It is a specific sound. That fretless bass slides in, smooth as glass but somehow heavy with grief, and suddenly you’re back in 1985. You’ve heard it at weddings, in grocery stores, and definitely on every "Soft Rock Essentials" playlist ever curated. Everytime You Go Away by Paul Young is one of those songs that feels like it has always existed, a permanent fixture of the pop cultural furniture. But there is a weird disconnect between how we remember this song and what it actually is.
Most people think of it as a Paul Young original. It isn't. Others hear the soulful delivery and think it’s a straightforward love song. It’s definitely not that either.
When Paul Young released his version, he wasn't just covering a track; he was essentially rescuing a deep cut from a Hall & Oates album that most people had overlooked. He took a skeletal, almost experimental R&B sketch and turned it into a gargantuan, stadium-filling anthem of insecurity. It’s a song about the exhausting cycle of a relationship that refuses to stay steady, and honestly, the way Young sings it makes you feel every bit of that exhaustion.
The Hall & Oates Connection Nobody Remembers
Back in 1980, Daryl Hall wrote the song for the Voices album. If you go back and listen to the original Hall & Oates version today, it’s a bit of a shock. It’s faster. It has this quirky, almost jittery energy. Daryl Hall’s vocals are incredible—because he’s Daryl Hall—but the arrangement feels like it’s trying to be a Motown throwback. It didn't have that cinematic, lingering ache that we now associate with the track. It was just a "good" album track. It wasn't a "moment."
Paul Young saw something in it that the creators didn't emphasize. Along with his producer, Laurie Latham, Young slowed the whole thing down. They let it breathe. By the time they were done with it for the Secret of Association album, the song had transformed from a snappy pop-soul number into a lush, blue-eyed soul masterpiece.
They added that iconic Sitar-sounding guitar (actually a Coral electric sitar) and Pino Palladino’s legendary fretless bass work. Without Pino, this song doesn't work. His bass line doesn't just provide the rhythm; it acts as a second vocalist, weaving around Young’s husky, desperate delivery. It’s fluid. It’s restless. It perfectly mirrors the lyrical theme of someone who can’t find their footing because their partner keeps leaving.
🔗 Read more: How Old Is Paul Heyman? The Real Story of Wrestling’s Greatest Mind
Why the 1985 Production Still Holds Up
Usually, 80s production ages like milk. You hear those gated reverb drums or the DX7 synths and you immediately know exactly what year the milk went sour. But Everytime You Go Away by Paul Young avoids the worst of those tropes. Why? Because it’s built on organic-sounding textures.
The decision to use the electric sitar was a stroke of genius. It gives the track a slightly psychedelic, "out-of-time" quality. It doesn't scream "1985" the way a Fairlight CMI would. Instead, it feels like a bridge between 60s soul and 80s sophistication.
Then there are the backing vocals. The George Chandler, Jimmy Chambers, and Tony Jackson trio provided a gospel-inflected foundation that grounded Paul’s more breathy, emotive leads. When they hit that "Go away..." refrain, it feels massive. It’s the sound of a person trying to convince themselves they’re okay while clearly falling apart.
- The Bass: Pino Palladino used a Music Man StingRay fretless. It’s the gold standard for bass tone.
- The Tempo: By dropping the BPM, they found the "heartbeat" of the lyrics.
- The Vocal: Young was at the peak of his powers here, before his well-documented vocal cord issues began to change his range.
The Lyric: It’s Not a Romance, It’s a Warning
"I can't go on saying the same thing, 'cause you can't satisfy the one that's leaving anyway."
Ouch.
💡 You might also like: Howie Mandel Cupcake Picture: What Really Happened With That Viral Post
If you actually listen to the words, the song is pretty bleak. It’s about a relationship that is fundamentally broken. One person is constantly halfway out the door, and the other person is tired of playing the "stay with me" game. It’s a song about the futility of trying to fix someone who doesn't want to be fixed.
We often categorize this as a "Valentine's Day" song, but it’s actually the soundtrack to a breakup that takes six months to actually happen. It’s the "it’s complicated" status of the mid-80s. Paul Young’s delivery sells the vulnerability. He sounds like he’s actually pleading, not just singing notes on a page. That’s the "E-E-A-T" of music—Experience and Authenticity. You can’t fake that kind of soul.
Live Aid and Global Domination
You can’t talk about this song without mentioning July 13, 1985. Live Aid.
Wembley Stadium was packed. The world was watching. Paul Young walked out and, despite some vocal strain he was already starting to feel, delivered a performance that cemented his status as a global superstar. When the crowd started singing "Everytime You Go Away" back to him, it was a wrap. It hit Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 shortly after.
It was a weird time for British artists. The "Second British Invasion" was in full swing, but Young was different from the synth-pop acts like Duran Duran or Howard Jones. He felt more traditional, more connected to the R&B greats like Sam Cooke or Otis Redding, but packaged for a MTV audience. He had the hair and the suits, sure, but he had the "pipes" too.
📖 Related: Austin & Ally Maddie Ziegler Episode: What Really Happened in Homework & Hidden Talents
The Misconceptions and the "One Hit Wonder" Myth
In the United States, there is a lingering misconception that Paul Young was a one-hit wonder. This is objectively false, though "Everytime You Go Away" was undeniably his biggest peak.
In the UK and Europe, he was a titan. "Come Back and Stay," "Love of the Common People," and his cover of "Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)" were massive. He was a mainstay of the charts long before and long after 1985. The problem was that "Everytime You Go Away" was so successful in America that it eclipsed everything else he did. It became the sun that all his other work orbited.
Another myth? That Daryl Hall was annoyed Paul Young had the bigger hit. Actually, Daryl Hall has been on record multiple times saying he loved Young’s version. In fact, on Live from Daryl's House, the two performed it together years later. You can see the mutual respect. Hall wrote a great song; Young found the "hit" inside it.
How to Truly Appreciate the Song Today
If you want to understand why this track still gets played, stop listening to it through crappy phone speakers or tinny earbuds. You need to hear the low end.
Go find the original 12-inch extended version. It’s not just a "remix" with a louder beat; it’s a sprawling, atmospheric exploration of the song's dynamics. You get more of Pino’s bass, more of the sitar, and more of that cavernous room sound that Laurie Latham captured at CBS Studios.
Actionable Listening Steps:
- Compare the Versions: Listen to the Hall & Oates original from Voices first. Notice the tempo. Then switch to Paul Young’s version. The contrast is a masterclass in how arrangement changes a song’s meaning.
- Focus on the Bass: Specifically listen for the "slides" Pino Palladino executes between the verses. It’s a masterclass in fretless technique that influenced a generation of bass players.
- Watch the Live Aid Footage: Look at the sea of hands in Wembley. It gives you a sense of the sheer scale of the song's impact in 1985.
- Explore the Album: Check out the rest of The Secret of Association. It’s a surprisingly experimental pop record that goes way deeper than just the singles.
The reality is that Everytime You Go Away by Paul Young succeeded because it captured a universal feeling—that sinking sensation in your stomach when someone you love walks out the door, even if you know they’re coming back. It’s a song about the spaces between people. Forty years later, those spaces haven't gotten any smaller, which is probably why we’re still listening.