Heheh... Peter Gabriel - Sledgehammer (REACTION)

Original Video: • Peter Gabriel - Sledge...
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[@georgewodicka4839]

Can't emphasize how truly HUGE this was in the relatively early phase of MTV. It helps that it was a killer song, catchy, riffs galore, and lyrics with multiple connotations. And mind-bending claymation and visual effects that would be innovative even today. An amazing finished product.

[@lloydclevenger6756]

True story.... This was indeed huge.

[@Katehowe3010]

Doesn't make it any good! It's always a sure sign that when you suddenly start shifting millions, you have dummed down as an artist!

[@georgewodicka4839]

@@Katehowe3010 And as we see again, the wonderful power of music, which can bring together polarizing viewpoints in a cordial manner. If we all liked ALL music, it would all be just noise. I've swung away from certain artists or bands at varying points of their careers, and so be it. I respect your opinion.

[@Katehowe3010]

@@georgewodicka4839 Thankyou George, and likewise.

[@JohnBuckWLD]

@@Katehowe3010 All statements, even ones based solely on opinion, need relative or subjective comparisons. Perhaps the most analogous would be to compare Genesis output with and without Gabriel, or compare his solo endeavors to those of Phil Collins.

[@k_spats]

The "Sledgehammer" video was commissioned by Tessa Watts at Virgin Records, directed by Stephen R. Johnson and produced by Adam Whittaker. Aardman Animations and the Brothers Quay provided claymation, pixilation, and stop motion animation that gave life to images in the song.

[@ontherun9510]

Funny fact: In July 1986, Invisible Touch from Genesis was no.1 on the Billboard top 40. It was knock off from the top position by Sledgehammer from Peter Gabriel.

[@west_nebraska_dude4527]

This truly was top shelf video production in its day. We used to get so excited when the VJs would play it on MTV ... man, I'm soooo old Another great video from Peter Gabriel was "Shock the Monkey"

[@sidecardog5244]

So was one of those albums that everyone had in the eighties. It was my first CD with my new CD player (it replaced my turntable and cassette player). Next: Shock the Monkey.

[@jimralston7562]

Shock the Monkey - not so tasteful. Lol

[@bobschenkel7921]

I think this particular video is the epitome of artistry. It must have taken several days to shoot all the video, with all the stop-motion detail. Especially the rollercoaster ride, all the clay-mation and the last thirty seconds. Gabriel is so into the whole event that it shows in every second.

[@rk41gator]

Peter Gabriel was never shy with his sexual innuendo, nor shy with his creative insanity. Way ahead of trends. Love how this is a throw back to old dirty blues. Just as when with Genesis, lots of word play and metaphors. Best analysis and most direct explanations about his lyrics. Heheh!

[@jenniferfoster1692]

MTV, where we used to watch all these videos from the 80s/90s, acted a real cultural connection between people. So many people were watching the same videos and being amazed by the music and the artistic, fun, crazy, creative or performance videos, they were a huge conversation starter and something millions of people had in common, experiencing these songs/videos. Many of these videos and songs from that era made their way into the cultural lexicon and are referenced in a lot of pop culture. It sounds funny, but MTV bonded a lot of people, we all felt like we experienced the same things.

[@Bill_Jones.]

Seeing Peter on his ‘Security’ tour at the Houston Music Hall in 1982 was an experience I’ll never forget. Getting to my seat a little late because of a visit to the concession stand, I damn near dropped my bag of popcorn to look up and see Peter and his band (the great Tony Levin on bass, David Rhodes on guitar, and Jerry Marotta on drums) walk by me on their way to the stage (entering from the rear and walking through the audience while playing “The Rhythm Of The Heat.)”. I’ve seen hundreds of shows and this was one for the ages.

[@mikenichols3965]

Saw that Security tour in '82 San Diego Civic. Sofa King Brilliant!

[@JerisEve]

It wears me out just thinking about how much effort must have gone into putting this video together. I've seen it a thousand times and still see some little thing that I had missed every time. I love the dancing chickens. Daniel, you're so creative. You did stop motion on top of everything else. LOL

[@jeffstevens4262]

Daniel, when you asked if the lyrics were in any way 'sexual' and gave us that cheeky look into the camera, I couldn't help but laugh. If you want confirmation of your suspicions, just look at the first few seconds of the video. LOL.

[@therealtwiggyleaf]

Although I had been a big Peter Gabriel fan before hearing this song, when it came out with the accompanying video, it exploded him onto the world stage for all to appreciate, so I will always like this song. I love the "soul" feel, and the bass is amazing. Thanks for the review! 😎

[@timwhitnell7145]

Aurally and visually this is one stunning song. It holds up very well today.

[@taylortyler1867]

"Steam" has a similarly strange video and is just as good. "Big Time" and "Shock the Monkey" are 2 other great tunes by him.

[@carlosjavierregidoriglesia3847]

Peter Gabriel is a genius. You have to see some of his live performances. Mercy street, San Jacinto, Red rain or Secret world are good examples

[@k_spats]

Great story behind the title for this album... Every Peter Gabriel album was titled, "Peter Gabriel." His manager (I believe) said, "You can't keep just using your name as your album title?!?!" He replied, "So" And, there you have it! Great reaction! Love watching you discover these gems that are forever in our wonderful memories! 💜💫✌🏼🎵

[@cherylreichardt]

This one is a visual masterpiece! And that sound is incredible! Love his work:) I highly recommend Red Rain also off of the So album!

[@kevintheindianbluepeacock2359]

Hi Cheryl, yes great shout for Red Rain. Not just the music, Daniel would have a field day with the lyrics! Best Wishes, Ian

[@loadedorygun]

One of the first all digital albums I think.

[@madelineshockley5906]

Brings back lots of memories....was the beginning of MTV..lots of these then. Good times for sure

[@mcolford]

Check out his amazing duet with Kate Bush, Don't Give Up, from this same album. Powerful, beautiful, and not to be missed.

[@jc296x]

I'm going to veer from my always recommending the live Secret World video of "In Your Eyes" to say .. I know you like everything and anything creepy... Peter Gabriel "Intruder" (studio ver) will not disappoint you at all.

[@geraldbryden6720]

"In your Eyes" live version a must!

[@lostinsweden5039]

Video was Nick Park, who made the multi Oscar winning stop motion cartoons 'Wallace and Gromit'

[@johnmavroudis2054]

Gabriel has a rich history to explore! "Moribund The Burgermeister" (probably his most Genesis-like solo song), "Mother Of Violence" (BEAUTIFUL and haunting song), "BIKO" (powerful song about the South African Civil Rights leader), "Family Snapshot," "Games Without Frontiers" (Kate Bush on backing vocals!), "Rhythm Of The Heat," and "San Jacinto" are all AMAAAAAAZING songs to react to. Cheers!

[@peterhall2810]

To fully get the Peter Gabrial vibe, try In Your Eyes live Secret World Live.

[@philippahusain7778]

Omg, all these years I thought he was singing, " Won't you chauffeur me, I will chauffeur you"! 🙄😳

[@W0rdsandMus1c]

Ha ha I thought that for quite a while

[@chantalmassicotte3934]

When this song played in the clubs (always the video on a screen that would be lowered) EVERYONE freaked out. It was such a powerhouse of a song.

[@darcysalas3042]

I remember that song. Thank you Daniel.

[@wayne_twentyfive]

My favourite Peter Gabriel song, "Modern Love" is one of his very early hits, and inexplicably to me, it's one that's hardly ever referred to in discussions I've seen about his best songs .. Hoping that some reactors will get onto it eventually .. "Games Without Frontiers" ( which contains the evocative vocals of Kate Bush ) is another that I love .. Pete and Kate would go on to do more wonderful collaborations.

[@johnfoster5295]

I think you would like Supper's Ready by Genesis. The live version from 1972 is really cool. You can see how Peter Gabriel has a penchant for the bizarre with various costume changes and whatnot. Plus it is over 20 minutes long.

[@bridie1824]

I second this!

[@shyshift]

Happy 72’nd birthday Peter.!

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

There is a fan video for the song “Mollusk” by Ween that is stop motion Legos. It’s pretty darn good.

[@rpraelsporcupine3112]

Peter has also two other stop-motion videos: Big Time and Digging in the Dirt, in case you want to check them out 😊

[@Isleofskye]

As someone who witnessed Peter and his former Group :Genesis (with Phil Collins) perform in their first-ever Top Of The Bill show in Croydon, South East London in 1972 you could say I have been with Genesis....from the beginning:) Good Reaction, as usual, my friend.

[@johnfoster5295]

That must have been a hell of a show. I would have loved to see Genesis back in the day.

[@Isleofskye]

Hello from sunny South East London/Kent: 5.50am JOHN:) Yes, that 3,000 standing venue hosted a group every week and I, first, went, aged 17, in 1971 and I know when Genesis appeared because the original Bull0Toppers "Bell;n Arc" disbanded the day before and "wiki" says 1972, which makes sense. It was quite a show and they performed Musical Box amongst other songs, as I recall. I also saw Argent, Status Quo(5 times) Atomic Rooster,Uriah Heep,Edgar Broughton Band, Roxy Music, Hawkwind, Focus and a host of others on a "No advanced tickets " basis. :) Missed Rory Gallagher and Golden Earring though. Tickets £1 lol

[@coldwhite4240]

Great reaction, and thorough research. This is my most favourite video of all time, and I grew up with this and similar great hits of the 80s in my teens. PG is one of my favourite artists too and for me, his peak was his solo career from the period mid-80s to mid-90s, including, of course, this classic. I love how the video symbolically begins and ends with depicting the start and end of life (fertilisation and embryo growth, then later PG sitting down in the chair to 'sleep' and then 'rising up' into the stars and waving goodbye), and continues the motif of reproduction and innuendo/imagery throughout, but also has hilarious visuals like the chicken dance, the vegetable face, and so on! The Aardman link is especially noticeable with the smiling bumper cars around 2:46 Also, it was a clever choice to use stop motion and claymation rather than the CGI of the time (as used, for example, in Dire Straits' "Money For Nothing" which was only a year before this song, but looks so dated in comparison). As a result, the only bit that looks dated is the section where PG and the dancing girls/crowd are, with clothes and hairstyles clearly of the 80s. PG's solo career is worth a deep-dive for a lot of great tracks and creative videos, including "Shock The Monkey", "Games Without Frontiers", "Big Time", "Steam" and "Digging In The Dirt". He also did great duets with Kate Bush ("Don't Give Up") and Sinead O'Connor ("Blood Of Eden"). If oyu find you like his work, his live performances are also a must. The whole Secret World Live tour from the early 1990s is brilliant and my personal favourite. The whole thing is on here at kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKuQl5ishb2CitU , but if you like it, do support the man by getting the DVD or download. The entire crew look like they had such a great time, the (then) new singer Paula Cole was fantastic as the female lead on some iconic PG songs in place of Kate Bush and Sinead O'Connor, and as a backing singer too. PG is one of my favourite artists for his lyrical and musical genius and the creativity of many of his video ("Sledgehammer" being one of the best IMO)

[@k_spats]

Yayyy!!! Sooo excited to watch you react! ⚒️ 🔨 💜💫✌🏼🎵 Good Morning, Daniel! And, of course, *Legion!* 🙃

[@minkhollow]

You absolutely have to hit "Biko" (bee-ko) sometime. It's the kind of history lesson we don't really get here in the States (even though we really, really should, for our own sake as well as everyone else's).

