Sledgehammer by Peter Gabriel was released on April 25, 1986, with Don’t Break This Rhythm as the B side. It was a single from Gabriel’s fifth studio album, So.

The song was a No. 1 hit in the United States and Canada. In the United Kingdom, it peaked at No. 4.

According to a 2011 Time article, Sledgehammer won a record nine awards at the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards and is the most played video in the history of the channel.