Songoftheday 10/2/17 - Saying I love you is not the words I want to hear from you...

"More Than Words" - Extreme
from the album Extreme II: Pornograffiti (1990)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (one week)
Weeks in the Top-40: 17

Today's song of the day comes from the funk-metal band Extreme, who came together in Massachusetts in the mid-80s. Lead singer Gary Cherone and drummer Paul Geary, who were previously in another act, joined up with guitarist Nuno Bettencourt and bass player Pat Badger, and were local favorites in the Boston area before getting signed by A&M records. The band released their self-titled debut record in 1989, with the single "Kid Ego" reaching Billboard's Mainstream Rock radio chart at #39. The record combined the groove of funky bands like Faith No More with the swagger of Winger (yeah, that Winger). The following year, the quartet put out their most successful album, Extreme II: Pornograffiti. The lead single, "Decadence Dance", continued in the glam-metal vein, and didn't sound any different than any Poison or Motley Crue record from a few years prior. A second single, "Get The Funk Out", stiffed here in the States at first but became a top-40 hit in Britain at #19. However, hidden within the record was a sweet love song that featured only Cherone singing over Bettencourt's gentle guitar strumming and harmony vocals. "More Than Words", written by Gary and Nuno, would become their breakthrough if unconventional hit, and eventually their biggest success. The shot of Geary and Badger with raised lighters was the highlight of the clip...

"More Than Words" went all the way to #1 on the American pop chart in June of 1991. The song also climbed to #12 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock radio chart, while it stayed three weeks at #2 on their Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") list. Internationally, the record topped the chart in Canada, The Netherlands, Belgium, and New Zealand, hit #2 in the UK, Ireland, and Australia, and reached the top ten in Switzerland (#3), Sweden (#4), Norway (#4), Finland (#6), France (#8), and Germany (#8).

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First up, Gary and Nuno appeared on a local TV show to perform "More Than Words" before its release...