Sledgehammer was the first single to be taken from Peter Gabriel�s fifth solo studio album So, and was originally released on 21 April,1986.
A top five single in the UK and a Hot 100 #1 single in the USA, Sledgehammer � with its multi-award winning video, directed by Stephen R Johnson � heralded Gabriel�s shift into the mainstream consciousness and provided a first indication of So�s irresistible marriage of the artistic and the commercial. �I�d been revisiting my childhood obsession with 1960s soul music and was even considering doing a full album of covers, but instead I wrote Sledgehammer as more of a tribute to singers like Otis Redding. This was the end of the idea of me being a sort of cult artist at the fringes of the mainstream. There wasn�t an option to go and hide in the shadows anymore.�
Exclusive for Record Store Day 2026, Peter Gabriel�s Sledgehammer single is being re-issued to celebrate its 40th anniversary. The music replicates the original Sledgehammer 12� release but comes as a zoetrope picture disc, using images taken from the ground-breaking video.