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.
Shake the Tree
Thunder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wanna quit the smoke and move on out
I've been missing something, I've been changing fast
Just took 'til now to work it out
I wanna feel the distance, I wanna see the sky
I wanna sit and watch that river flow
I can't wait forever and if I'm gonna reap
So I'm gonna shake the tree and go
Got a beautiful woman, got the friends I need
All I'd be leaving is this place
I was born and raised here and the roots run deep
But I've gotta put that smile back on my face
See the colours changing as the seasons turn around
No traffic booming in my ears
I'd maybe miss the madness
But I've seen enough of that to let me know
That I've gotta shake the tree and go
Move on out now,oh
Here we go
I've been thinking about it for so long now
Wanna quit the smoke and move on out
I've been missing something, I've been changing fast
Just took 'til now to work it out
I wanna feel the distance, I wanna see the sky
I wanna sit and watch that river flow
I can't wait forever and if I'm gonna reap
I've gotta sew
I've gotta shake the tree and go
I've gotta shake the tree and go
Move out of the City
Cash my chips and quit
Shake the tree and go
The lyrics of the song Shake the Tree by Thunder reflect a deep desire for change and a new beginning. The singer has been thinking about leaving behind his current situation and set out to explore new horizons. He feels he's missing something, and despite having a good life with a beautiful woman and loyal friends, he needs to move on to find what he's looking for.
The imagery used in the song helps to convey the sense of liberation that the singer feels. He wants to feel the distance, see the sky, and watch the river flow, indicating a desire to reconnect with nature and distance himself from the urban, noisy environment he's living in. The changing seasons and absence of traffic noise symbolize his longing for a simpler, quieter life.
The chorus expresses the singer's determination to make a change and shake things up. He knows that if he wants to reap any benefits, he must take action and sew the seeds of change. The repetition of the line 'I've gotta shake the tree and go' reinforces the idea that the singer is not just thinking about changing his life, but he's determined to take the leap.
Overall, the song Shake the Tree by Thunder is an optimistic and uplifting anthem about making a new start and shaking off old habits and familiarity in pursuit of personal growth and fulfillment.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been thinking about it so long now
I have been contemplating this decision for an extended period.
Wanna quit the smoke and move on out
I want to leave the toxic environment that I am in.
I've been missing something, I've been changing fast
There is something absent in my life, and I have been evolving quickly.
Just took 'til now to work it out
It has taken me until this moment to realize what was missing.
I wanna feel the distance, I wanna see the sky
I long to experience a sense of space and see the vastness of the sky.
I wanna sit and watch that river flow
I desire to enjoy the peacefulness of watching a river's flow.
I can't wait forever and if I'm gonna reap, I've gotta sew
I cannot procrastinate indefinitely, and if I desire success, I must start working on it.
So I'm gonna shake the tree and go
I am going to make a change and leave my current situation.
Got a beautiful woman, got the friends I need
I am fortunate to have a lovely partner and supportive friends.
All I'd be leaving is this place
The only thing I will be abandoning is this location.
I was born and raised here and the roots run deep
I have a strong connection to my birthplace and my heritage.
But I've gotta put that smile back on my face
However, I must prioritize my own happiness.
See the colours changing as the seasons turn around
I want to experience nature's cycles and witness the changing colors of the seasons.
No traffic booming in my ears
I want to escape the noise pollution of the city.
I'd maybe miss the madness
Perhaps I would become nostalgic for the craziness of my previous environment.
But I've seen enough of that to let me know
However, I have experienced enough of that chaos to recognize that I need to leave.
That I've gotta shake the tree and go
Therefore, it is indisputable that I must shake things up and move forward.
Move on out now,oh
I am leaving this place behind, right now.
Here we go
I am taking the first steps toward a new beginning.
Cash my chips and quit
I am ready to cut my losses and give up my current circumstances.
Move out of the City
I am leaving the bustling environment of the metropolis.
I've gotta shake the tree and go
There is no question that I must make a drastic move and leave.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: LUKE MORLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind