"Thunder" is a song by American musician

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

and

the New Power Generation The New Power Generation, also known as the NPG, was the backing band of musician Prince from 1990 to 2013. They were replaced by 3rdeyegirl as his backing band in 2013. In 2015, the New Power Generation reunited as Prince's backing band for ...

, from their 1991 album ''

Diamonds and Pearls ''Diamonds and Pearls'' is the thirteenth studio album by American recording artist Prince, and the first with his backing band The New Power Generation. It was released on October 1, 1991, by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records. T ...

''. It was issued as a limited, individually numbered

12-inch single The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a "single" or a few related sound tracks on each surface, compa ...

picture disc Picture discs are gramophone record, gramophone (phonograph) records that show images on their playing surface, rather than being of plain black or colored vinyl. Collectors traditionally reserve the term picture disc for records with graphics ...

in the UK and Ireland only, and the edited version was available only on the promotional single.

Background

The lyrics can be interpreted as referring to the night Prince decided to withdraw '' The Black Album'', when he was rumored to have suffered a bad

ecstasy Ecstasy most often refers to: * Ecstasy (emotion), a trance or trance-like state in which a person transcends normal consciousness * Religious ecstasy, a state of consciousness, visions or absolute euphoria * Ecstasy (philosophy), to be or stand o ...

trip. This is the first single cover to feature Mayte, sitting at the lower left. The

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

s were previously released on the "

Gett Off "Gett Off" is a song written and produced by American musician Prince, released in June 1991 by Paisley Park and Warner Bros. as the lead single from his thirteenth album, '' Diamonds and Pearls'' (1991). The album was his first with his backing ...

maxi-single A maxi single, maxi-single, or maxi CD (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song. Maxi singles are often mistaken for extended plays (EPs), especial ...

: "Violet the Organ Grinder" and "Gett Off" (Thrust Dub).

Critical reception

In a retrospective review, Patrick Corcoran from Albumism wrote that the song "rumbles into earshot on a wave of multilayered vocals and typically sterling guitar and sitar work." He added, "As some would have it, this was his account of the night he shelved the ''Black Album'' at the last moment—a battle for his very soul no less." Mike Diver for the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

said in his 2010 review, that it is an "anthemic opener" that "apparently refers, in its lyrics, to withdrawn 1987 LP ''The Black Album''". Gavin Martin from ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' described the song as "hysterical pop operatics". Jeff Weiss from ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' commented that it "stitches evangelic lyrics to sub-continental sitars, slashing guitars, and chord progressions that

Max Martin Karl Martin Sandberg (born 26 February 1971),Max Martin
AllMusic known professional ...

has swiped for the last two decades. It's basically a proto-

Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson (musician), Kevin Richardson. The band formed in 1993 in Orlando, Flori ...

anthem for born-agains." A reviewer from ''

People Magazine ''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC (company), IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''Peopl ...

'' noted the "pretentious bluster" of the song. Tom Doyle from ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand ...

'' described it as "quirky rock".

Chart performance

The song was another top 30 hit for Prince, peaking at number 28 in the UK, and continuing the moderate success of ''Diamonds and Pearls'' singles there. In Ireland, "Thunder" reached number three and charted for 12 weeks.

Personnel

Personnel are adapted from Benoît Clerc and Guitarcloud *

– lead and backing vocals, electric guitars, synthesizers, bass guitar,

Roland R-8 The R-8 Human Rhythm Composer is an electronic drum machine introduced in 1989 by Roland Corporation, using PCM voices. The R-8 features velocity- and pressure-sensitive trigger pads, and the ability to create loops of beats. The device has eigh ...

Linn LM-1 The Linn LM-1 Drum Computer is a drum machine manufactured by Linn Electronics and released in 1980. It was the first drum machine to use samples of acoustic drums, and one of the first programmable drum machines. Its designer, the American en ...

, finger cymbals

Charts

References

* Uptown: ''The Vault – The Definitive Guide to the Musical World of Prince'': Nilsen Publishing 2004, {{Authority control Prince (musician) songs 1991 songs 1992 singles Paisley Park Records singles Song recordings produced by Prince (musician) Songs written by Prince (musician) Warner Records singles