If you checked out the fun new HBO film Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary, you’ll know that some time is spent debating what songs and artists fit the genre. From our perspective, we take a big-tent approach. That’s why we believe in the yacht rock credibility of Jay Ferguson’s “Thunder Island.”
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Maybe it rocks a little harder than your average YR tune. But the setting, the storytelling, and the overall romantic vibes cinch it for us. Here’s a look back at Ferguson and his biggest solo hit.
Bringing the “Thunder”
Jay Ferguson stands out a bit from most of the artists we consider yacht rock. The California-born and raised multi-instrumentalist came from more of a harder rocking background. That was evidenced by his involvement with two bands that strayed far afield from the softer sounds of the ’70s.
First up was Spirit, a beloved if volatile band where Ferguson shared most of the singing/writing duties with Randy California. This band developed a cult following, with a little bit of commercial success (the 1968 hit “I Got a Line on You”) and loads of critical acclaim (particularly via the 1970 concept album Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus).
Alas, the original version of Spirit proved a fractious group, as Ferguson and bassist Mark Andes clashed with California. Ferguson and Andes decided to form their own group, called Jo Jo Gunne. This outfit scored a Top-40 hit with the boogeying “Run Run Run” on their very first album in 1972.
Jo Jo Gunne sustained through various lineups for four albums in three years, producing diminishing commercial returns. Ferguson moved on to playing some session work before eventually scraping up his own record deal. His first album didn’t do much, but his second, entitled Thunder Island, contained a surefire hit in the title track.
On that song, Ferguson was helped out by some big-name collaborators. He had played live shows with Joe Walsh, and Walsh returned the favor by playing the slide guitar part on “Thunder Island.” In addition, Bill Szymczyk, who produced Walsh and his band the Eagles, was behind the boards for the track.
“Thunder Island” made it to No. 9 in ’78. Ferguson added another Top-40 hit a year later with “Shakedown Cruise.” Tiring of the album’/tour grind in the ’80s, he made the jump to scoring television and movies. The sprightly theme song to the legendary sitcom The Office? Yep, that was written by Ferguson, who also appeared in the show as a member of the band-within-the-show Scrantonicity.
Behind the Meaning of “Thunder Island”
Any song that starts off with the line Sha la la la la la, my lady deserves immediate consideration for yacht rock hall of fame, right? From there, Ferguson tells of a brief island romance, one where the extremes of the weather are matched only by the intensity of the passion between the two participants.
It starts as A summer’s day, laughin’ and a-hidin’ / Chasin’ love out on Thunder Island. At least, Until one day when the sky grew dark / And the wind grew wild. These two roll with the punches, however: Caught by the rain and blinded by the lightning / We rode the storm out on Thunder Island.
It’s only in the final verse that we find out that this was not a relationship meant to last: Now every mile away and every day / Cuts a little bit deeper. Jay Ferguson’s career has taken him pretty much everywhere. Still, by far and away, “Thunder Island” stands as his most lucrative piece of musical real estate.
Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images
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