Band members
Nathan Moore - born Nathan Marcellus Moore, 10 January 1965, in Stamford Hill, London - Vocalist
David White - born 6 June 1965, in Highbury, North London - Guitarist / Vocalist
Carl Fysh - born 25 January 1963 - Keyboardist
Steve Alexander - born 20 November 1962, in Ystradgynlais, Powys, Mid Wales - Drummer
Former members
Eg White - Drummer
The group's first singles, "I Should Have Lied", "How Many Times", "Chain-Gang Smile" (produced by Don Was from Was Not Was) and "Can You Keep a Secret?", were all written by band members Eg White and Carl Fysh, and performed by the band. None of the singles troubled the UK top 50, but were minor chart entries.
However, Stock, Aitken and Waterman auctioned off their services to charity and Brother Beyond and label EMI won the auction . The first song to be released from this session was "The Harder I Try", a number 2 hit that was only kept off the top by the million-seller "Groovy Kind Of Love", by Phil Collins. "The Harder I Try" famously samples the drum intro to The Isley Brothers' "This Old Heart Of Mine", and indeed the song as a whole has a distinct Motown feel, as does its successor "He Ain't No Competition", the 12" of this topping the HI-NRG charts in October 88, where it stayed until it was knocked off by Samantha Fox cover of "I Only Wanna Be With You", again produced by SAW. Their final significant hit was a remix of album-track "Be My Twin", which got to number 14. Subsequent releases delivered lesser returns, with "Can You Keep A Secret" hitting 22, "Drive On" from their second album hitting 39, "Trust" at 53 and a cover of The Three Degrees' "When Will I See You Again?" stalling at 43. After a year-long break, the band enjoyed some US success with "The Girl I Used To Know" and a final UK chart-entry at 48.
They released two albums, Get Even (1988) and Trust (1989) before disbanding in 1991.
After The split lead singer Nathan Moore went on to sing with another boy band called Worlds Apart, and now is working as a manager to such acts as Jessica Garlick, he was also a contestant on ITV's Hit Me Baby One More Time and infamous for being part of Lisa Scott-Lee's Totally Scott-Lee set up. Drummer Steve Alexander toured with Duran Duran for six years, before going solo. Carl Fysh now works for a PR agency in London and became manager to male duo Fierce Girl. David White is currently studying for a BA degree in Fine Art at Central St Martin's College in London. He has shown his paintings around England and Israel.
After leaving Brother Beyond, Eg White formed the duo Eg and Alice with artist Alice Temple. They released one album in 1991 before Eg went solo, covering the Jellyfish hit 'Stay Home'. Eg White won an Ivor Novello award for writing Will Young's "Leave Right Now" and has written songs for a variety of artists, including Natalie Imbruglia and Joss Stone.
The Harder I Try
Brother Beyond Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You give me such a runaround
The more that I see you
The more you just put me down
Even in front of all my friends
You just wanna hurt me (hurt me)
But I'll never give up hoping
'Till I make you mine, oh oh oh
The harder I try (ooh ooh ooh ooh)
The further away from me, it's slipping
I go on trying (ooh ooh) to make you love me
(Love me, love me, love me)
I wanted to see you (see you)
I call you on the telephone
Just to be near you (near you)
They tell me that you're not home
I guess you could say that I'm a fool
To want you so badly (so badly)
But I'll never give up hoping
'Till I make you mine, oh oh oh
The harder I try (ooh ooh ooh ooh)
The further away from me, it's slipping
I go on trying (ooh ooh) to make you love me
(Love me, love me, love me)
The harder I try (ooh ooh ooh ooh)
The further away from me, it's slipping
I go on trying (ooh ooh) to make you love me
(Love me, love me, love me)
I go on trying, trying
I go on trying, trying
I go on trying, trying
I go on trying, trying
I should have believed them (believed them)
Just put them right in their place
I tried to impress you (impress you)
But you threw it back in my face
Even in front of all my friends
You just wanna hurt me (hurt me)
But I'll never give up hoping
'Till I make you mine, oh oh oh
The harder I try (ooh ooh ooh ooh)
The further away from me, it's slipping
I go on trying (ooh ooh) to make you love me
(Love me, love me, love me)
The harder I try (ooh ooh ooh ooh)
The further away from me, it's slipping
I go on trying (ooh ooh) to make you love me
(Love me, love me, love me)
The harder I try (ooh ooh ooh ooh)
The further away from me, it's slipping
I go on trying (ooh ooh) to make you love me
The lyrics of Brother Beyond's song "The Harder I Try" are about unrequited love and the frustration that comes with chasing after someone who doesn't reciprocate your feelings. The singer expresses their feelings of rejection and disappointment as the person they are pursuing continues to give them the runaround and put them down, even in front of friends. Despite the hurt and rejection, the singer remains hopeful, continuing to try and win the affections of the person they love, but with every effort, they find themselves growing further apart.
The chorus, with its catchy melody and repetition of the phrase "the harder I try," serves to emphasize the futility of the singer's efforts. They are trying so hard to make this person love them, but with every attempt, they seem to be pushing them further away. The lyrics also touch on the idea of peer pressure and the feeling of foolishness that comes with pursuing someone who doesn't feel the same way.
Overall, "The Harder I Try" is a relatable song that speaks to the universal experience of unrequited love and the difficult emotions that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Whenever I meet you
Every time I see you
You give me such a runaround
You play hard to get and make it difficult for me to pursue you
The more that I see you
As I spend more time with you
The more you just put me down
You discourage me and make me feel bad about myself
Even in front of all my friends
In public, where others can witness it
You just wanna hurt me (hurt me)
You take pleasure in causing me emotional pain
But I'll never give up hoping
I won't lose faith or stop trying
'Till I make you mine, oh oh oh
Until I win your affection and become your partner
The harder I try (ooh ooh ooh ooh)
My efforts to win you over
The further away from me, it's slipping
Are actually pushing you farther away from me instead of bringing us closer together
I go on trying (ooh ooh) to make you love me
I persist in attempting to earn your love and affection
(Love me, love me, love me)
Desperately begging for your love
I wanted to see you (see you)
I desired to spend time with you
I call you on the telephone
I tried to reach you through phone calls
Just to be near you (near you)
Simply to be in your presence
They tell me that you're not home
Others inform me that you are not available
I guess you could say that I'm a fool
You could call me foolish for pursuing you despite the odds
To want you so badly (so badly)
To have such a strong desire for you
I should have believed them (believed them)
I should have trusted those who warned me about you
Just put them right in their place
I should have stood up for myself and told them they were wrong
I tried to impress you (impress you)
I attempted to make myself look good in your eyes
But you threw it back in my face
You rejected my efforts and made me feel foolish
I go on trying, trying
I continue to strive for your attention and affection
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Matthew James Aitken, Peter Alan Waterman, Michael Stock
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind