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.
Bigger Than Both Of Us
Thunder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I really ought to leave you baby but I just can't walk away
Every time we touch each other the spark reach the flame
There's a voice that's keeping us together 'til the grave
Don't you feel the power?
Don't you get that rush?
'Cause it's bigger than both of us
Every time I leave you I can't get on the bus
'Cause it's bigger than both of us
It's bigger than both of us
Oh yeah
I try to be so good to you but we always seam to fight
It doesn't matter what I do it's the same thing every night
I send you flowers yesterday but they only made you sneeze
What am I gonna do with you, I'm don't on my knees
Don't you feel the power?
Don't you get that rush?
'Cause it's bigger than both of us
I know you feel that feeling
So don't make a fuss
'Cause it's bigger than both of us
It's bigger than both of us
I can't fight this Hiberts Dream, it's got me in it's grip
One touch from the look of you just just sends me on a trip
I'll just take off the strips and walk away I guess
This love ain't nothing like the rest
HAHAHA
Oh, baby, sure it is
We're getting higher baby, we're gonna fly
You know we can't deny
Can you buy it?
Oh
Don't you feel the power?
Don't you get that rush?
'Cause it's bigger than both of us
Every time I leave you I can't get on the bus
'Cause it's bigger than both of us
It's bigger than both of us
Oh yeah
It's bigger than both of us
You can't fight it baby
You can't hide it from me
You know you can't deny it
It's gonna take over
You're powerless to resist it
Do you know why?
I said, Do you know why?
I'll tell you why!
Because it's bigger than both of us
HAHA yes it is
The song "Bigger Than Both Of Us" by Thunder explores a love that is so intense and powerful, it seems to be beyond the control of both partners. The lyrics speak of the struggle to maintain the relationship, despite the constant fighting and disagreements that seem to plague them. However, despite the difficulties, they are unable to walk away from each other. Every time they touch, the passion ignites and they are consumed by their desire. There is a feeling of inevitability that they will remain together, no matter what happens.
The chorus repeats the phrase "it's bigger than both of us", emphasizing the idea that this love is something that goes beyond their individual selves. It seems to have a life of its own, and they are powerless to resist it. The song suggests that this kind of love is rare and special, and even though it may be difficult to maintain, it is worth fighting for.
Overall, "Bigger Than Both Of Us" is a song about the power of love and the way it can consume us. It captures the intensity and passion of a relationship that is both challenging and rewarding, and suggests that sometimes we have to surrender control to something that is greater than ourselves.
Line by Line Meaning
I really wanna talk to you about the way we both behave
I want to discuss our behavior with each other
I really ought to leave you baby but I just can't walk away
Although I know I should go, I can't bring myself to leave you
Every time we touch each other the spark reach the flame
Our physical connection ignites passion between us
There's a voice that's keeping us together 'til the grave
Something is holding us together for life
Don't you feel the power?
Do you sense the intensity?
Don't you get that rush?
Do you experience that exhilaration?
'Cause it's bigger than both of us
Because it's a force beyond our control
Every time I leave you I can't get on the bus
Leaving you is so difficult, it's hard to move on
I try to be so good to you but we always seam to fight
Despite my efforts, we argue frequently
It doesn't matter what I do it's the same thing every night
No matter what I do, our routine doesn't change
I send you flowers yesterday but they only made you sneeze
Even my romantic gestures go awry
What am I gonna do with you, I'm don't on my knees
I don't know how to handle the difficulty of our relationship
I know you feel that feeling
I understand you experience the same emotion
So don't make a fuss
Don't complain unnecessarily
I can't fight this Hiberts Dream, it's got me in it's grip
I'm unable to resist this intense attraction
One touch from the look of you just sends me on a trip
A single encounter with you drives me wild
I'll just take off the strips and walk away I guess
I'll extract myself from this situation and leave
This love ain't nothing like the rest
Our relationship is different from others
We're getting higher baby, we're gonna fly
Our affection is growing and will soar to greater heights
You know we can't deny
We can't ignore what we feel
Can you buy it?
Can you believe it?
You can't fight it baby
You can't resist this feeling
You can't hide it from me
You can't keep it a secret from me
It's gonna take over
It will dominate us
You're powerless to resist it
You can't control your attraction to me
Do you know why?
Do you understand why this is happening?
I'll tell you why!
Let me explain why!
Because it's bigger than both of us
It's a force beyond our control and comprehension
Contributed by Tyler W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.