Peter Gabriel: Steam

A feast for our eyes and ears, the luxurious "Steam" is one of Peter Gabriel's top moments and his final in the trilogy directed by Stephen R. Johnson where countless artistic elements form an unusual yet significant whole - they also collaborated in "Sledgehammer" and "Big Time". Skillful editing and impressive visual effects turns this clip into a fascinating experience where nothing is predictable, everything is funny and there's some jabs at society as well.

Gabriel takes a stance on the relations between men and women and how they're searching for different things from each other but in the end they're always wanting one another. The video's idea is to follow part of the lyrics base but it takes higher flights with lead singer being transformed from a wealthy man to becoming either a sexual object while inside of a pen held by a woman, or a the face of a steam train among many humored and original situations and characterizations.

A powerful sequential of images followed by a great hit song that doesn't leave you indifferent formed a potent combination of image and sound rarely seen ever since those early 1990's clips. I don't want to spoil the fun, it's best if you just watch and listen to everything that comes your way when you experience this work. Gabriel and Johnson formed one of the greatest duos of the music video world.

Live action and animation, fantasy and reality are all brought together to explore part of what life is all about when it comes to our human relations of power, exchange and above all...the steam we put in others or in ourselves. Steam as power, influence, clout, anything you may think it is. 9/10