Set Adrift on Memory Bliss

"Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" is the signature hit by P.M. Dawn from their debut album, Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience. Writing credit is given to Attrell Cordes (Prince Be of P.M. Dawn) and Gary Kemp of Spandau Ballet as the song is built around samples of their 1983 hit "True," as well as samples from The Soul Searchers' "Ashley's Roachclip". Spandau Ballet lead singer Tony Hadley made a cameo in the video to this song; appearing near the end of the video. The main drumbeat also samples from Eric B. & Rakim's "Paid in Full".

This song was the group's first (and only) #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, and also reached #3 in the United Kingdom. It ranks #81 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop. The song was the first number one song after the debut of the Nielsen SoundScan system, which monitored airplay and sales more closely than before when Billboard had to rely on humans to report sales and airplay data. According to the test charts of the SoundScan system, "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" was at number one for at least three weeks, but officially has a one-week reign at number one.

1 Lyrics
2 Cover versions and uses in the media
3 Track listings
4 Charts and sales
5 See also
6 References

Lyrics

The opening verse is influenced by the Joni Mitchell song "The Boho Dance". The original "A camera pans the cocktail hour/ Behind a blind of potted palms" becomes "The camera pans the cocktail glass/ Behind a blind of plastic plants", and the line "Subterranean by your own design" is echoed as "Subterranean by design". In the second verse, they mention two hit songs from 1985. "Careless whisper from a careless man" refers to "Careless Whisper" by George Michael, and "A neutron dance for a neutron fan" makes reference to "Neutron Dance" by The Pointer Sisters. The line "Christina Applegate, you gotta put me on" is a reference to the song "Bonita Applebum" by A Tribe Called Quest.

Cover versions and uses in the media

In 1992, a remixed version of the song under the title "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss (Richie Rich Mix)" was featured on the charity album Red Hot + Dance.
The song was covered by the Backstreet Boys in 1996, and appears on their second album Backstreet's Back (1997).
In the video, Prince Be's image is the hippie alternative to Mr. T's gold chains, rings and bracelets. He wears a neck full of beads and hands covered in beads with stone rings to complete it.
The song appears in the 2007 film I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry during the middle portion and the end credits.
The song "True" by Spandau Ballet, which P.M. Dawn sampled, would also be used by Lloyd in the remixed version of his song "You" featuring Andre 3000 and Nas. Razah in his 2009 song "Letter" featuring Nelly, and Nelly for his 2005 song "N Dey Say" would also sample the original song from Spandau Ballet.
The music video was featured in The Brothers Grunt episode "The Ceremony".

Track listings

CD maxi

"Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" (radio mix) — 3:58
"Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" (extended mix) — 6:03
"Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" (LP version) — 4:12
"For The Love of Peace" — 3:29

7" single

"Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" (radio mix) — 3:57
"For the Love of Peace" — 3:29

12" single

Side A:

"Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" (extended mix) — 6:04
"Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" (radio mix) — 3:57

Side B:

"A Watcher's Point of View (Don't 'Cha Think)" (youth extended mix) — 6:05
"A Watcher's Point of View (Don't 'Cha Think)" (youth radio mix) — 3:58

Charts and sales

Peak positions

Chart (1991/92)	Peak position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart^[1]	7
Austrian Singles Chart^[1]	9
Dutch Singles Chart^[2]	6
French SNEP Singles Chart^[1]	17
German Singles Chart^[3]	3
Irish Singles Chart^[4]	5
Italian Singles Chart^[5]	17
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart^[1]	1
Swedish Singles Chart^[1]	7
Swiss Singles Chart^[1]	4
UK Singles Chart^[6]	3
U.S. Billboard Hot 100^[7]	1
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs^[7]	16
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play^[7]	6

End of year charts

End of year chart (1991)	Position
Dutch Top 40^[2]	68
End of year chart (1992)	Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100^[8]	44

Certifications

Country	Certification	Date	Sales certified
U.S.^[9]	Gold	December 19, 1991	500,000

Chart successions

Preceded by "All 4 Love" by Color Me Badd	New Zealand RIANZ number-one single October 18, 1991 – October 25, 1991 (2 weeks)	Succeeded by "The Fly" by U2
Preceded by "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Michael Bolton	Billboard Hot 100 number-one single November 30, 1991 (1 week)	Succeeded by "Black or White" by Michael Jackson

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss", in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved April 7, 2008)
^ ^a ^b "Single top 100 over 1991" (in Dutch) (pdf). Top40. http://www.top40.nl/pdf/Top%20100/top%20100%20-%201991.pdf. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
^ German Singles Chart Charts-surfer.de (Retrieved April 7, 2008)
^ Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved April 7, 2008)
^ Italian Single Chart Hit parade Italia (Retrieved June 1, 2008)
^ UK Singles Chart Chartstats.com (Retrieved April 7, 2008)
^ ^a ^b ^c Billboard Allmusic.com (Retrieved September 11, 2008)
^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1992". http://longboredsurfer.com/charts.php?year=1992. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
^ U.S. certifications riaa.com (Retrieved September 11, 2008)