The Harder I Try

Last updated

"The Harder I Try"
The harder i try.jpg
Single by Brother Beyond
from the album Get Even
B-side
  • "Remember Me"
  • "Sunset Bars"
Released18 July 1988 (1988-07-18) [1]
Studio PWL (London, England) [2]
Length3:24
Label Parlophone
Songwriter(s) Stock Aitken Waterman
Producer(s) Stock Aitken Waterman
Brother Beyond singles chronology
"Can You Keep a Secret?"
(1987)		"The Harder I Try"
(1988)		"He Ain't No Competition"
(1988)

"The Harder I Try" is a song by British boyband Brother Beyond. Written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, it was released on 18 July 1988 by Parlophone as the fifth single from the band's debut album, Get Even (1988). The song peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart the following month. It was a number-one hit in Ireland and entered the top 10 in Iceland while peaking within the top 20 in Belgium, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Switzerland.

Contents

Background and writing

In 1988, British production team Stock Aitken Waterman auctioned off their services for the Young Variety Club of Great Britain charity. Label EMI won the auction, and British boyband Brother Beyond was selected by Pete Waterman to be produced by the trio. [3] The group had met Waterman previously when they had worked at PWL Studios on a prior single, "Can You Keep A Secret", and the producer liked the band. [3] 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 Harder I Try" was written in the morning, singer Nathan Moore was called in to record vocals, which were laid down over 3–4 hours, while the rest of the band were not present and did not play on the record. [3] The song samples the drum intro to the Isley Brothers' "This Old Heart of Mine", and was mainly produced with a Roland D-50 synth, which provided to the song "zingy new digital sounds, unimaginated bright metallics and super realistic horns and strings", according to Daniel Griffiths of musicradar.com. [4]

Critical reception

David Quantick from NME commented, "Oh aptest of titles! The Bruths return again with their most desp stab at the charts, a SAW-made-pseudo-Motown song. Nicely sung but dull." [5] James Hamilton from Record Mirror wrote in his dance column, "Stock Aitken Waterman-created 129+3⁄4bpm old Motown-style fingersnappin' pulser, full of swimming harmonies and bright tinkles, and a sampled drum roll from the Isley Brothers 'This Old Heart of Mine'". [6] Mike Soutar from Smash Hits named "The Harder I Try" Single of the Fortnight, adding, "It's quite obvious from the outset that Stock Aitken and Waterman are involved here, but happily they've not utterly swamped the song with their own inimitable "style". Instead it's very like old soul, very doo-wop, very "chicks" in the background warbling "ooooooooos", and very very catchy. Ah, the Yond' will make such good pop sensations..." [7] Retrospectively, in 2020, Daniel Griffiths of musicradar.com listed it as one of the five songs by SAW that producers need to hear, adding that it was a "razor-sharp Motown sound-alike". [4]

Chart performance

When released in July 1988, "The Harder I Try" became an instant success in the UK: it started at number 43 on 30 July 1988 on the UK Singles Chart, reached the top ten three weeks later, peaked at number two for two weeks, behing blocked first by Yazz's "The Only Way Is Up", then by Phil Collins'"Groovy Kind of Love", and remained on the chart for 14 weeks. [8] The song was the 22nd best-selling single of 1988 in the country and received a silver disc awarded by the British Phonographic Industry. [9] [10] In Ireland, the single topped the chart for a sole week and ranked for five weeks. [11] In Continental Europe, the single was mildly successful, reaching the top ten in Iceland only where it culminated at number nine, [12] while it was a top-20 hit in Switzerland, the Netherlands and the Flanders region of Belgium. [13] [14] [15] It reached number 24 in Finland, [16] and missed the top 30 by two places in Germany, a position it held for non consecutive two weeks out of a 13-week chart run. [17] On the Pan-European Hot 100 Singles chart compiled by Music & Media , it debuted at number 98 on 13 August 1988, attained number nine in its fifth and sixth weeks, [18] and counted 16 weeks in the top 100. On the European Airplay Top 50, it had a 14-week chart run, with a peak at number 21 in its fourth week. [19] Regarding the Oceanian markets, "The Harder I Try" was a top 15 hit in New Zealand, with five weeks of charting, [20] while it just entered the top 80 in Australia. [21]

Track listings

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for "The Harder I Try"
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [10] Silver250,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)</span> 1984 single by Dead or Alive

"You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" is a song by the English pop band Dead or Alive, featured on their second studio album, Youthquake (1985). Released as a single in November 1984, it reached No. 1 in the UK in March 1985, taking 17 weeks to get there. It was the first UK number one hit by the Stock Aitken Waterman production trio. On the US Billboard Hot 100, it peaked at No. 11 on 17 August of that year, becoming their highest-charting single there. The song also reached No. 1 in Ireland and in Canada, while in Australia it peaked at No. 3 and it charted highly in numerous European countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Should Be So Lucky</span> 1987 single by Kylie Minogue

"I Should Be So Lucky" is a 1987 song performed by Australian singer and songwriter Kylie Minogue from her debut studio album Kylie (1988). Released on 29 December 1987 by Mushroom Records and PWL Records, the song became a worldwide breakthrough hit; its image of Minogue on the front cover was shot by David Levine. The song was written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman for Minogue, and they went on to produce Minogue's first four studio albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turn It into Love</span> 1988 single by Kylie Minogue

"Turn It into Love" is a single released by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. It was taken from her debut studio album Kylie (1988). The single was released in December 1988 in Japan only. The B-side was a new song "Made in Heaven", which also served as the B-side to both "Je ne sais pas pourquoi" and "It's No Secret" in other international territories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hand on Your Heart</span> 1989 single by Kylie Minogue

"Hand on Your Heart" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue from her second studio album, Enjoy Yourself (1989), and released as its lead single on 24 April 1989. Much like her previous releases up to Let's Get to It (1991), the song was written and produced by English songwriting and record production trio Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW). Referenced tracks during composition included "This Old Heart of Mine" by the Isley Brothers and "That's the Way Love Is" by Ten City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Better the Devil You Know</span> 1990 single by Kylie Minogue

"Better the Devil You Know" is a song by Australian singer-songwriter Kylie Minogue, taken from her third studio album Rhythm of Love (1990). The song was written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman and was released as the album's lead single on 30 April 1990 by PWL and Mushroom Records. "Better the Devil You Know" is known as the song that re-invented Minogue with more sex appeal, as her previous albums were presented with her "girl next door" persona. Her music onwards presented a more independent approach.

Brother Beyond were a British pop band who had success in the pop rock genre in the late 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shocked (song)</span> 1991 single by Kylie Minogue

"Shocked" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue from her third studio album, Rhythm of Love (1990). Written and produced by Stock Aitken and Waterman, "Shocked" was released as the album's fourth and final single in May 1991 by Mushroom and PWL. The song later appeared on most of Minogue's major compilations including Greatest Hits (1992), Ultimate Kylie (2004) and Step Back In Time: The Definitive Collection (2019). The DNA 7-inch mix of the song also includes a rap in the bridge by Jazzi P.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brand New Lover</span> 1986 single by Dead or Alive

"Brand New Lover" is a song recorded by the English pop band Dead or Alive. It was the lead single released from the band's third studio album, Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know on Epic Records. It achieved international success when released as a single in 1986, but while it was a major hit in a number of territories, including the United States and Japan, in the UK the single significantly underperformed, failing to crack the top 20.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love in the First Degree (Bananarama song)</span> 1987 single by Bananarama

"Love in the First Degree" is a song by English girl group Bananarama from their fourth studio album, Wow! (1987). It was released on 28 September 1987 as the album's second single, except in the United States, where it was released in 1988 as the third single. The track was co-written and produced by the Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) trio. It achieved major success in the UK and Australia, and also peaked within the top 20 in many European countries, but, unlike "I Heard a Rumour", it reached only the lower end of the top 50 in the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Last Thing on My Mind (Bananarama song)</span> 1992 single by Bananarama

"Last Thing on My Mind" is by English girl group Bananarama from their sixth studio album, Please Yourself (1993). It was released on 16 November 1992 by London Records as the album's second single. The track was produced by Mike Stock and Pete Waterman, two-thirds of the Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) trio. Waterman stated in 2002 the song was influenced by Mozart. The single peaked at number 72 on the UK Singles Chart. In 1998, British group Steps released a cover version of the song as a single, peaking at number six on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Too Many Broken Hearts</span> 1989 single by Jason Donovan

"Too Many Broken Hearts" is a song by Australian singer and actor Jason Donovan, released on 20 February 1989 as the third single from his debut album, Ten Good Reasons (1989), and 1991's Greatest Hits album and again on a later collection in 2006. The song reached number-one in the United Kingdom and Ireland in March 1989. The song additionally peaked within the top 10 in Australia, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Norway and Spain. British magazine Classic Pop ranked "Too Many Broken Hearts" number 19 in their list of "Top 40 Stock Aitken Waterman songs" in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You'll Never Stop Me Loving You</span> 1989 single by Sonia

"You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" is the debut single of English pop singer Sonia. Written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, the song was included on Sonia's debut album, Everybody Knows (1990). The single became Sonia's only number-one single on the UK Singles Chart and reached number 10 on the US Billboard Dance Club Play chart.

<i>Get Even</i> 1988 studio album by Brother Beyond

Get Even is the debut album by British boy band Brother Beyond, released on the EMI/Parlophone label in two different editions, both in 1988, generally referred to as Get Even I and Get Even II. The second edition of the album included two songs by Stock Aitken Waterman, "The Harder I Try" and "He Ain't No Competition", which replaced two songs written by the band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shattered Glass (song)</span> 1987 single by Laura Branigan

"Shattered Glass" is a song written by Bob Mitchell and Steve Coe which was originally recorded in 1980 by Scottish singer Ellie Warren. The song was recorded in 1987 by American singer Laura Branigan with the Stock Aitken Waterman production team to serve as the lead single from Branigan's fifth studio album, Touch (1987).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Just Can't Wait</span> 1987 single by Mandy Smith

"I Just Can't Wait" is the debut single by English singer Mandy Smith, produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, and was the first release by Pete Waterman's new label, PWL in January 1987. Despite intense publicity in the wake of Smith's relationship with Bill Wyman, the song charted poorly in the UK — a result the producers blamed on the hostility of the British media. It proved, however, to be a substantial hit in a number of European countries. Remixed versions of the song were released in the UK in 1992 and 1995, but did not chart.

"Who's Leaving Who" is a song written by Jack White and Mark Spiro, first recorded by Canadian country singer Anne Murray in 1986. It achieved bigger popularity in Europe when it was covered by British Hi-NRG singer Hazell Dean in 1988. David Hasselhoff covered the song on his 1991 album David, produced by Jack White.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wouldn't Change a Thing (Kylie Minogue song)</span> 1989 single by Kylie Minogue

"Wouldn't Change a Thing" is a song performed by Australian singer-songwriter Kylie Minogue, recorded for her second studio album Enjoy Yourself (1989). The song was written by Stock Aitken Waterman, and was released on 24 July 1989 by Mushroom and PWL Records. The song was released as the second single off the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Be My Twin</span> 1989 single by Brother Beyond

"Be My Twin" is a song by British boyband Brother Beyond, written by band members Carl Fysh and David White. Released on 9 January 1989, the single reached No. 14 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 13 on the Irish Singles Chart.

"He Ain't No Competition" is a 1988 single released by British boyband Brother Beyond. It reached No.6 in the UK charts in September 1988. The song was written by its three producers, the Stock Aitken Waterman trio. The song is considered the follow-up to the highly commercially successful "The Harder I Try".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Say I'm Your Number One</span> 1985 single by Princess

"Say I'm Your Number One" is a song by English singer Princess, released in 1985 as the lead single from her self-titled debut studio album (1986). Written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW), the song peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, it reached number 20 on Billboard's Hot Black Singles chart, while it reached the top ten in the UK and several of European and Oceanian countries.

References

  1. ↑ "New Singles". Music Week . 16 July 1988. p. 47.
  2. 1 2 The Harder I Try (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Brother Beyond. Parlophone. 1988. R 6184.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. 1 2 3 "A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman: Ep 35: The Harder I Try on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  4. 1 2 Griffiths, Daniel (21 August 2020). "5 songs producers need to hear by... Stock Aitken Waterman". musicradar.com. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  5. ↑ Quantick, David (23 July 1988). "Singles". NME . p. 12. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  6. ↑ Hamilton, James (23 July 1988). "DJ Directory: Pop Dance". Record Mirror . p. 39. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  7. ↑ Soutar, Mike (13 July 1988). "Singles: Single of the Fortnight". Smash Hits . p. 69. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  8. 1 2 "Brother Beyond: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  9. 1 2 "Top 100 Singles: Year-End Chart 1988". Music Week. 4 March 1989. p. 12.
  10. 1 2 "British single certifications – Brother Beyond – The Harder I Try". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  11. 1 2 "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Harder I Try". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  12. 1 2 "Íslenski Listinn Topp 10 (4. nóvember 1988)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 4 November 1988. p. 44. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  13. 1 2 "Brother Beyond – The Harder I Try". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  14. 1 2 "Brother Beyond – The Harder I Try" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  15. 1 2 "Brother Beyond – The Harder I Try" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  16. 1 2 Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN   951-31-2503-3.
  17. 1 2 "Offiziellecharts.de – Brother Beyond – The Harder I Try" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  18. 1 2 "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media . Vol. 5, no. 37. 10 September 1988. p. 20.
  19. 1 2 "European Airplay Top 50" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 5, no. 38. 17 September 1988. p. 29. OCLC   29800226 . Retrieved 14 August 2023– via World Radio History.
  20. 1 2 "Brother Beyond – The Harder I Try". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  21. 1 2 "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 17 June 2014". Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2017– via Imgur.
  22. ↑ The Harder I Try (UK 12-inch single sleeve). Brother Beyond. Parlophone. 1988. 12 R 6184.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  23. ↑ The Harder I Try (UK 12-inch remix single sleeve). Brother Beyond. Parlophone. 1988. 12RX 6184.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  24. ↑ The Harder I Try (UK CD single liner notes). Brother Beyond. Parlophone. 1988. CDR 6184, 20 2798 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  25. ↑ The Harder I Try (Japanese mini-CD single liner notes). Brother Beyond. EMI Music Japan. 1988. XP10-2048.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  26. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 44, 1988" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  27. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media . Vol. 6, no. 52/1. 1 January 1989. p. 30.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.