AC/DC: Thunderstruck Meaning

Song Released: 1990

Thunderstruck Lyrics

Ahh, ahh, ahh, ahh
Ahh, ahh, ahh

Thunder, ahh
Thunder, ahh
Thunder, ahh
Thunder, ahh
Thunder, ahh
Thunder, ahh
Thunder, thunder
Thunder, thunder

I was caught
In the middle of a railroad track (thunder)
I looked 'round
And I knew...

1. 1TOP RATED

   #1 top rated interpretation:
   JuanDechia

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   Feb 24th 2020 !⃝

   I was caught
   In the middle of a railroad track
   I looked round
   And I knew there was no turning back
   
   
   The subject was in a difficult situation, Probably a youngster kicked out of his parents' house,(likely by his father) because of his behavior(party, no job, bad friends and for sure drugs). The argument was heated and he knew that after that there was no way back. He was on his own.
   
   My mind raced
   And I thought, what could I do?
   And I knew
   There was no help, no help from you
   Sound of the drums
   Beating in my heart
   
   He was very scared to hit the road on his own
   with no financial help from his father and nowhere to go. But that was it, after what was said there is no way he would beg.
   
   The thunder of guns
   Tore me apart
   
   The memories of what his father said to him were
   too much for him to handle, it was resounding in his head over and over(like gunshots), and that made him feel very sad.
   
   Went down the highway
   Broke the limit, we hit the town
   
   He was not alone after all, a friend was there with him. They decided to take that opportunity to party harder and make a little trip.
   
   Went through to Texas
   Yeah, Texas, and we had some fun
   We met some girls
   Some dancers who gave a good time
   Broke all the rules, played all the fools
   Yeah-yeah, they, they, they blew our minds
   
   The best memories that he can recall from that time were these dancers they met probably at a strip club.
   
   I was shaking at the knees
   Could I come again please?
   Yeah, the ladies were too kind
   
   They had a good time!
   
   Yeah, it's alright
   We're doing fine
   Yeah, it's alright
   We're doing fine, so fine
   
   After all that he realized that there was no reason to be scared of going away from home.
   It actually was a good thing.
   
   In conclusion, the meaning of "Thunderstruck" is that line in time when things change so quickly that makes our heart race, and definitely leaves a deep mark in our life timeline.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

2. 2TOP RATED

   #2 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   Jun 9th 2018 !⃝

   Can everyone stop calling everyone else “idiots” it’s not nice!

3. 3TOP RATED

   #3 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   Oct 5th 2012 !⃝

   "wallah"? Before calling everyone a bunch of idiots, maybe make sure you aren't one yourself. Try Voila.
4. anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   Oct 4th 2019 !⃝

   Clearly it's about sex.
5. anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   Sep 9th 2019 !⃝

   Alabama football.
6. anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   May 4th 2019 !⃝

   To be in a state of shock where your left dazed with nothing to say. The extraordinary event has happened in front of your eyes

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
7. anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   Oct 29th 2018 !⃝

   Thunder is a nickname for heroin * cough cough conspiracy theory*

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
8. anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   Jun 27th 2018 !⃝

   Like most AC/DC songs it’s about sex and drugs - the rock n roll lifestyle.
9. anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   Jan 11th 2018 !⃝

   If you read the lyrics and haven’t been living in a closet your whole life, the lyrical meaning is obvious. Did some rails (coke), went to town and partied with some strippers who did more than shake their ass(ets).
   
   I think I read in guitar world that angus played a warmup exercise that sounded cool. (Unusual for a warmup exercise btw), Malcolm put a riff behind it and they came up with a cool name based loosely on the airplane event with the lightning.
   
   Song came first, then came the lyrical content.
10. anonymous

    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5

    click a star to vote

    Dec 1st 2017 !⃝

    Booger
11. anonymous

    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5

    click a star to vote

    Nov 19th 2017 !⃝

    extremely surprised or shocked.
    synonyms: astonished, amazed, astounded, staggered, surprised, startled, stunned, shocked, aghast, taken aback, dumbfounded, floored, blown away, dumbstruck, stupefied, dazed, speechles.
    
    Has no thought been given to the dancing girls who gave them a good time? "Shakin at the knees, could I come again please?"
    
    They got off at a strip club. Would that not cause all if the reactions in the above definition of Thunderstruck?
12. anonymous

    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5

    click a star to vote

    Nov 18th 2017 !⃝

    No clue.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
13. anonymous

    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5

    click a star to vote

    Jun 10th 2017 !⃝

    To the guy calling everyone else idiots: lightning is a two syllable word. Please go back to your job at McDonald's and let the adults talk.
14. anonymous

    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5

    click a star to vote

    Apr 25th 2017 !⃝

    You're the idiot actually. If the plane he was on was struck by lightning then it isn't "partially true," it is true. Add to it the fact commercial airplanes are built to withstand lightning and that they are not grounded so would not be damaged the case could be made you are an idiot. Further more, "lightening" is a drop in the level of the uterus during the last weeks of pregnancy as the head of the fetus engages in the pelvis. Lightning is what you were trying to type, moron.
15. anonymous

    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5

    click a star to vote

    Mar 24th 2017 !⃝

    I believe the song was written to be a psychological warfare ploy in use by the U S government for psyching up the military that was ready to descend on the Iraqi troops dug into defensive positions.
16. anonymous

    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5

    click a star to vote

    Oct 10th 2016 !⃝

    Hello,
    This is Angus. The song's really about how I was symbolically hit by lightning after I tasted a very delicious piece of cheesecake that I had eaten.
17. anonymous

    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5

    click a star to vote

    Aug 10th 2013 !⃝

    Who else here wants to blow up stuff after listening to this? XD
18. DangDog

    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5

    click a star to vote

    Aug 11th 2010 !⃝

    Alright, truth is, your all bunch of idiots. There is alot of back round behind the meaning of the song, but lets start with the riff. Basically, Angus was fiddling with some tapping exercises, and played the first couple of notes backwards, and wallah, the main riff was born. He played it to Malcolm, and being a rhythm guitarist, he came up with a backing riff, but decided it was too "clean" and added the "THUNDER.. AHHHHHH" thing. This information is clearly stated inside the booklet for the "Razors Edge" Album.
    
    The idea of his plane actually getting struck by lightening is partly true, though. Yes, a plane he was on was struck by lightening, but it did't do near enough damage to cause anything bad to happen. The band did not even know what happened until the pilot informed them. But yeah, Angus did get the name of this song from this experience. The most likely reason the song wasn't named "Lightening Struck" was because the name does not stick out as much as "Thunder" would, and if it was named "Lightening Struck" the whole "THUNDER, AHHHHHHH" would not be able to take place in the song, because they needed a two syllable word, not a three syllable word. If the word was lightening, it would sound awfully corny.
    
    Case Closed.

Latest Articles

• 
  Let’s Chase Taylor Swift Rumors
• 
  When the Beatles Touched Off a Movie War
• 
  When Mike Bloomfield Composed a Soundtrack For Andy Warhol
• 
  Yet Another List of Bad Song Covers
• 
  Why Does Everybody Pick On Liberace?
• 
  Trainspotting Soundtrack Revisited : One of the Best Ever?