Peter Gabriel:
Although he had already achieved critical, and some commercial, solo success (e.g. "Games Without Frontiers" from his third album and "Shock the Monkey" from his fourth), Gabriel achieved his greatest popularity with songs from the 1986 So album, highlights being the '60s-tinged pop and suggestiveness of "Sledgehammer" (a #1 smash in the US, knocking Genesis's Invisible Touch off of the top spot), "Big Time", the ballad "Don't Give Up" with Kate Bush about the devastation of unemployment, and the love song "In Your Eyes". "In Your Eyes" later became ingrained in pop culture in a scene where it is played on John Cusack's boom box in the 1989 film Say Anything.... Gabriel co-produced So with Daniel Lanois, also known for his work with U2.
Gabriel's song "Sledgehammer" which dealt specifically about sex and sexual relations, was accompanied by a much lauded music video, which was a collaboration with director Stephen R. Johnson, Aardman Animations, and the Brothers Quay. The video won numerous awards at the 1987 MTV Music Video Awards, and set a new standard for art in the music video industry. A follow-up video for the song "Big Time" also broke new ground in music video animation and special effects. The song is a story of "what happens to you when you become a little too successful" in Gabriel's words
Here are some of there album covers:
Peter Gabriel's Mercy Street