[@debrabrabenec3731]

When MTV was in it's infancy, I was living without a TV for many years, so I didn't see this until MUCH later. HOWEVER, I would listen to CBC radio late at night and sometimes would tape on the cassette stereo if the DJ was playing interesting stuff. Before this album was released, they played "Sledgehammer" and I recorded it. It wasn't the take that was released on the album, though. The beginning was different- it started with the guitar and drums that went for a bit before the horns came in. I still have it... somewhere...😀🎵❤️🎵

[@kevintheindianbluepeacock2359]

Hi Daniel ! Was hoping for a long time this song would cross your radar, more so for the video tbh. You didn't disappoint, your facial expressions to the various scenes flashing by was such a fun treat to watch! It was like going back in time to when I first heard this song, and watched the video as an 11 yo on the UK premier music show of the time ... Top Of The Tops. The video still holds up today, so you can imagine the impact it made over 35 years ago. Bear in mind no computer of that era would have been able to produce that art, they creatively and impressively had to find other ways. Thank you so much for uploading and sharing this with us! May I recommend 'Red Rain' for your next Peter Gabriel song, as it is from the same album BUT has more powerful lyrics for you to get your dissectional teeth into. Wishing you well as always from the UK, Ian

[@brentgunderson1349]

If I remember correctly, I think this won video of the year at that year's MTV Awards.

[@manualboyca]

I disagree with some of the "genius" comments about Peter becoming more pop-oriented. He has a handful of songs that became popular, and he has a few songs (like Sledgehammer, In Your Eyes, and Big Time) that are definitely meant to be pop songs. Besides that, he is still mainly on the artistic and experimental side. Daniel - check out the "pop hit" Digging in the Dirt from Peter's next album - it's great, but on the darker side.

[@CaroleMcDonnell]

Gotta second In Your Eyes. And yes he had some very experimental songs.

[@Yesquire0]

Nobody can agree on a standard definition of "prog". We are left with something analogous to Justice Potter Stewart's definition of porn: "I know it when I see it". Each of us remains free to similarly define prog. We know it when we hear it. If you love prog, you will never define a bad song as prog, because doing so will create some uncomfortable cognitive dissonance. Similarly, proggers are prone to identify a good song as prog, because, well, prog should be listened to as a genre because it is full of good songs. We proggers are not above adopting a slick, short song by a beloved artist as still being progressive. Using some definition of prog as a filter to sift through music to separate the wheat from the chaff is a bit silly in that a lot of that chaff will still be great songs to enjoy, rather than reject on some blurry ideological basis.

[@triciasomogyi5431]

Games Without Frontiers

[@Frank-pe9pk]

When this video first came out we were high on acid…allegedly! All the affect. Peter Gabriel is a genius! I kicked the habit, kicked the habit…shed my skin. Great line.

[@meditationlifeskills]

Peter Gabriel - In Your Eyes (Secret World Live) Life-changing music!

[@barriehull7076]

What is LEGO short for? Like sheep Lego is plural. The name 'LEGO' is an abbreviation of the two Danish words “leg godt”, meaning “play well”. It's our name and it's our ideal. The LEGO Group was founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen.

[@AW-yj6md]

The video won best music video,...they had started having those awards, award shows,..I never really got into Genesis until Peter left(I know shame on me☹), but when Shock The Monkey came out(which they used for the trailer and I think in the movie Monkey Shines) I was hooked on Peter,..it was so odd, different, all of Peter's videos are strange, and also have something to do with sex,..huh watch Steam,.and Kiss The Frog,..I think whoever would do the videos for his songs had a monumental task,..there was someone, maybe his band members from Genesis talked about him coming on stage dressed as a giant sunflower, you know,..his creativity, and imagination were screaming to come out,..and it wasn't til he left them that it could,..and you really have to appreciate that he has the imagination he has,..truly a blessing that he went off on his own,..as it is Phil Collins did, we may never have had Sussusido, or Against All Odds,..and had Peter never left may never have found out what pipes Phil has,..its just kismet,..it all worked out as it was supposed to,.so glad your diving into this,..do check out Us album,..Digging in The Dirt, Secret World(a jam), and Down To Earth, like Sledgehammer, has that gospel swager, Godspeed, Peace ✌

[@mikefetterman6782]

At the end of !989, MTV released the fact that this was the top video, OF THE DECADE, and it was tied for best song of the 80s with the Eurythemics SweeT Dreams.

[@garyarnett1220]

If you're starting to get into Peter as it looks you are, you NEED to check out his beautiful and powerful duet with Kate Bush on "Don't Give Up" (oh and the video is great as well).

[@neldablanco1663]

Thanks for playing to end! Hate when reaction cuts short. Love this video...MTV era.

[@LadyIarConnacht]

I didn't have cable and wasn't a big MTV fan, but I was impressed with the work that went into this video. I love the part at the end where he has the back-up singers, producers, cameramen, furniture and what looks like random people off the street just dancing around with him. I was upset when Genesis broke up so was happy to see him doing some good stuff. Check out Games Without Frontiers.

[@johncollier9280]

2 other fantastic songs with amazin' videos to react to are Red Rain (from So)...'n Shock The Monkey (from Security). In the late 1980's Peter was livin' in Big Sur 'n frequented the music store I was workin' at in Carmel. He would ask for musical suggestions 'n bought everything I recommended...I was thrilled to meet him! He signed my copy o' his soundtrack for The Last Temptation O' Christ 'n said it was his first time to see the finished artwork.

[@calrowles9790]

I've seen your videos with your dad and he seems pretty cool. I wouldn't worry about what your parents see in your videos, they have been where you are and know what you are experiencing. On the other hand, although this is probably not on your mind at the moment, your kids will see these videos and probably at a younger age than you are now. It is never too early to be a good example.

[@marcotaverna8501]

Here's a suggestion for you: Nick Cave and tha bad seeds "Murder Ballads" You'll absolutely love all the tracks

[@outernothingness1177]

Now we want a stop motion reaction video! :-)

[@debjorgo]

I'd recommend you do the first album. If not, Shock the Monkey, Games Without Frontiers, or Steam.

[@davidrauh8118]

Check out his live performance of IN YOUR EYES. Fabulous stuff.

[@sidecardog5244]

Let me tell you about the birds and the bees…and the flowers in the trees…and the moon up above…

[@nalk20]

... And the big dipper? 🤣

[@debrabrabenec3731]

And a thing called love!

[@pks815]

Glad to see you delving a little bit into the 80s :)

[@Yosef1952]

Btw, I love the fact that you were doing Legos stop motion vids.

[@timholder6825]

Big Time (from the same album) unbelievably funky. Blood Of Eden. Unbelievably deep.

[@Katehowe3010]

It may be funky, but it's still one of Gabriel's more vacuous compositions!

[@gablen23]

And "Mercy Street" is incredibly moving!

[@timholder6825]

If that's what you think, you've missed it's point. It's sarcasm and ridicule. In an unbelievably funky package.

[@joeshmoe9629]

If you want to stay in this groove Robert Palmer - addicted to love and simply irresistible will rock you pretty good. The videos are funny too

[@Enigma9Sigma]

As great as everything in this song and video is that BASS LINE is EVERYTHING. 👍🏻

[@peterhall2810]

Big Dipper is a UK alternative name for rollercoaster

[@Yosef1952]

1986 returns! Classic, fun video. Try "Red Rain", it will impress you deeply. Thanks, Daniel.

[@sidecardog5244]

I get all choked up when the chickens come out. Or is it the eggs?

[@bartholomewswarmkrunsh3859]

Peter Gabriel - the genius behind Genesis - please check out: Intruder / No Self Control / Games Without Frontiers / Family Snapshot / Not One Of Us / Biko / The Rhythm Of The Heat / San Jacinto / I Have The Touch / Shock The Monkey / Don’t Give Up (With Kate Bush) / Blood Of Eden (With Sinéad O’Connor) - just for starters ….

[@helenespaulding7562]

Nah, you got it right. Definitely sexual. This was a fave on MTV in the eighties. A really good song and video from Gabriel is When You’re Falling. Also please look at live version of In Your Eyes from his world tour. Outstanding song and performance.

[@jaemyrick5277]

Daniel although you're now 18 and may not know a whole lot about my generation when Mtv used to be MTV. Sledgehammer was shown in heavy rotation on MTV and I believe before the premier on the channel, was considered a huge secret. The VJ's as what they called back then becuz this was tv not radio, wore sworn to secrecy not anything reveal this video. This was major news for music videos. I'm 57. Sledgehammer was one of the most create and artistic music videos of the 80's. Never thought it had sexual innuendo. OMG! Besides that, it was a freakin great song! All those people the VJ's involved with Mtv from the 80's and 90's are all grown up or passed away. Back in the day they were all young and hip, young and trendy, young and fun. Now they're grown up and others have passed away. Living in the 80's. When there was kindness. WTH? happened to kindness.

[@deannajones3849]

Love this song and video!

[@franklopez2803]

Monster MTV HIT!

[@daveking9393]

Great video, ground breaking.

[@Yosef1952]

Whew! I need a cigarette after this analysis! And I don't even smoke!

[@kellingc]

Steam is another Peter Gabriel great. He is more of a performance artist than a singer. He is a performer, and not just a front man. Peter is a visionary as far as new media technologies. You see that in "Steam", with the use of the low polygon count graphics, which was the hight of technology in 1989. I got to ask him about one of the images he used in "Steam", and will continue the story if you do that video. "Digging in the Dirt" and "Big Time" are also very good tracks off of "Us" and "So".

[@rydelldownward7808]

Gotta see “Shock The Monkey”. He did a great soundtrack for the movie “The Last Temptation of Christ”.

[@theplanetruth]

5:57-yah think??? Open up your fruit cage cuz I will be your honey bee…

[@franklopez2803]

Sledgehammer refers to a carnival ride. It has you circling 20 feet in the air at the same time spinning you in the ride. The ride had to be constantly cleaned out. Lotsa vomit.

[@steveowens2505]

Games Without Frontiers, San Jacinto, Shock The Monkey, Here Comes the Flood, Red Rain, Biko are standouts of First 3 albums.

[@EccentricAuntWanda1]

Tony Levin kills it on this!

[@gindlesal]

I'm not sure if it is still on KZbin, as it seems to come and go, but there is an amazing live version of Come Talk to Me that I hope you get the chance to see. Other cool Peter Gabriel songs are Shock The Monkey, Not One of Us, No Self Control, and I Don't Remember.

[@gindlesal]

And how could I forget Games Without Frontiers

[@firebird7479]

Great video technology. Same with his song "Big Time" off the same album. Another artist with great music videos is Robert Palmer.

[@stormatsunup]

Daniel, it was very nice to finally "meet" you, to understand what you're really all about. Thank You for sharing your thoughts, your reflection on lyrics, keen insight on meaning and musicality of songs you're checking out, and the "behind the scenes" info. I loved the "Scarborough Fair" you shared with your little sister Claire, very cool & very wonderful "Big Bro" ! So, I'm leaving these two songs for Claire, very 80's, and I think she'll enjoy them. Thank You Daniel! You're doing an awesome job! P.S. Claire is one sharp young Lady! Claire, stay cool! Hope you enjoy The Videos! Much Love & God's Blessings! ~;-) "I Heard A Rumor" (Official Video) by Bananarama: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o16ni4RuZdt4jKs Sent: To Enjoy Dancing, 80's Costumes/Clothing "Just Got Lucky" (Official Video) by Jo Boxers: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qmOshnd8YtVli8k This has a Bowery Boys vibe &, punk swagger. LOL! Daniel, I'm Christian ( heard you mention that you were also ) so I feel it only respectable & responsible to add, both videos are age appropriate & proper for Claire to view IMHO ( my "babes" watched both when they were 12, so if you want to check them out first ... ). There are NO sexual innuendos in either of these videos. They are young Lady friendly! ~;-)

[@theplanetruth]

First!!!! In the early days of MTV this was gratuitous eye candy

[@Marcus-Oh-really-yes]

You are right. The song does have a lot of sexual innuendo. :-) ... Peter Gabriel's whole 1986 "So" album is great. You should also check out "In Your Eyes" (the album cut is terrific, but there's a 10-minute "Secret World Live" concert version that is astounding) and the duet with Kate Bush called "Don't Give Up" (simple, very moving music video) and "Big Time" (another cool stop-animation video).

[@DawnSuttonfabfour]

And I thought I was really clued in! I had his first 4 albums and never thought this was about sex! You should give PG a deep dive, he is so worth it. Biko, Games without Frontiers, Red Rain, Mercy Street, Big, so many great songs. I am not sure you should give too much credence to the sexual interpretation, it makes more sense to me that he is singing about his new persona as a radio friendly, hit making, star in his own right. But hey, what do I know? Keep on keepin' on Daniel, as we hippies used to say.

