If I were to ever compile a list of my all-time favorite songs, Soul II Soul‘s “Back To Life (However Do You Want Me),” will definitely rank in the upper-half if not near the top.

As fellow fans will attest, including the parenthetical portion of the title is an absolute necessity. As I was disappointed to discover upon purchasing the parent album, Club Classics Vol. One (aka Keep On Movin’ in the U.S.), the album version of “Back To Life” is an acapella that bears little resemblance to the hit single. The chorus was retained, but new lyrics and the addition of some brilliant instrumentation (especially those strings!) resulted in the production familiar to most. I sought out the cassingle for that very reason.

The follow-up to “Keep On Movin’,” which reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and also featured Caron Wheeler on vocals, “Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)” peaked at #4 on the chart this week in December 1989. Soul II Soul did ever better on the R&B and Dance charts (and in their native UK), celebrating at number one.

A couple of weeks ago, a reunited Soul II Soul performed both “Keep On Movin'” and “Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)” on BBC Two’s Later… with Jools Holland.

Of course, no discussion of Soul II Soul’s “Back To Life” is complete without a mention of one of George Michael’s best-ever remixes. The “Freedom ’90” (Back to Reality Mix) quotes the lyrics to the original “Back To Life” and features a nod to Neneh Cherry’s “Buffalo Stance.” Michael’s remix also prominently samples the strings from Sinead O’Connor’s “I Am Stretched On Your Grave,” a song produced by Soul II Soul’s Nelle Hooper, who was part of same Bristol-based Wild Bunch collective that counted Cherry as an associate.

Purchase Soul II Soul – “Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.