Back to Life

Infobox Single
Name = Back To Life


Artist = Soul II Soul
Album = Club Classics Vol. I
Released = June 17,1989
Format = 7" single
12" maxi single
Cassette
CD single
Genre = R&B, Dance
Length = 3:52
Label = Virgin
Writer = Jazzie B
Caron Wheeler
Nellee Hooper
Simon Law
Producer = Jazzie B
Nellee Hooper
Reviews =
Last single = "Keep on Movin'"
(1989)
This single = "Back to Life"
(1989)
Next single = "Jazzie's Groove"
(1989)

"Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" is a song by British R&B band Soul II Soul. It appeared on their debut album "Club Classics Vol. I", ("Keep On Movin'" in the U.S.) and was released as its second single. "Back to Life" was one of two songs on the album featuring British R&B singer Caron Wheeler and gained success in both the UK and in the U.S.

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 this 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 U.S. (and the only one to enter in the top 10). In the UK it performed even better, reaching number one in the UK Singles Chart for four weeks in June 1989. For a time, the album was packaged together with a CD3 single including the new versions of the song.

The song was later sampled by rapper Tragedy Khadafi, then known as the Intelligent Hoodlum, on his song "Back to Reality". The song appeared on his debut album, "Intelligent Hoodlum". The song was also featured in the opening scene of Hype Williams' motion picture "Belly".

The song featured in "The Fresh Prince Project", the pilot episode of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air". The main character, Will Smith sings the song while waiting on the door step and dances to it in his bedroom later in the episode.

Chart performance

References