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.
Carol Ann
Thunder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I opened up my eyes
Exploding head on top of my bed
Broken and mystified
I was out of my clothes with my boots on
My mouth was cotton dry
Strange perfume all around the room
But I couldn't work out why
So I turned my face just a little
And all that I could see
Was a couple of empty bottles
Two glasses and debris
Like a train it hit me
That I hadn't been alone
I saw the shoe and the lipstick
Then I pick up the telephone
Carol Ann
I found your number on the back of my hand
Carol Ann
Tell me who the hell are you
Carol Ann
I don't remember anything with you
Carol Ann
And I don't remember you
No I don't remember you
Would it be wrong if I asked you
To describe yourself to me
Maybe I'll have a flashback
Or a tiny memory
Maybe it's better forgotten
I'm just desperate to know
I must have been pretty average
For you to get out of bed and go
Carol Ann
Are you a babe or do you look like a man?
Carol Ann
Was I any good for you?
Carol Ann
Is this the start of something or a one night stand?
Carol Ann
I just got to know the truth
A little paranoia, a little insecure
What if you come knocking at my door?
Would I let you in?
Carol Ann
I found your number on the back of my hand
Carol Ann
Tell me who the hell are you
Carol Ann
Said, I don't remember anything with you
Carol Ann
And I don't remember you
Carol Ann
Are you a babe or do you look like a man?
I just got to know the truth
The lyrics of Thunder's song Carol Ann tell a story of a person who wakes up after a night out, feeling broken and confused. As the person looks around the room, they realize that they are not alone and that there are signs of someone else's presence. The person finds a lipstick and a shoe before discovering a phone number written on their hand. The person then calls the number, hoping to find out who this mysterious Carol Ann is and what happened the night before.
The lyrics suggest that the person is in a state of paranoia and insecurity as they question their own memory and attractiveness. The person wonders if they were any good for Carol Ann and if this was the start of something more or just a one night stand. At the end of the song, the person is still left with many unanswered questions about Carol Ann and whether or not they should let this person back into their life again.
The song tells a relatable story of waking up after a night out and feeling unsure of what happened the night before. The lyrics capture the feelings of vulnerability and insecurity that come with being in such a situation.
Line by Line Meaning
I wanted to die this morning
The singer is feeling extremely low and hopeless
When I opened up my eyes
The singer woke up from sleep
Exploding head on top of my bed
The singer's head is pounding with pain
Broken and mystified
The artist is confused and lost
I was out of my clothes with my boots on
The artist is still dressed from the previous night
My mouth was cotton dry
The singer's mouth is dry, indicating dehydration
Strange perfume all around the room
There is an unfamiliar smell present in the room
But I couldn't work out why
The artist is unable to understand the situation
So I turned my face just a little
The artist is trying to get a better look at the surroundings
And all that I could see
The artist's vision is limited
Was a couple of empty bottles
There are empty bottles present in the room
Two glasses and debris
There is evidence of a previous night's activity
Like a train it hit me
The reality of the situation suddenly becomes clear to the singer
That I hadn't been alone
The singer realizes that someone else was there with them
I saw the shoe and the lipstick
The singer notices items left behind by the other person
Then I picked up the telephone
The artist decides to investigate the situation further
Carol Ann
The artist addresses the person they are calling
I found your number on the back of my hand
The singer has a phone number written on their hand
Tell me who the hell are you
The singer demands to know the identity of the other person
I don't remember anything with you
The artist has no recollection of their interactions with the other person
And I don't remember you
The artist has no memory of who the other person is
Would it be wrong if I asked you
The artist is hesitant to ask the other person a question
To describe yourself to me
The singer wants the other person to describe their physical appearance
Maybe I'll have a flashback
The artist hopes that hearing more about the other person may trigger a memory
Or a tiny memory
The singer may only remember a small detail about the other person
Maybe it's better forgotten
The singer is unsure if they want to remember the events of the previous night
I'm just desperate to know
The singer is very curious about the other person
I must have been pretty average
The artist is self-conscious about their performance
For you to get out of bed and go
The other person left after the encounter
Are you a babe or do you look like a man?
The singer is confused about the gender of the other person
Was I any good for you?
The singer is concerned about their performance during the encounter
Is this the start of something or a one night stand?
The artist is unsure if the encounter had any meaning or if it was just a one-time event
I just got to know the truth
The artist wants the other person to be honest with them
A little paranoia, a little insecure
The artist is feeling uncertain and fearful
What if you come knocking at my door?
The singer is concerned about the other person showing up unexpectedly
Would I let you in?
The artist is unsure if they want to see the other person again
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Luke Morley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind