was the only way
Felt it was love
How could love only last for a day
I was under your charge
Did you see you did me wrong?
I learnt to read the signs
To know what was going on
In my heart I hated you
For taking away my sun
Thank you Thank you Thank you
Thank you Thank you Thank you
Oh my god
You broke my heart
Tore me apart
Thank you
Not a good teacher
You marked my papers all wrong
I sensed the danger
As you were dragging me along
My hands are burnt
The medicine doesn’t work
Oh my god
Thank you Thank you Thank you
Thank you Thank you Thank you
Oh my god
You broke my heart
Tore me apart
Thank you
Thank you Thank you Thank you
Thank you Thank you Thank you
ra7v
Shut in a cupboard, can't even breathe in the air
Banging my fists, to see if anyone's there
I gave you my heart, felt it was the only way
Thought it was love, how could love only last for a day
I was under your charge, did you see you did me wrong
I learned to read the signs, to know what was going on
In my heart I hated you, for taking away my sun
Thank you, thank you, thank you
Thank you, thank you, thank you
Oh my God
You broke my heart
Tore me apart
Thank you
Not a good teacher, you marked my papers all wrong
I sense the danger, as you were dragging me along
My hands are burned, the medicine doesn't work
Oh my God
Thank you, thank you, thank you
Thank you, thank you, thank you
Oh my God
You broke my heart
Tore me apart
Thank you
Thank you, thank you, thank you
Thank you, thank you, thank you
Oh my God
You broke my heart
Tore me apart
Heather Page
Aw man, that bit right at the end. I just took a gulp of tea and almost spat in out on the keyboard haha
Rich David
Can imagine Lennon or Bolan doing this in the 70s....and that outro sounds epic, like Clare Torry's warbling in "The Great Gig in the Sky". Great stuff.
Number147
Loved Will at Hyde Park. The female voice at the end is fantastic and she sings just as well LIVE!
TiaMaria273
My ears pricked up when I heard this just now on the radio, Had to come and watch it here again... and again! I can hear a bit of Pink Floyd in there (who I adore) but you still keep your uniqueness and its def you! Thank you, for this track and video. <3 it!!
Kerry Spring
LOVE this song right now....
Shut in a cupboard
Can’t even breathe in the air
Banging my fists
To see if anyone’s there
I gave you my heart
Felt it was the only way
Felt it was love
How could love only last for a day
I was under your charge
Did you see you did me wrong?
I learnt to read the signs
To know what was going on
In my heart I hated you
For taking away my sun
Thank you Thank you Thank you
Thank you Thank you Thank you
Oh my god
You broke my heart
Tore me apart
Thank you
Not a good teacher
You marked my papers all wrong
I sensed the danger
As you were dragging me along
My hands are burnt
The medicine doesn’t work
Oh my god
Thank you Thank you Thank you
Thank you Thank you Thank you
Oh my god
You broke my heart
Tore me apart
Thank you
Thank you Thank you Thank you
Thank you Thank you Thank you
Adam Davis
Cheers 4 the lyrics!
Claire W
+Kerry Hinks .. and I do love it too
Claire W
Thank you (not the other word lol), for sharing the lyrics...
John Francis Nooney
Fantastic video ... and what a great sound -- always pushing, trying to keep from recording the same thing over and over. Really like this very much. Hopefully there will be a US release of the album?
Adam Davis
Another wonderful song and video from Will! As ever a majestic job well done by Mr.Young. The woman’s voice from the pool is majestic!!