"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

Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience

Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience is a 1991 album by P.M. Dawn.Warlock, an independent record label, issued a debut single, "Ode to a Forgetful Mind," in 1989, but it went unnoticed. The label that released the single in England, Gee Street Records, found greater...

. Writing credit is given to Attrell Cordes (Prince Be of P.M. Dawn) and Gary Kemp

Gary Kemp

Gary Kemp is an English pop musician and actor who is the guitar player and chief songwriter for the 1980s Synthpop band Spandau Ballet. His brother, Martin Kemp, plays bass guitar in the band...

 of Spandau Ballet

Spandau Ballet

Spandau Ballet are a British band formed in London in the late 1970s. Initially inspired by, and an integral part of, the New Romantic fashion, their music has featured a mixture of funk, jazz, soul and synthpop. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s, achieving ten Top Ten singles...

 as the song is built around samples

Sampling (music)

In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...

 of their 1983

1983 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1983.-January-April:*January – ZTT Records is founded.*January 8 – The UK singles chart is tabulated from this week forward by The Gallup Organization...

 hit "True," as well as samples from The Soul Searchers' "Ashley's Roachclip

Ashley's Roachclip

"Ashley's Roachclip" is an instrumental song by funk group The Soul Searchers from their 1974 album Salt of the Earth on Sussex Records. A portion of the song from 3:30-3:50 contains a widely recognized drum break that has been sampled countless times in songs across several genres.- Songs that...

". Spandau Ballet lead singer Tony Hadley

Tony Hadley

Tony Hadley is an English pop singer-songwriter, occasional stage actor and radio presenter who gained celebrity as the lead vocalist for the 1980s band Spandau Ballet.-Early life:...

 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

Eric B. & Rakim

Eric B. & Rakim were a hip-hop duo composed of DJ Eric Barrier and MC Rakim .Hailing from Long Island, New York, the pair are generally considered by hip hop enthusiasts to be one of the most influential and innovative groups in the genre...

's "Paid in Full

Paid in Full (Eric B. & Rakim song)

"Paid in Full" is a song written, produced and recorded by American rap duo Eric B. & Rakim, released as the fifth and final single from their debut album of the same name, Paid in Full....

".

This song was the group's first (and only) #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

, and also reached #3 in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. It ranks #81 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop

Hip hop music

Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...

. The song was the first number one song after the debut of the Nielsen SoundScan

Nielsen SoundScan

Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...

 system, which monitored airplay and sales more closely than before when Billboard

Billboard (magazine)

Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

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.

Lyrics

The opening verse is influenced by the Joni Mitchell

Joni Mitchell

Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...

 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

1985 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1985.-January–March:*January 1 - The newest music video channel, VH-1, debuts on American cable. It is aimed at an older demographic than its sister station, MTV...

. "Careless whisper from a careless man" refers to "Careless Whisper

Careless Whisper

"Careless Whisper" is a 1984 single by George Michael , released by Epic Records in the UK, Japan, and other countries; and by Columbia Records in North America. The song was George Michael's first solo single although he was still performing in Wham! at the time...

" by George Michael

George Michael

George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...

, and "A neutron dance for a neutron fan" makes reference to "Neutron Dance

Neutron Dance

"Neutron Dance" is a dance/R&B/New Wave song from the Pointer Sisters. Released from their album Break Out in 1984, the song hit the US Top 10, peaking at number six on the Billboard chart, and was also featured in the Eddie Murphy motion picture Beverly Hills Cop.It became the group's fourth top...

" by The Pointer Sisters. The line "Christina Applegate

Christina Applegate

Christina Applegate is an American actress. She is best known for playing Kelly Bundy on the Fox sitcom Married... with Children. Since then, she has established a film and television career, winning a Primetime Emmy and earning Tony and Golden Globe nominations...

, you gotta put me on" is a reference to the song "Bonita Applebum

Bonita Applebum

"Bonita Applebum" was the second single from A Tribe Called Quest's debut album People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm. It is believed to be based on an actual young woman from the group's high school...

