After recording their debut single "Ode to a Forgetful Mind" in 1988, P.M. Dawn released their first album Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience in 1991 to critical acclaim. It achieved immediate commercial success because of its single "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss". Their 1993 follow-up The Bliss Album...? was also praised by critics and featured the hit singles "I'd Die Without You" and "Looking Through Patient Eyes". P.M. Dawn continued to receive strong reviews, but sold poorly with their subsequent albums Jesus Wept (1995) and Dearest Christian, I'm So Very Sorry for Bringing You Here. Love, Dad (1998).
The Cordes brothers' father died of pneumonia when they were children. Further family tragedy occurred when their baby brother, Duncan, drowned at the age of two. The two elder brothers were raised by their mother and their stepfather George Brown, a founding member of Kool & the Gang.
Prince Be began DJing parties and composing songs in ninth grade. Within a few years, he had determined to make a demo tape of some of those pieces with the $600 he had set aside from his after school job as a security guard at a homeless shelter. By then, he and his brother were putting in studio time as P.M. Dawn.
They first approached Tommy Boy Records, the rap music subsidiary of Warner Brothers, with their demo, but they were told that they were too much like alternative hip-hoppers De La Soul, and not hardcore or ghetto, and were turned away. Eventually, Warlock, an independent record label, issued a debut single, "Ode to a Forgetful Mind", in 1989, but it went unnoticed.
The record label that released the single in the United Kingdom, Gee Street Records, found greater success. Gee Street mixed and marketed the song so that it earned considerable attention from music reviewers, and P.M. Dawn found themselves courted not just by Gee Street's head, Jon Baker, but also by most of the major UK record labels. Gee Street brought the brothers to London in 1990 to record tracks for an album; however, the label found itself facing bankruptcy during the recording. The entire Gee Street operation, along with P.M. Dawn's recording contract, was sold to the highest bidder, Island Records. Island issued a few more singles in the United Kingdom before releasing 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 featured the international hit "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss", which sampled the Spandau Ballet song "True", and featured a cameo by Spandau Ballet singer Tony Hadley in the music video of the song. "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" hit #1 the week of November 30, 1991, and holds the distinction of being the first #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart following the introduction of Nielsen SoundScan to the chart. The song also reached #3 in the United Kingdom. "Paper Doll", which was one of the early singles Island released in the United Kingdom, was released in the US as a follow-up to "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss", and peaked at #28 in early 1992. "Paper Doll" is said well over 100 times in the song, which makes it second only to MC Hammer's "Pray", which holds the record for the most times a title is repeated in a US Top 40 hit (147).
With the success of their debut album, the band parted company with their manager Nick Hemmings and embarked on a world tour. During this world tour, a statement Prince Be made in Details magazine led Boogie Down Productions' KRS-One and his crew to storm the stage during a P.M. Dawn concert, forcing the group off the stage and performing three BDP classics. To warrant this reaction from KRS-One, Prince B had asked, "KRS-One wants to be a teacher, but a teacher of what?" Defending his motives to USA Today's James T. Jones IV, KRS-One remarked, "I answered his question. 'A teacher of what?' I'm a teacher of respect."
In 1992, P.M. Dawn appeared on the Red Hot Organization's compilation CD Red Hot + Dance, contributing the Richie Rich Mix of "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss". The album, featuring George Michael and Madonna among others, was meant to raise money and awareness in support of the AIDS epidemic.
Before releasing their follow-up album, The Bliss Album…? (Vibrations of Love and Anger and the Ponderance of Life and Existence), P.M. Dawn contributed the single "I'd Die Without You" to the 1992 Eddie Murphy comedy Boomerang and its soundtrack. This #2 pop hit was also included on The Bliss Album…?, as was the Billboard #2 pop hit "Looking Through Patient Eyes".
"Looking Through Patient Eyes" featured backing vocals by Cathy Dennis and sampled George Michael's hit "Father Figure". The music video for the song was shot in a church, and featured Christian images throughout — most notably, Prince Be wore a T-shirt with "Thank you, Jesus" written across it in black lettering.
