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 Thing I Want
Thunder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A meteor 'cross the sky
She could light up the heavens
And bring a dead man back to life
Hey, she's alright, say, she's alright
She's looking like the bomb to me
Hey, she's alright, say, she's alright
With God given anatomy
She got the thing I want (The thing I want)
She got the thing I need (She got the thing I need)
Like the magic boomerang
She moves and time stands still
Outrageous, barely legal
Like a long-forbidden thrill
Hey, she's alright, say, she's alright
Can't you feel my urgency?
Hey, she's alright, say, she's alright
I'm desperate as I can be
She needs to give it all to me
She got the thing I want (The thing I want)
She got the thing I need (She got the thing I need)
You know she got the thing I need
So hard to find the words to say
Cause she takes my breath away
In Thunder's song "The Thing I Want," the singer describes a powerful and captivating woman who he is drawn to. He begins by using dynamic imagery, comparing her to a "laser," "rocket ship," and "meteor" to emphasize her energy and impact. He goes on to suggest that she has almost supernatural qualities and could "light up the heavens" or even "bring a dead man back to life." Through these lyrics, the singer creates a sense of awe and admiration towards this woman's abilities and allure.
The chorus of the song serves to highlight the singer's desire for this woman and the effect she has on him. He asserts that she has "the thing I want" and "the thing I need," repeating these phrases for emphasis. He describes her as a "magic boomerang," implying that he cannot escape her pull and that she has the power to stop time with her presence. The lyrics become more urgent as the singer expresses how desperate he is for this woman to give "it all" to him.
Overall, Thunder's "The Thing I Want" is an ode to the irresistible and mysterious qualities of a woman who has captured the singer's attention. Through vivid imagery and repetition, the song conveys the strength of the singer's desire and admiration for this woman's unique abilities and allure.
Line by Line Meaning
She's a laser, a rocket ship
She possesses a high powered energy like a laser and the ability to take off like a rocket ship.
A meteor 'cross the sky
She is like a meteor, a blazing trail of light and energy across the sky.
She could light up the heavens
She has the power to shine brighter than anything known and illuminate everything around her.
And bring a dead man back to life
She possesses the strength to revive someone's life force.
Hey, she's alright, say, she's alright
She's more than alright, she's amazing.
She's looking like the bomb to me
She is an explosive force and looks incredible.
From another galaxy
She is captivating and otherworldly.
With God given anatomy
Her physique is divine and looks like it was the creation of a higher power.
She got the thing I want (The thing I want)
She has exactly what I have been searching for.
She got the thing I need (She got the thing I need)
She has everything that I require right now.
Like the magic boomerang
She has a magical quality where everything she does has a return effect.
She moves and time stands still
Her presence is so commanding that everything around her pauses to take notice.
Outrageous, barely legal
Her actions are bold and rebellious and seem to challenge societal norms.
Like a long-forbidden thrill
She is like a forbidden fruit, which only makes her more desirable.
Can't you feel my urgency?
My sense of needing her is desperate and immediate.
I'm desperate as I can be
I am at an all-time low and I need her to lift me up.
She needs to give it all to me
She needs to provide me with everything that I am craving.
You know she got the thing I need
I am not the only one who knows that she has what I need.
So hard to find the words to say
She is overwhelming, and it's difficult to describe how I feel in words.
Cause she takes my breath away
Simply being in her presence is enough to take my breath away.
Contributed by Ava P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sergio Oviedo
Who cares about only 604 views and 11 likes? You are one of the greatest rock bands of all time!!!
ClassicRockGuitar
You guys are killer! Keep em comin
Grimmir
Amazing stuff!