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.
Like A Satellite
Thunder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Imagining a place where you'll be starting off your day,
I fight the distance with a picture in my head,
But I don't know when I'll see you,
I guess I'll have to dream instead,
You're so far away,
If I could I'd be with you,
Even if for just one day.
'Cause if I close my eyes and dream on,
I can fool myself with sound and vision,
Like a satellite reaching out through the night,
I could almost be touching you.
And when we're talking long distance on the phone,
You know it makes me feel like I'm not so alone,
The situation never causes me pain,
The comminucation that we have is on another plane,
All the waiting makes me stronger,
And the time between us flies
Whenever I close my eyes and dream on,
I can fool myself with sound and vision,
Like a satellite reaching out through the night,
I could almost be touching you.
If I could I'd be with you,
Even if for just one day,
Those miles between us, they just start fading away.
Whenever I close my eyes and dream on,
I can fool myself with sound and vision,
Like a satellite reaching out through the night,
I could almost be touching you.
The lyrics to Thunder's song "Like A Satellite" evoke the theme of distance and longing for someone who is far away. The singer confesses to daydreaming about a place where the person they miss is beginning their day, and though they fight the distance, they aren't sure when they will see this person again. The idea of dreams and imagination as a way of bridging the physical gap between them comes up multiple times, with the singer acknowledging that the waiting and the pain of separation actually makes them stronger. When they speak on the phone, it provides a sense of comfort that helps them feel less alone.
The repeated image of a satellite reaching out through the night is especially poignant, emphasizing the sense of distance and the singer's desire to connect with this person in any way they can. The song as a whole seems to be a reminder that even when we can't be with the people we care about physically, we can still find ways to feel close to them, whether through dreams or communication. In that way, it's a song about the power of connection and the resilience of human emotion.
Line by Line Meaning
In the quiet of evening I start to drift away,
I begin to daydream in the peaceful moment of the evening,
Imagining a place where you'll be starting off your day,
I visualize in my mind where you might be as you begin your day,
I fight the distance with a picture in my head,
I combat the physical distance between us by picturing you in my mind,
But I don't know when I'll see you,
However, I am unsure of when I will have the opportunity to see you in person,
I guess I'll have to dream instead,
So I suppose I will have to rely on my dreams to feel close to you,
You're so far away,
It is a fact that you are physically distant from me,
If I could I'd be with you,
If it were possible, I would choose to be with you,
Even if for just one day.
Even if it were just for a single day.
'Cause if I close my eyes and dream on,
As I close my eyes and imagine,
I can fool myself with sound and vision,
I can trick myself with auditory and visual sensations,
Like a satellite reaching out through the night,
Similar to a satellite extending into the darkness,
I could almost be touching you.
It feels like I could almost physically feel you beside me.
And when we're talking long distance on the phone,
When we speak through the phone over a long distance,
You know it makes me feel like I'm not so alone,
I feel like I am not as lonely as I may be,
The situation never causes me pain,
Our situation does not bring me emotional distress,
The communication that we have is on another plane,
Our method of communication exists on a separate level entirely,
All the waiting makes me stronger,
The anticipation of our eventual meeting fortifies me,
And the time between us flies
And the time appears to pass quickly despite our distance.
Whenever I close my eyes and dream on,
Whenever I daydream,
I can fool myself with sound and vision,
I can deceive myself through my senses,
Like a satellite reaching out through the night,
Similar to a satellite extending into the darkness,
I could almost be touching you.
It feels like I could almost physically feel you beside me.
If I could I'd be with you,
If it were possible, I would choose to be with you,
Even if for just one day,
Even if it were just for a single day,
Those miles between us, they just start fading away.
The physical distance between us begins to seem less and less relevant.
Whenever I close my eyes and dream on,
Whenever I daydream,
I can fool myself with sound and vision,
I can deceive myself through my senses,
Like a satellite reaching out through the night,
Similar to a satellite extending into the darkness,
I could almost be touching you.
It feels like I could almost physically feel you beside me.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Luke Morley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Judith Overton
In the quiet of evening I start to drift away,
Imagining a place where you'll be starting off your day,
I fight the distance with a picture in my head,
But I don't know when I'll see you,
I guess I'll have to dream instead,
You're so far away,
If I could I'd be with you,
Even if for just one day.