The Bliss Album…? featured the Boy George duet "More Than Likely" and a cover of The Beatles' "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)". The album also included "So On and So On," which led to a 1999 sampling lawsuit. In the lawsuit Batiste v. Island Records, Inc., Paul and Michael Batiste claimed that P.M. Dawn's song "So On and So On" used unauthorized samples from David Batiste & The Gladiators' "Funky Soul". The fifth Circuit Federal Appellate Court found that the Batistes point to no evidence in the record demonstrating that consumers were confused or deceived by either the use of a digital sample of "Funky Soul" in "So On and So On", or the attribution to David Batiste as a co-author of the track. The Batistes' claim that Paul and Michael Batiste were improperly excluded from the liner notes accompanying the album also failed to suggest that consumers were confused, especially because the liner notes do credit the name of the band in which both Paul and Michael Batiste performed. Though Island Records won the lawsuit, the song was removed from subsequent releases of The Bliss Album and is no longer available for purchase in their publishing catalog.
P.M. Dawn contributed a cover of "You Got Me Floatin'" to the 1993 compilation album Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix. Artists ranging from Pat Metheny to Eric Clapton to Ice-T's Body Count were included.
Their 1995 album Jesus Wept was unable to attain the success of their first two albums. The album's highest charting single was "Downtown Venus", which contained a sample of Deep Purple's "Hush", and reached #48 on the Billboard chart. Also, in 1995, P.M. Dawn was credited with the remix of White Zombie's "Blood, Milk and Sky" (Miss September Mix) on the Supersexy Swingin' Sounds compilation album. In 1996, P.M. Dawn contributed "Non-Fiction Burning" to the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Rio produced by the Red Hot Organization. In 1998, Prince Be contributed the tracks "Perfect for You" and "Gotta Be...Movin' on Up" to the Marlon Wayans and David Spade comedy Senseless, followed later in the year by P.M. Dawn's fourth album, Dearest Christian, I'm So Very Sorry for Bringing You Here. Love, Dad. It was less successful again, with the album's single, "Being So Not for You (I Had No Right)" being a minor chart hit.
In the same year, Jarret Cordes (DJ Minutemix) was accused of sexually abusing a 14-year old relative and was subsequently arrested in Burlington County. The girl is said to have been a "close relative".
In 2000, they released the compilation, The Best of P.M. Dawn. Through their website, they also began selling a mail-order-only album called Fucked Music on December 1, 2000. This was paired with a bonus CD, Unreleased Vol. 1, and a T-shirt.
Prince Be suffered a massive stroke in early 2005 that left him paralyzed on the left side of his body. Undeterred, P.M. Dawn appeared on NBC's Hit Me, Baby, One More Time, performing "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss", and covered Puddle of Mudd's "Blurry". Despite the fact that Prince Be was still suffering the effects of this stroke, they beat Animotion, Missing Persons, Juice Newton and Shannon to claim the $20,000 charitable prize, which they contributed to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, as Prince Be was a diabetic.
Following their appearance on Hit Me, Baby, One More Time, Minutemix was terminated for misconduct. This led to the introduction of the Cordes brothers' paternal first cousin, Gregory Lewis Carr II, known by his stage name Doc. G (also known as 'Dr. Giggles' or 'Blissboy #2'.)
On May 15, 2010, Prince Be's 40th birthday, Doc. G performed in Manila before an audience of 50,000 people and dedicated the performance to Guru of Gang Starr and Francis M.
On June 17, 2016, Prince Be died of renal disease at the age of 46.
Doc. G continues to perform and record music under the P.M. Dawn name. On April 6, 2018, Doc.G announced K-R.O.K. as a new member of P.M. Dawn.
Paper Doll
P.M. Dawn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hello, Imagine yourself and a link on a chain, the chain is wrapped around someones mind,
If you break off then things start to change. Then You realize that there's no time,
No direction as you fly through the wind. you stop to ponder on a pink chateau.
The theme from "Mohogany" still transcends. But Quote Unqoute, that's the way it goes.
I'm looking at the picture again. I'm looking at the picture again.
I spin the sundial to expectation, twenty years ago I saw you yesterday.
You're looking at the picture. I see you looking at the picture now
And for the slightest moment I watched you think about what it's like as a paper doll.
[Chorus]
One of these days I think you will find yourself as a paper doll, (paper doll), paper doll
One of these days I think you will find yourself as a paper doll, (paper doll), oh, paper doll.
Imagine yourself as a cloud in the sky. You pass me by and I blow you a kiss.
A thinking cloud, so you're wondering why, only to find out it doesn't exist.
Life surrounds what's presumed as wise. It wouldn't be wise until the fist uncurls.
No one I don't know ever stands in my eyes. Because of the quote unquote, real world.
I'm thinking about yesterday. I'm actually thinking about yesterday.
A thousand words say it doesn't exist. A thousand ideas tell me otherwise.
You're thinking about yesterday. I know you're thinking about yesterday but
For the slightest moment I watched you think about what it's like as a paper doll.
