The Best of Will

Remember the first ever Pop Idol competition, the one that introduced the world to Simon Cowell, the adorable duo Ant and Dec and most importantly, the super talented Will Young.  Will won over the judges as well as the public with smooth, sultry and always soul-filled renditions of classics including Light My Fire, The Name of the Game and Ain’t No Sunshine.  I can still recall the nail-biting moment before the winner was announced; it was a tight race between Gareth Gates and Will.  I had been a Will supporter from the beginning so I was thrilled when he walked away with the title.  Since this was the first reality singing competition of its kind, his future in the music industry was uncertain.  Six albums later, it is clear that Will’s star has not faded. 

In the past 16 years (16!) Will has also dipped his toes in waters of the film industry, starring in Mrs Henderson Presents.  He performed in the West End revival of Cabaret in 2013 which earned him a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical nomination.  He also appeared on season fourteen of the UK edition of Strictly Come Dancing but withdrew from the competition after three weeks.  Furthermore, he has written three books including his autobiography, Funny Peculiar, and narrated an audio version of Danny, the Champion of the World.

For those of you who don’t know who Will Young is (um, where have you been?) or who feel as though you lost track of him after his debut post-Idol album, fear not – I have compiled the best 15 WY tracks from his six studio albums (and one EP) for you to download and enjoy.  Because your music collection is not complete without a little Will.

From Now On (2002)

·         Light My Fire – the song that many have said propelled him into that Pop Idol final and one that is still great to listen to while chilling out with a glass of wine.

Friday’s Child (2003)

·         Leave Right Now – this was a big hit with soothing verses and a catchy chorus that explored the theme of being caught between the need to leave because it’s the right thing to do and the desire to stay because that’s what the heart wants.

·         Love The One You’re With – a soaring, gospel-esque song that makes you want to shout out “preach brother!” and one that encourages you to appreciate what you have instead of longing for the past: “Don’t be angry don’t be sad / Don’t sit crying over good times you had”.

Keep On (2005)

·         All Time Love – one of his most moving ballads in which he longs for an “all time love…'cause nothing else is good enough”.

·         Who Am I – another stunning ballad from this album in which he refuses to make promises that he, realistically, can’t necessarily keep:  “And who am I to tell you that I would never let you down / That no one else could love you half as much as I do now”.

·         Switch It On – one of Will’s more upbeat songs in which he boldly declares “This is my time and these are my needs”.  The video plays on imagery from the film Top Gun, with cheeky opening credits calling the video Hot Gun, and sees a shirtless, dog-tagged Will playing volleyball and flying fighter jets.

Let It Go (2008)

·         Let It Go – a reminder that sometimes you just have to let go when things are beyond your control: “Let it go 'cause it's out of my control / Let it go, let it go / Don't have to have it all”.

·         You Don’t Know – an incredibly moving ballad, almost missed because it appears right at the end of the album:  “You don't know what you did for me / I was all alone, I was nearly gone / You don't know when you carried me /  Took my broken bones and put them back together”.

Echoes (2011)

·         Jealousy – the lead single from the album about the suffocating nature of jealousy, and one which sparked many amusing “It FEEELS like <insert word that rhymes with jealousy>” tweets by Pop Justice’s Pete Robinson. 

·         Runaway – an easy-listening electronic number with a catchy chorus.

·         Silent Valentine – a poignant song about a love that wasn’t meant to be: “You’ll always be my silent valentine”.

85% Proof (2015)

·         Brave Man – I love the sweeping strings on this song in which Will confronts the pain of life head-on, inspiring the rest of us to do so too:  “I'm a brave man / Running through the rain / I'm a brave man / Not scared to feel the pain”.

·         Like A River – besides being one of the best tracks on the album, the video for the song is also my favourite in Will’s catalogue.  Shot in black and white, it depicts a veiled (and once again shirtless) Will navigating the passages of a labyrinth to confront an evil minotaur.

·         Love Revolution – I love a song with a clapping refrain and this upbeat track challenges you not to clap along.  The funkadelic video is also fun and cool.

Summer Covers (EP)

Ever Fallen In Love – originally recorded by Buzzcocks and covered by the Fine Young Cannibals as well as Pete Yorn for the Shrek 2 soundtrack, Will offers up a slower and stripped-down version of the classic.  The EP really showcases his distinctive voice that made millions of fans fall in love with him all those years ago – and I was ecstatic to get a signed copy for my collection.