Peter Gabriel – Sledgehammer

Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer” is both a landmark song and a groundbreaking visual achievement. Released as the lead single from So in 1986, it blended funk and soul with Gabriel’s art-rock sensibilities and was paired with one of the most innovative music videos of the 1980s.

Quick facts

Background & release

Gabriel wrote “Sledgehammer” during the final sessions for So. Drummer Manu Katché captured the groove in a single take, while Tony Levin provided fretless bass with octave effects. A synthesised shakuhachi flute, sampled via Emulator II, opens the track. The horn section was performed by the Memphis Horns, veterans of classic Stax Records recordings.

The song was released in April 1986 as So’s first single and quickly became Gabriel’s most commercially successful recording.

Composition & lyrics

The track fuses funk grooves with soulful horns, gospel-influenced backing vocals, and Gabriel’s distinctive delivery. Some lyrical imagery was inspired by a quote from Friedrich Nietzsche, who wrote that a good book breaks through like “an axe in a frozen sea.”

While some critics accused Gabriel of imitating Phil Collins’ horn-driven style, Gabriel countered that his work had influenced Collins during their time in Genesis.

Music video

The video, directed by Stephen R. Johnson, became a landmark of music video production. Using stop-motion, pixilation, and claymation techniques, it created a surreal and continuously shifting visual narrative.

• Johnson had previously directed Talking Heads’ “Road to Nowhere” (1985) using similar methods. Gabriel’s label executive Jeff Ayeroff encouraged the collaboration.
• Johnson admitted he initially disliked the track, describing it as “just another white boy trying to sound black.” Despite this, he assembled a creative team including the Quay Brothers and animators from Aardman Animations.
• The shoot required over 100 hours, with Gabriel lying under glass for up to 16 hours at a time while frame-by-frame sequences were filmed.
• Concepts were often simplified due to limits of time and budget. The famous dancing chickens were meant to perform a complex routine, but real store-bought carcasses decayed quickly.
• For the finale, Gabriel wore a glowing suit. Early attempts created electrical current problems until the team covered him and the set in Scotchlite tape.
• The storyline begins with an egg being fertilized and ends with Gabriel drifting into the cosmos, symbolizing a cycle of life.

Johnson later directed Gabriel’s “Big Time” (1986) and “Steam” (1992). He passed away in 2015.

Chart performance

• US Billboard Hot 100: No. 1 (July 26, 1986, 1 week) – Gabriel’s only American chart-topper.
• Canada: No. 1 for four weeks.
• UK Singles Chart: No. 4.
• Also topped the US Mainstream Rock Tracks and performed strongly on dance charts.

Reception & awards

• Billboard described it as a “funky, melodic pop number.”
• Cash Box praised its blend of grooves, horns, and vocal strength.
• The video won nine MTV Video Music Awards in 1987, a record at the time, and received the Brit Award for Best British Video.
• It was nominated for three Grammy Awards: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Male Rock Vocal Performance.
• The clip remains highly regarded in retrospectives of music video history.

Personnel & credits

• Peter Gabriel – vocals, Prophet-5, Emulator II shakuhachi samples
• Manu Katché – drums
• Tony Levin – bass
• David Rhodes – guitar
• Richard Tee – piano
• The Memphis Horns – horn section
• P.P. Arnold, Coral Gordon, Dee Lewis – backing vocals
• Producer – Daniel Lanois & Peter Gabriel

Timeline

References

1. “Sledgehammer (song).” Wikipedia.
2. “Peter Gabriel – So.” Wikipedia.
3. Tannenbaum, Rob & Marks, Craig. I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution.
4. British Cinematographer – feature on “Sledgehammer” production.
5. Contemporary reviews: Billboard, Cash Box (1986).