"Thunder in the Mountains" is a song by the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

new wave band Toyah, fronted by

Toyah Willcox Toyah Ann Willcox (born 18 May 1958) is an English musician, actress, and TV presenter. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Willcox has had eight top 40 singles, released over 20 albums, written two books, appeared in over 40 stage plays an ...

, released as a single in

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

Safari Records Safari Records was a British independent record label based in London, England, and operating between 1977 and 1985. Safari Records was formed early in 1977 by Tony Edwards (former co-manager of Deep Purple), Andreas Budde (the son of German musi ...

. It was one of Toyah's biggest hits, reaching number 4 in the UK chart.

Background

The song was written by

Adrian Lee Adrian Lee (born 9 September 1957, London, England) is an English musician, known especially for his brass instrumentation work with several well-known acts of the 1980s. Career Lee was first signed to Phonogram Records in the late 1970s as g ...

and

Nigel Glockler Nigel Glockler (born 24 January 1953) is an English musician, best known as the longtime drummer for the heavy metal band Saxon, which he first joined in 1981. Career Glockler began his musical career in 1980 as the drummer for the British band ...

, and produced by

Nick Tauber Nick Tauber is a British record producer best known for his work with Thin Lizzy, Toyah and Marillion in the 1970s and 1980s. Nick Tauber continues to manage, produce, and consult with acts/artists/and producers. In the late 1990s, Tauber was in ...

. It was written in summer 1981 under a huge pressure due to the commercial success that the band was having at that time. "I had about four hours to write this lyric before the car took me to the

Marquee Studios The Marquee Club was a music venue first located at 165 Oxford Street in London, when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts. Its most famous period was from 1964 to 1988 at 90 Wardour Street in Soho, and it finally closed wh ...

in the West End where we were to record the song and then it was to go straight to print. (...) There were riots going on in all the main cities at this particular weekend. There was general unrest. (...) I wanted to reflect this in the song that I see you, I hear you, let's all rebel together, let's bring positive change", Toyah reflected. "Thunder in the Mountains" was released as a standalone single in October 1981. The cover photo was taken by John Swannell, with Toyah's make-up by Richard Shara and hair by Robert Lobetta, and was named by the singer as her favourite record sleeve. It became the most collectible Toyah release to date, with several variations available, including a 7" picture disc and a 12" transparent vinyl. The song was backed with two B-sides, "Street Addict" and "Voodoo Doll", the latter exclusive to the 12" single. Although not included on an album at the time, "Thunder in the Mountains" and "Voodoo Doll" would appear on the 1999 CD reissue of '' The Changeling'', "Street Addict" on the 2002 CD reissue of ''

The Blue Meaning ''The Blue Meaning'' is the second studio album by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Wilcox, released in 1980 by Safari Records. It reached the Top 40 on the UK Albums Chart. Background The album was recorded at the Parkgate ...

'', and all three tracks feature on the 2005 compilation ''The Safari Singles Collection Part 2: 1981–1983''. The single continued the success of Toyah's previous hits. It reached number 4 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and also was the band's third consecutive number 1 entry in the

UK Independent Singles Chart The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the rel ...

. It was eventually certified silver in the UK. The song was promoted by an appearance on ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most o ...

''. The song received a favourable review in '' Smash Hits''. "Thunder in the Mountains" has been re-recorded by Toyah a number of times in her later career: in 1993 on the album '' Take the Leap!'', on '' Looking Back'' in 1995, and on '' The Acoustic Album'', again in 1995. During a 2012 concert at the Hare & Hounds in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

, Toyah performed the song live as a duet with Andi Fraggs.

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

for the song was directed by

Godley & Creme Godley & Creme were an English rock duo formally established in Manchester in 1977 by Kevin Godley and Lol Creme. The pair began releasing music as a duo after their departure from the rock band 10cc. In 1979, they directed their first music v ...

Track listing

* 7" single :A. "Thunder in the Mountains" (

) – 3:40 :B. "Street Addict" (Willcox,

Joel Bogen Joel Bogen (born 3 September 1958) is an English rock and punk guitarist. He worked with Toyah Willcox from the late 1970s to 1983 as the guitar player in her eponymous band and was the co-writer on nearly all of the material they recorded. B ...

Phil Spalding Philip Spalding (born 19 November 1957, London, England) is an English bass player. He is best known as a session musician and player of Fender Precision Bass guitars. He has played and appeared with performing artists such as Mick Jagger, Se ...

) – 5:15 * 12" single :A. "Thunder in the Mountains" (Willcox, Lee, Glockler) – 3:53 :B1. "Street Addict" (Willcox, Bogen, Spalding) – 5:22 :B2. "Voodoo Doll" (Willcox, Bogen, Spalding, Lee, Glockler) – 3:58

Personnel

– vocals *

– guitar *

– bass *

– drums *

– keyboards

Charts

Certifications

References

External links

Official audio stream
at

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

The official Toyah website
{{Authority control 1981 singles 1981 songs Toyah (band) songs Songs written by Toyah Willcox Safari Records singles UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles