The Escape Club was a pop rock band based in London, England that formed in… Read Full Bio ↴The Escape Club was a pop rock band based in London, England that formed in 1983. The band consisted of lead singer/rhythm guitarist Trevor Steel, guitarist John Holliday, bassist Johnnie Christo and drummer Milan Zekavica. They're perhaps best known for the two smash new wave influenced singles "Wild,Wild West" and "I'll Be There", the former single becoming a number one U.S. pop hit.

In 1986, the band signed with EMI, and they subsequently recorded their first album, White Fields. which was released in 1987. Later in 1987, the group moved to Atlantic Records, frustrated with their energetic mix of hook-filled pop rock with dance music failing to break into the mainstream. Their next album, Wild Wild West, was released by Atlantic Records in the summer of 1988.

The first single, "Wild Wild West" (also known as "Wild,Wild West"), climbed to the number one slot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song's distinctive video also received a lot of MTV airplay. According to the Wild Wild West Songfacts, the song distinguished the Escape Club as being the only British group to have charted number one in the U.S. while never charting at all in the U.K.

In 1989, the group released two further singles from Wild Wild West: "Shake For The Sheik", which climbed to number 28, and "Walking Through Walls", which peaked at number 81. Hitting their stride, the Escape Club also had a cover single of The Doors' hard rock track "20th Century Fox" on the multi-artist collection 'The Wonder Years: Music From the Emmy Award-Winning Show & Its Era', which, in addition, meant long airplay on MTV. The band's official website reports that the song was produced by former Doors member Ray Manzarek.

In 1990, the band returned to the studio to record their what would be their final album, Dollars & Sex, which saw a March 1991 release. The first single, "Call It Poison", failed to crack the U.S. Top 40, which did not bode well for the quartet. Just when it seemed they would be considered a one-hit-wonder, Atlantic Records next released the slow ballad "I'll Be There". The group said the song was heavily influenced by the 1990 box office hit movie Ghost. "I'll Be There" reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100. The group then called it quits in 1992. Frontman Trevor Steel has since worked as a solo singer-songwriter as well as a producer and television commentator.

The Hard Way
The Escape Club Lyrics

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I turned to the future
And nothing was found
A place in the system
And a face in the crowd
Is this the hard way
And I felt like a stone
Now my pockets are empty
But nothing can touch me

If I live for today
Is this the hard way

And I walk past the station
And my pockets are empty
And nobody knows me
I've got nothing to say
Nothing consoles me
And nothing can touch me
You feel like you sold me
But you gave me away
Is this the hard way
They say so

And I walked past the station
It was spilling confusion
And somebody touched me
And I wanted to scream
And soon you'll be faced
With the final delusion
That nobody knows how
To stop the machine

Is this the hard way
They say so

Overall Meaning

In The Escape Club's song "The Hard Way," the singer reflects on their life and future prospects, feeling lost in a society where they are just another face in the crowd. Despite hopes for a brighter future, their efforts seem futile, and they wonder if this is the hard way. The singer may feel like a stone, weighed down by their lack of success. Yet, they take comfort in their freedom to live for the moment, with nothing tying them down.

Walking past the station, the singer again feels the pain of emptiness, with nobody to talk to or console them. They feel alone and forgotten, but nothing can touch them. The song takes on a more sinister turn as the singer reflects on the delusion that society perpetuates, where the machine of life has become unstoppable, and nobody knows how to stop it. The singer wonders if this is the hard way and if they will ever find a way out.

Line by Line Meaning

I turned to the future
I looked towards what's ahead

And nothing was found
But didn't find anything

A place in the system
Except a role in the societal order

And a face in the crowd
And just one of the many people

Is this the hard way
Wondering if life is truly difficult

And I felt like a stone
Feeling heavy like an inanimate object

Now my pockets are empty
I'm broke

But nothing can touch me
But I feel invincible

If I live for today
As long as I prioritize the present moment

And I walk past the station
As I stroll past the train stop

And nobody knows me
No one recognizes me