‘Sledgehammer’ is a song by the English rock musician Peter Gabriel. It was released in April 1986 as the lead single from his fifth studio album, So (1986). It was produced by Gabriel and Daniel Lanois and reached No. 1 in Canada on 21 July 1986, where it spent four weeks; No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States on 26 July 1986; and No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart, thanks in part to its music video. It was his biggest hit in North America and ties with "Games Without Frontiers" as his biggest hit in the United Kingdom.
‘Sledgehammer’ also achieved success on other Billboard charts in 1986, spanning the Album Rock Tracks (two weeks at No. 1 in May and June) and Hot Dance Club Play (one week topping this chart in July).
‘Sledgehammer’ is Gabriel's only US No. 1. It replaced "Invisible Touch" by his former band Genesis; coincidentally, that group's only US No. 1. Genesis lead singer Phil Collins later joked about the occurrence in a 2014 interview, stating, "I read recently that Peter Gabriel knocked us off the No. 1 spot with 'Sledgehammer'. We weren't aware of that at the time. If we had been, we'd probably have sent him a telegram saying: 'Congratulations – bastard.'"
A major hit on music television, ‘Sledgehammer’ won nine MTV Video Music Awards in 1987, the most awards a single video has won, and Best British Video at the 1987 Brit Awards. It ranked at number four on MTV's 100 Greatest Music Videos Ever Made (1999). ‘Sledgehammer’ has also been declared MTV's number one animated video of all time. The video was voted number seven on TMF's Ultimate 50 Videos You Must See, which first aired 24 June 2006. It ranked at number 2 on VH1's "Top 20 Videos of the '80s" and number one on "Amazing Moment in Music" on the Australian TV show 20 to 1 in 2007. It won Best British Video at the 1987 Brit Awards and was nominated for the Best Music Video category for the first annual Soul Train Music Awards in that same year.
The song also saw Gabriel nominated for three Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, Record of the Year and Song of the Year. In a 2005 poll conducted by Channel 4 the music video was ranked second on their list of the 100 Greatest Pop Videos. According to Time magazine, ‘Sledgehammer’'s music video is the all-time most played music video on MTV.
Labels – Charisma (UK), Geffen (US)
Songwriter – Peter Gabriel
Producer – Peter Gabriel, Daniel Lanois
SONG LYRICS
[Intro]Hey, hey, you
Tell me how have you been?
[Verse 1]
You could have a steam train
If you just lay down your tracks
You could have an aeroplane flying
If you bring your blue sky back
All you do is call me
I'll be anything you need
[Verse 2]
You could have a big dipper
Going up and down, all around the bends
You could have a bumper car, bumping
This amusement never ends
[Chorus]
I wanna be your sledgehammer
Why don't you call my name?
Oh, let me be your sledgehammer
This will be my testimony
[Verse 3]
Show me 'round your fruit cage
'Cause I will be your honey bee
Open up your fruit cage
Where the fruit is as sweet as can be
[Chorus]
I wanna be your sledgehammer
Why don't you call my name?
You'd better call the sledgehammer
Put your mind at rest
I'm going to be the sledgehammer
This can be my testimony
I'm your sledgehammer
Let there be no doubt about it
[Post-Chorus]
Sledge, sledge
Sledgehammer
[Interlude]
[Outro]
I get it right
I kicked the habit
Kicked the habit, kicked the habit
Shed my skin
Shed my skin
This is the new stuff
This is the new stuff
I go dancing in
We can go dancing in
Oh, won't you show for me?
Show for me
I will show for you
Show for you
Show for me
Show for me
Oh, I will show for you
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I do mean you
Show for me
Only you
You been coming through
Show for you
I'm gonna build that power
Build, build up that power, hey
Show for me
I've been feeding the rhythm
I've been feeding the rhythm
Show for you
Gonna feel that power, hey, build in you
Show for me
Come on, come on, help me do
Come on, come on, help me do
Show for you
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, you
Show for me
I've been feeding the rhythm
I've been feeding the rhythm
Show for you
It's what we're doing, doing
All day and night
Show for me
Come on, come on, help me do
Come on, come on, help me do
Show for you
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, you
Show for me
I've been feeding the rhythm...