Lightning Crashes

"Lightning Crashes" is a profound meditation on the cyclical nature of life, death, and rebirth. The song, as envisioned by songwriter Ed Kowalczyk, takes place in a hospital where the profound events of birth and death occur simultaneously. The lyrics juxtapose the image of a new mother giving birth with an old mother dying, suggesting a transference of life energy from one soul to another. The "lightning crash" serves as a metaphor for these sudden, powerful, and life-altering moments.

The central theme is that life is a continuous, unbroken circle. When the old mother dies, her "confusion"—her life experiences, her spirit—is passed on to the newborn baby down the hall. The "angel" who closes her eyes in death is the same force that opens its eyes in the newborn. This isn't about loss in a finite sense, but about the continuation and transformation of energy. The song avoids a purely somber tone, instead adopting an atmosphere of awe and reverence for this powerful, natural process that connects all humanity.

The scene opens with a sudden, dramatic event, like a flash of lightning. In this intense moment, a new mother cries out, not in sorrow, but in the overwhelming rush of childbirth. The physical evidence of the birth, the placenta, falls away as a new life, an 'angel,' opens its eyes for the first time. Confusion immediately floods the newborn's senses, a chaotic introduction to the world even before the clinical setting can be settled.

Simultaneously, in a parallel moment of equal significance, the same flash of lightning marks the end of a life. An old mother passes away, her life's ambitions and unresolved matters left behind. In this moment of death, the 'angel' closes her eyes, signifying the departure of her spirit. The burdens and uncertainties that defined her existence are not extinguished but are instead transferred, symbolically, to the newborn baby just down the hall. This suggests a continuous cycle, where the end of one journey marks the beginning of another, and the energy of life is passed on.

A powerful feeling begins to surge, described as a returning force, like rolling thunder chasing the wind. It's a primal, unstoppable energy, drawing its power from the very core of the Earth. This feeling is visceral and undeniable, a palpable sense of connection to the fundamental forces of life and death. The repetition of "I can feel it" emphasizes the personal and profound experience of witnessing this cycle.

The newborn, with pale blue eyes, embodies this circle of life. The iris of the eye itself is a circle, representing the unending loop. This new life presents the 'circle' and simultaneously hides the 'glory'—the divine, mysterious essence of life and consciousness. This glory is not meant to be easily understood but is something to be discovered. The song culminates in a repeated, chant-like affirmation of feeling this powerful, cyclical energy, reinforcing the song's central theme of the interconnectedness of birth, death, and the transcendent force that drives them both.

Ed Kowalczyk, Live's frontman and songwriter, wrote "Lightning Crashes" on an acoustic guitar in his brother's bedroom in his mother's house in York, Pennsylvania. He was around 21 years old at the time, having recently finished touring for their debut album, Mental Jewelry. Kowalczyk has stated that the song came to him spontaneously, almost as a stream of consciousness, and that he still doesn't fully know where the inspiration came from.

The song was recorded in the summer of 1993 at Pachyderm Studio in Minnesota as part of the sessions for their sophomore album, Throwing Copper. The album was produced by Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads. After the song was written, the band dedicated it to a high school friend, Barbara Lewis, who was tragically killed at age 19 by a drunk driver in 1993. Lewis was an organ donor, and her death gave new life to several people, including a ten-month-old baby who received her liver. This real-life event perfectly mirrored the song's themes of life emerging from death, adding another layer of poignancy to its meaning.

Interestingly, the record label was initially hesitant to release "Lightning Crashes" as a single, believing its five-and-a-half-minute length was too long for radio. However, after a powerful debut performance at Woodstock '94, the song's popularity soared, becoming one of the band's biggest hits.

The lyrical structure of "Lightning Crashes" utilizes a relatively free verse form, prioritizing narrative and emotional impact over a strict, traditional rhyme scheme. The rhymes that do appear are often subtle or slant rhymes (e.g., again/wind), which contributes to the song's organic and non-formulaic feel. The power of the lyrics comes less from rhyming couplets and more from the parallelism in the verse structure. The first and second verses are nearly identical in phrasing ("Lightning crashes, a [new/old] mother [cries/dies]... The angel [opens/closes] her eyes"), creating a strong thematic link between the two events.

Musically, the song is set in a slow, deliberate tempo that allows space for the emotional weight of the lyrics to unfold. The rhythm is carried initially by the gentle, arpeggiated guitar riff. As the song progresses, the rhythm section enters, establishing a steady, driving beat that propels the song towards its powerful climax. The interplay between the patient, almost meditative rhythm of the verses and the surging power of the choruses is a key element of the song's dynamic structure, mirroring the calm of passing and the energetic rush of birth.

"Lightning Crashes" is renowned for its masterful use of dynamic contrast to build emotional intensity.

• Musical Arrangement: The song begins with a soft, hazy, and clean electric guitar riff, creating a contemplative and gentle atmosphere. The arrangement gradually builds, layering in bass, drums, and increasingly impassioned vocals. This slow crescendo mirrors the emotional weight of the song's themes, moving from quiet reverence to a powerful, cathartic climax during the final choruses. Chad Gracey, the band's drummer, noted this dynamic build as a key reason for the song's standout success.
• Vocal Delivery: Ed Kowalczyk's vocal performance is central to the song's impact. He begins with a soft, almost whispered delivery, drawing the listener into the intimate scene. As the music swells, his voice grows in intensity, becoming a raw, powerful, and soaring cry. This emotional arc in his vocals perfectly captures the journey from the quiet solemnity of death to the overwhelming power of new life.
• Narrative Juxtaposition: The lyrics employ a powerful literary technique of juxtaposing two contrasting but simultaneous events: a birth and a death. By placing these moments side-by-side in consecutive verses, the song forces the listener to contemplate their deep connection and the cyclical flow of existence.

"Lightning Crashes" became one of the most definitive rock anthems of the 1990s, cementing Live's place in the alternative rock scene. Although not released as a commercial single in the US, it received massive radio airplay, topping Billboard's Album Rock Tracks chart for ten weeks and the Modern Rock Tracks chart for nine weeks. Its success propelled its album, Throwing Copper, to sell over 8 million copies in the US alone.

The song's music video, directed by Jake Scott, was played in heavy rotation on MTV and became iconic, though its depiction of a birth and death within a home setting led some viewers to misinterpret the lyrics. Kowalczyk clarified that while the video was shot in a house, his vision was always a hospital.

The song's profound themes gave it a timeless resonance. In the wake of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, a DJ in Oklahoma City created a remix incorporating soundbites from news reports and President Bill Clinton, and the song became an unofficial anthem for the grieving process. The band also dedicated the song to the victims of the Columbine High School tragedy during concerts in the late 90s. Its enduring legacy is that of a powerful, spiritual rock ballad that transcends its era to explore universal human experiences.

• Lightning Crashes: This central metaphor represents the sudden, powerful, and instantaneous moments of birth and death. Just as lightning is a dramatic and transformative natural event, so are the transitions at the beginning and end of life. It signifies a moment of profound change or divine intervention.
• The Angel: The "angel" is a multifaceted symbol. It represents the soul or the spirit of life itself. When the old mother dies, "the angel closes her eyes"; when the baby is born, "the angel opens her eyes." This illustrates the transference of a single life force, suggesting reincarnation or the continuity of the human spirit. It symbolizes the divine spark hidden within all people.
• The Circle: The lyrics explicitly mention the newborn's "pale blue colored iris, presents the circle." This is a direct symbol of the song's core theme: the circle of life. The physical circle of the iris reflects the metaphysical concept of life, death, and rebirth as an unending, continuous loop rather than a linear path with a definitive end.
• Confusion: The "confusion" that belonged to the old mother and now belongs to the baby symbolizes the accumulated experiences, burdens, and wisdom of a lifetime. It suggests that a newborn enters the world not as a blank slate, but as a recipient of a spiritual or energetic inheritance.

The most significant recurring motifs in "Lightning Crashes" are both lyrical and musical.

• "Lightning crashes": This phrase opens both narrative verses, acting as a powerful, scene-setting trigger for the pivotal moments of birth and death. Its repetition cements it as the song's central metaphor for sudden, life-altering events.
• "The angel opens/closes her eyes": This mirrored phrase is the core of the song's narrative, explicitly linking the act of birth with the act of death. It is the clearest expression of the theme of spiritual transference and the continuity of life.
• "Oh now feel it comin' back again": This line, repeated in the chorus, transforms the narrative from an observation into a personal, sensory experience. It serves as the emotional hook, inviting the listener to feel the cyclical, powerful force being described.
• The Main Guitar Riff: The song is built around a simple, memorable guitar riff that repeats and evolves throughout. It starts clean and gentle, becomes more distorted and urgent, and drives the song's crescendo. This musical motif is as central to the song's identity as any of the lyrics, providing the atmospheric foundation for the entire track.