massage. A massive hit overseas, it's set to become just as big in North America thanks to early airplay at key crossover outlets." Alan Jones of Music Week named it Single of the Week, commenting, "A brilliant soundscape starts with some nice vocal work, followed by the drum track from Dennis Edwards' "Don't Look Any Further" before Spandau Ballet's "True" leads into a mellow rap. A serene summer smash." A reviewer from Newcastle Evening Chronicle described it as a "dreamy rap song". Johnny Dee from Smash Hits named it Single of the Fortnight, calling it the "dreamiest, most laid-back record ever invented." He added, "Quite what lyrics like "rubber bands expand in a frustrating sigh" mean is a total mystery, but if ever a record could be described as — aherm — like being massaged by a bag of marshmallows, then this is it. Melt city!" While reviewing Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience, the magazine's Gary Kipper stated that the song "is, of course, one of the most summery records ever made". Jonathan Bernstein from Spin wrote, "The hit track, the play track, the ultimate "Huh?" inducer, "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" is a classic of languid lassitude. Deadpan as De La doing "West End Girls", "Memory" opens with a laconically drawled "The camera pans the cocktail glass behind a blind of plastic plants" and just gets better from there." Impact and legacy "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" was ranked number 81 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop". In 2005, Blender ranked it at number 94 in their list of "Greatest Songs Since You Were Born". In 2020, Cleveland.com listed the song at number 27 in their ranking of the best Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 song of the 1990s, calling it "one of the most unlikely No. 1 hits on this list and maybe the most complex." They added, "Somehow it all amounts to four minutes of hip hop, well, bliss." Music video The accompanying music video for the song premiered in August 1991 and was directed by American film director Mark Pellington. Spandau Ballet lead singer Tony Hadley appears toward the end of the video. Track listings 7-inch single "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" (radio mix) – 3:57 "For the Love of Peace" – 3:29 12-inch single A1. "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" (extended mix) – 6:04 A2.