"Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" is a song by British R&B band Soul II Soul featuring the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra. It is an alternate version of a song that appears on their secondary debut album, Club Classics Vol. One (1989) (titled Keep On Movin' in the United States), and was released as its second single on 29 May 1989 by Virgin. "Back to Life" is one of two songs on the album featuring British singer Caron Wheeler and gained success in both North America and Europe, topping the charts in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom and peaking at number four in the United States. Its music video, directed by Monty Whitebloom & Andy Delaney, of Big TV!, sees the group performing in a forest. Soul II Soul won their first Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal with the song in 1990. It was later included on a tenth-anniversary edition of the album.
Origin
This song is said by its writer and singer, Caron Wheeler, to have been written about a near death experience in which she nearly passed on but was sent "back to life" to fulfill the rest of her mission on Earth, saying:
"Back to Life" came about from my own pain and I nearly died... I nearly died and literally came back to life and I was mad, because where I had gone in between that was so wonderful... but I basically didn't pass over at that point... I was mad, I was like, "Why do you want me here? However do you want me? What do you need from me?" You know, I was talking to my creator, but it sounds like a party song on the record...[5]
Production
The album version of the song was an a cappella which was remixed and re-recorded before being released as a single. Two new versions were produced — the first taking the original recording with instrumentation added, and the second was a re-working of the song with new lyrics and chorus (also adding "However Do You Want Me" to the title). It was the second version that became most popular. In a 2012 interview with British newspaper The Guardian on how "Back to Life" was made, producer Jazzie B said:
Everything about this single was magic. We weren't trying to follow any trend or fit into any category – we were just doing our own thing. ... Its shuffling beats were a cross between reggae and what was to become known as hip-hop: breakbeats and electronic sound. Caron Wheeler's vocal, coming over these very heavy bass beats, was the icing on the cake. ... We also had the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra on the track, and the RPO became a key part of our sound. ... We often look to America for our influences, but this was a moment that put British music back on the map. It also came out at a special time in the industry's history – just before digital took over and everything seemed to fall apart.[6]
For a time, the album was packaged together with a CD3 single including the new versions of the song.
Chart performance
"Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" peaked at number-one on both the BillboardHot Dance Club Play chart in the United States and the RPM Dance/Urban chart in Canada. It went to number four on the BillboardHot 100,[7] becoming one of Soul II Soul's most successful singles in the United States (and the only one to enter in the top 10). In the United Kingdom it performed even better, reaching number-one in the UK Singles Chart for four weeks in June and July 1989.[8] In Europe, it peaked at number-one also in the Netherlands, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100. The single entered the top 10 also in Belgium (4), West Germany (4), Greece (2), Ireland (6), Sweden (3) and Switzerland (2), and was a top 20 hit in both Austria (13) and Finland (14). In Oceania, it peaked at number four in New Zealand and number 45 in Australia.
Robert Hilburn from Los Angeles Times wrote, "Another classy and imaginative dance-floor soundscape from the London team that gave us "Keep On Movin'". The album version is mostly a cappella (and it's fine), but the 7-inch single is even more seductive."[9] Another Los Angeles Times editor, Duff Marlowe, remarked that the "gorgeously arranged", a cappella "Back to Life", "shows that the sound-system concept not only works, but also may be an effective way of presenting a wide range of talent."[10] Jerry Smith from Music Week praised it as another "totally mesmerising killer track" from the "dance floor stylists", adding, "Hard beats and Caron Wheeler's silky vocals will ensure heavy chart action once more."[11]Pat Sharp for Smash Hits named it Single of the Fortnight, writing, "Brilliant. I don't have to listen to this one. I know it really well already. I much prefer it to "Keep On Movin'"." He concluded, "This one is miles better. I've been playing this one for a while. It's really simple and tuneful."[12]
Retrospective response
In an 2019 retrospective review, Justin Chadwick from Albumism wrote in his review of Club Classics Vol. One, "While “Keep on Movin'” lit the fuse for the group’s ascendance across radio and the sales charts, another Wheeler blessed composition kept the flame burning bright. Originally—and in retrospect, somewhat incredulously—included on the album in stripped-down, acapella form, “Back to Life” further illuminated Wheeler’s vocal prowess as she sang about seeking romantic clarity, with the drums borrowed from Graham Central Station's "The Jam" kicking in at the 2:40 mark. In short order following the album’s release, the song was reworked into a more robust midtempo groove, its instant earworm appeal and unforgettable hook (“How ever do you want me, how / How ever do you need me”) all but ensuring its ubiquity throughout the summer of 1989."[13]
The accompanying music video for "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" was directed by Monty Whitebloom and Andy Delaney, of Big TV! and was shot in Epping Forest.[6] Wheeler's former-Afrodiziak member and friend Claudia Fontaine sings and dances to the song throughout the video.
The video starts with an opening silhouette of the group dancing in a forest and proceeds with repeated close-up shots of Wheeler singing "Back to life, back to reality". While Wheeler sings the first verse, video shots of the other Soul II Soul members and the band are shown. Another scene is shown on a rooftop during early sunrise as the group parties and dances to the song. Close to the end of the video, the group is shown dancing at night on the same rooftop. Wheeler closes out the song as she sings and dances to the song. The video was later published by Vevo on YouTube in 2009, and by January 2024, it had generated more than 96 million views.[16]
Live performances
Wheeler performed "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" on various televised appearances, including the Arsenio Hall Show,[17]Rockopop, and Later... with Jools Holland.[18] At the end of 1989, Wheeler later departed from the group. When Soul II Soul performed the song at 1990 Soul Train Music Awards, Marcia Lewis; a new addition to the group, performed the lead vocals.
The song was included in the group's set list for their A New Decade Tour in 1990 and was performed late in the set on tour dates. Lamya, a later addition to group, performed the lead vocals to the song during the tour. Wheeler also included the song during her solo tours. A live recording of the song was released on Wheeler's live CD/DVD Live at Duo Music Exchange, which featured her performing live in Tokyo, Japan. In 2007, Wheeler reunited with the group and performed the song at the Lovebox Festival. In August 2012, Soul II Soul performed the song at the Rewind Festival in Remenham, Berkshire, with Charlotte Kelly singing lead vocals.
In December 2016, Soul II Soul released their live album Origins: The Roots of Soul II Soul which included a live recorded version on the song, sung by Wheeler.[19]
Impact and legacy
An a cappella version was memorably featured in the opening scene of the 1998 film Belly.[20]
It also features in the opening scene of the first episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, where Will Smith is seen drumming the song on the door of his new home.
VH1 listed "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" at number 50 in its list of the "100 Greatest Dance Songs" in 2000. [21]
Q Magazine ranked it at number 534 in their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever" in 2003.[22]
Slant Magazine ranked the song at number 57 in its list of the "100 Greatest Dance Songs" in 2006.[23]
The Guardian featured "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" on its "A History of Modern Music: Dance" in 2011.[24]
In 2015 the song was voted by the British public as the nation's 18th favourite 1980s number one in a poll for ITV.[25]
The song was featured in the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics, as part of an extended dance sequence involving popular British songs from the 1960s through the 2010s.[26][27]
^ abPitchfork Staff (24 August 2015). "The 200 Best Songs of the 1980s". Pitchfork. Retrieved 16 October 2022. ...lipped a Larry Graham drum fill into a proto-jungle rhythm track...
^Molanphy, Chris (16 June 2023). "Yes We Can Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