" by A Tribe Called Quest

A Tribe Called Quest

A Tribe Called Quest is an American hip hop group, formed in 1985, and is composed of rapper/producer Q-Tip , rapper Phife Dawg , and DJ/producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad. A fourth member, rapper Jarobi White, left the group after their first album but rejoined in 2006...

.

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
  Red Hot + Dance
  Red Hot + Dance is an album produced by the Red Hot Organization, an organization dedicated to raising money and awareness to fight the onslaught of HIV/AIDS....
  
  .
• The song was covered by the Backstreet Boys
  Backstreet Boys
  The Backstreet Boys are an American vocal group, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1993. The band originally consisted of A. J. McLean, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter and Kevin Richardson. They rose to fame with their debut international album, Backstreet Boys...
  
   in 1996, and appears on their second album Backstreet's Back
  Backstreet's Back
  Backstreet's Back is an album by the Backstreet Boys released internationally in 1997, but not in the United States. It was a follow-up to their successful self-titled international debut. Some songs from this album, and the prior release were compiled into a second self-titled album whose release...
  
  (1997).
• In the video, Prince Be's image is the hippie alternative to Mr. T
  Mr. T
  Mr. T is an American actor known for his roles as B. A. Baracus in the 1980s television series The A-Team, as boxer Clubber Lang in the 1982 film Rocky III, and for his appearances as a professional wrestler. Mr. T is known for his trademark African Mandinka warrior hairstyle, his gold jewelry,...
  
  '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
  I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
  I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry is a 2007 comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Barry Fanaro, and starring Adam Sandler and Kevin James as the title characters. The film was released on July 20, 2007, in the U.S., August 16, 2007, in Australia and on September 21, 2007, in the UK and...
  
  during the middle portion and the end credits.
• The song "True" by Spandau Ballet
  Spandau Ballet
  Spandau Ballet are a British band formed in London in the late 1970s. Initially inspired by, and an integral part of, the New Romantic fashion, their music has featured a mixture of funk, jazz, soul and synthpop. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s, achieving ten Top Ten singles...
  
  , which P.M. Dawn sampled, would also be used by Lloyd
  Lloyd (singer)
  Lloyd Polite, Jr. , who performs under the mononym Lloyd, is an American R&B recording artist, who experienced as a member of the group N-Toon before embarking on a solo career in 2004....
  
   in the remixed version of his song "You
  You (Lloyd song)
  "You" is the title of a song by R&B artist Lloyd featuring rapper Lil Wayne, and was produced by Big Reese for Lloyd's second studio album, Street Love. It was recorded in the producer's basement. It is the first official single off the album. Lloyd himself has reported that he leaked the song to...
  
  " featuring Andre 3000
  André 3000
  André Lauren Benjamin , better known by his stage name André 3000 is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and actor, best known for being part of American hip-hop duo OutKast alongside fellow rapper Big Boi...
  
   and Nas
  Nas
  Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
  
  . Razah in his 2009 song "Letter" featuring Nelly
  Nelly
  Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr. , better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album...
  
  , 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
  The Brothers Grunt
  The Brothers Grunt is an animated TV series that aired from August 15, 1994 to February 20, 1995 on MTV. The series was created by Danny Antonucci .-Premise:...
  
  episode "The Ceremony".

Track listings

CD maxi

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

7" single

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

12" single
Side A:

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

Side B:

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

Peak positions

Chart (1991/92)	Peak position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...	7
Austrian Singles Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann...	9
Dutch Singles Chart Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...	6
French SNEP Singles Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry...	17
German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie...	3
Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...	5
Italian Singles Chart	17
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...	1
Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association ....	7
Swiss Singles Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75...	4
UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...	3
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...	1
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...	16
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play	6

End of year charts

End of year chart (1991)	Position
Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...	68
End of year chart (1992)	Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	44

Certifications

Country	Certification	Date	Sales certified
U.S.	Gold	December 19, 1991	500,000

Chart successions