"Orpheus" was the second single released in a physical format from the Meltdown album by the band Ash. It was released on May 3, 2004, and reached number 13 on the UK Singles Chart. It was released as a single CD (released as only 1 CD version, the first time since 1997) as a gatefold 7" vinyl, as well as on DVD format. It was nominated for the Kerrang! Award for Best Single.

Orpheus was inspired by a Jack Kerouac on the road experience, similar to that of the film Y Tu Mama Tambien. Wheeler has said that, "The song's sort of based on this idea of like a Mexican road song sort of thing. I wrote it after watching this Mexican movie where these two kids go on this road trip with this girl, it's a rights of passage kind of thing. So I always thought it had this Mexican flavour, in fact when we first wrote the song it was called 'Dirty Sanchez' for a while!"

Additionally, it is also inspired by a screen test Tim had a couple of years ago to play the Ewan McGregor part in 2001's 'Moulin Rouge'. "So I was in there with Baz Luhrmann, he is taking me through the whole thing and it was because he based the whole movie on the Greek myth of Orpheus. It's a weird song. It's about hitting the road and taking off and not being able to look back, just keep going is the theme. Its about a guy who joins him in fuckin' hell". Tim explains.

"Orpheus" has been described by Ash's bassist, Mark Hamilton, as being "Chilli Peppers meet The Doors, Sabbath and well.. us". Rick later described it as being "a classic Tim Wheeler summer song with big riffs and mad freak out bits in it, that's quite a journey of a song. A musical journey." Originally, the song was less complicated, and was missing its mid-song breakdown and intersection, but, despite the record label's pleas, it was included.

Ever since its first appearance at the Royal Albert Hall for the Teenage Cancer Trust charity, it has appeared in almost every Ash performance, and also appears on the limited edition live Meltdown CD and the Commando EP. It is one of the EA Trax in the videogames Burnout 3 and NHL 2005. The song appeared in various musical publications' lists of songs of 2004.

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