Harry Styles has always had an army of young female fans, but after this killer Peter Gabriel cover, it looks like he’s opened up a new demographic – old-school 1980s fans! When Gabriel fans heard Styles’ funky cover of “Sledgehammer” on the Howard Stern Show, they had to agree that the younger star had knocked it out of the park. Hazza’s band were steaming along with a slithering funk groove on the legendary ’86 hit, which he used as a launchpad for a soulful vocal performance that hit all those creamy high notes.
The performance was an excellent showcase for Styles’ voice, as we don’t normally hear him sing in this style, but he really nailed the vibe. The Music Man is a lifelong Peter Gabriel fan, and seeing Styles pay tribute to the legendary English icon’s music was a real treat. Hazza’s cover also hit the mark for viewers, who couldn’t stop coming back to the cover, resulting in the upload hitting 17 million views.
Viewers gave major props to Styles for his song choice, on-point vocals, and also how the band crushed the groove. Viewers added comments such as “Styles swagged that. You can tell he loves the song, and did it more than justice. Even Gabriel gave him a retweet” and “I’m a 58-year-old rock ‘n roll type of guy. My daughter loved 1D but I couldn’t relate. I’m now telling her to listen to this guy’s rendition of one of my favorites. It’s spot on. I have to choke on my pearly beads and say I really like this guy!”
Clearly Styles knows how to pay respects to his elders, as it’s not the first time he’s paid tribute to the old-school classics during his live radio features. Another classic Styles moment came when he covered Fleetwood Mac’s ‘77 hit “The Chain” on the BBC’s Live Lounge. Much like the Gabriel cover, this 38 million view performance also had a cross-generational appeal. Hazza really shined here with a soulful vocal delivery, which was perfectly accented by a talented backing vocal lineup.
Peter Gabriel released “Sledgehammer” as the lead single from his fifth studio album So. The Music Man readers may recall that the hard-driving funk and soul number became his biggest hit in North America, topping both the US and Canadian charts. Gabriel spoke about the inspiration for “Sledgehammer” to WMMR radio in ‘86, saying, “As a teenager, soul music was one of the things that made me want to be a musician. It was really passionate and exciting.” During the interview, Gabriel noted that it was a real thrill to get soul icon Otis Redding’s trumpet player Wayne Jackson to play on the recording.