"Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" is a song by American hip-hop group P.M. Dawn. It was released in August 1991 as the second single from their debut album Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience. "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" is built around samples of Spandau Ballet's "True", The Soul Searchers' "Ashley's Roachclip", and the Bob James version of Paul Simon's "Take Me to the Mardi Gras", with the remainder of the song written by P.M. Dawn vocalist Attrell "Prince Be" Cordes; only Prince Be and "True" writer Gary Kemp were credited for writing the tune.
This song was P.M. Dawn's first (and only) number-one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, and it 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 manual sales reports 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. Worldwide, it reached number one in New Zealand, number three in the United Kingdom and number seven in Australia. It was ranked number 81 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop. And Blender ranked it at number 94 in their list of Greatest Songs Since You Were Born in 2005.
A slower, ballad version of the song was remade for the Backstreet Boys, and recorded on their second international album Backstreet's Back, and released on their US debut album.
Last Updated: July 9, 2018
