The Harder I Try
Encyclopedia
"The Harder I Try" is a single by British
boyband Brother Beyond
. It was released in 1988 and is considered their breakthrough single.
charity. Label EMI
won the auction, and British boyband Brother Beyond was selected by Pete Waterman
to be produced by the trio. The group had met Waterman previously and the producer liked the band.
Brother Beyond was by then a struggling pop act, with their first four singles only making the lower reaches of the UK top 75 singles chart. EMI saw this as their much-needed breakthrough and agreed with Waterman on producing the group.
The resulting song, The Harder I Try, had a distinctive Motown-esque sound, and sampled the drum intro to The Isley Brothers
' This Old Heart of Mine. When released in July 1988, it became an instant success, peaking at #2 in the UK for two weeks, becoming the band's best-selling single. The song was kept off from the top spot by Yazz
's The Only Way Is Up
on the first week and by Phil Collins
' A Groovy Kind of Love
on the second week. The single was mildly successful when released worldwide.
As a result to the group's success with the song, EMI asked the producers to write and produce another track for the band, resulting in the song He Ain't No Competition, a song that again featured a Motown sound. It was released as the band's next single and it became another big hit for the group, peaking at #6.
Brother Beyond's album Get Even
had by the time of the release of the single already been released in Japan. It was repackaged for its release in the rest of the world, including the two Stock Aitken & Waterman-produced tracks, and omitting two of the band's self-penned songs from the original release. This version was released in November 1988, and the album was also a top 10 hit.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
boyband Brother Beyond
Brother Beyond
Brother Beyond were a British boy band / pop group who had mainstream success in the late 1980s.-Biography:The group's first four singles, "I Should Have Lied", "How Many Times", "Chain-Gang Smile" , and an early version of "Can You Keep a Secret?" , were all written by band members Eg White...
. It was released in 1988 and is considered their breakthrough single.
Background
In 1988, top British producers Stock Aitken & Waterman auctioned off their services for the Young Variety Club of Great BritainVariety, the Children's Charity
Variety, the Children's Charity is an organisation founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on October 10, 1927, when a group of eleven men involved in show business set up a social club which they named the "Variety Club". On Christmas Eve 1928, a small baby was left on the steps the Sheridan Square...
charity. Label EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
won the auction, and British boyband Brother Beyond was selected by Pete Waterman
Pete Waterman
Peter Alan Waterman OBE is an English record producer, occasional songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. As a member of the Stock Aitken Waterman songwriting team he wrote and produced many hit singles...
to be produced by the trio. The group had met Waterman previously and the producer liked the band.
Brother Beyond was by then a struggling pop act, with their first four singles only making the lower reaches of the UK top 75 singles chart. EMI saw this as their much-needed breakthrough and agreed with Waterman on producing the group.
The resulting song, The Harder I Try, had a distinctive Motown-esque sound, and sampled the drum intro to The Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers are a highly influential, successful and long-running American music group consisting of different line-ups of six brothers, and a brother-in-law, Chris Jasper...
' This Old Heart of Mine. When released in July 1988, it became an instant success, peaking at #2 in the UK for two weeks, becoming the band's best-selling single. The song was kept off from the top spot by Yazz
Yazz
Yazz is a British pop singer, who remains best known for her successful 1988 dance track, "The Only Way Is Up". Some of her records were credited to Yazz & The Plastic Population...
's The Only Way Is Up
The Only Way Is Up
"The Only Way Is Up" is a song written by George Jackson and Johnny Henderson and originally released 1980 as single by soul singer Otis Clay. In 1988, it became a chart-topping single for Yazz and the Plastic Population.-Yazz version:...
on the first week and by Phil Collins
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
' A Groovy Kind of Love
A Groovy Kind of Love
"A Groovy Kind of Love" is a pop song written by Toni Wine and Carol Bayer for the Screen Gems music publishing company. It is heavily based on the Rondo movement of Sonatina in G major, op. 36 no. 5 by Muzio Clementi...
on the second week. The single was mildly successful when released worldwide.
As a result to the group's success with the song, EMI asked the producers to write and produce another track for the band, resulting in the song He Ain't No Competition, a song that again featured a Motown sound. It was released as the band's next single and it became another big hit for the group, peaking at #6.
Brother Beyond's album Get Even
Get Even
Get Even is the debut album of British boy band / pop group Brother Beyond, released on EMI / Parlophone label, in two different editions, both in 1988, generally referred to as Get Even I and Get Even II...
had by the time of the release of the single already been released in Japan. It was repackaged for its release in the rest of the world, including the two Stock Aitken & Waterman-produced tracks, and omitting two of the band's self-penned songs from the original release. This version was released in November 1988, and the album was also a top 10 hit.
Charts
| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 2 |
| German Singles Chart | 32 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 13 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 20 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 15 |