The Secret of Association


The Secret of Association is the second studio album by the English singer Paul Young. Released in 1985, it reached number one on the UK album charts and the Top 20 in the US. The album spawned hits including a cover of Hall & Oates' 1980 song "Everytime You Go Away", "I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down", "Everything Must Change" and "Tomb of Memories".
The album has been certified Double Platinum by the BPI in the UK and Gold in the US by the RIAA.
The album followed the pattern of Young's debut album, No Parlez, combining cover versions with original songs written by Young and keyboard player Ian Kewley. However, on this album the Young/Kewley partnership was better represented with five of their compositions featuring.

Critical reception

In his review of the album for Sounds, Garry Bushell found Young's voice "as expressive as ever" and Laurie Latham's production "less cluttered and obtrusive" than on No Parlez, concluding that "the overall feel is one of growing confidence and maturity", and that "The Secret of Association earmarks Young as a talent of lasting value".
Retrospectively, AllMusic critic Jose F. Promis called The Secret of Association a "stellar" record "featuring lush orchestration and Young's signature, soulful vocals," and "one of the better albums of the 1980s."

Track listing

All tracks composed by Paul Young and Ian Kewley; except where indicated.
  1. "Bite the Hand That Feeds" - 4:31
  2. "Everytime You Go Away" - 5:23
  3. "I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down" - 5:05
  4. "Standing on the Edge" - 4:38
  5. "Soldier's Things" - 6:21
  6. "Everything Must Change" - 5:35
  7. "Tomb of Memories" - 3:53
  8. "One Step Forward" - 3:42
  9. "Hot Fun" - 4:26
  10. "This Means Anything" - 3:13
  11. "I Was in Chains" - 5:42
  12. "Man in the Iron Mask" - 3:13
Note: some cassette releases feature "Man In The Iron Mask" as track 6 and replace tracks 2, 3, 6, 9 and 11 with extended remix versions.
The Secret Of Association was re-released as a 2 x CD album in 2007 under licence on Edsel and contained a second CD containing 12" remixes and live tracks. "The Man In The Iron Mask" was excluded from the first CD but was instead featured on the second CD.
CD2 Listing
  1. "I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down "
  2. "Everything Must Change "
  3. "Give Me My Freedom"
  4. "Everytime You Go Away "
  5. "Tomb Of Memories "
  6. "Man in the Iron Mask"
  7. "Bite the Hand That Feeds "
  8. "No Parlez "

    Personnel

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications