Sledgehammer
Peter Gabriel
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You could have a steam train If you'd 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 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 I want to be your sledgehammer Why don't you call my name Oh let me be your sledgehammer This will be my testimony Show me round your fruit cakes 'Cause I will be your honey bee Open up your fruit cakes Where the fruit is as sweet as can be I want to 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 Sledge sledge sledgehammer I kicked the habit (I kicked the habit) Shed my skin (Shed my skin) This is the new stuff (This is the new stuff) I go dancing in, (We could 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), I will show for you Yea, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I do mean you Only you, you've been coming through Going to build that power Build, build up that power, hey I've been feeding the rhythm I've been feeding the rhythm Going to feel that power, build in you Come on, come on, help me do Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, you I've been feeding the rhythm I've been feeding the rhythm It's what we're doing, doing All day and night, come on and help me do, come on and help me do
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Written by: PETER GABRIEL
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
12 facts about this song
Release Date"Sledgehammer" by Peter Gabriel was released on April 21, 1986.
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Chart PerformanceThe song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States, making it Gabriel's only number one single in the country.
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AllegoryThe song is said to symbolize Gabriel's feelings on sexual desire, with heavy allegory used throughout.
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Musical Style"Sledgehammer" is widely recognized for its blue-eyed soul influences. The song is acknowledged for its horn section, inspired by the soul music of Memphis, Tennessee.
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AwardsThe song won nine MTV Video Music Awards in 1987, a record only broken by Lady Gaga in 2010.
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Innovative Music VideoThe innovative claymation, pixelation, and strata-cut animation techniques used in its music video were produced by Aardman Animations and the Brothers Quay.
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Long-Lasting ImpactThe "Sledgehammer" video has been ranked as one of the best music videos of all time by various publications and viewers' polls.
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Multicultural InfluencesThe song prominently incorporates the use of a shakuhachi, a traditional Japanese bamboo flute, reflecting his interest in world music.
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Other PerformancesGabriel performed "Sledgehammer" during his sets at the Secret Policeman's Third Ball charity concert in 1987.
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Cover VersionsA cover of "Sledgehammer" was recorded by American rock band Pearl Jam in 2016.
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Commercial UseThe song has frequently been used in TV series, commercials, films, and trailers, such as "Miami Vice," "Big Daddy," "Frankie and Johnny," and "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs."
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Wider InfluenceGabriel's "Sledgehammer" has had a greater influence on the approach of other musicians toward the production and composition of popular music, particularly in regard to its influential music video.
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Citation
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"Sledgehammer Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 May 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/6769998/Peter+Gabriel/Sledgehammer>.
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