Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)
| "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Soul II Soul featuring Caron Wheeler | ||||
| from the album Club Classics Vol. One | ||||
| Released | 29 May 1989 | |||
| Format | ||||
| Recorded | May 1989 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:52 | |||
| Label | Virgin[2] | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | ||||
| Soul II Soul singles chronology | ||||
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"Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" is a song by British R&B band Soul II Soul. It appeared on a second version of their debut album Club Classics Vol. One (US title Keep on Movin') and was released as its second single on 29 May 1989. "Back to Life" was one of two songs on the album featuring British R&B singer Caron Wheeler and gained success in both the United Kingdom and in the United States.
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. "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100, 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 1989.[3] For a time, the album was packaged together with a CD3 single including the new versions of the song. In 2006, Slant Magazine ranked the song at number 57 in their list of the 100 Greatest Dance Songs.[4] The Guardian featured the song on their A history of modern music: Dance in 2011.[5] In 2015 the song was voted by the British public as the nation's 18th favourite 1980s number one in a poll for ITV.[6]
Usage in the media
- The song appears in the pilot episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
- The song appears in the a celebration scene of The New Edition Story for their album Heart Break.
- An a cappella version of the song is played during the opening sequence of the movie Belly (film).
Cover versions
- The song was covered live by Lynn Mabry and George Michael at the Rock in Rio 2 music festival in 1991 as well as certain shows during his Cover To Cover tour in 1991. A version of George Michael's "Freedom! '90" (Back to Reality Mix) features an interpolation of the song.
- Powerpop trio Dodgy included a cover of the song on the CD single for their 1994 song "Staying Out for the Summer".
- DJ Clue? produced a version featuring Mary J. Blige & Jadakiss called "Back to Life 2001" which was on his second album The Professional 2.
- JoJo covered the song for mixtape LoveJo2 called "Back2Life" (2015).
- LeToya Luckett released a song Back 2 Life sampling the songs lyrics "back to life, back to reality" in 2016 taken from her upcoming studio album "Back 2 Life" (2017).
Chart performance
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
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| Preceded by "Sealed with a Kiss" by Jason Donovan |
UK number-one single 18 June 1989 – 15 July 1989 |
Succeeded by "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" by Sonia |
| Preceded by "Batdance" by Prince |
Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single 26 August 1989 – 9 September 1989 |
Succeeded by "It's Time to Get Funky" by D Mob featuring LRS |
| Preceded by "Can't Get Over You" by Maze featuring Frankie Beverly |
Billboard Hot Black Singles number-one single 7 October 1989 |
Succeeded by "Miss You Much" by Janet Jackson |
References
- ↑ Best of House Music: Disco Nights, Vol. 5 - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic
- 1 2 3 "Soul II Soul Featuring Caron Wheeler - Back To Life (However Do You Want Me) (CD) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
- 1 2 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 502–3. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ↑ http://www.slantmagazine.com/features/article/100-greatest-dance-songs/P5
- ↑ "A history of modern music: Dance". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
- ↑ Westbrook, Caroline (25 July 2015). "The Nation’s Favourite 80s Number One: 12 more classic 80s chart-toppers which didn’t make the cut". Metro. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
- ↑ "De Nederlandse Top 40, week 30, 1989". Archived from the original on 3 August 2008. Retrieved 14 July 2008.
- ↑ "Billboard Top 100 - 1990". Longboredsurfer.com. Archived from the original on 17 January 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2009.
External links
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