"Thunder" is a song by American musician Prince and The New Power Generation, from their 1991 album '' Diamonds and Pearls''. 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 surfac ...

picture disc 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 may refer 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 outside 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 records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

s were previously released on the " Gett Off" maxi-single: "Violet the Organ Grinder" and "Gett Off" (Thrust Dub).

Critical reception

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Diver for the BBC said in his 2010 review, that it is an "anthemic opener" that "apparently refers, in its lyrics, to withdrawn 1987 LP ''The Black Album''". Jeff Weiss from '' Pitchfork'' commented that it "stitches evangelic lyrics to sub-continental sitars, slashing guitars, and chord progressions that Max Martin has swiped for the last two decades. It's basically a proto- Backstreet Boys anthem for born-agains." A reviewer from '' People Magazine'' 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 fo ...

'' 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.

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