Peter Gabriel is not amused.
The former Genesis frontman and successful solo artist struck out at embattled talk show host Rush Limbaugh today, after discovering that the conservative commentator played Gabriel’s hit 1986 song “Sledgehammer” on his radio show last Wednesday while engaged in a nasty verbal attack against Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke.
“Peter was appalled to learn that his music was linked to Rush Limbaugh’s extraordinary attack on Sandra Fluke,” read a statement posted on Gabriel’s Facebook page earlier today. “It is obvious from anyone that knows Peter’s work that he would never approve such a use. He has asked his representatives to make sure his music is withdrawn and especially from these unfair aggressive and ignorant comments.”
The U.K. musician is just the latest in a long list of detractors who have hit back at Limbaugh after the wildly-popular pundit went on a series of extreme tirades against Fluke last week, calling her, among other things, a “slut” and a “prostitute” for arguing at a Congressional hearing in favor of requiring all private health insurance plans, including those affiliated with religious institutions, to cover the costs of contraception. Several advertisers, including AOL and Legal Zoom, have pulled their ads from Limbaugh’s show in the wake of the controversy.
“Sledgehammer”, for those who either weren’t around or don’t remember, hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in July of 1986. The video for the song, which was a single off Gabriel’s multi-platinum solo album “So”, went on to be nominated for three Grammys and won a whopping nine MTV Video Music Awards, still a record. It also stands as the most-played music video in MTV history – and I’ve embedded the full bitchin’ clip below for your viewing pleasure.
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“Sledgehammer” video: