Peter Gabriel hits Alex with the 80's HARD!

[@blabla48076]

Trust me, "In Your Eyes" from the same album is even better. Absolutely beautiful, especially the live version from the Secret World Tour.

[@myrhino70]

In Your Eyes is a classic! To me, live version is even better than the studio version!

[@vanessalore9942]

Absolutely! That performance makes me very happy. It’s really uplifting😊

[@ecbst6]

There you go, much better example that invokes the 80's better than Sledgehammer.

[@jamessweet5341]

If I had to pick one Gabriel performance to show someone who'd never seen him, the Secret World performance with Papa Wemba and Paula Coles would be it. A tremendous ensemble around them as well.

[@Citizenesse8]

I prefer the studio version but the live version reference is fine too.

[@aBeatleFan4ever]

Peter Gabriel had to lay under a sheet of glass for 16 hours while the video was filmed a frame at a time. The video won 9 MTV Music Video Awards in 1987, which is the most any video has ever won. It was ranked #4 on MTV's "100 Greatest Music Videos Ever Made" at the end of 1999. The record was #1 in both the U.S. and Canada.

[@tracycampbell3060]

Wow thank you for this info. It seems like yesterday we had 80s MTV

[@Oldschooldan1]

Wait, you mean MTV actually played music videos???? Who knew?

[@allanpeck8523]

It's very hard for younger people of today to appreciate how a song 40 to 50 years ago was so musically ground breaking for it's time or how a music video was so technically innovative & advanced. Those of us that lived through those times know but most people almost a half century later don't have a clue unless they're some kind of musical historian so let's cut them some slack on any criticism.

[@sherigrow6480]

And yet, it's just bad. The song is better without it,

[@robland6804]

It's almost like MTV had to overplay the video because Gabriel's people invested so much in it. As a fledgling cable station, MTV couldn't exactly ignore artists paying big $$$ to make music videos.

[@papalaz4444244]

"So" is not typical 80s cheese at all. The entire album is a masterpiece of sound design.

[@chrisgross2043]

Peter's music was so much better than Genesis of the 80's

[@papalaz4444244]

@@chrisgross2043 One of the tracks on "So" (I think it was "In Your Eyes") Peter had 96 different mixes of it before he could decide which to use. That's what makes this album a work of art :)

[@williamdemerchant7295]

'Big Time' is a lot of fun too. I hadn't seen this video in years, so cool. Red Rain is another nice track from So.

[@mowerdan8133]

Agreed. This tune did not sound like it belonged in the '80s. It's quality & style were more fitting for the '70s or '60s. It has a '70s funk mixed with a '60s Motown sound.

[@papalaz4444244]

@@mowerdan8133 With a Chapman stick bass and a Fairlight CMI?

[@GioSinatraFan]

The entire "SO" CD from Peter is a gem.

[@KozmikZootz]

So few albums can pull that off: "So" and "Dark Side of the Moon" & "The Wall" and Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours", among them. And we never cease celebrating those exemplars of end-to-end perfection. And to prove that point, he we are...

[@GioSinatraFan]

@@KozmikZootz don't forget Supertramp's "Breakfast in America" and "Crime of the Century"

[@surlechapeau]

A&A, you’ll love his “In Your Eyes" and "Games Without Frontiers"!!!

[@youraccount7003]

Many serious musicians have spent many hours picking this song and music apart, and hailed it as groundbreaking genius. It's totally unique and so very cleverly written and played.

[@albertsmith9315]

So glad you played the official video. It was ground breaking at the time.

[@Mr05Chuck]

Still is kinda

[@Meandmymirror]

Yes! So many songs from the 80s go best with the video

[@walps3841]

The dancing chickens get me every time.

[@AuburnAlum1977]

I'm with Adam. This is S-tier 80s!!

[@TrevorHarden]

This is one of the funkiest, sexiest, grooviest hits of the 80s. God dang it’s good.

[@rickwelch8464]

I have always HATED this song. Can't understand your take. That said, that's why music is what it is. lol. I think maybe I got so annoyed w the video back then I wrote it off.

[@xavvi]

This is the whitest comment that could have been made.

[@thefallenfaith1986]

@@xavvi Hence why it's superior to your comment.

[@tbmike23]

I would even go so far as to say it's rad.

[@xavvi]

@@thefallenfaith1986 lmaooo you tried at least

[@alloralou4722]

Peter Gabriel has always been ahead of his time. Such a great artist. The Secret World Tour DVD shows his incredible live talent.

[@RonReaman]

Great song and great video. I saw Peter Gabriel in concert after this album was released. (I just turned 60 y/o) If you want 80’s songs that don’t sound like 80’s songs, check some of these. Robert Palmer “Addicted to love” (written by Tina Turner!) Violent Femmes “Blister in the Sun” The Clash “Rock the Casbah” Phil Collins “Mama” or “In the Air” There’s so many out there that are not the synth pop songs you’re expecting.

[@KlausJLinke]

Grace Jones - Slave to the Rhythm

[@Every_Day_islike_Sunday]

The Secret World tour was really special. Paula Cole was amazing!

[@RonReaman]

@@KlausJLinke YES!

[@kivimik]

@@RonReaman Good suggestions, but... "Mama" is Genesis.

[@allisonreed7682]

Adam, thank you for sharing this with Alex!!! Peter Gabriel's album "So" was HUGE when I was in high school and is incredibly diverse and innovative. In contrast to the bombastic "Sledgehammer," the song "Mercy Street" from the same album is intricate and atmospheric and is my favorite PG song to this day.

[@manualboyca]

Amen!

[@Shadowrider1872]

Morning Allison,!!!!!!!!

[@allisonreed7682]

Hey, @@Shadowrider1872! I hope your Monday is going well!!! ☺️

[@bradlandis7]

Well said Allison!

[@allisonreed7682]

@@bradlandis7 thank you! 🤗

[@blitztim6416]

Peter has a unique sense of humor. Going solo gave him the chance to make songs like this. He has such range. ‘Big Time’ is in a similar vein and also has a cool video. He could be fun or deeply serious.

[@gavinhall6040]

For Peter its "Humour"

[@KozmikZootz]

@@gavinhall6040 Indeed lol

[@gryphonvert]

I have to say that I like "Big Time" a little bit better than this one. But of course, Sledgehammer is iconic.

[@Xman156]

TEARS FOR FEARS - SHOUT should absolutely be your next 80s song !!! 😁😁😁😁😁 Also, there are TONS of great 80s songs that are absolute eargasms, unlike any other era before or after. Let me know if you need more suggestions and I can provide PLENTY !!

[@robland6804]

Shout might be the worst song of the 80s -- so yeah, it'd make for an interesting reaction

[@Xman156]

@@robland6804 If you hear it on your headphones with high volume and bass, and watch the video along with it, you might change your mind.

[@parallaxnick637]

Tears For Fears are, for my money, the best pop band of all time. (pop the genre, not as in popular)

[@pilarcortes7322]

Up

[@gilliankirby]

@@robland6804so wrong! It's a fantastic song

[@noelleparris9451]

I never get tired of this song. It always makes me happy.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

Of course! It gives you bumper cars bumping round your fruit cakes.

[@megwilcox2878]

"So" is my favourite Peter Gabriel album. I was hitting the clubs in the year this came out, and "Shock The Monkey" would bring everyone to the dance-floor. This was one of the first real music videos, and rocked the world when it hit MTV.

[@00Gregg00]

I am always shocked that "Shock the Monkey" does not get more attention from his fans

[@sirhoopalot1]

I like Shock The Monkey way mo than SLedgehammer

[@00Gregg00]

@@sirhoopalot1 Me too

[@Meandmymirror]

This is exactly my point! Certain songs, especially in the 80s are best enjoyed along with the music video.

[@JayCross]

The official video for this must have been an insane amount of work for everyone in involved. The song itself is very catchy.

[@loosilu]

It's considered one of the best videos of all time.

[@nizmollusk]

Totally from what i recall they took like close to 1k still photos of Peter then did it like you would a stop motion animation.

[@angelskunk2206]

The video was made using claymation, pixilation and stop motion animation and took just over a week to complete so yeah it was hella work but it won 9 MTV VMAs in 1987 so the work paid off. I believe it’s MTVs most played music video of all time.

[@wiganfan3373]

@@angelskunk2206 The video is hailed as the first Claymation music video ever made, not true, Frank Zappa was using Claymation in videos a decade earlier

[@geoffreycarter2686]

The work of Aardman Animations who went on to give us Wallace & Grommit and so much more. This was key to their gaining a wider audience for their work.

[@unclestinky6388]

"Addicted to Love" by Robert Palmer is another massively popular song from this era with an iconic video

[@jimmypadgett1106]

I'm 70's always but this song is great and can fit in the 70's quite well

[@monaestrada6256]

I've always thought this was a cutesy song until I watched Harry styles do it! Loved it !!! Really loved it!

[@strngenchantedgirl]

I love that you also watched the music video. It’s iconic.

[@kamehousekz87]

The music video is certainly inextricably linked to this song, there’s no question about that. But I do feel like every time you roll a reaction with the official music video, Alex short circuits his music analysis because the video will shade his interpretation of the music one direction or another. 😂 That’s happened a couple times, though infrequently. Love this track, though. Total classic. Glad you guys got to check it out.

[@vanessalore9942]

I agree. If you were going to go visual, the live version would have been better, but I’m not criticising. Everyone should see this

[@danmayberry1185]

Yay! Videos show us what to think before we absorb the music.

[@Meandmymirror]

But there are certain songs that feel incomplete without the video. He could always listen to the song first, and then watch the video. I would love to see them make longer videos.

[@tgforty5]

I was in my 20's in the 80's. Lots of great memories. Music was a lot of fun back then.

[@jeffrobb6660]

Please follow this up at some time with live Perter Gabriel! Something like "In Your Eyes"

[@bobschenkel7921]

One of the all time greatest videos of the MTV era. Sooo much creativity and originality.

[@michellemiles9966]

Hands down the quintessentially representative song and video for the 80s was Aha's Take On Me. At the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards they received nominations for both Video of the Year and Best Group Video. They also won for Best New Artist, Best Concept Video, Most Experimental Video, Best Direction, Best Special Effects and Viewer's Choice. And the thing is, I believe it stands the test of time, it's that good. Also, the video supports the song and truly enhances it. I hope that entices you to check it out. It is one of my all time favorites. Once you see it just maybe it will be one of yours too.

[@yinzertoyguy3678]

Even though Thriller always wins all the countdowns, I maintain that Take On Me is the best video of all time.

[@joehebert789]

Peter Gabriel's musical journey is, in my opinion, one of the few that has the range and impact of David Bowie's. A view of his Secret World Live concert film is an amazing snapshot of his career. Well worth a deep dive

[@scottboswell6406]

This is the Most 80's Alex has experienced! I wonder, as iconic as the video is, did it take away from his appreciation of the song. That he gave it an A is really good! To me, when Peter Gabriel says "this is the new stuff I go dancing in" is him telling his audience "this is going to be different".

[@davidcrowell3041]

When this came out It didn't leave my cd player for 2 months. Incredible album.

[@mobanewman7139]

This album was HUGE, and overplayed, but I still don't change the channel when this song comes on. Still that good to my ears.

[@mikemicrael5749]

Peter Gabriel is a genius who should be knighted if only for his global humanitarian work. Everything he touches is magic.

[@tfrench4366]

I've always been a Peter Gabriel fan. I never thought he got the fame/ recognition that he really deserves.

[@christhornycroft3686]

The only pop artist to do a soundtrack for a movie about Jesus. Of course, it was wildly controversial.

[@aerynsunx]

He certainly did during the 80's. I think he was shocked by the level of attention and success that he achieved at that time.

[@rollomaughfling380]

Peter Gabriel has been nominated for 21 Grammys, and won six. *_What are you talking about?_*

[@jgsrhythm100]

@@rollomaughfling380 I think he means more recently. He has not maintained the same notoriety into the 2,000 's as some others in his era.

[@JohnMacRae23]

He's been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice (as solo artist and part of Genesis)... the hell are you talking about?

[@courtneywallace871]

PG is a damn genius! Having been in high school in the first half of the eighties, to lump all eighties music together is insane. There was a ton of great music made in that decade.

[@donnabruhn6907]

This is such a great song. Love Peter Gabriel agree In Your Eyes is spectacular too

[@theivory1]

I still remember this video clearly. I was 12 when this came out. Great reaction to a great song.

[@jimmayors2315]

Musically, that song was killer. Lyrically, it was one of the best use of innuendo lines anywhere. Bass, Tony Levin with his "Funk Fingers" (Trademarked and patented drum stick taped to his fingers) slap was innovative in its sound. Video, long before CGI was ever used, they created a complete video using Claymation and stop-frame techniques that likely took months to do, cutting edge video. And a flute solo! S is appropriate!

[@marcanglin7127]

The shakuhachi flute was a digital re-creation, played on a Fairlight CMI synthesizer. Ground-breaking stuff.

[@sloav3769]

I'm not sure there was any "innuendo" in the lyrics. It was as blatant as any ZZ Top song.

[@JBN137]

There was plenty of CGI at the time. The stop-motion was rather retro + then newish compositing techniques for the right bit of modern wow.

[@jimmayors2315]

@@JBN137 Computer Graphics? In 1986? DOS was the working interface at that time. Pong, Mario Bros, Space Wars, and PacMan were the standard for CGI at that time. And, maybe a stick figure of Vanna marching across an early Wheel of Fortune game. . Windows wasn't even a thing then. The modern computer graphic was exampled in "Sting's I Want My MTV" video. WYSIWYG had not been introduced . Yes, there was lots of stop-frame and claymation, but not in music videos! Yeah, not saying this was completely new, but this video didn't jump to #1 and won a record 9 video music awards, and declared MTV's best ever animated music video *of all time.* for no lame reason.

[@JBN137]

@@jimmayors2315 Study thus grasshopper: New York Institute of Technology, Robert Abel and Associates, Cranston-Csuri, Alias, Digital Productions, Wavefront Technologies, Fantastic Animation Machine, R/Greenberg Associates, Omnibus, amongst others, all bubbling up, merging and bifurcating from the late 70’s onward. You could just start with John Whitney Sr. from the 1950’s and go from there. To be precise, Whitney’s first best all-digital work was not until Arabesque in 1975. A favorite anecdote from the days of yore is that Digital Effects would ship their 9-track tapes from NYC to a commercial bank in Maryland to batch their frames on prob an IBM 360 or Data General check-processing machine. The finished renders would be read out to a 35mm Dicomed film scanner and further scanned to video if necessary. General purpose computing, and thus CGI, existed for a number of eras before DOS or Windows. Silicon Graphics was pretty much the last big hardware play before the brute force of hundreds of cheap, networked PCs finally took over, which seems to be about where your story starts. The music video won awards because it looked great, not because they invented a new way to do it.

[@flubblert]

One of the great avant-garde surreal music videos of the 80s. Peter Gabriel has always been about that artistic surrealism. So those of us who knew him from his Genesis roots weren't that surprised. What did catch us all off-guard was that he'd find a way to that expression through such a hard-hitting r&b sounding dance groove number like this. I can almost understand Alex's dilemma. Prolly should have just listened to the song first, as I did. Both sound and visual coming at you all at once for the very first time is probably a bit overwhelming. But this video is a must-see. So glad you did it. A bright spot in a decade full of some unbelievably lame music videos. Peter Gabriel has never been just about the music alone. He was and is an artistic genius as well.

[@trickygoose2]

Yes I'd already gotten to knew and love the song from hearing it on the radio a week or 2 before I even saw the video.

[@colleenwood8220]

From your demographic-class of ‘83-this album was absolutely huge, as was the video. It won a lot of awards. I saw Peter Gabriel with most of King Crimson backing him and it was the one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen. Give the music another listen. It’s good stuff.

[@barrykeleher2659]

The first time I saw Gabriel was the tour supporting this album. Absolutely amazing and he closed out with Biko

[@conniehoyt9926]

Peter Gabriel in Toronto was THE BEST concert my husband and I have ever been to. And we have been to a lot of concerts in our 60+ years on Earth.

[@painless465]

This was all over the clubs in the summer of ‘86. Great memories!

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

This and "Addicted to Love". EVERYWHERE!

[@yvrkid7070]

The thing about the 80s was the videos were so distracting that the music came second. This is a masterpiece of a song that needs to be listened to without the video to hear how great it is. The video is awesome and groundbreaking and it sold the song. Peter Gabriel was totally ahead of his time, whatever decade it was. Robert Palmer's "Addicted To Love" was another great video and another banger of a song.

[@willkomnath2560]

Any Peter Gabriel is awsome.

[@jimmyfortrue3741]

Fantastic song, fantastic album.

[@ethelynchristopher6995]

At the time this video came out it was groundbreaking. We'd never really seen anything like it before. Both the song and the video were huge hits.

[@juandelhombre]

Maestro Tony Levin bringing the low end. The album is a masterpiece. from beginning to end. Big Time, Red Rain, In Your Eyes. Kate Bush, Stew Copeland, Daniel Lanois. This is one of the best 80s records

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

You can hear Tony Levin on Dire Straits' "One World" (1985).

[@enderjed]

Stood in for Chris freaking Squire on the Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman & Howe tour

[@guyelmouchnino6531]

And Manu Katché banging the drums.

[@wallacegrommet9343]

I vote Big Time

[@piperjohn_3]

Tony played chapman stick on this. That breathing funky bass line is what made the song a hit.

[@DerekDominoes]

So glad you went with the video version. Peter Gabriel's videos were probably the most creative videos of the era.

[@DerekDominoes]

That said, "Lay Your Hands On Me" is, pardon the pun, my favorite song of his even though there was no official video (as far as I know).

[@gen5773]

Aardman were the creative visual team - props to them.

[@josephcrangle4669]

One of the best videos of one of the best songs, on one of the best albums (So) of the 1980s. Every decade, every genre of music has it's trash, Sledgehammer just happens to be one of the treasures. Peter Gabriel is one of the most creative and origional artists in music.

[@USGrant-rr2by]

It's an S. Anywhere, Any time you hear this song.....that video pops into your head. And the farther you get away from the first time you ever saw it...the more it means, when you hear or see it again, ESPECIALLY if you grew up in the 80s.

[@marcanglin7127]

Tony Levin's bass work on this song is sooooooo sick !!!

[@beckycooper7628]

i sorta liked this song when it came out when i was 16 (was over played) but I have really learned to love and appreciate it in my 40's and 50's. Love Peter Gabriel-he was def ahead of his time.

[@magicbrownie1357]

"Shout" by Tears for Fears I think is another great example of great 80's sound.

[@kima.4268]

I saw Peter Gabriel 3x in the eighties. Almost my favorite concerts ever. I loved Genesis with Gabriel. Sucked when he left. He surrounds himself with great musicians.

[@DreamsSketcher]

Well done Adam! And the 80s were drawing from all influences and trying to be its own new thing. A lot of fun with experimentation and all the new methods to create sound. Like synthesizers. Pushing boundaries. Some if it is great, some not, some weird. Some fluff. Fun time… so much for you to discover.

[@cherylhurst7093]

What an awesome video. Peter is so creative. Peter said he got several electrical shocks while wearing the suit that had the lights on it.