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

A Motown style groove to this one. I was happy that Peter had a big hit song. This video is beautifully bonkers. His song video for “Big Time” is also full of this kind of animation.

[@billparrish4385]

5:56 You mean some of that _didn't_ sound to you like innuendo? :)

[@ronbock8291]

For a considerably more disturbing sexual metaphor, try Gabriel’s Intruder, featuring a Phil Collins drum track that changed the musical landscape forever.

[@Yesquire0]

If you didn't live through the advent of MTV, you won't readily accept the impact it had on popular music. We now can dial up just about anything on YT and see a band performing our favorite songs. Before MTV, s to what the members of the band actually looked like, and how they projected any sort of personality, we were limited to photos. That wasn't all bad. Vinyl albums could provide lots of inserts as bonus content. Then along comes MTV, and we were all stunned by the novelty of being able to watch music. The internet has made the watching of music videos on TV obsolete. Watching music, rather than listening to it, was a bit of an odd idea to begin with, other than being novel. That oddness became endemic to music videos when directors and producers saw them as vehicles not to present a band, or a song, but to show the creativity of the guys producing the video. Most music videos had nothing whatsoever to do with the music, which had descended from the point for the making of the video to the mere soundtrack for the unrelated images presented by the director and producer. One side effect of this was the occasional music video that was far better than the song being used as the soundtrack. "Sledgehammer" is the primo example of this phenomenon, a middlin' fair song pumped up to a #1 hit on the strength its fabulous music video. Apart from all the gimmicks in the video, I think it helped that Peter Gabriel was actually quite a handsome guy back then. When he was wearing the Slipperman costume, or trying to look weird by altering his hairline above his forehead, it was hard to see the real person and make an assessment of his looks. That observation is true for a lot of the classic proggers prodded out of hippiedom and into the relatively more glamorous disco ethos. Do a comparison of Yes from the Yessongs era alongside Yes from the 90125 era. The degree to which these guys changed their stripes to conform to what was a popular look at the time will put a smile on your face.

[@helenespaulding7562]

Other top frontmen who went on to successful solo careers were Steve Winwood and Robert Plant. Check out Plants vid for hit Big log

[@paulbramucci7586]

Harry styles does a version of this awesome song on the Howard stern show its pretty cool great review

[@AndaraBledin]

If you like this sort of thing, check out "Oh Yeah" by Yello. It's a trip.

[@bartstarr100]

Peter Gabriel was a video pioneer. Watch "Games Without Frontiers"

[@sirmister4411]

You should check out the video Big time. By Peter Gabriel another wild video

[@CaroleMcDonnell]

That testimony subtext also fits in with the end of the video which feels very churchy. Sex as something that leads to worship or is worshipful.

[@carollittle1059]

world. Videos were hilarious

[@maryreilly5092]

Its mostly Stop Gap

[@cometogether999]

This video was pretty groundbreaking at the time.

[@ziggymarlowe5654]

So Freudian , lol

[@stevedotwood]

Aardman animators (Wallace & Gromit)

[@mutleymutley7474]

The beginning of the video gives you a clue of what the song is going to be about. Look at the beginning of the video again and you will see it begins with a sperm swimming.

[@Darkkfated]

If you're still in the mood for some Peter Gabriel, I'd suggest "Steam" or "Big Time" next.

[@lloydclevenger6756]

Always thought this song was about shooting up.. so many things .. like "show for me","this is the new stuff", grabbing his arm like a junkie, some heavy lyrics "i kicked the habit".. is sledge hammer a reference to syringe. I never shot up but was around it a lot.. were always fascinating characters and the seriousness of intravaneous drug use. Hey Jude is also obviously about heroin

[@DawnSuttonfabfour]

No it isn't! I am amazed you think that. I have to ask, for a friend, do you know anything about The Beatles, like, at all? No offence, like I say, asking for a, um, a friend. Good grief!