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.
The Beautiful
P.M. Dawn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In a quest to become colorless
I exhault my eyes with a most profound trust
Yet they are masters at deception
I wonder why... a black 4 leaf clover
Prince be sends a purple valentine again
How does it feel to be some kind of beautiful?
Once more my feelings have succeeded in confusing me
But whats most amusing is
I like the way it looks.
Distorted isn't it?
But its beautiful!
Exceptionally beautiful!
Damn.
How does it feel to be some kind of beautiful?
I drift along in a sea of compulsion
Whether or not I'm dead
I have no idea
I'm standing on a hill that overlooks a meadow
And I'm thinking
Of absolutely nothing
My current mood must resemble electric blue
Its always tranquil, but
It makes me bleed
Question marks constantly arrest my persona
Ironic how that creates one for me
Whatever is whatever
A phenomenon that consists of life and death
Hi Mr. Experience
How was your trip to the moon
I tear my thoughts with my own sarcastically piercing blade
I love you
Because you make me sick
Distorted isn't it?
But its beautiful!
Exceptionally beautiful!
The lyrics to P.M. Dawn's "The Beautiful" are highly metaphorical and explore the concepts of beauty, deception, confusion, and compulsion. The singer expresses a desire to become colorless, suggesting a rejection of traditional societal notions of beauty and individuality. However, the eyes are referred to as being "masters at deception", implying that the singer is still influenced by visual aesthetics despite their desire to be colorless. The image of a black four-leaf clover and a purple valentine both subvert traditional symbols of luck and love respectively, adding to the theme of rejecting societal conventions.
The chorus asks the central question of the song, "How does it feel to be some kind of beautiful?" The singer seems to be grappling with their own conflicting emotions, as they admit feeling confused but also finding amusement in their emotional state. The reference to electric blue as a mood and feeling tranquil yet bleeding again subverts conventional expectations, suggesting an emotional complexity that defies easy categorization. The question marks that "constantly arrest" the singer's persona add to this sense of confusion and uncertainty.
The final verses contain references to life and death, experience, and sarcastic self-harm. The singer seems to be grappling with dark emotions, but still finding beauty in their distorted and confusing state. The repeated phrase "Distorted isn't it? But it's beautiful! Exceptionally beautiful!" adds to the sense of paradox and paradoxical beauty that runs throughout the song.
Line by Line Meaning
In a quest to become colorless
Trying to eliminate the colorful distractions in life to focus on what's truly important
I exhault my eyes with a most profound trust
Believing in oneself and trusting their own decisions and perceptions
Yet they are masters at deception
Despite the trust, sometimes our own perceptions can lead us astray
I wonder why... a black 4 leaf clover
Musing on the irony of something that is supposed to be lucky being black, which is usually associated with bad luck
Prince be sends a purple valentine again
A reference to the musician Prince, perhaps a nod to his song 'Purple Rain', and a message from the universe that love is in the air
Once more my feelings have succeeded in confusing me
Emotions can be complex and hard to decipher
But whats most amusing is
Despite the confusion, there is still enjoyment to be found in the strange, beautiful moments in life
I like the way it looks.
Beauty is subjective and sometimes what doesn't make sense on paper can still be visually appealing
Distorted isn't it?
Acknowledging that this view of the world may not be shared by others
But its beautiful!
Acknowledging the beauty in the unexpected, even if it doesn't conform to traditional beauty standards
Exceptionally beautiful!
Emphasizing the level of beauty and how it stands out amongst the mundane
I drift along in a sea of compulsion
Feeling lost in the pressures and expectations of life, being carried along without much control
Whether or not I'm dead
Uncertainty about one's own existence or purpose in life
I have no idea
Admitting to not having all the answers and being accepting of that
I'm standing on a hill that overlooks a meadow
Taking a step back to gain a broader perspective and appreciate the beauty around them
And I'm thinking
Reflecting on their own thoughts, processes and existence
Of absolutely nothing
Contentment in just being, even if thoughts aren't always forefront
My current mood must resemble electric blue
Feeling peaceful yet vibrant and energized
Its always tranquil, but
Acknowledging the consistency of their mood, even if it has slight variations
It makes me bleed
Admitting that even positive emotions can be painful or difficult to deal with
Question marks constantly arrest my persona
Feeling held back or stunted by their own doubts and uncertainties
Ironic how that creates one for me
Reflecting on how the very things that hold us back can also shape us and make us stronger
Whatever is whatever
Letting go of the things that can't be changed and accepting them for what they are
A phenomenon that consists of life and death
The concept of living and dying being intertwined and one cannot exist without the other
Hi Mr. Experience
Greeting the lessons that life teaches us
How was your trip to the moon
Asking how the journey through life's ups and downs has been so far
I tear my thoughts with my own sarcastically piercing blade
Using humor and sarcasm to cope with one's own thoughts and feelings
I love you
Embracing and accepting all aspects of oneself, even the less ideal traits
Because you make me sick
Acknowledging that there are parts of oneself they don't necessarily like, but loving the whole package regardless
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ATTRELL STEPHEN JR. CORDES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lawrencebenjamin502
PM Dawn took HUGE RISKS in the Hip Hop realm.
@JaredGenesis777
he truly did. absolute legend RIP
@martefact
Pure Gold!!!! One of my all time favourites!
@mr.redknife4834
Like I said ... PM DAWN was way ahead of their time
@luzluz3752
❤❤❤
@MegaGemini89
A poet with the most abstract and beautiful mind. 😍❤️
@vamploboluv17
PM Dawn> Just can't say anything bad at all about PM DAWN. Absolutely GENIUS. There will NEVER be ANYTHING or ANYONE as Talented as PM DAWN. RIP Prince B. Music World is Sadly Missing you.
@danahill3572
That guitar always makes me want more!!!!
@kristinnsaemundsson2564
What a song. Love from Iceland. Kiddi Kanína.
@linusdonnell808
This is one of the most unique songs ever created. Its nice in a weird way and very abstract. It takes an "abnormal" mind to really understand what the message is but whatever it is.....It's Beautiful.