Maxi Priest – Max Alfred Elliott, born 610610 in London, UK – is a danceh… Read Full Bio ↴Maxi Priest – Max Alfred Elliott, born 610610 in London, UK – is a dancehall, reggae , pop and R&B-singer from England. His parents were Jamaican, and Maxi is cousin to lateJacob Miller , who was frontman for Inner Circle and one of the greatest reggae and roots reggae icons. Maxi's first major album Maxi (1988) along with his cover of Cat Stevens' 'Wild World', established him as one of the British top singers. He is one of two British reggae acts (along with UB40) to have topped American Billboard: 'Close To You' (1990). Other big hits are 'That Girl' (with Shaggy) (1996) and 'Housecall' (1991,1993). Maxi has done 10 studio albums so far (1985-2014).

Of Jamaican descent, and the second youngest of nine children, he was born in Lewisham, London. He is known as the 'King of Lovers Rock'. His music is sometimes closer to R&B, and pop, than to reggae music itself. His first major album was the self-titled Maxi Priest (1988) along with his cover of Cat Stevens' Wild World established him as one of the British reggae top singers this internationally acclaimed vocalist, is the only UK reggae act to score an American Billboard Number One. That was with a track entitled "Close To You", which was released in 1990.

In addition, a duet with Roberta Flack - "Set The Night To Music", also reached the U.S. Top Ten in 1991. In the latter half of his lengthy recording career, he has favoured working alongside other established, or up and coming, artistes. For example, Maxi Priest has worked with Sly & Robbie, Shaggy, Beres Hammond, Jazzie B, Apache Indian, Roberta Flack and Shabba Ranks.

Hard To Get
Maxi Priest Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Dododo dobedodododododododo dododo oh yeah

For quite some time I been trying my very best
Hope to get real close to you
It seems my best efforts had no real effect
And there's no way that I can get through to you

So my intentions are strictly honorable

Throughout the years that I've known you
Hoping within your heart you'll be there, willing and able
See I want you and this time I gotta get you

Hard to get, is there something that I'm doing wrong
Hard to get, oh yeah is that the game you're playing
Hard to get, oh girl won't you stop for wasting time
Hard to get, oh yeah can't you see I wanna make you mine

See I've been trying so many ways to win your attention
But it seems I can't please you
Though within your eyes I can see true affection
Your body language can't lie to me

My devotion is strongest on the level
My direction leads only to you
So deep within me only you seem able
To give me love I could never forget

[Chorus]
Hard to get, surely I'm not mistaken
Hard to get, my love is true and that's for sure
Hard to get, won't you stop playing games with my affection
Hard to get, this love I'm offering is all for you
Oh oh yeah oh yeah

You're trying to make me feel my chances are weaker
'Cause every day you're playing hide and seak
And I'm sending messages to you right around the clock
I'm still waiting, say you never answer back

[Chorus]

See I've been trying so many ways to win your attention
But it seems I can't please you
Though within your eyes I can see true affection
Your body language can't lie to me

My devotion is strongest on the level
My direction leads only to you
So deep within me only you seem able
To give me love I could never forget

[Chorus]

You're trying to make me feel my chances are weaker
'Cause every day you're playing hide and seek
And I'm sending messages to you right around the clock
I'm still waiting, say you never answer back

[Chorus]

I can see you want it

Makes no sense you're hiding
Oh oh oh yeah yeah

Overall Meaning

Maxi Priest's "Hard to Get" is a song that details a man's struggles to get a woman's attention, even though he has been trying his best to get closer to her for a long time. Despite his efforts, he feels as if nothing he does has any real impact on her, and she's not giving him the time of day. The man's intentions are honorable, and he hopes that she will reciprocate his feelings eventually.

The song highlights the difficulty of trying to win someone's heart, especially when it seems like they're deliberately playing games or making it hard to get close to them. The lyrics speak of the man's devotion to the woman and the depth of his feelings towards her, but he's frustrated that she seems to be purposely ignoring him.

The chorus expresses his confusion and disappointment, wondering if he's doing something wrong or if she's deliberately making things difficult for him. Nevertheless, he persists in his pursuit, hoping that she will eventually recognize his love and give him a chance.

Overall, "Hard to Get" is a relatable song that many people can connect with, as it touches on themes of unrequited love and the often frustrating experience of trying to win someone's heart.

Line by Line Meaning

For quite some time I been trying my very best
I have been putting in a lot of effort for a while now

Hope to get real close to you
I want to get closer to you

It seems my best efforts had no real effect
It appears that my efforts have not made any difference

And there's no way that I can get through to you
I am unable to communicate with you

So my intentions are strictly honorable
My intentions are pure

Throughout the years that I've known you
Over the years that I have known you

Hoping within your heart you'll be there, willing and able
I hope you are willing and able to reciprocate my feelings

See I want you and this time I gotta get you
I want you and I need to make you mine

Hard to get, is there something that I'm doing wrong
Is there something I am doing wrong that is making it difficult to pursue you?

Hard to get, oh yeah is that the game you're playing
Are you playing hard to get on purpose?

Hard to get, oh girl won't you stop for wasting time
Please stop wasting time and give us a chance

Hard to get, oh yeah can't you see I wanna make you mine
Can't you see that I want to be in a relationship with you?

See I've been trying so many ways to win your attention
I have tried numerous ways to catch your attention

But it seems I can't please you
It seems like I am unable to make you happy

Though within your eyes I can see true affection
I can sense that you genuinely like me

Your body language can't lie to me
Your actions speak louder than words

My devotion is strongest on the level
I am completely devoted to you

My direction leads only to you
My heart only seeks you

So deep within me only you seem able
I feel like only you can fill the void in my heart

To give me love I could never forget
I want a love that stays with me forever

Hard to get, surely I'm not mistaken
I hope I am not misunderstanding your intentions

Hard to get, my love is true and that's for sure
My love for you is genuine and sincere

Hard to get, won't you stop playing games with my affection
Please stop playing games and give our relationship a chance

Hard to get, this love I'm offering is all for you
The love I have to offer is exclusively for you

You're trying to make me feel my chances are weaker
You are making me feel like my chances with you are slim

'Cause every day you're playing hide and seek
Because you play games with me every day

And I'm sending messages to you right around the clock
I am constantly trying to communicate with you

I'm still waiting, say you never answer back
I have been waiting for your response but you never reply

I can see you want it
I can tell that you also want a relationship

Makes no sense you're hiding
It doesn't make sense that you are avoiding me

Oh oh oh yeah yeah
Yeah yeah

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: DWIGHT PINKNEY, DWIGHT ALEXANDER PINKNEY, MAX ALFRED ELLIOTT, TONY ROY STEPHENSON, TREVOR ROPER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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