Paul Hardcastle Paul Hardcastle Paul Louis Hardcastle is a British composer, musician, producer, songwriter, radio presenter, and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for his song "19", which went to number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in 1985. Born in Kensington in London in 1957, he is the son of Joyce ("née" Everett, 1930–1991) and Louis Hardcastle (1915–2000). Hardcastle achieved some success with his early singles, including the 1984 electro-funk/freestyle/instrumental track, "Rain Forest", which along with the track "Sound Chaser", reached number two on the dance chart. "Rain Forest" also hit number five on the soul chart and number fifty-seven on the
War (The Temptations song) and Dennis Edwards on lead vocals, was much less intense than the Edwin Starr version. Williams and Edwards deliver the song's anti-war, pro-peace message over a stripped-down instrumental track, with bass singer Melvin Franklin chanting a repeated recruit training-like "hup, two, three, four" in the background during the verses. The song was included as a track on the March 1970 "Psychedelic Shack" album, which featured the title track as its only single. The track's direct message, summarized by its chorus ("War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothin'!"), struck a chord with the American public and resonated with growing public