Steam (Peter Gabriel song)

"Steam" is the second single from English rock musician Peter Gabriel's 1992 album Us. Gabriel has said that the song is about a relationship in which the woman is sophisticated, bright, cultured, and knows everything about anything while the man knows nothing about anything; however, he does know about the woman, and she does not know much about herself.[2][3]

"Steam"
Single by Peter Gabriel
from the album Us
Released5 January 1993
Format
GenreFunk rock[1]
Length
  • 6:03 (album version)
  • 5:19 (video edit)
  • 4:45 (radio edit)
LabelGeffen Records
Songwriter(s)Peter Gabriel
Producer(s)
Peter Gabriel singles chronology
"Digging in the Dirt"
(1992)		 "Steam"
(1993)		 "Blood of Eden"
(1993)

"Steam" reached number 10 on the UK Singles Chart, number 32 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and number one on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart. In Canada the single became a number-one hit, topping the RPM Top Singles chart on the week of 27 February 1993, knocking Whitney Houston's hit "I Will Always Love You" off the top spot after a 10-week run. "Steam" also charted within the top 10 in Iceland, Ireland, New Zealand and Portugal.

An alternative version of this song called "Quiet Steam" was a B-side on the "Digging in the Dirt" single. It is a very lo-fi take on the popular version that appeared on the album. On Secret World Live, "Steam" is preceded for a minute or so by the "Quiet Steam" version.

Music video

The video for "Steam" was directed by Stephen R. Johnson, who also directed the videos for Gabriel's earlier hits "Sledgehammer" and "Big Time". The director said he wanted to cram the video with as many "things" as possible.[4] The video features digital imagery and numerous instances of sexual symbolism.

Awards and nominations
Year Nominee / work Award Result
1993 MTV Video Music Award Best Male Video Nominated
Best Visual Effects Won
Best Editing Won
1994 Grammy Award Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance Nominated
Best Music Video Won

Track listing

All songs written by Peter Gabriel.[5]

  1. "Steam (LP version)" – 6:02
  2. "Games Without Frontiers (Massive / DB mix)" – 5:19
  3. "Steam (Oh, Oh, Let Off Steam mix 12")" – 6:44
  4. "Steam (Oh, Oh, Let Off Steam mix dub)" – 5:44

Personnel

Producers

Musicians

Charts

See also

References
  1. Randall, Mac (10 July 2002). "Gabriel, Beck and Miller Struggle With Gravity". The New York Observer. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  2. All About us video compilation, Peter Gabriel, 1993 (VHS format only)
  3. All about... us Archived 16 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine header Steam
  4. "Peter Gabriel, "Steam"". Pop-Up Video. VH1. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  5. McDonald, Steven. "Steam – Peter Gabriel". Allmusic. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  6. "Australian-charts.com – Peter Gabriel – Steam". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  7. "Ultratop.be – Peter Gabriel – Steam" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  8. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1789." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  9. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 1729." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  10. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10 no. 6. 6 February 1993. p. 15. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  11. "Offiziellecharts.de – Peter Gabriel – Steam". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  12. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (12.–18. Mars 1993)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 11 March 1993. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
  13. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Steam". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  14. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 4, 1993" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  15. "Dutchcharts.nl – Peter Gabriel – Steam" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  16. "Charts.nz – Peter Gabriel – Steam". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  17. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10 no. 7. 13 February 1993. p. 20. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  18. "Swedishcharts.com – Peter Gabriel – Steam". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  19. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  20. "Peter Gabriel Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  21. "Peter Gabriel Chart History (Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  22. "Peter Gabriel Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  23. "Peter Gabriel Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  24. "The RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1993". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  25. "Árslistinn 1993". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 4 January 1994. p. 17. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
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