Peter Gabriel was one of the first to truly master the technique of using video to enhance the music of his songs. Sledgehammer was always a favorite of mine - for the music, yes - but also for the incredible creativity Gabriel displays in the video that accompanied it. I remember it coming out just as MTV was coming into its own and being blown away by the way the imagery he uses perfectly compliments the song. There were a lot of other videos where the visual image and the music (especially the lyrics) didn't really mesh. This was definitely not one of them! He was one of the first to so extensively use the stop motion animation technique. I seem to remember that this was also one of the most frequently played videos of all time on MTV - mainly because it was requested so often.
The music is strong enough to stand on its own however. It is a great tune - from the mysterious little flute intro to the heavy, percussive bass and the brass intro to the soulful sound of Gabriel's voice when he comes in. He brilliantly mixes funk, soul and rock into a truly memorable tune. The main melodic hook ("I wanna be your sledgehammer") - punctuated by solid brass chords definitely sticks in your brain. Still one of my all time favorites!
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