"The Harder I Try" is a single by British boyband Brother Beyond. Written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, it was released on 18 July 1988 and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart the following month. Background and release In 1988, British producers 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. 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. 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 song was written in the morning, singer Nathan Moore was called in to record vocals, which were laid down over 3–4 hours. The rest of the band were not present and did not play on the record. The resulting song, "The Harder I Try", samples the drum intro to the Isley Brothers' "This Old Heart of Mine". When released in July 1988, it became an instant success, peaking at number two on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks. The single topped the Irish Singles Chart and was mildly successful when released worldwide. Track listings 7-inch single A. "The Harder I Try" – 3:24 B. "Remember Me" – 4:32 12-inch single A1. "The Harder I Try" (extended) – 6:05 B1. "Remember Me" (extended) – 6:48 B2. "The Harder I Try" (instrumental) – 3:43 12-inch remix single A1. "The Harder I Try" (The Hardest mix) – 7:05 B1. "The Harder I Try" (seven inch) – 3:24 B2. "Remember Me" (extended) – 6:48 CD single "The Harder I Try" – 3:24 "Remember Me" (extended) – 5:35 "The Harder I Try" (extended) – 6:05 "Sunset Bars" – 4:25 Japanese mini-CD single "The Harder I Try" "Sunset Bars" Charts Weekly charts Year-end charts Certifications References 1988 singles 1988 songs Brother Beyond songs Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Parlophone singles Song recordings produced by Stock Aitken Waterman Songs written by Matt Aitken Songs written by Mike Stock (musician) Songs written by Pete Waterman