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.
Honey
Thunder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Time you were on your way
The reason are clear as day
Don't you start to cry
Some things
Are doomed from the very start
Always knew we were destined to part
And it's stupid
Took my eye off the ball a minute
I had no life the moment you were in it
You just swept me away
Now I'm standing
Here in the ruins of regret
I'm in pieces but I'm not dead yet
Now I got something to say
Just take your car and your Jimmy Choos
The one thing that covers your lines
Top magazines, you can stick 'em all
Right where the sun never shines
Honey
I know that the pain will pass
And the anger I feel, it won't last
More than a million days
Now it's time you were on your way
I won't miss when you moan and groan
And bitch 'bout all of your friends
I bite my lip while you change your mind
Over and over again
And now we're at the end
Now it's time to go
It's time to go
Just take your car and your Jimmy Choos
The one thing that covers your lines
Top magazines, you can stick 'em all
Stick 'em right where the sun never shines
No more bitching 'bout all of your friends
Won't have to wait while you change your mind
Time and time again
Go on honey
You can call me
When you're a million miles away
Not before that day
In "Honey," Thunder is sending off an ex-partner who was not right for him. He acknowledges that it is time for her to leave, and although he knows there will be pain and anger, he realizes that it is ultimately for the best. He explains that there were signs from the beginning that their relationship would not work out, but he ignored them and got caught up in the moment. Now, he's left with nothing but regret and has something to say to his ex.
Thunder describes how his ex-partner was obsessed with material possessions such as designer Jimmy Choos and top magazines. He won't miss her constant complaining about her friends or her inability to make decisions easily. He's also making it clear that he doesn't want to hear from her anytime soon, and only when she is miles away from him.
The lyrics of "Honey" express the feeling of letting go of someone who wasn't a good fit for you. It's about having the strength to move on and acknowledging that everything will be alright in the end.
Line by Line Meaning
Time you were on your way
It's time for you to leave
The reason are clear as day
The reasons why you need to go are obvious
Don't you start to cry
Please don't cry when you leave
Some things
Certain matters
Are doomed from the very start
Destined to fail from the beginning
Always knew we were destined to part
I always knew we were meant to break up
But I pushed it aside
I ignored this fact
And it's stupid
It's foolish
Took my eye off the ball a minute
I lost focus for a moment
I had no life the moment you were in it
You consumed my life when you came into it
You just swept me away
You captured me completely
Now I'm standing
Now I find myself
Here in the ruins of regret
In a state of remorse
I'm in pieces but I'm not dead yet
I'm broken but I'm still alive
Now I got something to say
I have something to tell you
Just take your car and your Jimmy Choos
Take your car and your designer shoes
The one thing that covers your lines
The one thing that covers up your flaws
Top magazines, you can stick 'em all
You can keep all your expensive magazines
Right where the sun never shines
In a place where nobody can see them
Honey
Sweetheart
I know that the pain will pass
I know that the hurt will eventually go away
And the anger I feel, it won't last
My anger towards you won't last long
More than a million days
No longer than a million days
I won't miss when you moan and groan
I won't miss hearing you complain
And bitch 'bout all of your friends
And complain about all of your friends
I bite my lip while you change your mind
I keep quiet while you change your opinion
Over and over again
Repeatedly
And now we're at the end
And now our relationship is over
Now it's time to go
It's time for you to leave
Just take your car and your Jimmy Choos
Take your car and your designer shoes
Stick 'em right where the sun never shines
Put them in a place where nobody can see them
No more bitching 'bout all of your friends
No more complaining about your friends
Won't have to wait while you change your mind
I won't have to wait for you to make up your mind
Time and time again
Repeatedly
Go on honey
Go ahead, sweetheart
You can call me
You can contact me
When you're a million miles away
After you've gone far away
Not before that day
Not until then
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Wahana Musik Indonesia (WAMI), Cloud9, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Haven Gillespie, Richard Whiting, Seymour Simons
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind