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 Girl I Used to Know
Brother Beyond Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, oh, oh, oh
She's a girl I used to know
I saw you standing in the corner
And I pretended not to see
You were looking over your shoulder
Then you turned away from me
My friends all asked me if I knew you
I did not know quite what to say
So many reasons to forget you
Cause I can't bring back yesterday
And I said, oh, oh, oh, oh
Just a girl I used to know
She doesn't mean a thing to me
And I said, oh, oh, oh, oh
Just a girl I used to know
There's much more than
The eye can see
I heard a voice speak to me softly
I turned around and saw your smile
More beautiful than I remembered
I said hello, it's been a while
My friends all say I must be crazy
To ever walk away from you
Won't be a victim of temptation
There's only one thing I can do
And I said, oh, oh, oh, oh
Just a girl I used to know
She doesn't mean a thing to me
And I said, oh, oh, oh, oh
Just a girl I used to know
There's much more than
The eye can see
I should have
Never left your side
Feels like the first time
I laid my eyes on you
Guess love was stronger
Than I ever knew
And I said, oh, oh, oh, oh
Just a girl I used to know
She doesn't mean a thing to me
And I said, oh, oh, oh, oh
Just a girl I used to know
There's much more than
The eye can see
My friends all say I must be crazy
To ever walk away from you
Won't be a victim of temptation
There's only one thing I can do
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Just a girl I used to know
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Just a girl I used to know
The lyrics to Brother Beyond's song The Girl I Used to Know seem to be about a man who sees a girl he used to know and is hesitant to interact with her. He describes how he pretended not to see her and how his friends asked if he knew her, but he didn't know how to respond. He remembers there are reasons why he should forget her, as he can't bring back yesterday. Despite this, he does eventually speak to her and admits to himself that there's much more to her than meets the eye. He ultimately regrets leaving her side and realizes that love was stronger than he ever knew.
The song explores the theme of regret and the idea that there's always more to someone than what meets the eye. The singer begins by intentionally avoiding the girl he used to know, suggesting he may have been hurt by her or is trying to move on from the past. However, when he sees her smile, he is reminded of her beauty and is drawn back to her. The chorus acts almost as a mantra or affirmation that she is just a girl he used to know as the man tries to convince himself and others that he is over her. However, as the song progresses, the man's true feelings come to light, and he realizes that he still has strong feelings for her.
Overall, the song is one that explores the complexities of relationships and how emotions can often be confusing and contradicting. The man's struggle to move on and ultimately return to the girl he used to know is something that many people can relate to.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, oh, oh, oh
The singer is expressing excitement and enthusiasm.
Oh, oh, oh, oh
The singer is repeating his excitement and enthusiasm.
She's a girl I used to know
The singer is talking about a girl he knew in the past.
I saw you standing in the corner
The singer noticed the girl standing in a certain spot.
And I pretended not to see
Rather than acknowledging her, the singer acted as if he didn't notice her.
You were looking over your shoulder
The girl looked back to see if the singer was looking at her.
Then you turned away from me
After seeing that the singer was not acknowledging her, the girl turned away.
My friends all asked me if I knew you
The singer's friends wanted to know if he was familiar with the girl.
I did not know quite what to say
The singer was unsure of how to respond to his friends when asked about the girl.
So many reasons to forget you
The singer had many reasons to try to forget about the girl.
Cause I can't bring back yesterday
The singer is unable to change the past and go back to previous interactions with the girl.
And I said, oh, oh, oh, oh
The singer is expressing excitement and enthusiasm (again).
Just a girl I used to know
Once again, the singer is talking about a girl he knew in the past.
She doesn't mean a thing to me
The singer is trying to communicate that he is over the girl and is not interested in her anymore.
There's much more than the eye can see
The singer is suggesting that there may be more to the girl than what he originally perceived.
I heard a voice speak to me softly
The singer heard the girl speak to him in a gentle voice.
I turned around and saw your smile
The singer turned to see the girl smiling at him.
More beautiful than I remembered
The singer is surprised by how stunning the girl looks.
I said hello, it's been a while
The singer greeted the girl, acknowledging that it had been some time since they last spoke.
My friends all say I must be crazy
The singer is acknowledging that his friends think he is foolish for not pursuing the girl.
To ever walk away from you
The singer feels regret for walking away from the girl.
Won't be a victim of temptation
The singer is trying to avoid being tempted by the girl.
There's only one thing I can do
The singer feels like he can only take one course of action.
I should have never left your side
The singer regrets leaving the girl's side in the past.
Feels like the first time I laid my eyes on you
The singer is experiencing the same feelings he had when he first met the girl.
Guess love was stronger than I ever knew
The singer realizes that his love for the girl was stronger than he had previously thought.
Just a girl I used to know
The singer repeats that the girl is someone he used to know.
There's much more than the eye can see
The singer is still suggesting that there may be more to the girl than he initially thought.
Contributed by Madison H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@chris-316
BBBB
Bring Back Brother Beyond
@mac9061
Awesome song.
@AA-ng8wm
A brilliant song that still sounds great today👍
@swimjockey
Great tune! I sure do miss those pure pop days! Blissfully fun!
@swimjockey
What a great upbeat song! I remember it well. It may be considered 90's but it definitely has the 80's vibe to it. A great tune from the past! ;)
@FaithHopeLove999
Finally I found this song! OMG..I never have seen the video.. all these years..wow.. 28 years ago, geez, time flies.
@russellruble8795
Awesome song
@AA-ng8wm
Great song
@thehollywoodkiss
i actually bought the 'cassette single' of this song, late '90... *great lyrics.
@ralphkjb
thehollywoodkiss I did too. The K-Mart I bought the tape at is now a supermarket.