Until You Come Back to Me (Floy Joy song)

Following the commercial failure of the band's 1984 single "Burn Down a Rhythm", which was the first to feature Carroll Thompson on lead vocals, Floy Joy's first breakthrough success came with "Until You Come Back to Me". The song broke into the UK chart, peaking at #91, where it lasted in the Top 100 for a total of two weeks.[2]

The song was recorded, along with the entire Into the Hot album, during a three-week session at the Sound Suite in Detroit. Originally this came to fruition after Floy Joy manager Paul Bower flew to New York to track down Don Was, who had never met, at Geffen Records. He played him the band's demos in Was' suite at The Mayflower. The result was the recording of the debut album, which was also Was' first non Was (Not Was) production.[3] Shaun Ward spoke of the album in 1990, during an interview with his band Everyday People. He stated "The first Floy Joy album was an anthology of R&B, jazz... all the things we'd grown up listening to and absorbed. Though we liked it, we came to realize that maybe it was a bit too personal. So that's why the second album is more direct and commercial. Unfortunately when we did that no one wanted to know."[4]

As revealed in The Face magazine during 1986, "Until You Came Back To Me" was originally written for a young singer called Gloria who Michael Ward was planning on turning into his own personal Ronnie Spector. The song was the first tune he ever wrote. It took five minutes and with some other songs he'd demoed above his parents newsagents, he secured an 8-LP deal with Virgin Records.[5]

The single was released on 7" and 12" vinyl in the UK only via Virgin Records.[6] The 7" single featured the B-Side "Theme from the Age of Reason" which was taken from the Into the Hot album, and was also written by Shaun and Michael Ward.[7] The main UK 12" single featured the B-Side again, but along with another album track, the title track Into the Hot.[8]

Another version of the single was issued as a limited edition double-pack 12" vinyl, which featured a free remix 12" vinyl in addition to the main 12" vinyl single issue. This vinyl, "Into the Hot", featured two additional tracks; "Into the Hot (Club Mix)" and "When the Flies Can't Stand the Heat". The first additional track was an exclusive remix of the song, whilst the latter additional track was originally the B-Side of the previous "Burn Down a Rhythm" single.[9] A UK promotional 12" vinyl was also issued, featuring the A-Side, along with "Into the Hot (Club Mix)" and "Into the Hot (Instrumental)". All versions of the single, except the UK promotional 12" vinyl, featured a full colour sleeve with artwork of a nude woman lying on a bed.[10]

In January 1985, Floy Joy issued their third and final single "Operator" from the Into the Hot album. As an attempt to boost sales within the UK, a limited edition release of the single featured a free copy of the "Until You Come Back to Me" single as it appeared when it was originally released in 1984. A sticker on the front cover of the "Operator" single noted this.[11]

A music video was created to promote the single. It was the band's debut music video. The video featured various shots and scenes of Thompson performing the song, and walking along in the streets.[12] In the video some scenes show both Ward brothers performing the song, as well as one additional musician on guitar; Desi Campbell who was the band's unofficial backing vocalist and bongo player. He later became the lead vocalist for the group following Thompson's departure. He would record the Weak in the Presence of Beauty as the lead vocalist.[13] Additionally he also appeared in the band's music video for the 1985 single "Operator".[14]

The band would also appear on a UK TV show where they performed the song live.[15]

7" Single

1. "Until You Come Back to Me" - 4:12
2. "Theme from the Age of Reason" - 1:22

12" Single

1. "Until You Come Back to Me" - 4:12
2. "Theme from the Age of Reason" - 1:22
3. "Into the Hot" - 3:32

12" Single (UK limited edition 2x 12" vinyl pack)

1. "Until You Come Back to Me" - 4:12
2. "Theme from the Age of Reason" - 1:22
3. "Into the Hot" - 3:32
4. "Into the Hot (Club Mix)"
5. "When the Flies Can't Stand the Heat" - 4:32

12" Single (UK promo)

1. "Until You Come Back to Me" - 4:12
2. "Into the Hot (Club Mix)"
3. "Into the Hot (Instrumental)"

Upon release, Dylan Jones Uppers of Record Mirror selected the "torch-like ballad" as "single of the week" and wrote: "These sweet and sulty chatterbox hazy rhythms should place the Floy Joys on the chart-mart in next to no time.[16] Richard Cook of New Musical Express commented: "This is a beautiful piece of work, exactly the kind of tender, dignified soul groove Sade wanted to hit on "Why Can't We Live Together". No flab or irrelevance hangs around the edges of this plea for supplication which Carroll Thompson sings with a deceptive ease of a proper singer with a song to work on, embroidered by saxophones that bleed lyrical heartache and an underlie of rhythm which allows no chance for the tune to idle at any stopover."[17]

In a 1986 issue of The Face, a feature on Floy Joy commented: "...mere mention of the number–one–that-got-away, the sublimely beautiful single "Until You Come Back to me" (still ripe to be covered if you're reading this Whitney Houston), reduces strong persons to tears. When Floy Joy performed the song at a Chilean benefit, during the Christmas of 1984, the head of Virgin press was practically weeping, ditto your reporter, ditto the girl next to me who couldn't find a record store that stocked it, ditto the guy at the bar."[5]

In 1991, African American house-music and contemporary R&B singer Adeva covered the song for her album Love or Lust.[18] She released the song as a single in 1992 via Cooltempo in the UK and Europe.[19] Adeva's version peaked at #45 in the UK, and lasted a total of three weeks in the Top 100.[20] A music video was created to promote the single.[21]

• Lead Vocals - Carroll Thompson
• Backing Vocals - Bernita Turner, Buster Marbury, Carol Hall, Donny Ray Mitchel, Harry Bowens, Kathy Kosins, Sweet Pea Atkinson
• Horns - Michael Ward
• Bass, Keyboards, Guitar - Shaun Ward
• Keyboards, Electronic Linn Drums – Don Was
• Keyboards – Luis Resto
• Drums - Yogi Horton
• Percussion – Kevin Tschirhart, Larry Fratangelo
• Producer, Engineer - Don Was for Tann Lewis Productions
• Arrangement - Michael Ward, Shaun Ward
• Synthesized Strings and Horns Arrangement - Paul Riser
• Backing Vocals Arrangement – Harry Bowens
• Assistant Engineer - Steve "Doc Ching" King
• Drum Sound Engineer - Michael Brauer
• Mixer of "Until You Come Back to Me" - John "Tokes" Potoker
• Mixer of "Theme from the Age of Reason" - Michael "Biggles" Bigwood
• Mixer of "Into the Hot" - John "Tokes" Potoker
• Studio Coordinator – Gemma Corfield
• Writers - Shaun Ward, Michael Ward
• Sleeve – C-More-Tone Studios