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.
A Million Faces
Thunder Lyrics
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I've never heard you sound so low
I've never felt your pain so deeply
And I just wanted you to know
'Cos when your smile feels like you're lying
When it's all too much to bear
There ain't no use denying
And as a million faces go by
You're gonna find a new connection
On that you can rely
And you'll feel your heart take wings and fly
But we've all gotta get a little broken sometimes
You say "what's the point in living?"
When your world's been torn apart
Well there ain't no shame in crying
And that's a pretty good place to start
'Cos as a million faces go by
There'll be more than one to touch you
And make sense of your life
You can harden yourself up all you like
But you're still gonna get a little broken sometimes
And though I know you don't believe it right now
You gonna get through this somehow
As time dulls the edge of the pain that you feel
You feel
And as a million faces go by
You'll find a new connection
On that you can rely
And you'll feel your heart take wings and fly, see it fly
You can harden yourself up all you like
But you're still gonna get a little broken sometimes
In Thunder's song "A Million Faces," the singer is addressing someone who is struggling with pain and feeling empty. The singer acknowledges that the person is hurting deeply, even if they try to put on a fake smile. The lyrics encourage the listener to find a place to put down the weight they are carrying and to not be ashamed of their pain because crying is a good starting point for healing.
The chorus repeats the phrase "as a million faces go by," suggesting that even though the person may feel alone in their pain, there are countless others who have gone through similar struggles. The lyrics offer hope that the person will eventually find a new connection and be able to rely on others to help make sense of their life. The line "you're still gonna get a little broken sometimes" emphasizes that dealing with pain and hardship is a normal and unavoidable part of life.
Overall, "A Million Faces" is a powerful and empathetic song about supporting someone through tough times and reminding them that their pain is valid.
Line by Line Meaning
I've never seen you look so empty
I have never seen you look so emotionally drained and hollow.
I've never heard you sound so low
I have never heard you sound so sad and hopeless.
I've never felt your pain so deeply
I have never felt your pain so acutely and intensely.
And I just wanted you to know
And I just wanted to let you know that I am aware of your struggles and that I care for you.
'Cos when your smile feels like you're lying
Because when your smile seems forced and insincere, like you're hiding your true emotions.
When it's all too much to bear
When your pain and suffering becomes too overwhelming to handle.
There ain't no use denying
There is no point in denying the reality of your struggles and emotions.
You gotta put that weight down somewhere
You have to find a way to release and cope with the burden of your emotional baggage.
And as a million faces go by
As countless people pass by in your life.
You're gonna find a new connection
You will find someone new, or reconnect with someone old, who understands and empathizes with you.
On that you can rely
Someone you can depend on and trust during your hardships.
And you'll feel your heart take wings and fly
You will feel your spirits lift and your happiness soar.
But we've all gotta get a little broken sometimes
But it's a normal and inevitable part of life to experience emotional pain and hardship.
You say "what's the point in living?"
You question the meaning and value of life.
When your world's been torn apart
When everything you once knew and held dear has been destroyed or lost.
Well there ain't no shame in crying
It is not shameful to express your emotions and cry when you are hurting.
And that's a pretty good place to start
Releasing your emotions through tears is a good way to begin coping and healing.
There'll be more than one to touch you
There will be many people who will comfort and support you.
And make sense of your life
They will help you understand and make sense of the difficult experiences you are going through.
You can harden yourself up all you like
You can try to become emotionally detached and toughen up, but it won't change the reality of your situation.
But you're still gonna get a little broken sometimes
You will still experience emotional pain and hardship no matter how much you try to avoid it.
And though I know you don't believe it right now
And even though you may not believe it at this moment.
You gonna get through this somehow
You will find a way to endure and overcome your struggles.
As time dulls the edge of the pain that you feel
As time passes, the intensity of your emotional pain will lessen.
You feel
You will begin to feel better and more emotionally stable over time.
You'll find a new connection
You will form a new bond or connection with someone.
You'll feel your heart take wings and fly, see it fly
You will experience a profound sense of joy and emotional freedom.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Motor Songs GmbH
Written by: LUKE MORLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind