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 Pride
Thunder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Running marathons against the wind
Underdog in the lions den
You feel them closing in
Nobody wants another mouth to feed
And no-one's gonna give it up
Break your back swimming upstream
You could do with a little luck
It's the pride that keeps you fighting
When you're stumbling underneath the weight
When you're dying inside but you can't show the other side
It's the pride that keeps you safe
Sometimes when it's all a mess
You wonder what you're doing wrong
Cos you can't change your horse midstream
Too late to sing another song
Bite your lip, take some medicine
Visualize a better day
Cos what's another mountain in the way?
It's the pride that burns inside you
Says you ain't lost nothing till it's gone
It's the pride that keeps you striving
When you can't go on
It's the pride that burns inside you
Says you ain't lost nothing till it's gone
It's the pride gonna keep you trying
All night long, all night long
It's the pride that keeps you striving
When you can't go on
When l hope is gone
The Pride by Thunder is a song about perseverance and holding onto the sense of pride that keeps us fighting through difficult times. The opening lines establish the theme of the song, as the singer sings about being dealt a difficult hand and feeling surrounded by obstacles. Despite the odds stacked against them, the singer holds onto their sense of pride as they navigate these challenges.
The chorus reinforces this idea, highlighting how this pride keeps the singer fighting even when they feel like they're dying inside. It's a sense of inner strength that allows them to continue despite the difficulties they face. The second verse expands on this theme, acknowledging that sometimes things will feel like a mess and we may question what we're doing wrong. But, regardless of our doubts, it's our pride that keeps us striving towards a better day.
Line by Line Meaning
You're dealt the hand of the little man
You feel like you have been given a disadvantageous situation, like you are not in control of your circumstances.
Running marathons against the wind
You are trying extremely hard, but are not making much progress.
Underdog in the lions den
You are in a vulnerable position, surrounded by people or situations that are more powerful than you are.
You feel them closing in
You feel pressure from those around you, and it is causing you stress and anxiety.
Nobody wants another mouth to feed
You feel like you are being seen as a burden or an extra responsibility by those around you.
And no-one's gonna give it up
You feel like you can't count on anyone else to help you out of your situation.
Break your back swimming upstream
You are trying to make progress, but it is incredibly difficult and exhausting.
You could do with a little luck
You feel like just a small stroke of good fortune could make a big difference in your life.
It's the pride that keeps you fighting
Your own sense of pride and determination is what drives you to keep going despite the challenges you face.
When you're stumbling underneath the weight
Even when you are struggling and feeling overwhelmed, you keep pushing yourself to keep moving forward.
When you're dying inside but you can't show the other side
You are dealing with intense emotions and feelings, but feel like you have to hide them from others in order to keep going.
It's the pride that keeps you safe
Your sense of pride and self-respect is what helps you feel secure and stable even in difficult situations.
Sometimes when it's all a mess
There are times when everything seems to be falling apart and you don't know what to do.
You wonder what you're doing wrong
You question your own choices and actions, wondering if you are the source of your problems.
Cos you can't change your horse midstream
You feel like you are stuck with the situation you are in, and can't easily make significant changes.
Too late to sing another song
You feel like it is too late to start over or take a different approach.
Bite your lip, take some medicine
You need to push through the pain and discomfort of your situation in order to keep going.
Visualize a better day
You try to focus on a more positive future, as a way of getting through the present difficulties.
Cos what's another mountain in the way?
You see the challenges in your life as obstacles to be overcome, rather than as insurmountable barriers.
It's the pride that burns inside you
Your own sense of pride and self-worth is what motivates and drives you.
Says you ain't lost nothing till it's gone
You believe that as long as you have your sense of pride and dignity, you haven't truly lost anything.
It's the pride that keeps you striving
Your own sense of pride and ambition is what keeps you moving forward and working towards your goals.
It's the pride gonna keep you trying
Your sense of pride and determination is what will help you persevere through difficult times.
All night long, all night long
You will keep trying and fighting for as long as it takes.
When l hope is gone
Even when it seems like there is no hope left, your sense of pride and determination will help you keep going.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: LUKE MORLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind