This week we’re fast forwarding to the mid-1980s and some of my favorite tunes from that period. With that in mind, today’s classic mid-80s song of the day is “Every Time You Go Away” by British singer Paul Young. This was Mr. Young’s biggest hit, climbing all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Billboard Adult Contemporary, and Cash Box Top 100 charts. It was also a top ten hit in Canada, Ireland, Norway, and the UK.
“Every Time You Go Away” was written by Darryl Hall and originally included on Hall & Oates’ 1980 album, Voices. Misters Hall and Oates did not release the song as a single, although it was a feature of their live act for several years.
Paul Young released his cover of the tune in February of 1985. Mr. Young featured it in his performance at Live Aid later that year. The video for the tune won the award for British Video of the Year at the 1986 Brit Awards.
I like the tune for its memorable melody and Mr. Young’s blue-eyed soulful performance. Production-wise, it definitely sounds mid-80s-like, complete with that distinctive Yamaha DX7 synthesizer, fretless bass, and electronic drums. We’ll forgive all that, however, as the result turned out very nice, indeed.
Mr. Young started singing in the late 1970s with various bands and struck out on his own as a solo performer in 1982. He had a number of hits in the UK and Europe before he was tapped to sing the opening lines of the “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” Band-Aid charity single. That, combined with the international success of “Every Time You Go Away” led to his featured performance at the Live Aid concert.
Post his mid-80s success, Paul Young continued touring and recording on his own and with a Tex-Mex group called Los Pacaminos. (Yeah, a Tex-Mex group. Really.) He’s still out there today doing his thing, aged 67.
