Musicians Danny Bowes, Harry James, and Luke Morley worked together in the 80s-era [tab]blues outfit Terraplane. After experiencing what Morley has called "a 'eureka' moment", the guys devised a high-energy British rock project directly inspired by the likes of Bad Company, Deep Purple, and Led Zeppelin. The aptly named Thunder spent a year or so in constant touring and gradually built a positive reputation that helped its debut album, named Backstreet Symphony, reach a wide audience. Released 4 April 1990 by EMI / Geffen, it became an international success. The album didn't just get RIAA certified as 'Gold' but earned them a spot on BBC's 'Top of the Pops', playing their hard-edged version of "Gimme Some Lovin'" to a global audience. A well-received performance at Castle Donington's 'Monsters of Rock' event before gigantic crowds brought it home to the guys how far they'd broken through.
After touring with female-fronted rockers Heart and other artists with the same style, the guys prepared the second album, which they ominously titled Laughing on Judgement Day. Despite their deliberately 'retro' sound quite unlike the alternative and post-punk trends of the time (or, in fact, precisely because of their sticking to their guns), their sophomore album achieved even more success. Released on 24 August 1992, it proved an even bigger hit in the U.K. than their debut, reaching the number two slot on the nation's top albums chart. Its singles include "Everybody Wants Her" and "Low Life in High Places", the titles alone showing Thunder's interest in classic rock n' roll hedonism.
Bassist "Snake" Luckhurst left the band citing 'personal differences', a move that wasn't just Thunder's first line-up change but a sign of future turmoil to come. He got replaced by Swedish musician Mikael Höglund, and the band went on to record their third album, 1995's Behind Closed Doors, before facing a dilemma with their label. Finding that "most of the people who'd been there at the beginning of our tenure had moved on", as Morley put it, as well as that talk of a contract extension had terms that they simply couldn't accept, Thunder jumped from EMI.
Despite being championed by U.S. contemporaries such as Aerosmith and Guns n' Roses, the guys still faced a tough time making a lasting impact 'across the pond'. Though focused on pumping out more and more material, Morley later remarked that the mid-90s found Thunder "suffering from 'hamster in the wheel' syndrome". Mikael Höglund was unavailable for recording the band's fourth album, called The Thrill of it All, and so the 1996 release had bass duty left with Morley. For the subsequent tour, the band recruited bassist Chris Childs, who stayed with the band to record their fifth album. Although Giving the Game Away, released in 1999, earned a positive fan response, it had become totally clear how Thunder had disconnected from a record industry whose connected network of radio stations, TV networks, and music magazines dismissed the guys' sort of melodic hard rock as either endangered or extinct.
In Autumn of that year, the group announced an upcoming split, and their final tour concluded in May 2000. Still, Thunder's interest in new technology and the continuing camaraderie felt among the band's members meant that they didn't drop off the radar. After being given a slot in the 2002 'Monsters of Rock' shows, Thunder decided to return in 2003 with a new album, titled Shooting at the Sun, which the guys released on their own record label. Fully embracing the internet's ability to unite hard rock fans across the globe, 2005 resulted in the band's seventh album, aptly titled The Magnificent Seventh! by the guys. It earned praise from many critics, with musicOMH writer Neil Daniels remarking that the "terrific return to form" seemed like "a hard-hitting giant but with fists of steel and cast iron balls".
Feeling vindicated, the group's album managed to produce a return to the top 40 singles charts and spawned a bunch of live performances. After two well-received tours in 2006, with many gigs completely selling out, and two gleeful experiences in Japan, the band captured that live feel in the DVD Thunder Go Mad in Japan. The release included a documentary piece following the band's situation setting everything up and trying to sort out all of the traveling. That year additionally saw the guys releasing their eight studio album, titled Robert Johnson's Tombstone, which featured nods to the musicians' early history before Thunder's very formation. Receiving acclaim from critics and fans alike, some even claimed that the album was Thunder's best studio release yet. A U.K. tour took place at the end of November 2006, with the band extending things into shows in Europe as well.
The 2000s represented not only a period of frequent touring but also increasing musical activities by the guys outside of the band. Thunder's career renaissance continued with a 2008 studio album, which the guys simply titled Bang!, and the group's appearance with Def Leppard and Whitesnake at multiple gigs that same year. The group had found itself coming up to its twenty-year anniversary. Although not experiencing the same kind of personal conflicts or debates about musical direction that many of their contemporaries had, Thunder still appeared to have reached a kind of inflection point. In early 2009, the guys announced plans to split for the second time. Final tours and festival appearances occurred throughout the rest of the year. A well-received compilation album, called simply The Very Best of Thunder, came out as well that year.
Luke Morley stressed "only a fool would say never" when it came to talk of getting back together at some point. Still, he'd gotten focused on other endeavors and particularly dedicated himself to working on The Union, an outfit formed with musician Peter Shoulder (formerly of Winterville). Featuring a blues and soul drenched sound, that band has achieved significant critical acclaim. Other ex-Thunder members perused similar projects. Drummer Gary "Harry" James, for example, played with progressive rockers Magnum (including on their popular 2011 release The Visitation).
Thunder briefly reunited for the 'High Voltage Festival', held in Victoria Park, in 2011. Though expressing their reluctance to formally get back together, the guys agreed to future shows together, including a December performance at Nottingham's 'Rock City' venue. They intermittently took to the stage as the 2010s went on yet remained committed to their alternate projects.
In 2015, however, Thunder announced a full return with an upcoming studio album of new material. A tongue-in-cheek collective statement cited "a rather silly amount of knob-twiddling and string-pulling" as the final inspiration. The release of Wonder Days earned a warm response from critics and fans alike (the fellows at Classic Rock magazine, for example, naming it one of the year's 11 best albums), and multiple gigs got announced to preform the new material. 2017's Rip It Up was also well-received (the record's #3 spot on the U.K. Albums Chart was the highest the band reached for over two decades). This was followed with an acoustic selection, Please Remain Seated, after which the band promised to return to the "full throttle sound of Thunder" for the next studio record.
Delayed due to the pandemic situation, that full throttle new album was released in March 2021, All The Right Noises.
UK rockers Thunder will be releasing a new double album titled Dopamine on April 29, 2022.
Official Website: http://www.thunderonline.com/
2) - Thunder was additionally used by an obscure funk-based Southern rock band from the U.S. Their 1974 self-tiled album picked up some attention but failed to break through commercially. It's hard to find information about the group, but a bit is known given how it served as a stepping stone in the career of popular Texan singer-songwriter and guitarist John Nitzinger. The 1974 album is described on Discogs.com here.
3) - Thunder is the name of a defunct Pagan Black Metal band from Poland, formed in 1994.
4) - Thunder is the name of a German heavy metal band, that released 'All I Want' in 1984.
5.15
Thunder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why should I care?
Girls of fifteen
Sexually knowing
The ushers are sniffing
Eau-de-cologning
Celibate sitting
Pretty girls digging
Prettier women
Magically bored
On a quiet street corner
Free frustration
In our minds and our toes
Quiet storm water
M-m-my generation
Uppers and downers
Either way blood flows
Inside outside, leave me alone
Inside outside, nowhere is home
Inside outside, where have I been?
Out of my brain on the 5:15
Out of my brain on the train
Out of my brain on the train
A raft in the quarry
Slowly sinking
Back of a lorry
Holy hitching
Dreadfully sorry
Apple scrumping
Born in a war
Birthday punching
He man drag
In the glittering ballroom
Gravely outrageous
In my high heel shoes
Tightly undone
Know what they're showing
Sadly ecstatic
That their heroes are news
Inside outside, leave me alone
Inside outside, nowhere is home
Inside outside, where have I been?
Out of my brain on the 5:15
Out of my brain on the train
Out of my brain on the train, on the train
I'm out of my brain
Out of my brain on the train
Here it comes
Out of my brain, on the train, on the train
Out of my brain on the train
Why should I care?
Why should I care?
The song 5.15 by Thunder is a complex commentary on adolescent sexuality and societal attitudes towards young women's sexual experiences. The opening lines, "why should I care?" are repeated throughout the song with a sense of detachment and apathy, suggesting a cynicism towards the themes being explored. The lyrics "girls of fifteen sexually knowing" describe young girls who have already been introduced to sexual experiences and are aware of their own sexuality. The ushers, who are supposed to maintain order and decency, are instead sniffing perfume, highlighting a sense of complicity and corruption within the societal structures that are supposed to protect young women.
