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.
Shooting at the Sun
Thunder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'm not the man you met
You say I'm distant and evasive
Like I'm hiding some regret
And you're going on and on, but you've got something wrong
'Cause if I can't feel love then why do I break
If I can't feel love and all that love is
And I'm lying then what are these tears?
If I can't feel love
I know sometimes I get caught up
In whatever's on my mind, yeah
But if I keep it all within me
I don't mean to be unkind
You know I don't, oh baby
So when it all gets out of hand, sweet darling
You must understand
That if I can't feel love I'd be wasting your time
And I couldn't live with all the guilt that I'd find
If I can't feel love when I look in your face
I'd be worthless, as empty as space
If I can't feel love
So anytime any day, sweet darling
Don't hesitate
Just talk to me and I'll make you see
All you gotta do is believe what I say, darling
'Cause if I can't feel love then why do I break
Whenever I see you and you're smiling my way?
If I can't feel love and all that love is
And I'm lying then what are these tears?
If I can't feel love
Oh, if I can't feel love
The lyrics of "Shooting at the Sun" by Thunder revolve around the theme of doubt and insecurity in a relationship. The singer's partner accuses him of changing and becoming more distant and evasive, as if he's hiding something from her. Despite the accusations, the singer tries to convince his partner that he's still in love with her and that he's not lying or trying to avoid her. He asks why he would break whenever he sees her smiling if he can't feel love or why he would shed tears if he's lying about his feelings.
In the second verse, the singer admits that sometimes he gets caught up in his own thoughts and worries, but he assures his partner that he doesn't mean to be unkind. He asks for her understanding and support, emphasizing that if he really couldn't feel love, he would be wasting her time and feeling guilty about it. The bridge reiterates the singer's commitment to the relationship and his willingness to listen to his partner and help her believe in his feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
You tell me lately I've been changing
You have mentioned to me that I am no longer the same as before
And I'm not the man you met
You believe that I am different from the person you initially encountered
You say I'm distant and evasive
You think that I am aloof and avoiding you
Like I'm hiding some regret
You perceive that I have some remorse that I am concealing
And you're going on and on, but you've got something wrong
Although you are repeatedly expressing your thoughts, your point is not entirely accurate
'Cause if I can't feel love then why do I break
If I am incapable of experiencing love, why do I become emotional around you?
Whenever I see you smiling my way?
Whenever you smile at me, why do I get emotional if I cannot feel love?
If I can't feel love and all that love is
If I am devoid of the comprehension of love and all its aspects
And I'm lying then what are these tears?
If I am insincere, then why do tears well up in my eyes?
If I can't feel love
If I am incapable of experiencing love
I know sometimes I get caught up
I am aware that occasionally I get preoccupied
In whatever's on my mind, yeah
I get engrossed in my thoughts
But if I keep it all within me
However, if I choose not to share my thoughts
I don't mean to be unkind
It is not my intention to be callous
You know I don't, oh baby
You are aware that I do not harbor any malicious intent
So when it all gets out of hand, sweet darling
Therefore, when circumstances get chaotic, my love
You must understand
You should comprehend
That if I can't feel love I'd be wasting your time
If I am incapable of experiencing love, I will merely be consuming your time in vain
And I couldn't live with all the guilt that I'd find
Additionally, the guilt that I will eventually encounter will be too much to bear
If I can't feel love when I look in your face
If I am unable to comprehend love whenever I gaze into your eyes
I'd be worthless, as empty as space
I will be of no value, just like the emptiness in the vast universe
So anytime any day, sweet darling
Therefore, any time, my love
Don't hesitate
Do not be hesitant
Just talk to me and I'll make you see
Speak to me, and I will help you understand
All you gotta do is believe what I say, darling
All you need to do is have faith in what I say, my love
'Cause if I can't feel love then why do I break
If I am incapable of experiencing love, why do I get moved emotionally?
Whenever I see you and you're smiling my way?
Whenever you smile at me, why do I become emotional if I cannot feel love?
If I can't feel love and all that love is
If I do not possess the ability to comprehend love and all its aspects
And I'm lying then what are these tears?
If I am insincere, then why do tears well up in my eyes?
If I can't feel love
If I am incapable of experiencing love
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: LUKE MORLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
dan fraser
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