It was released by Charisma Records as a single from Gabriel's eponymous third album in 1980. The song is a musical eulogy, inspired by the death of the black South African anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko in police custody on 12 September 1977. Gabriel wrote the song after hearing of Biko's death on the news.

The album's most successful single, "Sledgehammer", won a record nine MTV Awards at the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards and, according to a report in 2011, it was MTV's most played music video of all time.

As Gabriel and his backing vocalists sing: "In your eyes, the light, the heat / (In your eyes) I am complete." Through the metaphor of "see[ing] the doorway / To a thousand churches" in his love's eyes, the affection also has elements of spirituality; this combination of romantic and spiritual love goes along with ...

Peter Gabriel (born February 13, 1950, Woking, Surrey, England) is a British musician who was the lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis before embarking on a successful career as a solo artist. He is known for the intelligence and depth of his lyrics and for his commitment to various political causes.