'Cause if I close my eyes and dream on,
I can fool myself with sound and vision,
Like a satellite reaching out through the night,
I could almost be touching you.
And when we're talking long distance on the phone,
You know it makes me feel like I'm not so alone,
The situation never causes me pain,
The comminucation that we have is on another plane,
All the waiting makes me stronger,
And the time between us flies
Whenever I close my eyes and dream…
Rafael S
PT - BR
Thunder - Como Um Satélite
No silêncio da noite, começo a me afastar
Imaginando em um lugar onde você estaria começando o seu dia
Eu luto a distância com uma imagem na minha cabeça
Mas eu não sei quando vou te ver
Acho que vou ter que sonhar
Você está tão longe
Se eu pudesse estar, estaria com você, mesmo que por apenas um dia
Porque se eu fechar meus olhos, e sonhar
Eu posso me enganar em som e visão
Como um satélite, alcançando a noite
Eu quase posso te tocar
Oh, quando estamos conversando, longa distância no telefone
Você sabe que isso me faz sentir como se não estivesse tão sozinho
A situação nunca me causa dor
A comunicação que temos
Está em outro plano
Toda a espera me fortalece
E o tempo entre nós voa
Sempre que fecho meus olhos, e sonho com
Eu posso me enganar em som e visão
Como um satélite, alcançando a noite
Eu quase posso te tocar
Se eu pudesse estar, estaria com você, mesmo que por apenas um dia
Essas milhas entre nós, eles apenas começam a desaparecer
Sempre que fecho meus olhos, e sonho com
Eu posso me enganar em som e visão
Como um satélite, alcançando a noite
Eu quase posso te tocar
Como um satélite
Uh, como um satélite
Rafael S
Lyrics
Thunder - Like A Satellite
In the quiet of evening, I start to drift away
Imagining in a place where you'd be starting off your day
I fight the distance with a picture in my head
but I don't know when I'll see you
I guess I'll have to dream instead
You're so far away
If I could be, I'd be with you, even if, for just one day
'Cause if i close my eyes, and dream on
I can fool myself in sound and vision
Like a satellite, reaching out through the night
I can almost be touching you
Oh, when we're talking, long distance on the phone
you know it makes me feel like I'm not so alone
The situation never causes me pain
the communication that we have
is on another plane
All the waiting makes me stronger
and the time between us flys
Whenever I close my eyes, and dream on
I can fool myself in sound and vision
Like a satellite, reaching out thru the night
I can almost be touching you
If I could be, I'd be with you, even if, for just one day
Those miles between us, they just start fading away
Whenever I close my eyes, and dream on
I can fool myself in sound and vision
Like a satellite, reaching out thru the night
I can almost be touching you
Like a satellite
Uh, like a satellite
RockMetal Archivist
under rated band , and treasure songs ! \m/
Higsterx
A great trip down memory lane...one of my favourite Thunder songs
Judith Overton
In the quiet of evening I start to drift away,
Imagining a place where you'll be starting off your day,
I fight the distance with a picture in my head,
But I don't know when I'll see you,
I guess I'll have to dream instead,
You're so far away,
If I could I'd be with you,
Even if for just one day.
'Cause if I close my eyes and dream on,
I can fool myself with sound and vision,
Like a satellite reaching out through the night,
I could almost be touching you.
And when we're talking long distance on the phone,
You know it makes me feel like I'm not so alone,
The situation never causes me pain,
The comminucation that we have is on another plane,
All the waiting makes me stronger,
And the time between us flies
Whenever I close my eyes and dream…
Muhsin Öztürk
Best thunder album is laughing on jufgement day and brilliant song
Blackdog
Such a band, what makes the album work is the bass. So underrated and just connects the melody and Harry's groove.
Jas Cole99
One of my favourites from this legendary band 👌🏼
Lee Johnson
What a voice
Switchblade romance
Remember how they were greeted at Donington!!!🇬🇧🎸🤘
David Gadea
Yeah !!!... I came from a satellite from Mars where the Leppardettes Sent Me !!! And I'll be Glad to return to Earth Again to Have Fun and Joy with Tons of Love !!!
Salud y Vida Pa'lante !!! Cheers and Life On !!!
Karim Hetfield
Amazingly beautiful \m/ a huge fan from morocco