"He Ain't No Competition" by Brother Beyond

by Mark Nobes, chief editor

"He Ain't No Competition" was the sixth single release by Brother Beyond, and the boyband's second consecutive top 10 hit in the UK - the previous single "The Harder I Try" reached No.2.
The 80s dance-pop song was penned by the British production trio Stock Aitken Waterman, and featured on the band's debut album Get Even. 
The video is focused entirely on the band performing in a large studio, with frontman Nathan Moore giving a very bouncy and somewhat overenthusiastic performance, as if he is on an uncontrollable spring!

Chart Performance

The song entered the UK singles chart at No.30 on 30th October 1988, climbing to No.8 the following week, before peaking at No.6 for one week on Nov 13th. The single fell back to No.9 the following week and spent a total of 10 weeks in the UK Top 100.
The song also performed well in the IRMA Irish Singles Chart, reaching No.4, although only spent five weeks in the chart in total. It was also only a moderate hit across the rest of Europe, failing to break into the top 20 in any other country. However, the single did reach No.19 in New Zealand.
The B-side featured a track entitled "Call Me Lonely", which was produced by Brother Beyond.

Lyrics

The lyrics are pretty self-explanatory, and are about lead singer Nathan Moore and another guy vying for the affection of one female, as in the opening line "He may have got you now, but he ain't won your heart completely".

Parts of the lyrics predict that Nathan's rival lover won't be around for long, as in the lines "He says he's in control, but his love won't last forever, he says he loves you now, but that's not eternity."

Formats

7" vinyl single - RP 6193

A. He Ain't No Competition

B. Call Me Lonely

12" vinyl single - 12R 6193 (Parlophone)

A. He Ain't No Competition (Extended)

B1. Call Me Lonely (Kickback Mix)

B2. He Ain't No Competition (Instrumental)

12" Space-Hopper Remix - 12RX 6193

A. He Ain't No Competition (Space-Hopper Remix)

B. Call Me Lonely (Get The Sun Remix)

The band's commercial success was short-lived, with their second album, Trust, and three of the four singles released from it, all failing to break into the UK Top 40.
Brother Beyond on the front cover of Smash Hits Aug 10-23 1988