Extreme Songs - More Than Words Lyrics

Extreme - More Than Words

Extreme - More Than Words Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: Pornograffitti
Released: 1990

More Than Words Lyrics

Saying I love you
Is not the words I want to hear from you
It's not that I want you
Not to say, but if you only knew
How easy it would be to show me how you feel
More Than Words is all you have to do to make it real
Then you wouldn't have to say that you love me
'Cause I'd already know
What would you do if my heart was torn in two
More than words to show you feel
That your love for me is real
What would you say if I took those words away
Then you couldn't make things new
Just by saying I love you

More than words

Now that I've tried to talk to you and make you understand
All you have to do is close your eyes
And just reach out your hands and touch me
Hold me close don't ever let me go
More than words is all I ever needed you to show
Then you wouldn't have to say that you love me
'Cause I'd already know

What would you do if my heart was torn in two
More than words to show you feel
That your love for me is real
What would you say if I took those words away
Then you couldn't make things new
Just by saying I love you

More than words

Writer/s: BETTENCOURT, NUNO / CHERONE, GARY F.
Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

More Than Words

Written by Extreme lead singer Gary Cherone and guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, this song is about a guy who loves a girl and knows she loves him too, but he wants her to show it by more than just saying "I love you." He's saying that if she would show him more affection and emotion she wouldn't have to say she loves him because he would already know.

In our interview with Nuno , he explained: "The word 'love' itself gets really diluted, so we just wanted to say, 'It's not really about saying it,' because everybody gets really worked up when somebody says that to each other. They say, 'I love you,' and everybody goes, 'Oh my God! It must be serious. It must be heavy.' It's like, 'Eh... it's easy to say that.' It's really about showing it constantly and continuously in a relationship. We knew that was the message."

An acoustic love ballad, this was a showcase for the sensitive side of the band, but it didn't represent their body of work. The group's self-titled debut was released in 1989 and was mostly comprised of rockers like "Play With Me." Their next album was Pornograffitti, which contained this song and also another acoustic number, "Hole Hearted," which also became a huge hit.

The group recorded songs in a variety of styles, but rock was their mainstay. Since "More Than Words" and "Hole Hearted" were so successful, many listeners assumed they were indicative of Extreme's sound, and got a shock when they bought the album or went to a show.

According to Nuno, he came up with most of this song sitting on a porch, alone with his guitar. It came to him very quickly, as most of his songs do (Nuno will abandon a song if it doesn't come quickly). He brought the song inside to Cherone, who hashed out lyrics as they put the song together.

Extreme kept it very simple on this song, with minimal production. The video reflects this as well, since they wanted the focus to be on the song. Directed by the husband-and-wife team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, the black-and-white clip shows Nuno Bettencourt and Gary Cherone seated, performing the song in a studio setting. Dayton and Faris also directed the "Hole Hearted" video; they would go on to direct the 2006 film Little Miss Sunshine.

Since only Bettencourt and Cherone appeared in the video, many viewers assumed Extreme was a duo - they were actually a four-piece.

A distinctive element in this song is the spaced-out line when Cherone sings, "Dont. Ever. Let. Me. Go..." This little breakdown stood out, especially in a song with so little instrumentation. When Cherone came up with this line, he was working off the vocal melody that Nuno Bettencourt brought to him.

British band BBMak covered this on their Sooner or Later album and also performed it at MTV's New Years Party in 2001. The Pop band Westlife also covered this song on their album Westlife in 1999. Their version received a positive response, especially on the iTunes store. (thanks, Ally - Scottsdale, AZ)

The word "Extreme" was popular in the early '90s and used to describe edgy youth culture and dangerous sports. ESPN started the "Extreme Games" in 1995, but renamed them the "X Games" the next year so they would not become dated.

Extreme released two more albums which contained some minor hits ("Rest in Peace" - #96 US, #13 UK; "Stop the World" - #95 US, #22 UK) before breaking up in 1996. Cherone became lead singer of Van Halen, replacing Sammy Hagar. Since his best-known songs were ballads like this one, many VH fans were puzzled by the selection. Van Halen released one album (Van Halen III) with Cherone before deciding it wasn't working out.

Extreme re-formed in 2007 and released their fifth album, Saudades de Rock, in 2008. Bettencourt took on duties as Rihanna's touring guitarist in 2009, bringing his rock riffs to her live performances.