Sledgehammer – Peter Gabriel

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Sledgehammer – Peter Gabriel



This song was more famous for its animated video than it was for being a banging tune.
Peter Gabriel is a bit of a hard one to talk about, his days with Genesis were legendary for his silly stage outfits and their music then was a bit out there. His solo stuff had also been a mixed bag with music reflecting the different of stages of his life.

I like his more mainstream stuff like this song, Games Without Frontiers and Solsberry Hill.
I remember seeing the video for Sledgehammer as a teenager and being blown away by it's complex technique. Knowing a little bit about animation I realised this must have taken forever to film, every part individually animated by being moved a fraction at a time and then photographed. The dancing frozen chickens are very good for being headless. It’s become such a part of this song it’s hard to separate them, but the meaning of the song is all about going in heavy handed, being a sledgehammer and sorting out someones problems. He’s not being subtle with his messaging.

Favourite lyric : I'm your sledgehammer / Let there be no doubt about…

Location: Rayleigh, UK

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