[@bradhickox8285]

Adam: *vibing hard* Alex: *visible confusion*

[@andyandalex]

Very true

[@helgar791]

Adam likes his funky stuff. Can't get enough.

[@johnseverson6604]

Part of what I like most about the channel is you guys usually don’t watch the original music video. It allows you to focus on the music. So much of the 80’s was more about the visual aspects of the band/artist so the music tends to get lost.

[@djohnspangler]

Maybe, but those bands need to own that poodle mullet. This video was groundbreaking artistry.

[@jack_rabbit]

digging in the dirt was the best peter gabriel single, hands down. great lyrics, great subject matter, great production, great video.

[@Every_Day_islike_Sunday]

Yep! My fav.

[@kenhagen4844]

Gabriel's live album from the early 80's is sooo fricking good. Biko, Shock the Monkey, I have the Touch all great versions of great songs

[@TheFlowNetwork]

Yeah, that live video of "Biko" was the first time I saw a major artist crowd surfing from the stage.

[@juandelhombre]

Family and the Fishing Net, Family Snapshot, Rhythm of the Heat. That whole album takes me to a better place. Hard to believe it’s from 81 and it still sounds incredible

[@juandelhombre]

@@marktait2371 and the drummers of Burundi. I know a few people who saw him on that tour. They all said there was nothing in the realm of concerts they could compare it to. On ‘Lay your hands on me” ( not on Plays Live) the crowd literally passed him all the way to the back rows and back up to the stage. No grabbing, no foolishness. The way it should be.

[@michaelmulherin9952]

games without frontiers

[@mowerdan8133]

Great tune. One of the few '80s tunes I actually like, probably because it shares alot of styles & qualities of previous decades.

[@ErikPortland]

Stax. It doesn't really fit a lot of the 80s really.

[@merlinsclaw]

I remember when this video first came out - it blew our minds. I have no idea how many times I watched it - it has to be in the thousands. And I still love it. It's one of the greatest videos ever made, and it captured the spirit of the song perfectly. Adam is right - if you're introducing the 80s to someone, this would be what you'd show them first.

[@GreggOliverBass]

All the songs on SO are amazing.... In Your Eyes and Mercy Street are particularly amazing

[@micv5149]

I was listening to another song on the radio from this album this weekend called “Big Time”. I thought about how u guys should do it or Sledgehammer on the channel to give Alex another shot at the ‘80’s. So weird that u did this today.

[@jwickham65]

I know exactly where and when I was the first time I saw this video. This song completely changed my relationship with music, blew open the doors and tore down the walls.

[@c3mi979]

I was 9 when this came out, and it is most definitely ingrained in my childhood memories. I didn't appreciate his great vocals at that age. The video was just epic. But he is a great singer/songwriter. "Your Eyes" is a great song if you want to hear just a really good song with no gimmicks or crazy video.

[@vincentjoyce5100]

Great album. In Your Eyes. I worked at a record store at the time in 85 and took this cd along with some others to a house party. No one had heard it before and it blew everyone away.

[@jeffmorse645]

This is prime 80s and MTV musical art. There's no doubt when it came from, but it is excellent. A lot of music and music videos from that decade are kind of cheesy and dated, but this is 80s is a great, classic way. I love watching reaction video from younger folks who weren't even born then reacting to it. They're always impressed by the music and the art.

[@Republic3D]

One of my favorite 80s songs.

[@ugadawgs1990]

This album, So, was one of the most significant genius contributions to music to come out of the 80s. Gabriel is amazingly creative and unique.

[@catbutte4770]

Thank you Adam for saying "important" correctly ❤. It irks me when people say, "import-Int" instead of "impor-Tant"

[@legolite45]

Tony Levin is an incredible bassist

[@Verlopil]

He's always been my favorite part of the song, especially if you watch it live.

[@marshman96]

yes he is the key to Peter's sound Big Time hits hard on the bass.

