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.
Empty City
Thunder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wheel of fortune, sucking you into the game
It's a fatal attraction, that pulls you like a moth to the flame
Empty city, sitting waiting in the hills
Babylonian, promising all kinds of thrills
Here they all know what they want
And they chase it with a passion that kills
Empty city, what's easy come don't let it go
Count your money, every day it seems to grow
Build a wall around your dream, get a gun, don't let nobody close
Are you happy with the life that you chose?
She came in from the desert and the dust
And now she's trying to stay afloat on a crazy sea of lust
It's hard to love a city when that city has no heart
It'll rape your mind and sell your body
It'll tear your soul apart, tear it apart
'Cos when you scratch through the surface
You won't find a damn thing underneath
And everybody's moving on, that's why I believe
It's an empty city, it's an empty city
Empty city, it's calling your name
Wheel of fortune, sucking you into the game
It's a fatal attraction that pulls you like a moth to the flame
'Til you've forgotten your name, where the streets are lined with pain
But I can't stay away
It's an empty city, empty city
The lyrics to Thunder's song "Empty City" paint a vivid image of a desolate, barren metropolis that's beckoning the listener. The "wheel of fortune" has ensnared them, leading them down a path that's both seductive and deadly, like a moth drawn to a flame. The reference to Babylonian is particularly interesting since the ancient city was famed for its decadence and excess.
The contrast between the opening of the song where the city is described as “empty” and calling out to the listener to the later in the song where the streets are “lined with pain” creates a sense of loneliness and despair. It suggests that even though the city may offer opportunities, it ultimately comes at a great cost.
The lyrics also suggest that those living in the city have a preoccupation with material possessions and wealth. The line "Count your money, every day it seems to grow" suggests that financial gain is the primary motivation for the city's inhabitants. The lyric "build a wall around your dream, get a gun, don't let nobody close" highlights the isolation and loneliness that come with the pursuit of wealth.
Overall, "Empty City" is a cautionary tale of the dangers of becoming too caught up in materialism and the pursuit of wealth. The captivating allure of the city can lead people to forget their values and ultimately lose themselves in a desolate and lonely world.
Line by Line Meaning
Empty city, it's calling your name
The city is devoid of life and calling out to you in desperation.
Wheel of fortune, sucking you into the game
The allure of wealth in the city is like a never-ending game that pulls you in.
It's a fatal attraction, that pulls you like a moth to the flame
The attraction to the city can be deadly, like a moth being drawn towards a flame.
Empty city, sitting waiting in the hills
The city is devoid of life and waiting in the hills for someone to come and fill it.
Babylonian, promising all kinds of thrills
The city promises all kinds of pleasures like Babylon, but will ultimately leave you unfulfilled.
Here they all know what they want
The residents of the city are all focused on achieving their goals.
And they chase it with a passion that kills
The passion with which the residents pursue their goals will consume them until they are dead.
Empty city, what's easy come don't let it go
It's easy to make money in the empty city, and one shouldn't let it slip away.
Count your money, every day it seems to grow
Money flows easily in the empty city, with its promise of wealth and prosperity.
Build a wall around your dream, get a gun, don't let nobody close
One should be defensive and protective of their dreams and ambitions while living in the city.
Are you happy with the life that you chose?
Is the life you're living in the empty city truly fulfilling, or have you been lured by the promises of wealth?
She came in from the desert and the dust
The person in question came to the city in search of something better after living in the harsh environment of the desert.
And now she's trying to stay afloat on a crazy sea of lust
She is now trying to survive the city's craziness and lust for wealth and success.
It's hard to love a city when that city has no heart
The city lacks empathy and soul, making it difficult to develop a true attachment to it.
It'll rape your mind and sell your body
The city will take a toll on your mental and physical health for the sake of profit.
It'll tear your soul apart, tear it apart
The city will destroy your inner self, leaving you devoid of your humanity and individuality.
'Cos when you scratch through the surface
When you look deeper beyond the city's superficial façade,
You won't find a damn thing underneath
There is nothing substantial or meaningful to be discovered.
And everybody's moving on, that's why I believe
People are always leaving the empty city behind in search of something better, which makes the singer believe that it's not worth staying there.
It's an empty city, it's an empty city
The city is ultimately empty and hollow.
Empty city, it's calling your name
Despite its emptiness, the city continues to pull people in with its promises of wealth and prosperity.
Wheel of fortune, sucking you into the game
The city's endless game of wealth accumulation continues to lure people in.
It's a fatal attraction that pulls you like a moth to the flame
The allure of the city can be deadly and may consume you like a moth drawn towards a flame.
'Til you've forgotten your name, where the streets are lined with pain
In the city, you may lose your identity and sense of self, and the streets are lined with the suffering of those who have fallen victim to its emptiness.
But I can't stay away
Despite knowing the dangers of the city, the singer is unable to resist its pull.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Fintage House Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANDY TAYLOR, LUKE MORLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind