Thunder (Boys Like Girls song)

2008 single by Boys Like Girls

"Thunder"

Single by Boys Like Girls
from the album  Boys Like Girls
Released| May 6, 2008 (2008-05-06)[1]
Genre|

* Pop rock
* emo pop[2]

Length| 3:57
Label| Columbia, Red Ink
Songwriter(s)| Martin Johnson
Producer(s)| Matt Squire
Boys Like Girls singles chronology
| "The Great Escape"
(2007)  | "Thunder"
(2008)  | "Love Drunk"
(2009)

|
|

Music video
"Thunder" on YouTube

"Thunder" is a song by American pop rock band Boys Like Girls. It was released on May 6, 2008, as the third and final single from their debut studio album, Boys Like Girls (2006). Despite its low chart performance on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 76, compared to their previous singles, it was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.

## Background

[edit]

"Thunder" was the first song Boys Like Girls ever wrote.[citation needed] The song was written about Martin's high school sweetheart, which he stated, "She will always move me even if we went different paths. The song is basically a promise that I will never forget what we had."[3] There are two versions of the song, the album version and the radio mix version, which the latter features overlapping vocals towards the end of the song.[4]

## Composition

[edit]

"Thunder" was written by Martin Johnson and produced by Matt Squire. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com, by Alfred Music Publishing, the track runs at 76 BPM and is in the key of D major.[5] Johnson's range in the song spans from the notes G3 to A5.[5] The lyrics highlight how special first love can be: "Your eyes are the brightest of all the colors / I don't ever want to love another / You'll always be my thunder."[6]

## Critical reception

[edit]

Richard Brown of Culture Deluxe stated, "the Boston four piece successfully take the timeless simplicity of 'Wonderwall', coat it in the same varnish recently employed by Iglu & Hartly and deliver a song so accurately aimed at teen girls."[7] Alex Lai of ContactMusic.com remarked, "it is a decent enough sing-a-long, though quite why a radio remix has been sanctioned is baffling as the closing seconds are a mess of vocal overlaps. Far from a representation of their usual songs, those who are fans of the genre could do worse than check this outfit out when looking for their next fix."[4]

## Chart performance

[edit]

"Thunder" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 88 on the week ending July 12, 2008.[8] The song peaked at number 76 on the Billboard hot 100.[9] It also reached number 21 on the Pop Airplay chart,[10] selling 350,000 copies by November 2008.[11] As of December 2009, the single was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America and sold 600,000 copies.[12]

## Music video

[edit]

The music video for "Thunder", directed by Josh Forbes, was released on June 20, 2008, and premiered on FNMTV,[13] shows a group of friends, which includes couples hanging out. The music video is a reflection of teenage youth, including scenes of food fights, late-night hangs, and swimming pool makeouts. Throughout the video, the band is shown performing the song in the rain.[14]

The video was shot in many different locations throughout Cerritos, California,[14] a suburb in southeast Los Angeles county, which include: the Tall Mouse Crafts store off South Street and Carmenita Road, Jack's Restaurant on Carmenita and South Street, Cerritos Park East Park/Rec Center off Ironbark Drive and 166th Street, Cerritos Park East Swim Center off 166th Street and Carmenita, and a commercial parking structure off Towne Center Drive and Park Plaza Drive near the Cerritos Towne Center and across the street from the Cerritos Millennium Library. The main location where the band is seen playing in the street is Droxford St. and Pinewood Circle, a cul-de-sac in Cerritos.

## Track listing

[edit]

CD singleNo.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "Thunder" (radio edit)| 3:56

Digital downloadNo.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "Thunder" (radio mix)| 3:58
2.| "Thunder" (acoustic)| 3:54
3.| "Thunder" (music video)| 3:57

## Personnel

[edit]

Credits for "Thunder" adapted from album's liner notes.[15]

Boys Like Girls

* Martin Johnson – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
* Paul DiGiovanni – lead guitar, backing vocals
* Bryan Donahue – bass guitar, backing vocals
* John Keefe – drums, percussion

Production

* Matt Squire – producer, engineer, mixing
* George Marino – mastering

|

## Charts

[edit]

### Weekly charts

[edit]

Weekly chart performance for "Thunder"  | Chart (2008)  | Peak
position

|

US Billboard Hot 100[16] | 76
US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[17] | 21

### Year-end charts

[edit]

Year-end chart performance for "Thunder"  | Chart (2008)  | Position

|

Singapore Airplay (Mediacorp)[18] | 65

## Certifications

[edit]

Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

United States (RIAA)[19] | Gold  | 500,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

## Release history

[edit]

Release dates for "Thunder"  Region  | Date  | Format  | Label  | Ref.

|
|
|
|

United States  | May 6, 2008  | Contemporary hit radio | Columbia | [1]
Various  | December 1, 2008  | Digital download | Sony Music Entertainment | [20]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "FMQB: Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Arbitron Ratings, Music News and more!". Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
2. ^ "'Middle School' Is a Mash-Up of Every Pop Punk Song You Won't Admit You Once Loved". Uproxx. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
3. ^ "Lyric Feature - Boys Like Girls by Boys Like Girls". Euphonia Online. Retrieved February 21, 2025.
4. ^ a b Alex Lai. "Boys Like Girls - Thunder Single Review". Contactmusic.com. Archived from the original on September 17, 2009. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
5. ^ a b "Boys Like Girls "Thunder" Sheet Music". musicnotes.com. Alfred Music Publishing. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
6. ^ Maggie Dickman (June 16, 2016). "The best lyrics from Boys Like Girls' first album". Alternative Press. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
7. ^ Richard Brown (October 29, 2008). "Culture Deluxe - Single Review: Thunder (Boys Like Girls)". Culture Deluxe. Archived from the original on February 17, 2009. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
8. ^ "Billboard Hot 100: Week of July 12, 2008". Billboard. July 12, 2008. Retrieved February 21, 2025.
9. ^ "Billboard Hot 100: Week of August 30, 2008". Billboard. August 30, 2008. Retrieved February 21, 2025.
10. ^ "Pop Airplay: Week of September 20, 2008". Billboard. September 20, 2008. Retrieved February 21, 2025.
11. ^ Jay N. Miller (November 20, 2008). "Boys Like Girls like success". The Patriot Ledger. Retrieved February 21, 2025.
12. ^ Rachael Recker (December 28, 2009). "Boys Like Girls aims for longterm success, not music industry's flavor of the year". MLive. MLive Media Group. Retrieved February 21, 2025.
13. ^ "Boys Like Girls - "Thunder"". MTV. June 20, 2008. Archived from the original on October 29, 2008. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
14. ^ a b "Fan poll: 5 best Boys Like Girls songs of all time". Alternative Press. August 30, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
15. ^ Boys Like Girls (booklet). Boys Like Girls. Columbia Records. 2007. 88697 18816 2.`{{cite AV media notes}}`: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
16. ^ "Boys Like Girls Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
17. ^ "Boys Like Girls Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
18. ^ "Singapore Airplay Top 100 - 2008" (PDF). Mediacorp. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 17, 2009. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
19. ^ "American single certifications – Boys Like Girls – Thunder". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
20. ^ "Thunder - EP by Boys Like Girls". Apple Music. Retrieved February 20, 2025.

## External links

[edit]

* "Thunder" music video on YouTube
* Upcoming Tour Dates
* Boys Like Girls Home-page
* Review of 'Thunder on Absolutepunk.com

* v
* t
* e

Boys Like Girls

* Martin Johnson
* John Keefe
* Gregory James
* Jamel Hawke

* Bryan Donahue
* Paul DiGiovanni
* Morgan Dorr

Studio albums|

* Boys Like Girls
* Love Drunk
* Crazy World
* Sunday at Foxwoods

Singles|

* "Hero/Heroine"
* "The Great Escape"
* "Thunder"
* "Love Drunk"
* "Two Is Better Than One"
* "Heart Heart Heartbreak"
* "Be Your Everything"
* "Blood and Sugar"

Related articles|

* Discography

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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