Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)

Soul II Soul is a collective run by the British DJ/producer Jazzie B, who wrote and produced this song with his main collaborator, Nellee Hooper. The lyric portrays a relationship where the singer is looking for clarity, asking her partner the question "however do you want me?" She feels it's time to face reality and move forward. Jazzie sees it as a universal message about taking control, with music as the guide. "The music is there to lift the pressure, to give us inspiration to keep on movin', feel free, to come back to life," he told the New Musical Express.

Soul II Soul used various vocalists on their songs. Their first single, "Fairplay," was released in 1988 with Rose Windross singing lead. The next one, issued later that year, was "Feel Free," featuring Do'reen. Both songs were minor hits in the UK, but their next single, "Keep On Movin'," became a huge hit when it was released early in 1989. That one has vocals by Caron Wheeler, who had been a backup singer for Elvis Costello and Erasure. Soul II Soul's record company demanded another hit with vocals by Wheeler. Fortunately, they had recorded her singing "Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)" without a backing track. Jazzie B took those vocals, layered and processed them, then put them on top of a beat very similar to "Keep on Movin'" - both tracks have at their foundation a pitched-down drum loop sampled from the 1975 song "The Jam" by Graham Central Station. Released as the next single, "Back To Life" went to #1 in the UK and charted in several other countries. In America, it went to #1 on the Dance and R&B charts, as had "Keep On Movin'." Caron Wheeler landed a record deal and released her first album, UK Blak, in 1990. When Soul II Soul reunited in 2007 after a decade-long hiatus, Wheeler joined in, performing at concerts and on TV shows.

Jazzie B didn't have this song completed when Soul II Soul released their debut album, Club Classics Vol. One, so he included an a cappella version on the tracklist. Fans who bought the album were surprised (and often a little peeved) to find this rendition on the album instead of the fully produced version that was a hit. Later pressings of the album included the full version of the song along with various remixes.