What are Peter Gabriel’s 5 Biggest US Hits?

Peter Gabriel has earned a reputation as one of the most iconoclastic of all pop/rock stars. He’s always shown a willingness to tread his own path, regardless of commercial concerns. That said, he has enjoyed his share of pop chart success over the years.

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Gabriel amassed exactly five Top 40 hits in the US over the course of his career. Let’s take a look back at the unforgettable quintet of hits.

5. “Steam” – No. 32 in 1993

Gabriel kept folks waiting for his follow-up to So, his commercial breakthrough that he released in 1986. Us arrived six years later, and it united many of the same collaborators from his previous record, including producer Daniel Lanois. But Gabriel resisted any comparisons between Us and its predecessor. That’s why he didn’t choose “Steam” as the first single, feeling that it too much resembled some of the more uptempo tracks from So. In any case, “Steam” made a solid impact at radio, and it earned the distinction of being his last US Top 40 hit.

4. “Shock The Monkey” – No. 29 in 1982

When you look back at some of the classics that Gabriel released prior to his first Top 40 hit, it’s kind of shocking. Standouts like “Solisbury Hill”, “Games Without Frontiers”, and “Biko” all came up short. Part of that was due to Gabriel’s somewhat stubborn tendencies, such as refusing to title his first four albums anything other than his own name. But “Shock The Monkey”, weird and uncompromising in its way, couldn’t be denied in 1982. That groove just doesn’t quit. And there’s a singalong quality to the lyrics, bizarre though they might be.

3. “In Your Eyes” – No. 26 in 1986

So was the album where Peter Gabriel focused on the songwriting first, trusting that producer Daniel Lanois and the expert instrumentalists on the album could build the atmosphere. “In Your Eyes” strays quite far in a musical sense from the power ballads that were predominant at the time of its release. The unique touches, such as Youssou N’Dour’s marvelous backing vocals, embellish the heartfelt message without overwhelming it. Of course, the song enjoyed an impressive life thanks to Lloyd Dobler and that boom box.

2. “Big Time” – No. 8 in 1986

The first couple of singles from So, even as they more easily slotted into a pop playlist, still contained shades of the inherent darkness in Gabriel’s work. But “Big Time”, aside from the sarcasm in the lyrics, is as ebullient as it gets for mid-80s pop. Allegedly, it wasn’t always that way, as Gabriel initially steered the music into a moodier direction than what the song eventually entailed. Listen again to the sharp humor in those lyrics. Or you can just groove to a rhythm helped along by guest drums from Stewart Copeland of The Police.

1. “Sledgehammer” – No. 1 in 1986

There are some songs that you can tell are something special in the opening moments. “Sledgehammer”, with the way the inquisitive flute opens up into that indelible horn groove, is one of those songs. Aside from all the exotic touches, the song is basically a blues. Gabriel peppers the lyrics with age-old idioms. Even though the song was obviously as accessible as anything he’d ever done, Gabriel still located the spooky intensity of his older work in the occasional minor keys and the urgent cries he uncorks in the closing moments.

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