The second verse, with its references to "pretty girls digging prettier women" and "magically bored" speaks to the alluring power and attractiveness of older and more experienced women, and the boredom or disillusionment that some young people may feel with their own lives. The chorus, "inside outside, leave me alone, nowhere is home, where have I been?" portrays a sense of dislocation and isolation, perhaps reflecting on the disconnection that many teenagers feel from society and their own identity.
The lyrics also contain references to drug use, with the lines "quiet storm water, uppers and downers, either way blood flows" suggestive of a dark and dangerous underworld. References to hitchhiking, apple scrumping, and "birthday punching" speak to a sense of rebellion and youthful mischief, while the closing lines "out of my brain on the train" suggest an escape from reality and a desire to leave behind the pressures of society and conformity.
Line by Line Meaning
Why should I care?
The singer questions why he should care about the topic at hand.
Girls of fifteen
Refers to young girls who are sexually aware at a young age.
Sexually knowing
These young girls are aware and knowledgeable about sex.
The ushers are sniffing
The movie ushers are using cologne to enhance their attractiveness to the young girls.
Eau-de-cologning
A play on words, highlighting the use of cologne by the ushers.
The seats are seductive
The movie theater seats are designed to be attractive and appealing to the audience.
Celibate sitting
The audience is sitting celibately, meaning without engaging in sexual activity.
Pretty girls digging
Young girls are admiring and attracted to older, more beautiful women in the theater.
Prettier women
The older, more beautiful women in the theater who are being admired by the young girls.
Magically bored
Feeling bored in a magical way, as if it is a fun and exciting experience.
On a quiet street corner
Refers to a location where people can be alone and do what they please.
Free frustration
Being able to express frustration without fear of consequences or judgment.
In our minds and our toes
Frustration is felt throughout the body, not just in the mind.
Quiet storm water
Refers to a calm, yet intense body of water, which could represent the singer's emotions.
M-m-my generation
A stuttering effect to emphasize the generation the singer belongs to.
Uppers and downers
Refers to drugs that stimulate or depress the central nervous system.
Either way blood flows
Regardless of whether the drugs are uppers or downers, they still affect blood flow.
Inside outside, leave me alone
The singer wants to be left alone and doesn't want to be bothered.
Inside outside, nowhere is home
The singer feels lost and doesn't have a sense of belonging or home.
Inside outside, where have I been?
The singer questions where he has been, both physically and emotionally.
Out of my brain on the 5:15
Being intoxicated or high to the point of being out of control and unable to think properly.
Out of my brain on the train
The singer is out of control because of drugs, intoxication or general confusion, while on the train.
A raft in the quarry
A makeshift raft floating in a small body of water in a quarry.
Slowly sinking
The raft is sinking slowly.
Back of a lorry
The back of a shipping truck.
Holy hitching
Refers to hitchhiking on the back of a truck without any concerns.
Dreadfully sorry
Extremely apologetic for something.
Apple scrumping
Refers to stealing apples from someone's orchard.
Born in a war
The singer was born during a time of war, possibly indicating hardship.
Birthday punching
A physical game played on someone's birthday where the individual is punched for each year of their life.
He man drag
A confident, macho walk or stance.
In the glittering ballroom
Refers to an extravagant, fancy dance hall.
Gravely outrageous
Behavior that is both serious and shocking at the same time.
In my high heel shoes
The singer is wearing high heel shoes, which could represent a desire to fit in or stand out.
Tightly undone
Clothing that is undone yet still tightly fitting.
Know what they're showing
Being aware of what others are doing or presenting to the world.
Sadly ecstatic
Feeling both happy and sad at the same time.
That their heroes are news
People are idolizing celebrities or public figures and following their every move.
Out of my brain on the train, on the train
Repeating the earlier lyrics to emphasize the singer's intoxication or confusion.
I'm out of my brain
The singer is completely out of control either due to drugs, intoxication or general confusion.
Lyrics © Abkco Music, Inc.
Written by: PETER TOWNSHEND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind