Yep. This is the most cerebral "I want to lay pipe" song ever, coupled with a video that was revolutionary at the time. Peter Gabriel raises everything he does up the art ladder. Great song, to me.
The way Peter Gabriel composes music is almost frighteningly good. He understands melody, and a great hook (sometimes more than one). The harmony, bass, horns, backup vocals on this track are just a pure joy to listen to. There are many other examples you could check out. Big Time, Shock the Monkey, In Your Eyes, etc...
Huge video in the 80's. Peter Gabriel is big time. Solo stuff is great and was in the band Genesis with Phil Collins as well. Also in The Rock N Roll Hall of Fame.
As a lyricist I'm surprised that you hadn't heard of him, he's one of the cleverest and best lyricists around, you need to check out all his albums from the 1970's onwards.
“Sledgehammer" is the most played music video in the history of MTV and also the most awarded at the MTV Video Music Awards, winning in nine categories: Video of the Year, Best Editing, Best Special Effects, Best Art Direction, Best Concept Video, Best Direction in a Video, Best Male Video, Best Overall Performance and Most Experimental Video. As of 2015, this record of nine wins at the VMA's hasn't been broken by any artist. “
The video sure is trippy, and it blew everybody's mind back then (and still does, apparently :)). And the lyrics are far more sexual than I thought back in the day. I guess I was young and innocent XD. Big Dipper was a roller-coaster
I know right? I had no clue back in those days. And English was not my first language, so it was always about the music and the lyrics flew over my head. Genesis, Peter, Phil, I was a big fan. I try to keep up with today's new artists but I love these throwback surprises. It makes me feel old though 😂
One of my all-time favorites, and THE best video ever. Peter Gabriel is simply wonderful, a true artist. I went through a rough period where "Shock The Monkey" was pretty much my theme song. Cannot go wrong diving into his catalog. Edited to add: The Big Dipper is an amusement park ride in the UK, rollercoaster methinks. Fruitcage, not fruitcakes. Yes, it's all about getting it on 😎
There's also a "Big Dipper" rollercoaster in Pittsburgh at Kennywood park. Although it's been 25 years since I've been there so might not still be true tbh lol@@ThomasTallant
When Peter Gabriel left Genesis, I wasn't sure he'd have so successful a solo career; but then he comes out with this! Great song, fun to sing to in the car, and the video was groundbreaking at the time. Stop animation (no CG back then). And, good for Peter, Genesis, and Phil Collins (Genesis drummer who became lead vocal), who all had major hits after this.
So Peter Gabriel rose to fame as the original lead singer in Genesis, he quit Genesis in 1975 to pursue a solo career. Sledgehammer was the most successful tracks from his 1986 album ‘So’, this album was certified triple platinum in the UK and 5x platinum in the USA! This video won 9 MTV awards in 1987 and in 2011 was recognised as MTV’s most played video ever 😊
I remember waiting all day on MTV and VH1 for this video to come on. This video, and Talking Heads Road to Nowhere, because these two videos were so unique for the time. The stop motion animation was just so cool, there wasn't anything like it out there. I will always remember the little running peanut butter and jelly man in the corner of Road to Nowhere.
And I might add that in movie Say Anything that made that song even bigger is also amazing!! John Cusack is younger days. Great song, great movie! Peter Gabriel was big back in the day.
Early video work from Aardman Animations who went on to win multiple Oscars for the Wallace & Gromit movies. Also worth watching the BBC "Classic Albums" documentary about the making of the album "So" that this came from, if only for the story about Manu Katché, the French session drummer brought in for this. He did one take and went to leave. Peter Gabriel is notorious for asking musicians to do lots and lots of takes and asked him "Yeah, Manu, I think we should do another one" "Why? It's perfect"
It's a FRUIT CAGE. A fruit cage is an area in an orchard circumscribed by netting, which prevents birds from stealing the fruit. The mesh is large enough to allow honeybees (oh, yeah, baby) in to fertilise the blossom.
Its an old video but a stone cold classic. The video was a ground breaking stop motion film put with music. No one would even attempt it now becuase of cost when you have computers. Back when this was made computers couldn't do anything like this. Peter Gabriel is an interesting artist, was big in a band, then solo, done wonders for others artists with his own studio, record label & done pretty well out of other ventures. If you wanted to be an artist with a lot of fingers in a lot of good pies then he would not be a bad example to copy.
"Back when this was made computers couldn't do anything like this." Exactly. If you want to see what computers WERE capable of, look to Dire Straits music video for Money for Nothing from a year prior.
While not the only stop motion animation artist who worked on this, Nick Park from Aardman Animations did the part with the dancing chickens. He'd later go on to do the Wallace and Grommit movies.
Every single Peter Gabriel song has lyrics as good as this one.. He IS unique. His music is unique. Honestly, if you get the opportunity to see him live then go... you will thank yourself for giving yourself a treat... He ALWAYS puts on a show that is unique.. And he has been a BIG promoter of wold music since the 70's. And his stuff is like no other. You will love ALL of his lyrics. If your are a lyricist I promise you.
This was a nostalgic moment. My mom loves music, and MTV was often playing in my house when I was a kid. This video/song makes about as much sense now as it did then, but I loved watching your reaction to it. It's one of those videos that would probably make more sense if you were high! 🤣
This was groundbreaking when it came out in the 80’s,the whole video was stop-go animation,no computer animations back then!the lyrics are also full of 6ual inuendo!
Aardman produced the video to this song, they're known for Wallace & Gromit and Chicken Run. They are best known for wax works and stop-motion animation.
This was a really trippy video when I was a kid, but if you want a nightmare fuel video from that era check out Genesis "Land of Confusion". Then check out the cover by Disturbed.
Such a great video. A lyrist? YOU are going to love Peter Gabriel. He is a wordsmith and loves wordplay with Genesis and his solo work. Suggestive much? LOL Going to his concert in October.
MTV (Music Television) launched on cable tv in August 1981. This led to an explosion of creativity for about 8-10 years. Every performer with a hit song was looking to find the next level of innovation for doing their song(s) in video form. Phil Collins (drummer for Genesis, which Peter Gabriel left some years earlier) made a video which mocked seven previous hit videos - Billy, Don't You Lose My Number. Then MTV went conventional, and it's been unwatchable since.
Peter asked a number of artists for ideas. He liked them all, so he decided to use as many as he could. Similar videos for his songs Big Time and Digging In The Dirt. Check them out. He was the original singer for the band Genesis.
This video was everywhere when it came out! There hadn’t been anything like it. I’d seen it a ton of times. Then I took ecstasy for the first and only time in my life. We were watching MTV and the video came on. When those chickens started dancing, I was dead - funniest thing I’d ever seen! I’ve never looked at the video again without a massive smile on my face.
You'll like Big Time and In Your Eyes also! Peter Gabriel was the original singer of Genesis. Try the song Shock The Monkey!!!! This video won awards for the stop action animation. At the end where he's walking out of the door with the lights on him he said he got shocked from the lights!
The video is by Aardman Animations, the same people that did Wallace & Gromit and Chicken Run, they are probably the most famous company for doing stop motion animation.
Peter Gabriel is an amazing artist. Very creative and talented lyrically. He's a real songwriter and he went into real life topics all the time. Very relatable!
I’m aging myself but when MTV first started they played this video all the time and most of us were too young to understand this song which was probably a good thing but that’s how it was
This is one of those music videos that I just come back to occasionally just because it’s so cool! Great reaction btw. I wish I had some music videos to recommend but nothing is coming to me at the moment. OH I know! “Virtual Insanity” by Jamiroquai! That song and music video never disappoints, promise👍.
Peter Gabriel like Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford were in Genesis (a hugely popular progressive rock band), all of which had very good solo careers. Peter was and is the most avant garde of the lot. IMHO Peters best songs are Sledgehammer, Games Without Frontiers, Biko, In Your Eyes, Shock The Monkey, Big Time, and Digging in the Dirt.
I see a couple of people have already mentioned it, but I want to add on, 'Take on Me' by A-Ha is one of the best and most ground breaking videos ever. And the song is dang catchy too.
You should do more Peter Gabriel when he was the original front man for Genesis. Their epic masterpiece is the 23 minute long "Supper's Ready" loosely based on the Book of Revelations. It's a song you need to experience at least once in your life.
As SOON as I saw that you reacted to this, I knew you'd get a bit tripped out by this video... This is from MY time... came out in the early 80's.. 🤣🤣🤣 You think shrooms would be a bad idea, try acid lol 😳😎
Not a huge Peter Gabriel fan but I love it was done by Nick Park who did Wallis and Gromit. I just found your Ricky Gervais video and subscribed. Love that you are open about supporting folk with PTSD, addiction, depression etc The world need more folks like you. Wishing you the richest of blessings x
This video would be trippy on shrooms lol. Probally the most influential Ground breaking video of all time. I'd rate it higher than MJ Thriller. Peter was brilliant. Thanks. One of the most epic reactions I've seen to this song.
I appreciate your reaction here. This is definitely one of the most iconic and influential music videos of all time. Peter Gabriel has some absolutely amazing songs. I think you would REALLY appreciate watching his live performance of the song "In Your Eyes" from his Secret Live World tour. The video for that is one of my favorite live performances ever. It is one of the very few times where I actually prefer the live performance to the recorded version of a song. (I enjoy live performances, but the sound, etc. usually just isn't as good as the original recording. In Your Eyes from Secret World Live is a major exception.)
Koi fish will often circle eachother that way and because of that ended up being part of several asian mythologies representing a paired god and goddess, hence Yin and Yang.
A truly classic song. Please check out, Lynyrd Skynyrd's LIVE performance of, Free Bird, Oakland, '77. One of the best songs for guitar, EVER! Much love to everyone from here in the UK. LONG LIVE THE AoD, THE SEWER RATS & THE GREAT PYRAMID SCHEME!!!
If I remember right, filming the stop motion portions of this video took 18 hours, with Gabriel laying on the floor lip syncing while the animations were done around him.
my brother in Christ, peter gabriel is a legit legend with an extensive and extremely varied body of work, both as the lead singer of the prog rock band Genesis - which I'm sure you've heard of - and as a solo artist. highly rec you learn a little more about him.
This song is from Gabriel's 1986 album, called "So". The video, almost 40 years later, is still considered by MTV and Rolling Stone Magazine, to be the greatest Rock Video of all time. Peter was a founding member of Genesis. In the early 1970s, their Progressive music and Gabriel's stage theatrics, with makeup, mime and costumes, were equaled only by Alice Cooper and by David Bowie, for their trip-inducing weirdness and imagination. Peter's first four solo albums, from 1977 to 1982, were all self-titled, like issues of an ongoing magazine.
Peter Gabriel is legendary. Early Genesis, then solo career and numerous collaborations, not to mention Womad and work for Amnesty among others. This video was groundbreaking in the mid 1980s, and still holds up creatively to this day. He's made several other good videos, including "Games Without Frontiers" (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3xZmlUV8muY.html ), "Digging In The Dirt" (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-X0C3DHp36zc.html ) and a duet with Kate Bush, "Don't Give Up" (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xrT1QI_Yrd8.html ) His lyrics and composiitons are great, and his concerts excellent IMO. You need to look deeper into this man's work. My favourite concert of all time was his Secret World Live tour, which was filmed for DVD in 1993. The whole thing is on YT (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-azas-1zInJ8.html) - but there have been a lot of other good shows too.
Peter Gabriel was busted on for making a "pop" song, too "commercial", but when this video came out it took all the air out of you. This was a whole new kind of art. It was SO COOL.
Young Man, you have to remember one thing! It was the 80s! Videos were creative to capture the attention of the fans. Artists had to do different and extraordinary things to get the fans. To listen and buy their music. So, they had to make their videos out of the ordinary. You had to be there and just enjoy the music first! Then, digest the video later. 😆😅😂🤣
MTV poll from New Years 1989-1990. #1 song of the decade --- --- -- tie, between the Eurythemics SWEET DREAMS and Sledgehammer. #1 Video of the decade..........Sledgehammer.
