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.
The Devil Made Me Do It
Thunder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A Mass of hormones with legs on
I didn't know what to do, I did not have a clue
I was tissues and tension
All the girls my won age
They never really did it for me
I needed someone more sophisticated
Bless me father for I have sinned and I'm a low life
Will I still be able to see?
I'd nothing to do with it
The Devil made me do it
Don't put the blame on me
It's a travesty
I met a guy who was rich and a bit f a fool
And his girlfriend was beautiful
I never worked out the reason I liked him so much
Till I saw her lying by his pool
When she caught me staring
She smiled in that wicked way
To my surprise there was a knock at my door
And there she was the next day
I'm riding on a Rocket, I'm powerless to stop it
I tried to push her away
But I guess she knew it
The Devil'd make me do it
Tell me what do you say?
When it's gonna happen anyway
The Devil made me do it, the Devil made me do it
He really made me do it, yes the Devil made me do it
I'm riding on a Rocket, I'm powerless to stop it
I tried to push her away
But I guess she knew it
The Devil'd make me do it
Tell me what do you say?
When it's gonna happen anyway
In the song "The Devil Made Me Do It" by Thunder, the lyrics depict a young, inexperienced boy dealing with his hormones and sexual desires. He reveals his frustration with girls his own age, and instead seeks out someone more sophisticated, finding her in a magazine. He then meets a rich man and his beautiful girlfriend but is powerless to stop his attraction to her. He tries to push her away, but it seems as though the Devil has taken over, making him give in to his desires.
The song tackles the idea of temptation and the struggle between good and evil. The boy knows that his actions are wrong, and he seeks forgiveness from the church, saying "bless me father for I have sinned." However, he still blames the Devil for his actions, claiming that he had nothing to do with it. The lyrics suggest that sometimes, we may give in to our desires, even though we know they are wrong. The use of the phrase "the Devil made me do it" is a common way of shirking responsibility, blaming outside forces for our actions instead of taking accountability.
In conclusion, the song "The Devil Made Me Do It" delves into the topic of temptation and the struggle between good and evil. The lyrics depict a young boy's journey as he tries to navigate his sexual desires and ultimately give in to temptation. The phrase "the Devil made me do it" is a prevalent theme throughout the song, as the boy blames external forces for his actions rather than taking responsibility.
Line by Line Meaning
I was a young kid of thirteen, never been kissed
I was an inexperienced and immature teenager who had never had a physical relationship.
All the girls my won age
They never really did it for me
I needed someone more sophisticated
And I found her in a magazine
I was not attracted to girls my age and needed someone more mature, which led me to find pleasure in a magazine.
Bless me father for I have sinned and I'm a low life
Will I still be able to see?
I feel guilty for my actions and wonder if I can still seek redemption despite being a bad person.
I'd nothing to do with it
The Devil made me do it
Don't put the blame on me
It's a travesty
I seek to absolve myself of responsibility for my actions and blame them on the influence of the devil.
I met a guy who was rich and a bit f a fool
And his girlfriend was beautiful
I never worked out the reason I liked him so much
Till I saw her lying by his pool
I befriended a rich and foolish man because of his beautiful girlfriend, whom I desired.
When she caught me staring
She smiled in that wicked way
To my surprise there was a knock at my door
And there she was the next day
The woman I desired noticed my attraction and pursued me, leading to a sexual encounter.
I'm riding on a Rocket, I'm powerless to stop it
I tried to push her away
But I guess she knew it
The Devil'd make me do it
Tell me what do you say?
When it's gonna happen anyway
Despite my attempts to resist, I gave in to temptation and engaged in the affair, believing that the devil was behind my actions and that it was inevitable.
The Devil made me do it, the Devil made me do it
He really made me do it, yes the Devil made me do it
I reiterate my belief that my actions were the fault of the devil, not myself.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: LUKE MORLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
eoin913
Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45am 16th May. Many, many friends and family were able to say their private good-byes before he peacefully passed away. Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all. We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us. Please give us a few days of privacy to deal with this terrible loss. Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever. - Wendy Dio
ecptz2002
The video is hilarious, sick and so off the wall it's brilliant. The song itself is utterly brilliant, put together, it's brilliant. Shame the band couldn't keep up the consistency in their studio albums. They'll probably make one of the best ever live or compilation albums.
Jeff Hyggen
Thunder...always loved them. It would be nice if they had more videos on YouTube.
lotion power
I love this song, if acdc made The same song it would have 25 million views , The vocals riffs all perfect
Demon
This is one of the best songs I have heard in a long time and the video fits it so well.
Schsim
wow that song is incredible...its now probably my fave song of Thunder and one of my fave songs of any artist...awesome work!
Adam Thistlethwaite
Absolutley bloody marvelous song!
mark k
This band is INSANELY FREAKING GOOD!!!! They should have been HUGE cuz theyre that damn bloody good!
Francelia Karlee
Hello mark good morning how are you doing today?
Snit's Dog & Pony Show
Tragically under appreciated in the states..truly a great band