Lightning is an atmospheric discharge of electricity, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms. The leader of a bolt of lightning can travel at speeds of 60,000 m/s, and can reach temperatures approaching 30,000 °C (54,000 °F), hot enough to fuse soil or sand into glass channels. There are over 16 million lightning storms every year.
Lightning can also occur within the ash clouds from volcanic eruptions, or can be caused by violent forest fires which generate sufficient dust to create a static charge.
How lightning initially forms is still a matter of debate: Scientists have studied root causes ranging from atmospheric perturbations (wind, humidity, and atmospheric pressure) to the impact of solar wind and accumulation of charged solar particles. Ice inside a cloud is thought to be a key element in lightning development, and may cause a forcible separation of positive and negative charges within the cloud, thus assisting in the formation of lightning.
"Lightning Strikes" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith. It was released as the first and only single from the band's 1982 album Rock in a Hard Place. It is notable as Aerosmith's only charting single from the lineup without guitarists Joe Perry and Brad Whitford, who were replaced by Jimmy Crespo and Rick Dufay after they left the band in 1979 and 1981 respectively.
The song was written by Richie Supa, a friend and collaborator of the band. Despite Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford leaving the band before the album's release, he can be heard playing the rhythm guitar parts on the song. The song was released as a promotional single to rock radio in 1982 and reached #21 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
Lightnin' Strikes was written by Lou Christie and Twyla Herbert, and recorded by Christie on the MGM label. The song was arranged, conducted, and produced by Charles Calello and was recorded on September 3,1965. It was a giant hit in 1966, making it to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in February and #11 on the UK Record Retailer chart. RIAA certification on March 3, 1966, garnering gold status for selling over one million copies. It was covered years later by the New York underground artist Klaus Nomi.
