More Than Words: Difference between revisions

"More Than Words"
"More Than Words"
Single by Extreme
from the album Pornograffitti
B-side	"Nice Place to Visit"; "Kid Ego";
Released	March 12, 1991
Genre	Glam metal; soft rock; acoustic rock;
Length	5:33 (album version); 4:09 (radio edit);
Label	A&M
Songwriter(s)	Gary Cherone; Nuno Bettencourt;
Producer(s)	Michael Wagener
Extreme singles chronology
Music video
	"More Than Words" on YouTube

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"More Than Words" is a song by American rock band Extreme. It is a ballad featuring acoustic guitar work by Nuno Bettencourt and the vocals of Gary Cherone (with harmony vocals from Bettencourt). They both wrote the song, which was produced by Michael Wagener and represented a departure from the band's usual funk metal style.^[4] "More Than Words" was released as the third single from the band's second album, Pornograffitti (1990), on March 12, 1991 by A&M Records. It was a number one hit in the United States, where it was certified gold, as well as in Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands and New Zealand. The music video for the song was directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris.

Content

The song is an acoustic ballad in which the singer wants his lover to do more than simply saying "I love you" to demonstrate her love for him. Bettencourt described it as a warning that the phrase was becoming meaningless: "People use it so easily and so lightly that they think you can say that and fix everything, or you can say that and everything's OK. Sometimes you have to do more and you have to show it—there's other ways to say 'I love you'".^[5]

Release

The band fought with their record company to get "More Than Words" released as a single. At one point, Bettencourt even quit the band over the issue. In 2016, Bettencourt told Billboard: "'Our label at the time [A&M Records] didn't want to release "More Than Words" as a single because there was nothing on the radio like that at the time. The label said, "Who's going to play it?" Everybody was doing big power ballads at the time, and this was more like an Everly Brothers or Beatles track. But we fought for it'".^[6]

"It became a monster. It took a life of its own and we couldn't kill it. ... I think it'll pass the test of time."

—Gary Cherone talking about the song.^[7]

"That song gave us the freedom to make the record we really wanted to make when we started recording our third disc," Cherone told KNAC. "It got us doing huge tours all over the states and around the world... As the nineties went on, however, we really started to resent the song. We were tagged 'the More Than Words guys'. We didn't like the perception the song created about the band. I remember being on tour with Aerosmith in Poland... it was on that tour we decided we would not play the song. We just didn't do it. A couple nights into the tour, Steven Tyler writes in big letters on our dressing room door, 'Play the fucking song!' His attitude was almost father-like. He was like, 'Look, this is your first time in Poland. When do you think you will be back? They want to hear it, so play it!'"^[8]

Critical reception

AllMusic editor William Ruhlmann noted that on the song, the band pursued "acoustic balladry".^[9] Kira L. Billik from Associated Press described "More Than Words" as a "sweet, pure acoustic ballad", "whose message is that the words 'I love you' are becoming meaningless".^[10] The song was also labeled as a "nontraditional love song".^[7] Larry Flick from Billboard felt that this "tender, sparsely produced rock/love ballad proves that sometimes less really is more. The spotlight here is on the band's striking vocal harmonies, as well as its shimmering acoustic guitar work".^[11] The Daily Vault's Sean McCarthy called it a "beautiful, minimal acoustic number [that] made the band huge" and concluded that "for the band, 'More Than Words' is the song that will still get airplay."^[12] Diane Cardwell from Entertainment Weekly called it "a simple, almost folkie ballad using just two voices and a single acoustic guitar."^[13] Kirsten Frickle from El Paisano described it as an "all-acoustic ballad that is so beautiful it will make your hair stand on end".^[14]

Pan-European magazine Music & Media labeled the song as "folky"^[15] and "a calming piece of music, aptly produced by Michael Wagener." They added, "It shows the band from a totally different angle. And it must be said, they handle this ballad extremely well."^[16] Alan Jones from Music Week named it Pick of the Week, remarking that it is "a subdued, lilting acoustic workout that suggests nothing more than Simon & Garfunkel in its more angelic passages."^[17] Carrie Borzillo from Record-Journal called it an "Everly Brothers-style" song.^[18] A reviewer from Sandwell Evening Mail wrote, "If ever a song could be unrepresentative of a band's output, Extreme's worldwide smash hit ballad "More Than Words" is it."^[19] Marc Andrews from Smash Hits found it "eye-moistening".^[20] Tom Nordlie from Spin viewed it as "a love ballad that sounds like the Everly Brothers or early Beatles." He added, "Singer Gary Cherone harmonizes with himself as guitar-friend Nuno Bettencourt strums clean, jazzy chord accompaniment, and that's it. No sudden escalation to bombast in the middle, no reneging on the song's original promise."^[21] Chad Bowar writing for LiveAbout placed the song on his list of the "Best 20 Hair Metal Ballads of the '80s and '90s".^[22]

Chart performance

On March 23, 1991, "More Than Words" entered the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 81 and soon after reached number one. It also reached number two in the United Kingdom and reached number one in four other countries.

Music video

The song's music video^[23] was filmed in black and white^[6] and was produced and directed by American film and music video directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. It starts with Pat Badger turning off his amplifier and putting down his bass, and Paul Geary putting down his drumsticks. Nuno and Gary are then seen performing the song, while the other band members are shown in front of them, holding up their lighters. In the video's music rendition, the song ends abruptly before Nuno's final solo and coda.

Track listings

CD maxi

"More Than Words" — 5:33
"Kid Ego" — 4:04
"Nice Place to Visit" — 3:16

7-inch single

"More Than Words" (Remix) — 3:43
"Nice Place to Visit" — 3:16

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "More Than Words"
Chart (1991)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)^[24]	2
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)^[25]	13
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[26]	1
Canada (The Record)^[27]	1
Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[28]	1
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)^[29]	2
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)^[30]	3
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)^[31]	6
France (SNEP)^[32]	8
Germany (GfK)^[33]	8
Ireland (IRMA)^[34]	2
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[35]	1
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[36]	1
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[37]	1
Norway (VG-lista)^[38]	4
Portugal (AFP)^[39]	3
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[40]	4
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[41]	3
UK Singles (OCC)^[42]	2
US Billboard Hot 100^[43]	1
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)^[44]	2
US Album Rock Tracks (Billboard)^[45]	12

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for "More Than Words"
Chart (1991)	Position
Australia (ARIA)^[46]	7
Belgium (Ultratop)^[47]	13
Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[48]	2
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)^[49]	16
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)^[50]	15
Europe (European Hit Radio)^[51]	17
Germany (Official German Charts)^[52]	44
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[53]	3
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[54]	3
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[55]	7
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[56]	12
UK Singles (OCC)^[57]	16
US Billboard Hot 100^[58]	7
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)^[59]	18

Decade-end charts

Decade-end chart performance for "More Than Words"
Chart (1990–1999)	Position
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)^[60]	68

Certifications

Certifications for "More Than Words"
Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)^[46]	Platinum	70,000^{^}
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)^[61]	Platinum	60,000^‡
Canada (Music Canada)^[62]	Platinum	100,000^{^}
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)^[63]	Gold	45,000^‡
Italy (FIMI)^[64]	Gold	35,000^‡
Netherlands (NVPI)^[65]	Gold	75,000^{^}
Spain (PROMUSICAE)^[66]	Platinum	60,000^‡
Sweden (GLF)^[67]	Gold	25,000^{^}
United Kingdom (BPI)^[68]	Platinum	600,000^‡
United States (RIAA)^[69]	Gold	500,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone. ^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "More Than Words"
Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	March 12, 1991	Cassette	A&M	^[69]
Japan	June 5, 1991	Mini-CD		^[70]
United Kingdom	July 15, 1991	7-inch vinyl 12-inch vinyl CD cassette		^[71]

References

^ "20 Best Hair Metal Ballads of the '80s and '90s". liveaboutdotcom. May 5, 2024. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
^ "VH1's 40 Most Softsational Soft-Rock Songs". Stereogum. SpinMedia. May 31, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
^ "Best Acoustic Rock Song of All Time Poll: "More Than Words" Vs. "Layla (Unplugged)"". Guitar World. NewBay Media. July 18, 2015. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
^ Wardlaw, Matt (June 14, 2023). "How Extreme Finally Moved Past the Stigma of 'More Than Words'". Ultimate Classic Rock.
^ Billik, Kira L. (June 20, 1991). "Extreme: Boston Group Riding the Funk-O-Metal Machine". Albany Herald. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
^ ^a ^b Kroll, Katy (September 21, 2016). "'More Than Words' at 25: Nuno Bettencourt Recalls Battle to Release Extreme's No. 1 Hit". Billboard.
^ ^a ^b "The tree sides of Extreme's own story". The Daily News. October 10, 1992. p. 15. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
^ Carr, David; KNAC.com; July 16, 2009
^ Ruhlmann, William. "Extreme - 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best of Extreme". AllMusic. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
^ Billik, Kira L. (July 12, 1991). "'Funk-o-metal' band hits it big with acoustic ballad". Rome News-Tribune. p. 11. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
^ Flick, Larry (March 23, 1991). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 75. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
^ McCarthy, Sean (August 8, 1997). "Extreme - Extreme II: Pornograffitti". The Daily Vault. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
^ Cardwell, Diane (August 2, 1991). "Extreme: More than metal". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
^ Frickle, Kirsten (November 9, 1990). "'Pornograffiti' takes rock music to all extremes". El Paisano. p. 10. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
^ "Previews: Albums - Album Of The Week" (PDF). Music & Media. November 3, 1990. p. 19. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. April 27, 1991. p. 11. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
^ Jones, Alan (July 20, 1991). "Mainstream: Singles - Pick of the Week" (PDF). Music Week. p. 10. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
^ Borzillo, Carrie (June 28, 1991). "'More Than Words' small part of what Extreme is all about". Record-Journal. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
^ Sandwell Evening Mail. November 18, 1991. p. 22.
^ Andrews, Marc (July 24, 1991). "Reviews: LPs". Smash Hits. No. 330. p. 46. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
^ Nordlie, Tom (November 1990). "Spins". Spin. p. 79. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
^ Bowar, Chad. "Best 20 Hair Metal Ballads of the '80s and '90s". LiveAbout. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
^ "More Than Words". YouTube. November 22, 2009. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
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^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1540." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
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^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8, no. 34. August 24, 1991. p. 24. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
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^ "Extreme – More Than Words". Singles Top 100.
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^ "Adult Contemporary". Billboard. June 29, 1991. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
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^ "RPM 100 Hit Tracks of 1991". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
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^ "EHR Year-End Top 100" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8, no. 51–52. December 21, 1991. p. 20. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
^ "Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 1991" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
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^ Lwin, Nanda. "Top 100 singles of the 1990s". Jam!. Archived from the original on August 29, 2000. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
^ "Brazilian single certifications – Extreme – More Than Words" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
^ "Canadian single certifications – Extreme – More Than Words". Music Canada. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
^ "Danish single certifications – Extreme – More Than Words". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
^ "Italian single certifications – Extreme – More Than Words" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
^ "Dutch single certifications – Extreme – More Than Words" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved April 28, 2020. Enter More Than Words in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1991 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
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v t e Extreme
Gary Cherone Nuno Bettencourt Pat Badger Kevin Figueiredo Paul Geary Michael Mangini Carl Restivo
Studio albums	Extreme Extreme II: Pornograffitti III Sides to Every Story Waiting for the Punchline Saudades de Rock Six
Live albums	Take Us Alive
Compilations	The Best of Extreme: An Accidental Collocation of Atoms?
Singles	"Play with Me" "Kid Ego" "Decadence Dance" "Get the Funk Out" "More Than Words" "Hole Hearted" "Rest in Peace" "Stop the World" "Tragic Comic" "Cynical" "Hip Today" "Star"
Tours	Take Us Alive World Tour East Meets West Tour
Related articles	Discography Van Halen DramaGods Tribe of Judah Mourning Widows Satellite Party Hurtsmile Generation Axe

v t e Frankie J
Studio albums	What's a Man to Do Frankie J The One Un Nuevo Dia Priceless Courage Faith, Hope y Amor
Singles	"Don't Wanna Try" "Obsession (No Es Amor)" "More Than Words" "That Girl" "Daddy's Little Girl"
Featured singles	"Suga Suga" "Los Infieles (Remix)" "Tell Me" "Si Una Vez (If I Once)"
Related articles	Discography Kumbia Kings

v t e Westlife songs
Discography Songs recorded
Westlife	"Swear It Again" "If I Let You Go" "Flying Without Wings" "I Have a Dream"/"Seasons in the Sun" "Fool Again" "More Than Words" "Miss You" "Forever"
Coast to Coast	"Against All Odds" "My Love" "What Makes a Man" "I Lay My Love on You" "Uptown Girl" "When You're Looking Like That" "No Place That Far" "My Girl" "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" "I'll Be There"
World of Our Own	"Queen of My Heart" "World of Our Own" "Bop Bop Baby" "Evergreen" "Angel"
Unbreakable	"Unbreakable" "Tonight "Miss You Nights"
Turnaround	"Hey Whatever" "Mandy" "Obvious" "To Be with You" "Lost in You"
...Allow Us to Be Frank	"Ain't That a Kick in the Head" "Smile" "Fly Me to the Moon" "The Way You Look Tonight" "Let There Be Love" "Come Fly with Me" "Mack the Knife" "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" "Summer Wind" "Clementine" "When I Fall in Love" "Moon River" "That's Life"
Face to Face	"You Raise Me Up" "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" "Amazing" "Desperado" "In This Life"
The Love Album	"The Rose" "Total Eclipse of the Heart" "All Out of Love" "Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You" "Butterfly Kisses" "Easy" "You Light Up My Life" "You Are So Beautiful" "The Dance" "All or Nothing" "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" "If" "Solitaire"
Back Home	"Home" "Us Against the World" "Something Right" "I'm Already There" "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" "Have You Ever"
Where We Are	"What About Now"
Gravity	"Safe" "The Reason" "Please Stay"
Greatest Hits	"Lighthouse" "Beautiful World"
Spectrum	"Hello My Love" "Better Man" "Dynamite"
Other songs	"Everybody Hurts" "Beautiful in White" "If I Had Words" "Daytime Friends, Nighttime Lovers" "Grease Lightning" "Beyond the Sea" "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" "White Christmas" "Never Can Say Goodbye"
Category