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.
Turn Left At California
Thunder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From a cold ice beer
On a hot beach in Mexico
Swayin' senorita's stepping out of the sea
Throws her hair back and smiles hello
I got surf music playin'
In my head on a loop
"Help me Rhonda" and "Be true to your school"
Pretty cool for an English fool
You just sail the sea
Then you point your car and drive
Turn left a California
Then you cross that border line
On the way I dropped in
To see a dear old friend
Made himself a life in L.A.
He said "Brother it's so good
Just to see you again
How come you don't want to stay?"
Said I "I'd love to stay
But I just ain't got the time
I've got to leave California
Get myself 'cross that border line"
Let's ride
I've be driving myself all night
Waves keep rolling
The suns starts thinking about
Sinking into the sea
Blood-red horizon
Tequila sun rising
There's no place I'd rather be
You just sail the sea
Then you point your car and drive
Turn left a California
Then you cross that border line
You just cross the ocean
Then you take that westward drive
Turn left a California
Get yourself 'cross that border line
Let's ride
Head for the border line
The lyrics of Thunder's song "Turn Left at California" depict the singer's experience of being on a beach in Mexico, surrounded by a pleasant atmosphere created by a combination of a cold ice beer, hot sand, swaying senoritas, and surf music. The song creates a vivid image of a scene that is typically associated with beaches in Mexico, complete with the reference to "Help me Rhonda" and "Be true to your school," which are well-known Beach Boys songs. The singer describes his desire to cross the border line and move to California, where he intends to meet his friend who has created a life for himself in Los Angeles.
One of the themes that the song leans towards is the desire to escape and find a sense of freedom that comes from being constantly on the move. The singer mentions his need to leave California as he does not have enough time to stay. He argues that he must get across the border line, which embodies the idea of moving away, breaking from convention and exploring new possibilities. The lyrics' melancholic tone creates an image of the singer as someone who feels that his life is incomplete, searching for something that he is yet to find. The song's metaphors and imagery bring out the romantic aspect of searching for something that one cannot fully define.
Line by Line Meaning
I got the buzz that you get
From a cold ice beer
On a hot beach in Mexico
Swayin' senorita's stepping out of the sea
Throws her hair back and smiles hello
I feel an ecstatic sense of pleasure one receives from having a cold beer on a hot beach in Mexico surrounded by beautiful women emerging from the sea.
I got surf music playin'
In my head on a loop
"Help me Rhonda" and "Be true to your school"
So here am I many figures of blue sky
Pretty cool for an English fool
I'm enjoying the surf music of my mind, particularly the songs "Help Me Rhonda" and "Be True to Your School." I feel like I'm a part of the California sky despite being an Englishman.
You just sail the sea
Then you point your car and drive
Turn left a California
Then you cross that border line
First, enjoy a voyage on the ocean, then, drive towards California and turn left. That's how you reach the exclusive state border.
On the way I dropped in
To see a dear old friend
Made himself a life in L.A.
He said "Brother it's so good
Just to see you again
How come you don't want to stay?"
Said I "I'd love to stay
But I just ain't got the time
I've got to leave California
Get myself 'cross that border line"
While on route, I visited a friend who set up life in LA. He asked me to stay, but I expressed that I would, in fact, like to stay. However, I am bound by time, and hence I must proceed to cross the border back into my own country.
Let's ride
I've be driving myself all night
Let's get going, I've been driving non-stop all night.
Waves keep rolling
The suns starts thinking about
Sinking into the sea
Blood-red horizon
Tequila sun rising
There's no place I'd rather be
As the waves continuously flow, the sun starts to set, tinging the horizon in red. It meanwhile starts to rise in a tequila-like manner, but that's the place where I feel utmost tranquillity.
You just sail the sea
Then you point your car and drive
Turn left a California
Then you cross that border line
You just cross the ocean
Then you take that westward drive
Turn left a California
Get yourself 'cross that border line
First, travel the seas, then drive your car to California and turn left to reach the state border. Alternatively, cross the ocean and drive west. In both cases, once you reach California, turn left and cross the state border.
Let's ride
Head for the border line
Let's get on the move and aim ourselves for the state border.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Luke Morley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
klistarf
Great song! I once saw Thunder when they played on the bill at the Kiss fest in Finsbury Park, London in the summer of '97. Amazing band, live! They should have been H U G E ! ! Btw - ALL HAIL PLANET ROCK!! (:o)
alex dru
Fantastic band!!!
patsprankcalls
Believe it or not, i first heard this song on planet rock today :). Planet rocks great for finding almost completely unknown greats like this
91dcfc
Only just heard this on Planet Rock last week, I've been missing out my whole life 😮
Johnny S
Same here! Heard it on planet rock yesterday. It's scary the stuff you can miss!
Fruzsina Máté
I also heard it on PR today! :) There are many gems you can discover there.
Nathan Bellows
I too heard these guys earlier today at work on planet rock with my DAB radio!
dunpendertech
Me too! Just heard it again on Planet Rock and I'm glad to say I've found the name of the song.. Might go buy the album now...
Dave Fry
Just heard it again on Planet Rock. Hail Planet Rock!
scragster105
They just played this on Planet Rock. Certainly caught my attention !