No Parlez is the debut solo studio album by English singer Paul Young. Released in 1983, it reached number one on the UK Albums Chart (for a non-consecutive total of 5 weeks) and remained in the UK Top 100 for 119 weeks.[4] The album has been certified quadruple platinum by the BPI for UK sales in excess of 1.2 million copies.[5]
Initially, the first two singles, "Iron Out the Rough Spots" and a remake of "Love of the Common People", had no success, but the third, a cover of the Marvin Gaye classic "Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)", was No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in July and August 1983, and the first of Young's 14 British Top 40 singles. Similar success followed in continental Europe. In the UK, the follow-up single "Come Back and Stay" reached No. 4, and the re-release of "Love of the Common People" made it to No. 2 in late 1983.
The album was released the year after the introduction of CDs with their potential for a longer playing time. The CD edition of No Parlez featured one extra track (Behind Your Smile) not on the vinyl release. Additionally, five of the other 11 tracks were extended versions compared to the vinyl edition.
The album featured eight cover versions alongside two tracks written by Young and keyboard player Ian Kewley and one written by the guitarist in Young's band at the time, Steve Bolton. Three of the cover versions were written by Jack Lee who also wrote "Hanging on the Telephone" which was a big hit for Blondie.
The album was released with a different cover in North America,[6] and a new video for the single "Come Back and Stay" was made.
In 2008, a promotional CD of the album was distributed by the Daily Mail newspaper.
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
2008 re-releaseedit
The album was re-released on 30 June 2008 in the UK and worldwide on 5 August 2008[39] as a 25th-anniversary edition. It contains the original 11 tracks as well as a bonus 10-track disc with a combination of B-sides, remixes and live tracks. Although the booklet claims that this is the original vinyl album on CD, three songs are shortened from their UK vinyl release; "Come Back and Stay", "Love Will Tear Us Apart" and "Love of the Common People", all of which use the respective single edits found on the original US and Canadian pressings of the album. The original UK vinyl versions of these tracks remain unreleased on CD.
The Extended Club mixes of "Wherever I Lay My Hat" and "Sex", the full version of "Love Will Tear Us Apart" and the Scratch Mix of "Come Back and Stay", which were all included on the original CD and cassette release, were not included on the 25th anniversary edition. However, In 2013 they were all included on the compilation album Remixes and Rarities.
"Better to Have and Don't Need" (Live Version) – 5:57 (B-side from "Love of the Common People" 12 inch)
"Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)" [Live Version] – 5:59 (B-side from "Love of the Common People" 12 inch)
How the different editions compareedit
Tracks are the same versions unless stated in the notes column.
Track
Vinyl
CD/Cassette
CD (US)
Daily Mail CD
25th CD
Notes
Come Back and Stay
4:57
7:56 *
4:26 **
7:56 *
4:25 **
* Scratch Mix ** Single remix version
Love Will Tear Us Apart
5:00
5:00
4:18 *
5:00
4:18 *
* 7" version
Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)
5:18
6:02 *
5:18
6:02 *
5:18
* extended club mix
Ku Ku Kurama
4:19
4:19
4:19
4:19
4:19
No Parlez
4:57
4:54 *
4:57
4:54 *
4:53 *
* Slightly earlier fade out
Behind Your Smile
–
4:08
–
–
4:08 *
* included on bonus CD
Love of the Common People
4:56
5:52 *
4:56
5:52 *
4:01 **
* extended club mix ** unidentified edit
Oh Women
3:35
3:35
3:35
3:35
3:35
Iron Out the Rough Spots
4:47
7:29 *
4:47
7:29 *
4:47
* extended club mix
Broken Man
3:54
3:54
3:54
3:54
3:54
Tender Trap
4:32
4:32
4:32
4:32
4:32
Sex
4:49
6:53 *
4:49
6:53 *
4:49
* extended club mix
It is possible to create the original vinyl version of the album by using a combination of the original UK and US CD releases together with the 'Full length' version of Come Back and Stay which is included on the 2015 Tomb of Memories career-spanning box set.
^"Hits of the World – Australia" (PDF). Billboard. 21 April 1984. p. 58. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
^"Austriancharts.at – Paul Young – No Parlez" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
^"Hits of the World – Denmark" (PDF). Billboard. 7 April 1984. p. 63. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
^"Dutchcharts.nl – Paul Young – No Parlez" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
^"European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. 9 April 1984. p. 17. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
^Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 263. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
^"Offiziellecharts.de – Paul Young – No Parlez" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
^"International Bestsellers – Italy" (PDF). Cashbox. 12 May 1984. p. 27. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
^ abcdOricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
^"Charts.nz – Paul Young – No Parlez". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
^"Norwegiancharts.com – Paul Young – No Parlez". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
^"Swedishcharts.com – Paul Young – No Parlez". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
^"Swisscharts.com – Paul Young – No Parlez". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
^"Paul Young Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
^"Jaaroverzichten – Album 1983" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Archived from the original on 17 August 2020. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
^"Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1983. Archived from the original on 5 October 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
^"Top Selling Albums of 1983 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
^"Talent Almanach 1983 – Top U.K. Albums" (PDF). Billboard. 24 December 1983. p. TA–31. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
^"Jahreshitparade Alben – 1984" (in German). austriancharts.at. Archived from the original on 14 December 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
^"Jaaroverzichten – Album 1984" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Archived from the original on 17 August 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
^"Hits of the World – Italy – Top Pop Albums" (PDF). Billboard. 22 December 1984. p. TA–12. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
^"Top Selling Albums of 1984 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
^"Around The World Was Young" (PDF). 49 (7). Cashbox. 3 August 1985: 13. Retrieved 13 December 2021. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^"Canadian album certifications – Paul Young – No Parlez". Music Canada. Retrieved 13 December 2021.