Sledgehammer (song)
Encyclopedia
"Sledgehammer" is a song by British musician Peter Gabriel
from his 1986 album So
. It hit number one in Canada on 21 July 1986 where it spent four weeks; number one on the Billboard Hot 100
chart in the United States on 26 July 1986; and number four in the UK singles chart
, thanks in part to a popular and influential music video. It was his biggest hit in North America and ties with "Games Without Frontiers
" as his biggest hit in the United Kingdom.
The song's music video has won a number of awards, including a record nine MTV Awards at the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards
, and Best British Video at the 1987 Brit Awards
. Gabriel was also nominated for three Grammy Awards: Best Male Rock Vocal Performance
, Song of the Year
, and Record of the Year
. As of 2011, "Sledgehammer" is the most played music video in the history of MTV
.
, in particular the music made by the Memphis label Stax
. The distinctive horn track was provided by the Memphis Horns
, house musicians at Stax. The opening horn riff is similar to the beginning of John Coltrane
's "Chronic Blues" from the Coltrane album. The song also features a synthesized
shakuhachi
flute generated with an Emu Emulator II
sampler.
The lyrics are a mosaic of sexual innuendos, with references to steam trains, bumper car
s, Big Dipper (roller coaster
) and fruit cakes as metaphors for male and female sexual organs and references to pollination
, acting like a sledgehammer
, fruit and bee
s as metaphors of sexual acts.
"Sledgehammer" was Peter Gabriel's first and, to this date, only number-one hit in the United States. It replaced "Invisible Touch
" by his former band Genesis
, which had been that group's only U.S. number-one hit the previous week. "Sledgehammer" also achieved chart success on other Billboard
charts in 1986, spanning the range between Album Rock Tracks (two weeks at the summit in May and June) and Hot Dance Club Play
(one week atop this chart in July).
(Original Length: 5:09)
The single release also included a previously unreleased track called "Don't Break This Rhythm" and an "'85 Remix" of his 1982 single "I Have the Touch
." U.S. versions of the single contained an extended dance remix
of "Sledgehammer." It was among the first singles released on compact disc
.
commissioned by Tessa Watts
at Virgin Records
, directed by Stephen R. Johnson
and produced by Adam Whittaker. Aardman Animations
(of Wallace and Gromit
fame) and the Brothers Quay
provided claymation, pixilation
, and stop motion
animation that gave life to images in the song. The video ended with a large group of extras jerkily rotating around Gabriel, among them: Gabriel's daughters Anna and Melanie, the animators themselves, and director Stephen Johnson's girlfriend. Also included were six women who posed as the back-up singers of the song. Gabriel lay under a sheet of glass for 16 hours while filming the video one frame at a time. Notably, two oven-ready turkeys, headless and featherless, were animated using stop-motion and shown dancing along to the synthesized flute solo in the middle of the song. This section was animated by Nick Park
of Aardman Animations who was refining his work in plasticine animation at the time.
Although many of these techniques had already been employed in earlier music videos (such as Talking Heads
' 1985 hit "Road to Nowhere
"), the Sledgehammer video won nine MTV Video Music Awards
in 1987, a record which still stands as of 2011. It ranked at number four on MTV
's 100 Greatest Music Videos Ever Made (1999). MTV later announced that "Sledgehammer" is the most played music video in the history of the station. "Sledgehammer" has also been declared to be MTV's number one animated video of all time.
The video was also voted number seven on TMF
's Ultimate 50 Videos You Must See - first aired 24 June 2006. It ranked at number 2 on VH1's "Top 20 Videos of the '80s" as well as being named the No. 1 "Amazing Moment in Music" on the Australian TV show 20 to 1
in 2007. The video won Best British Video at the 1987 Brit Awards
. Also, the video was nominated for the Best Music Video category for the first annual Soul Train Music Awards
in that same year.
covered this song as the first song from his polka medley "Polka Party!" from the 1986 album of the same name
. He also imitated the video in the music video for UHF
.
In 1991, rappers 3rd Bass
borrowed the Tony Levin
bass line from the song for their hit "Pop Goes the Weasel
." The 1993 Naughty By Nature
song "Hip Hop Hooray
" also samples the shakuhachi intro. In 2000, the song was sampled for "I've Got to Have It" by Jermaine Dupri
, Monica
and Nas
, which appeared on the soundtrack for the motion picture Big Momma's House
. The instrumental
of such song is used by independent wrestler Claudio Castagnoli
as an entrance theme.
In 1993, the song appeared on a British television commercial for the Vauxhall Cavalier
, followed by the guitar riff from Eric Clapton
's "Layla
."
In 2005, progressive rock band Umphrey's McGee
did a rendition of "Sledgehammer" on the Wrapped Around Chicago - New Year's Eve at The Riviera
(2005) DVD. The band occasionally covers the song in live performances.
In 2007, Finnish Symphonic Epic Metal Northern Kings
featuring Jarkko Ahola
from Teräsbetoni
, Marco Hietala
from Nightwish
and Tarot
, Tony Kakko
from Sonata Arctica
and Juha-Pekka Leppäluoto
from Charon
covered the song on their album Reborn
.
In 2008, R&B singer Maiysha
did a sensual rendition of "Sledgehammer" for her album "This Much Is True"
Dave Matthews Band
began covering this song during the 2008 tour.
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
from his 1986 album So
So (album)
So is the fifth studio album by British rock musician Peter Gabriel, released in 1986. Many of its songs reflect a more conventional pop-writing style and became radio hits, while others still retain Gabriel's dark, brooding sense of experimentalism.It is Peter Gabriel's second album produced by...
. It hit number one in Canada on 21 July 1986 where it spent four weeks; number one on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart in the United States on 26 July 1986; and number four in the UK singles chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, thanks in part to a popular and influential music video. It was his biggest hit in North America and ties with "Games Without Frontiers
Games Without Frontiers (song)
"Games Without Frontiers" is a hit 1980 single by Peter Gabriel, released on his third self-titled solo album. It features Kate Bush on backing vocals and became his first UK Top 10 hit, peaking at #4. It ties with 1986's Sledgehammer as his highest-charting song in the UK. It peaked at #48 in the...
" as his biggest hit in the United Kingdom.
The song's music video has won a number of awards, including a record nine MTV Awards at the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards
1987 MTV Video Music Awards
The 1987 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 11, 1987, honoring the best music videos from May 2, 1986, to May 1, 1987. The show was hosted by MTV VJs Downtown Julie Brown, Carolyne Heldman, Kevin Seal, Michael Tomioka, and Dweezil Zappa, and it took place at the Universal Amphitheatre...
, and Best British Video at the 1987 Brit Awards
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
. Gabriel was also nominated for three Grammy Awards: Best Male Rock Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to male recording artists for works containing quality vocal performances in the rock music genre...
, Song of the Year
Grammy Award for Song of the Year
The Song of the Year is one of the four most prestigious awards in the Grammy Awards ceremony, if not in all of the American music industry. It has been awarded since 1959 and unlike the Record of the Year award, which goes to the performer and production team of a single song, Song of the Year...
, and Record of the Year
Grammy Award for Record of the Year
The Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959.-History:The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer....
. As of 2011, "Sledgehammer" is the most played music video in the history of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
.
History
The song was influenced by 1960s soul musicSoul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, in particular the music made by the Memphis label Stax
Stax Records
Stax Records is an American record label, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee.Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the name Stax Records was adopted in 1961. The label was a major factor in the creation of the Southern soul and Memphis soul music styles, also releasing gospel, funk, jazz, and...
. The distinctive horn track was provided by the Memphis Horns
The Memphis Horns
The Memphis Horns are an American horn section made famous by their many appearances on Stax Records. They have been called "arguably the greatest soul horn section ever." Originally a sextet, the Memphis Horns gradually slimmed down to a duo, Wayne Jackson on trumpet and Andrew Love on tenor...
, house musicians at Stax. The opening horn riff is similar to the beginning of John Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
's "Chronic Blues" from the Coltrane album. The song also features a synthesized
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
shakuhachi
Shakuhachi
The is a Japanese end-blown flute. It is traditionally made of bamboo, but versions now exist in ABS and hardwoods. It was used by the monks of the Fuke school of Zen Buddhism in the practice of...
flute generated with an Emu Emulator II
E-mu Emulator
The Emulator is the name given to a series of disk-based digital sampling keyboards manufactured by E-mu Systems from 1982 until 1990. Though not the first commercial sampler, the Emulator was among the first to find wide use among ordinary musicians, due to its relatively low price and its size,...
sampler.
The lyrics are a mosaic of sexual innuendos, with references to steam trains, bumper car
Bumper car
Bumper car is the generic name for a type of flat ride consisting of several small electric cars which draw power from the floor and/or ceiling, and which are turned on and off remotely by an operator...
s, Big Dipper (roller coaster
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
) and fruit cakes as metaphors for male and female sexual organs and references to pollination
Pollination
Pollination is the process by which pollen is transferred in plants, thereby enabling fertilisation and sexual reproduction. Pollen grains transport the male gametes to where the female gamete are contained within the carpel; in gymnosperms the pollen is directly applied to the ovule itself...
, acting like a sledgehammer
Sledgehammer
A sledgehammer is a tool consisting of a large, flat head attached to a lever . The head is typically made of metal. The sledgehammer can apply more impulse than other hammers, due to its large size. Along with the mallet, it shares the ability to distribute force over a wide area...
, fruit and bee
Bee
Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
s as metaphors of sexual acts.
"Sledgehammer" was Peter Gabriel's first and, to this date, only number-one hit in the United States. It replaced "Invisible Touch
Invisible Touch (song)
"Invisible Touch" is the title track of the 1986 Genesis album of the same name. It is the most successful single in the band's lengthy history and was their first and only #1 single in the United States. It went to number four in Canada, but only reached number 15 in the United Kingdom.Its B-side...
" by his former band Genesis
Genesis (band)
Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently comprises the longest-tenured members Tony Banks , Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins . Past members Peter Gabriel , Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips , also played major roles in the band in its early years...
, which had been that group's only U.S. number-one hit the previous week. "Sledgehammer" also achieved chart success on other Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
charts in 1986, spanning the range between Album Rock Tracks (two weeks at the summit in May and June) and Hot Dance Club Play
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
(one week atop this chart in July).
(Original Length: 5:09)
The single release also included a previously unreleased track called "Don't Break This Rhythm" and an "'85 Remix" of his 1982 single "I Have the Touch
I Have the Touch
"I Have The Touch" is a song by Peter Gabriel from his album Security. Peter Gabriel and Robbie Robertson remixed the song for the 1996 film Phenomenon. As a result, it charted 14 years after it was first released...
." U.S. versions of the single contained an extended dance remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
of "Sledgehammer." It was among the first singles released on compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
.
Music video
"Sledgehammer" spawned a widely popular and influential music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
commissioned by Tessa Watts
Tessa Watts
Tessa Watts is an English music video and music film producer. She has worked with artists including Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Paul McCartney, Madonna, Phil Collins, Beyoncé, INXS, and George Michael...
at Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
, directed by Stephen R. Johnson
Stephen R. Johnson
Stephen R. Johnson is a director. As well as directing several episodes of Pee-wee's Playhouse, he has directed music videos for singles such as "Big Time," Sledgehammer, and Steam , Road to Nowhere and The Bug...
and produced by Adam Whittaker. Aardman Animations
Aardman Animations
Aardman Animations, Ltd., also known as Aardman Studios, or simply as Aardman, is a British animation studio based in Bristol, United Kingdom. The studio is known for films made using stop-motion clay animation techniques, particularly those featuring Plasticine characters Wallace and Gromit...
(of Wallace and Gromit
Wallace and Gromit
Wallace and Gromit are the main characters in a series consisting of four British animated short films and a feature-length film by Nick Park of Aardman Animations...
fame) and the Brothers Quay
Brothers Quay
Stephen and Timothy Quay are American identical twin brothers better known as the Brothers Quay or Quay Brothers. They are influential stop-motion animators...
provided claymation, pixilation
Pixilation
Pixilation is a stop motion technique where live actors are used as a frame-by-frame subject in an animated film, by repeatedly posing while one or more frame is taken and changing pose slightly before the next frame or frames. The actor becomes a kind of living stop motion puppet...
, and stop motion
Stop motion
Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence...
animation that gave life to images in the song. The video ended with a large group of extras jerkily rotating around Gabriel, among them: Gabriel's daughters Anna and Melanie, the animators themselves, and director Stephen Johnson's girlfriend. Also included were six women who posed as the back-up singers of the song. Gabriel lay under a sheet of glass for 16 hours while filming the video one frame at a time. Notably, two oven-ready turkeys, headless and featherless, were animated using stop-motion and shown dancing along to the synthesized flute solo in the middle of the song. This section was animated by Nick Park
Nick Park
Nicholas Wulstan "Nick" Park, CBE is an English filmmaker of stop motion animation best known as the creator of Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep....
of Aardman Animations who was refining his work in plasticine animation at the time.
Although many of these techniques had already been employed in earlier music videos (such as Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
' 1985 hit "Road to Nowhere
Road to Nowhere
"Road to Nowhere" is a song by Talking Heads, from the 1985 album Little Creatures. It also appeared on Best of Talking Heads, Sand in the Vaseline: Popular Favorites, the Once in a Lifetime box set and the Brick box set...
"), the Sledgehammer video won nine MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
in 1987, a record which still stands as of 2011. It ranked at number four on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's 100 Greatest Music Videos Ever Made (1999). MTV later announced that "Sledgehammer" is the most played music video in the history of the station. "Sledgehammer" has also been declared to be MTV's number one animated video of all time.
The video was also voted number seven on TMF
The Music Factory
The Music Factory is a pop music television channel that operates in Belgium .TMF previously operated channels in the Netherlands , the UK with TMF UK and Australia with . The brand is owned by MTV Networks International...
's Ultimate 50 Videos You Must See - first aired 24 June 2006. It ranked at number 2 on VH1's "Top 20 Videos of the '80s" as well as being named the No. 1 "Amazing Moment in Music" on the Australian TV show 20 to 1
20 to 1
20 to 1 is an Australian television series, currently hosted by Bert Newton that counts down an undefined "top 20" of elements or events of popular culture, such as films, songs, sporting scandals. Previously the show was hosted by Charles "Bud" Tingwell and narrated by David Reyne...
in 2007. The video won Best British Video at the 1987 Brit Awards
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
. Also, the video was nominated for the Best Music Video category for the first annual Soul Train Music Awards
Soul Train Music Awards
The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual award show which previously aired in national television syndication, and honors the best in Black music and entertainment...
in that same year.
Covers and appearances
In 1986, "Weird Al" Yankovic"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
covered this song as the first song from his polka medley "Polka Party!" from the 1986 album of the same name
Polka Party!
Polka Party! is the fourth studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released in 1986. The album is the third of Yankovic's to be produced by former The McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer...
. He also imitated the video in the music video for UHF
UHF (song)
"UHF" is an original song by "Weird Al" Yankovic in the key of E major and based on several different riffs. It is the theme song from the film UHF. It is a style parody of themes that are played to advertise television stations...
.
In 1991, rappers 3rd Bass
3rd Bass
3rd Bass was an American hip-hop group that rose to fame in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and was notable for being one of the first successful interracial hip-hop groups.-Career:...
borrowed the Tony Levin
Tony Levin
Tony Levin is an American progressive rock musician, specializing in bass guitar, Chapman stick and upright bass ....
bass line from the song for their hit "Pop Goes the Weasel
Pop Goes the Weasel (3rd Bass song)
"Pop Goes the Weasel" is the best-selling single from hip hop trio 3rd Bass; it appears on their third album, Derelicts of Dialect .Released a year after the ill-fated Cactus Revisited E.P., "Pop Goes the Weasel" instantly became a hit and soon went gold. The song helped the album reach gold status...
." The 1993 Naughty By Nature
Naughty by Nature
Naughty by Nature are a Grammy Award-winning American hip hop trio from East Orange, New Jersey that at the time of its formation in 1989 consisted of Treach, Vin Rock, and the DJ Kay Gee...
song "Hip Hop Hooray
Hip Hop Hooray
"Hip Hop Hooray" is a hip hop single released by hip hop group, Naughty By Nature, in 1993. The song spent one week at number one on the US R&B chart, and reached number eight on the US Pop chart...
" also samples the shakuhachi intro. In 2000, the song was sampled for "I've Got to Have It" by Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin , known as Jermaine Dupri or JD, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper.- Early life and career :...
, Monica
Monica (singer)
Monica Denise Brown , and professionally known as Monica, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, Monica began performing as a child and became part of a traveling gospel choir, by the time she was ten...
and Nas
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
, which appeared on the soundtrack for the motion picture Big Momma's House
Big Momma's House
Big Momma's House is a 2000 American crime comedy film directed by Raja Gosnell, written by Darryl Quarles and Don Rhymer, and starring Martin Lawrence as FBI agent Malcolm Turner. The majority of the film took place in Cartersville, Georgia, but the film was shot on location in California. The...
. The instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
of such song is used by independent wrestler Claudio Castagnoli
Claudio Castagnoli
Claudio Castagnoli is a Swiss professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, working in its developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling under the ring name Antonio Cesaro...
as an entrance theme.
In 1993, the song appeared on a British television commercial for the Vauxhall Cavalier
Vauxhall Cavalier
The Vauxhall Cavalier is a large family car sold primarily in the UK by Vauxhall Motors, the British division of General Motors , from 1975 to 1995...
, followed by the guitar riff from Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
's "Layla
Layla
"Layla" is a song written by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon, originally released by their blues-rock band, Derek and the Dominos, as the thirteenth track from their album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs...
."
In 2005, progressive rock band Umphrey's McGee
Umphrey's McGee
Umphrey's McGee is an American progressive rock jam band based in Chicago whose music is often referred to as "progressive improvisation", or "improg" ....
did a rendition of "Sledgehammer" on the Wrapped Around Chicago - New Year's Eve at The Riviera
Wrapped Around Chicago - New Year's Eve at The Riviera
Wrapped Around Chicago - New Year's Eve at the Riviera is the second DVD release from progressive rock band Umphrey's McGee. It features excerpts from the group's New Year's Eve 2004 two-night stand at the Riviera Theater in their homebase of Chicago, Illinois...
(2005) DVD. The band occasionally covers the song in live performances.
In 2007, Finnish Symphonic Epic Metal Northern Kings
Northern Kings
Northern Kings is a Finnish symphonic metal cover supergroup, made up of four musicians who have already become well known in their existing bands: Jarkko Ahola from Teräsbetoni, ex-Dreamtale, Marco Hietala from Nightwish and Tarot, Tony Kakko from Sonata Arctica and Juha-Pekka Leppäluoto from...
featuring Jarkko Ahola
Jarkko Ahola
J. Ahola is a performing artist, a composer and a singer. He is the vocalist and bass player and one of the three songwriters of the band Teräsbetoni. He is also a member of a Finnish symphonic metal cover supergroup Northern Kings together with Marco Hietala from Nightwish, Tarot and Sapattivuosi,...
from Teräsbetoni
Teräsbetoni
Teräsbetoni is a Finnish heavy metal band. Their first album, Metallitotuus was released in 2005 and has so far sold more than 32,000 copies. Teräsbetoni has been strongly influenced by bands such as Manowar...
, Marco Hietala
Marco Hietala
Marko Tapani "Marco" Hietala is a heavy metal vocalist and bassist. Internationally, he is most known as the current bassist, male vocalist and composer, of the symphonic metal band Nightwish...
from Nightwish
Nightwish
Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee, Finland. Formed in 1996 by songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former vocalist Tarja Turunen, Nightwish's current line-up has five members, although Tarja has been replaced by Anette Olzon and the...
and Tarot
Tarot
The tarot |trionfi]] and later as tarocchi, tarock, and others) is a pack of cards , used from the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play a group of card games such as Italian tarocchini and French tarot...
, Tony Kakko
Tony Kakko
Toni Kristian "Tony" Kakko is a Finnish musician, composer and vocalist. He is mainly known as the vocalist, primary songwriter, and creative force in the band Sonata Arctica since 1996.-Biography:...
from Sonata Arctica
Sonata Arctica
Sonata Arctica are a Finnish power metal band from the town of Kemi, originally assembled in 1995. Their later works contain several elements typical of progressive metal.....
and Juha-Pekka Leppäluoto
Juha-Pekka Leppäluoto
Juha-Pekka Leppäluoto is a Finnish musician. He was in the band Charon until the summer of 2011 as a vocalist and songwriter and currently he is in the band Harmaja as a vocalist, guitar player and songwriter and also in the band Northern Kings as a vocalist...
from Charon
Charon (band)
Charon was a Finnish gothic metal band from Raahe, Finland.-Biography:Charon was founded in 1992 by Mario Tepšić, Teemu Hautamäki, Pasi Sipilä, and Jasse Hast and was originally a brutal death metal act. After releasing three promo albums and two demos, all self-released, the band signed a record...
covered the song on their album Reborn
Reborn (Northern Kings album)
-Northern Kings:*Marco Hietala - vocals*Tony Kakko - vocals*Jarkko Ahola - vocals*Juha-Pekka Leppäluoto - vocals-Musicians:*Two Finger Choir: Backing Vocals*Vili Ollila: Piano, Keyboards, Programming*Erkka Korhonen: Lead & Rhythm Guitars...
.
In 2008, R&B singer Maiysha
Maiysha
Maiysha Kai is a Progressive/ Soul/ R & B/ recording artist. Her first album "This Much is True" was released August 26, 2008. Produced by Scott Jacoby, her first album features 12 all new tracks and a cover of Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer"...
did a sensual rendition of "Sledgehammer" for her album "This Much Is True"
Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band, sometimes shortened to DMB, is a U.S. rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1991. The founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer/backing vocalist Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Boyd Tinsley was...
began covering this song during the 2008 tour.
See also
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1986 (U.S.)
- List of RPM number-one singles of 1986