About The Song
“Everytime You Go Away” is a soulful pop ballad written by Daryl Hall and originally recorded by Hall & Oates for their 1980 album Voices, though not released as a single. English singer Paul Young covered it for his second album, The Secret of Association, released on March 25, 1985, by CBS Records. The single, issued on February 25, 1985, became Young’s biggest hit, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on July 27, 1985, for one week, and topping the US Adult Contemporary chart for two weeks. It peaked at No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 1 in Canada, and No. 2 in Ireland and Norway, with a No. 16 position in the Netherlands. The song spent 23 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned Young a Best British Video award at the 1986 Brit Awards. The Secret of Association hit No. 1 in the UK and No. 19 in the US, certified double platinum by the BPI.
Produced by Laurie Latham for LOL Productions, Young’s version was recorded at The Workhouse in London, featuring Pino Palladino’s iconic fretless bass, echoed piano, Yamaha DX7’s “harp” preset, and John Turnbull’s Coral electric sitar and Ovation Spanish acoustic guitar. Young, recovering from vocal strain, delivered a smooth, emotive vocal, backed by The Fabulous Wealthy Tarts (Kim Leslie and Maz Roberts). The song’s arrangement, described by Daryl Hall in a 2014 Songfacts interview as a “pop record” that “commercialized” his gospel-soul original, amplified its radio appeal. Hall, who performed it with Young as a duet in New York in 1985, praised its craftsmanship in a 2009 Entertainment Weekly piece, noting its royalties funded his career. Young performed it at Live Aid on July 13, 1985, at Wembley Stadium, stretching it to seven minutes for a stadium singalong, boosting its global profile.
Young, a blue-eyed soul singer from Luton, England, was riding the Second British Invasion wave, having contributed to Band Aid’s 1984 “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” His cover, following hits like “Wherever I Lay My Hat” (No. 1 UK, 1983), targeted US audiences, as he told Stereogum in 2020, frustrated by his lack of stateside success despite his American R&B influences. The song’s video, directed by Nick Morris, alternates between Young’s performance and a narrative of an imprisoned ballet dancer, winning critical acclaim. Its use in the 1987 film Planes, Trains and Automobiles, covered by Blue Room for the final scene, tied it to a tearjerking moment, as noted on Songfacts. Covers include Clay Aiken’s 2006 version on A Thousand Different Ways and Gloria Gaynor’s 1986 take on The Power. Hong Kong singers Danny Summer and Elisa Chan recorded Cantonese versions in 1985–1986.
The song’s creation stemmed from Hall’s 1980 studio work, but Young’s team, including arranger Ian Kewley, reshaped it for pop accessibility. Misheard lyrics, like “take a piece of meat with you” instead of “me with you,” became a running joke, as seen in Reddit discussions. Young’s only other US top-10 hit was his 1990 cover of “Oh Girl” (No. 8). The track’s enduring airplay, per Billboard, reflects its status as a 1980s staple, with no notable controversies beyond the grammatical error in the title (“Everytime” instead of “Every Time”), attributed to Hall’s original.
Video
Lyric
Hey, if we can solve any problem
Then why do we lose so many tears?
Oh, and so you go again
When the leading man appears
Always the same thing
Can’t you see, we’ve got everything goin’ on and on and onEvery time you go away
You take a piece of me with you
Every time you go away
You take a piece of me with youGo on and go free, yeah
Maybe you’re too close to see
I can feel your body move
It doesn’t mean that much to me
I can’t go on sayin’ the same thing
Just can’t you see, we’ve got everything, do you even know we knowEvery time you go away
You take a piece of me with you, oh
Every time you go away
You take a piece of me with youI can’t go on sayin’ the same thing
‘Cause baby, can’t you see, we’ve got everything goin’ on and on and onEvery time you go away
You take a piece of me with you
Every time you go away
You take a piece of me with you