Peter Gabriel's Only No. 1 Hit In 1986 Year Knocked His Former Band Off The Chart Throne

In 1975, Peter Gabriel left Genesis and decided to pursue a solo career. However, it would take over 10 years before he reached the high levels of success he had achieved with his former band. As a matter of fact, his 1986 hit song "Sledgehammer" would actually dethrone Genesis' "Invisible Touch" to hit the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. 

"Invisible Touch" would only spend one week in the top spot, starting on July 19, before "Sledgehammer" knocked it out of the way on July 26. Yet Gabriel's certified earworm also only sat at No. 1 for a week before losing its place to another famous musician named Peter — in this case, it was Peter Cetera and his track "Glory of Love" that exploded to the top of the chart. In the end, "Sledgehammer" occupied 21 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, while "Invisible Touch" only managed 17.

There were no hard feelings from his former bandmates, though, as Genesis' Phil Collins told The Guardian in 2014, "I read recently that Peter Gabriel knocked us off the No. 1 spot with 'Sledgehammer. We weren't aware of that at the time. If we had been, we'd probably have sent him a telegram saying: 'Congratulations — bastard.'"

It wasn't only the Billboard Hot 100 heating up to the groove of Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer," as the English musician also rode the wave of momentum into other areas of the industry. At the 1987 Grammy Awards, his track secured three nominations, while his album "So" received another nod. Gabriel didn't walk away with any Grammy trophies that year, but there's no disputing that he left his mark on the music world.

Another impressive feat is how the music video for "Sledgehammer" won nine MTV Video Music Awards in 1987. That wasn't all, though, as it became the most played music video in MTV's history — yes, history. Unquestionably, it still stands out as one of the '80s music videos that defined MTV's bygone era.

Funnily enough, "Sledgehammer" came about almost as an afterthought, proving that with creativity, you can never plan to create magic. "With 'Sledgehammer,' everyone thinks, 'Oh, he must have created that to get a hit,'" Gabriel told Rolling Stone. "And it wasn't done that way. In fact, [bassist] Tony Levin reminded me that he was packing his bags to go home, and I called him back into the studio, saying 'I've got this one idea that maybe we can fool around with for the next record — but I like the feel.'"