written by: Ed Kowalczyk
Originally performed by: Live, from their 1994 album, Throwing Copper.

►The band dedicated this to Barbara Lewis, one of their high school friends who was killed by a drunk driver around the time this song was written. Her brother in-law Cory told us the story:
The song's lyrics are mostly an analogy. Barb donated several organs, including her heart. She was close with Ed and the guys and died in a car collision with a fleeing armed robber. These lyrics are constantly misunderstood! Yes, Ed is speaking to the circle of life, but specifically to how Barb's life gave new life to many. The angel, the baby down the hall, the pale blue eyes (of Barb), the pain ("confusion")... the lyrics are wholly Ed's interpretation of his experience and perception of Barb's impact. Our family has become close with the most genuine and caring man who is still alive today (over 10 years later), who has Barb's heart beating in his chest! "Lightning Crashes" literally lives on.
At their concerts in the late 1990s, Live dedicated this to the victims of the tragedy at Columbine High School.

►This was the biggest hit off the album and of Live's entire career.

►Throwing Copper was produced by Talking Heads guitarist Jerry Harrison.

[ http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1862 ]

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►A New York Magazine author described the band as "deeply mystical" and the song's meaning as "...the story of a mystical connection between an old lady dying and a new mother at the moment of giving birth..."[4]

►Soon after the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995, a local radio station mixed the song in with news clippings, audio clips of U.S. President Bill Clinton and Governor of Oklahoma Frank Keating responding to the attack, along with other sounds (such as ambulance and fire engine sirens) of that day.

►After the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, Ed Kowalczyk would frequently dedicate the song to the victims at live shows.

[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning_Crashes ]