[Chorus]
Regardless of how you think, regardless of how you feel, see yourself as,
More than a human being. It's recognizable, spiritually and mentally.
Hold my hands forever, paper doll.
[Chorus]
The lyrics of P.M. Dawn's "Paper Doll" describe a contemplative journey filled with introspection and self-reflection. The opening line sets the tone, inviting the listener to imagine being part of a link on a chain that's wrapped around someone's mind. The notion of being confined and controlled by someone else's thoughts leads to a feeling of helplessness and a sense of time slipping away. From this point of view, the world seems directionless, and the wind carries the traveler along, forcing them to stop to ponder at a pink chateau. Even the recognizable themes of films like "Mohogany" (a movie about a fashion model's rise to the top) don't feel transcendent anymore; they're just things that come and go.
The lyrics then shift to a metaphor of being a cloud in the sky. The cloud is passing by and receives a kiss from the singer, but it's also aware that it's a "thinking cloud." The listener realizes that it's pointless because the cloud doesn't exist, and this leads to the realization that nothing is truly known. The lyrics emphasize the importance of opening one's fist to find wisdom, and that the "real world" is often only what others want you to think it is. The chorus ties these themes together, noting that the listener may someday find themselves as a paper doll, subject to the whims of others.
* The song is on P.M. Dawn's debut album, "Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience."
* "Paper Doll" was released as a single in 1991.
* The song peaked at #28 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
* The band's name, P.M. Dawn, stands for "Prince Be and Doc G."
* The music video for "Paper Doll" features a white sheet with drawings of the band in black ink.
* The lyrics mention the theme from the 1975 film "Mohogany," which was sung by Diana Ross.
* P.M. Dawn's music was known for blending genres like hip-hop, R&B, pop, and psychedelia.
* The band was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1992.
* The single's B-side features a remix of the song "A Watcher's Point of View (Don't Cha Think)."
* The 2003 film "Airborne" features P.M. Dawn's song "Reality Used to Be a Friend of Mine" on its soundtrack.
Chords: Unfortunately, the chords for "Paper Doll" are not available at this time.
Line by Line Meaning
Paper Doll ( Paper Doll ), Paper Doll ( Paper Doll )
Repetition of the song's title.
Hello, Imagine yourself and a link on a chain, the chain is wrapped around someones mind,
Greetings. Imagine yourself as a variable in someone else's life, linked with them by a chain. But that link controls them and your freedom.
If you break off then things start to change. Then You realize that there's no time,
But if you break away from the link, things start to change. You realize that time is limited, and you must make the most of it.
No direction as you fly through the wind. you stop to ponder on a pink chateau.
You have no idea on which path you are heading, you feel aimless. You take a break to consider a magnificent chateau painted pink.
The theme from "Mohogany" still transcends. But Quote Unqoute, that's the way it goes.
The song "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" is still popular even today. But it also means that life is uncertain, and anything could happen.
I'm looking at the picture again. I'm looking at the picture again.
Repeating the action of viewing a photo, most likely feeling nostalgic.
I spin the sundial to expectation, twenty years ago I saw you yesterday.
The singer is counting on time, moving the sundial forward with hopeful attention. They saw someone in the past recently, almost like it was yesterday, even though it happened 20 years ago.
You're looking at the picture. I see you looking at the picture now
The artist notices the listener staring at a picture, possibly the same photo mentioned before.
And for the slightest moment I watched you think about what it's like as a paper doll.
For a brief moment, the artist saw the listener imagining themselves as a paper doll, helpless and not fully in control of their actions.
[Chorus]
One of these days I think you will find yourself as a paper doll, (paper doll), paper doll
One of these days I think you will find yourself as a paper doll, (paper doll), oh, paper doll.
The chorus repeats the title and predicts that eventually, the listener will find themselves helpless like a paper doll.
Imagine yourself as a cloud in the sky. You pass me by and I blow you a kiss.
Now imagine yourself as a cloud floating in the sky. The singer sees you and blows a kiss towards you.
A thinking cloud, so you're wondering why, only to find out it doesn't exist.
You are a thinking cloud, questioning your existence. Eventually, you will understand that you don't exist, or that your existence doesn't matter.
Life surrounds what's presumed as wise. It wouldn't be wise until the fist uncurls.
Life embodies what people believe to be wise. But it's not really practical advice until someone tries it out themselves.
No one I don't know ever stands in my eyes. Because of the quote unquote, real world.
The singer doesn't pay attention to people they don't know. The reason being that they live in the real world where people prioritize what's important.
