Back To Life – Soul II Soul | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning

Chart Performance: Pop (#4) & R&B (#1); 1989

Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne

In the beginning, Soul II Soul was the marketing name for DJ Beresford “Jazzie B” Romeo and his partner Philip “Daddae” Harvey, who fired up their sound system at West Indian house parties and warehouse raves all over London.

A few years down the road and some additional musicians later, the Soul II Soul collective had expanded into records and fashion shops. On the music side, Fairplay and Feel Free became minor hits in England before Keep On Movin’ rolled up the UK and US charts in 1989.

Keep On Movin’ featured guest vocalist Caron Wheeler and, in the wake of its success, the label suits demanded another record with her singing lead. Unfortunately, Caron’s vocals appeared on only one other album track, an a cappella song called Back To Life.

So, master remixer Jazzie B obliged with some music backing for the single version, a move which gave Soul II Soul its biggest hit on both sides of the Atlantic.

This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.

Produced by:

  • Jazzie B
  • Nellee Hooper

Lyrics Written by:

  • Jazzie B
  • Caron Wheeler
  • Nellee Hooper
  • Simon Law

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Ed Osborne

Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).