Steam

"Steam"
Single by Peter Gabriel
from the album Us
Released	1992
Format	7", 12", CD Single, Cassette
Genre	Rock, funk rock
Length	6:03
Label	Geffen Records
Writer(s)	Peter Gabriel
Producer	Daniel Lanois, Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel singles chronology
"Digging in the Dirt" (1992) "Steam" (1992) "Blood of Eden" (1992)
Us track listing "Blood of Eden" (3) "Steam" (4) "Only Us" (5) Hit track listing "Biko" (12) "Steam" (13) "Red Rain" (14) Secret World Live track listing "Come Talk to Me" (1) "Steam" (2) "Across the River" (3)

"Steam" is the second single from Peter Gabriel's 1992 album, Us. It reached #10 on the UK singles chart, #32 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #1 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.

Peter Gabriel has said that the song is about a relationship in which the woman is sophisticated, bright, cultured, and knows everything about anything and that the man knows nothing about anything, except, he does know about the woman, and she doesn't know much about herself ^[1][2].

An alternate 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.

This video won a Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video in 1994.

Track listing

All songs written by Peter Gabriel.

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

Production credits

• Producers:
  • Peter Gabriel
  • Daniel Lanois

• Musicians:
  • Peter Gabriel: vocals, Keyboards, Percussion, Horn Arrangement
  • Manu Katche: Electronic drums
  • Tony Levin: Bass
  • David Rhodes: Guitar
  • Daniel Lanois: Horn Arrangement
  • David Bottrill: Programming
  • Richard Blair: Programming
  • The Babacar Faye Drummers: Sabar Drums
  • Leon Nocentelli: Guitar (Epiphone)
  • Tim Green: Tenor Sax
  • Reggie Houston: Baritone Sax
  • Wayne Jackson: Trumpet | Trumpet]]
  • Renard Poche: Trombone

References