I'm thinking about yesterday. I'm actually thinking about yesterday.
The singer is thinking back to a previous moment, probably with a sense of nostalgia.
A thousand words say it doesn't exist. A thousand ideas tell me otherwise.
There are many words that could say something doesn't exist, but there are also many ideas that suggest its presence.
You're thinking about yesterday. I know you're thinking about yesterday but
The artist notices that the listener is also thinking about the past.
For the slightest moment I watched you think about what it's like as a paper doll.
Again, the singer sees the listener envisioning themselves as a powerless paper doll.
[Chorus]
The chorus repeats again.
Regardless of how you think, regardless of how you feel, see yourself as,
No matter how you think or feel, you should see yourself as more powerful than a mere human being.
More than a human being. It's recognizable, spiritually and mentally.
You should recognize that you are capable of more than just a human-level thought and action, both in a spiritual and a mental capacity.
Hold my hands forever, paper doll.
The artist wants to hold the listener's hand forever, even while they are in a state of helplessness.
[Chorus]
The chorus repeats one final time.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Downtown Music Publishing, Songtrust Ave, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: ATTRELL STEPHEN JR. CORDES, GIL SCOTT HERON, BRIAN JACKSON, GAIL SWANSON, KRISTY JACKSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mun_e_makrpsn1328
Paper Doll ( Paper Doll ), Paper Doll ( Paper Doll )
Hello, Imagine yourself and a link on a chain, the chain is wrapped around someones mind,
If you break off then things start to change. Then You realize that there's no time,
No direction as you fly through the wind. you stop to ponder on a pink chateau.
The theme from "Mohogany" still transcends. But Quote Unqoute, that's the way it goes.
I'm looking at the picture again. I'm looking at the picture again.
I spin the sundial to expectation, twenty years ago I saw you yesterday.
You're looking at the picture. I see you looking at the picture now
And for the slightest moment I watched you think about what it's like as a paper doll.
One of these days I think you will find yourself as a paper doll, (paper doll), paper doll
One of these days I think you will find yourself as a paper doll, (paper doll), oh, paper doll.
Imagine yourself as a cloud in the sky. You pass me by and I blow you a kiss.
A thinking cloud, so you're wondering why, only to find out it doesn't exist.
Life surrounds what's presumed as wise. It wouldn't be wise until the fist uncurls.
No one I don't know ever stands in my eyes. Because of the quote unquote, real world.
I'm thinking about yesterday. I'm actually thinking about yesterday.
A thousand words say it doesn't exist. A thousand ideas tell me otherwise.
You're thinking about yesterday. I know you're thinking about yesterday but
For the slightest moment I watched you think about what it's like as a paper doll.
One of these days I think you will find yourself as a paper doll, (paper doll), paper doll
One of these days I think you will find yourself as a paper doll, (paper doll), oh, paper doll.
Regardless of how you think, regardless of how you feel, see yourself as,
More than a human being. It's recognizable, spiritually and mentally.
Hold my hands forever, paper doll.
One of these days I think you will find yourself as a paper doll, (paper doll), paper doll
One of these days I think you will find yourself as a paper doll, (paper doll), oh, paper doll.
@kristincrowley5481
This sounds even better 30 years later! Why did PM Dawn not get their deserved accolades?! I'm 57 and I will never tire of this song.
@libratude9595
Because they were ahead of their time 🫶.
@MichaelLewis-ln3nl
Me too Sir. I love this song. I will play this song 🎵 to death. Even in the morning 🌄
@cerkizzle8532
They had no respect
@heatherrogers548
I feel you. This song still gives me chills
@SUGAR_XYLER
Got a mental high off this song many times. The sound is ethereal ✨
@lorettaanderson6085
Price B... One of the 1st artist I had the pleasure of sitting in their studio while they were record Bliss of Memories... Rest well my friend... Jersey City all day everyday
@carl-fritjofbergan1582
I was in the military, one year service, i was 19, and i was finding no meaning in it. I listened to this every afternoon. It helped me find meaning in a meaningless situation. Thank you Prince Be. R.I.P.
@jwp30
When everyone else was listening to Poison, Def Leppard and such, I was listening to these guys along with Soul II Soul, Prince and all sorts of Indie music (long live the B-52's) in rebellion. I was transported back in time riding in my Volkswagen Golf convertible listening to this. Miss you guys so much. Prince Be, hope you're on the mend after the second stroke! Your music is an inspiration.
@johnnyloaps5034
Late 80's , early 90's...PM Dawn was part of what I like to call the "positive rap' movement...RIP Prince Be!