Steam (Peter Gabriel song)

"Steam"
Single by Peter Gabriel
from the album Us
Released	4 January 1993 (1993-01-04)[1]
Genre	Funk rock[2]
Length	6:03 (album version) 5:19 (video edit) 4:45 (radio edit)
Label	Geffen
Songwriter(s)	Peter Gabriel
Producer(s)	Daniel Lanois Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel singles chronology
"Digging in the Dirt" (1992) "Steam" (1993) "Blood of Eden" (1993)
Music video
"Steam" on YouTube

"Steam" is a song by English rock musician Peter Gabriel, released in January 1993 by Geffen Records as the second single from his sixth album, Us (1992). Gabriel, who wrote the song and produced it with Daniel Lanois, 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.^[3][4]

"Steam" reached number ten 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 100 Hit Tracks chart on the week of 27 February 1993, replacing Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" 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.