[@jamessweet5341]

Tony's partnership with Peter has been one of the richest in rock history.

[@peterz4427]

I assume you know Tony Levin was also playing for King Crimson at the time, playing a Chapman Stick. So cool to see him play it.

[@nyrocks5580]

Tony's wife belongs to a group I was a member of for a while several years ago. When I met her, she casually mentioned that her husband is a musician -- "Tony Levin." The name didn't ring a bell at all, but I said: "Oh, that's very cool," just to be respectful. When I got home, I looked him up. Oops, what a resume!

[@kaafromoz]

TY Guys, I will go as far as too say this is one of the greatest video's of all time. Excellent music paired with a brilliantly designed concept adds up to a fantastic video. I recall the first time I saw this and went WOW and it still feels just the same. Peter has always been one step ahead of most when it comes to great music and fun interesting video's and leaves just about all for dead in todays so called music scene they have lost it today. Keep Safe Keep Strong 🦘🦘🦘🦘🎶🎶🎶🎶💖💖💖💖

[@richardwiley8964]

I think this one will grow on Alex from an artistic perspective once you sort through the intensity of it. It also illustrates how much of a music and visual period the 80's and this was era defining. It's been about a decade since I have heard this song and I think it still holds up musically. I think it is a natural progression for Peter Gabriel after leaving Genesis and some he could only do as a solo artist.

[@djohnspangler]

Love that you did the video. It was Video of the Year…and then some in the short-lived, Golden Age of MTV. Toney Levin’s bass line slaps.

[@maryt2290]

I think Alex would have appreciated the song more without the video. Also the album is so worthy of a full reaction.

[@jmpmusva]

but the video is more interesting than the song.

[@terised]

Agreeed. The video was so unnecessary. The vast majority of their reviews do not include videos and Alex seemed very distracted by it.

[@MrRezRising]

The problem is, both the song and the video are masterpieces of what art form they represent, like how The Shining is amazing as a book or a movie. Not good to mix the two at the same time.

[@tomward6689]

Perfect that you listened with the video. It makes a big difference. This is best of the 80s

[@MaddyN999]

Need to hit “In your eyes “, live from the Secret World tour preferred

[@Shadowrider1872]

ALWAYS AWESOME to have Adam sitting in!

[@MrSnitchley]

To me the most '80s song is St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion) by John Parr. It has the perfect blend of synth, yacht rock, bombast, and hairspray.

[@brianmiller1077]

Plus the re-working of the lyrics to stick in "St Elmo's Fire"

[@bradsouthers7476]

Not to mention that the movie of the same name is a great coming of age brat pack flick... anyone making the transition from college to "grown-up life" (as my daughter calls it) can really relate to it.

[@BooEsq04]

Was it really an 80's song if it didn't have a sax solo?

[@TheRetroManRandySavage]

I met john a few times when I was in high school in the 90s. He was good friends with my music teacher and they worked on a few songs together. He's also from my home town. Restless heart is my favourite of John's. He did that for Arnie's film the running man.

[@brianmiller1077]

@@BooEsq04 I would say the 70's had more sax that 80's. 1975-84 being peak sax.

[@guydouglas6094]

A doubly most excellent song choice. Peter Gabrial was a unique artist. Love this song.

[@johnhughes3214]

This Peter Gabriel album, So, was Edward Van Halen's favorite all-time album, and had a major influence on Van Halen's 90s music.

[@allisonreed7682]

Interesting! I never knew that!

[@johnhughes3214]

@@allisonreed7682 As you mention, So has some beautifully atmospheric songs such as "Mercy Street" and "Red Rain," (EVH's favorite song from the album). Listen to the atmospheric song "Once" from 1997's Van Halen III and you may appreciate the Peter Gabriel influence. Especially listen to the bass line that begins at 38 seconds into the song, played by EVH rather than Michael Anthony.

[@allisonreed7682]

@@johnhughes3214 I'll check it out! Thank you!

[@raycewilliams3300]

I remember hearing this on the radio back in 1986..... but then I saw this video on MTV and had a completely different impression of the song. To an extent.. this was a cutting edge vidoe for it's day. The 80's were known for outrageous videos and this one is at the top of the list in my opinion. Thanks for reacting to this. Take care.

[@pamcruz9134]

Alex's analogies are so freaking awesome 😎 😏

[@Meandmymirror]

I think they should make a whole video of the funny things they both say

[@joelhahn2501]

After this, the next 80s video reaction MUST be Herbie Hancock, Rockit. So different from his 60s/70s stuff, yet still quintessentially Herbie. And it has a WTF nightmare fuel video to beat all WTF nightmare fuel videos.

[@AlexisLexLexi]

Level 42 - Something about you Howard Jones - Things can only get better

[@Every_Day_islike_Sunday]

So glad you did the video!!!!! 80's videos, many of them, were super-creative. It was new technology, a new way to express the art. Definitely S tier. PG is amazing. New album out now, too!

[@Reani71]

Another song that represents the 80s perfectly and that will give Alex a hard time as well (but is a true classic and was setting new standards when it came out in 1983) is New Order's Blue Monday. I hope you'll check it out anytime soon.

[@lifeandfaith]

Foreshadowed grunge and was the closing bell on disco. We danced to that song!

[@KenWins1]

One of my very favorite songs which is say’n a lot considering it’s from the 80’s and I grew up in the 60’-70’s

[@no2all]

My favorite Peter Gabriel song is "Shock the Monkey." But Gabriel always was a trend-setter. Whether people followed him or not, depended highly upon your sense of adventure.

[@lxhobson]

Saw him do this live in Orlando back in the day. Great concert!

[@Xman156]

I hope this song encourages Andy and Alex to do more 80s reactions. There are TONS of great music like this in the 80s, and even better! Sure, there was a lot of cheesy crappy songs as well, like any other decade, but I hope the crowd here can suggest more of the good ones. 60s/70s classic rock is great, but they need to explore other decades and genres as well.

[@sammillex6819]

I saw Peter Gabriel live in May.. What a performance❤️

[@guystjohngrabham9771]

if your hitting the 80s you have to look at "Don,t you want me Baby" by the Human League

[@TexMexJack]

It is the 80’s matured. That whole album is great. I saw him in concert twice - he is even better live. Thanks for this reaction!

[@allisonreed7682]

As far as other songs that represent the 80s well that you need to hear ASAP - "Space Age Love Song" by A Flock of Seagulls, "Just Like Heaven" by The Cure, and "Under the Milky Way" by The Church. They are archetypal 80s and pure ear candy.

[@burmajones803]

Yes! All three of these songs.

[@buzzardbeatniks]

I suspect Space Age Love Song would be everything Alex hates about 80s music.

[@allisonreed7682]

@@buzzardbeatniks maybe not…it has searing guitar riffs that really drive the song all the way through. He might love it. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@brianmiller1077]

@@allisonreed7682 yeah it's funny people think they're a synth band, but their big hits are really guitar driven.

[@allisonreed7682]

@@brianmiller1077 Paul Reynolds was a teenaged beast on that guitar!

[@markford4253]

When this video came out it was way ahead of it’s time, blew everyone’s mind

[@LadyIarConnacht]

I've been waiting forever for them to do this song! Probably inevitable that they had to see the video at some point as well. Come to think of it - I haven't seen them do anything by Genesis or Phil Collins yet either. Come on, guys! I always felt the video was nostalgic in a way, because those of us born in the 60's and coming of age in the 80's were already very familiar with stop-motion and Claymation.

[@dlpowers3898]

This was so innovative for the time...no CG as we know of it today. His songs are so diverse and not lumped into one style either. Thanks for sharing :)

[@HM-bw7uk]

Next time in your eyes from the same album - but live version from secret world tour!

[@gwenwells2286]

I forgot how much I love this song. Dancing to it in a club is SO MUCH FUN!