"More Than Words" is a ballad written and originally performed by rock band Extreme. It is built around intricate acoustic guitar work by Nuno Bettencourt and the vocals of Gary Cherone (with harmony vocals from Bettencourt), it was released in 1990 on the album Extreme II: Pornograffiti. The song was a departure from the funk metal that had permeated the band's style previous to its release. On March 23, 1991, "More Than Words" entered the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 81 and soon after reached number one. Though they had made a few European charts before, this brought the band to their first mainstream success in the United States. Extreme followed "More Than Words" with another power ballad, "Hole-Hearted," which was slightly faster paced than "More Than Words," but nevertheless topped at number 4 in the United States.
Even years after its release, "More Than Words" has retained popularity as a romantic ballad. Cover versions of "More Than Words" include:
The song itself asks the person to whom it is addressed to show love through "more than words." Given its context as a song on Pornograffitti, a concept album about a decadent and corrupt society, it could be interpreted as a cynical plea for sex, though most listeners interpret it as being about emotional intimacy.
The video for "More Than Words" was parodied by Weird Al Yankovic for his original song, "You Don't Love Me Anymore." Also Amateur Transplants wrote a comedic song to the same tune as "More Than Words" entitled "Northern Birds" which may be found on their 2006 album "We Are So Bad"
