1991 Extreme Hit Ranked Among 'Greatest Soft Rock Songs' of All Time

Extreme's "More Than Words" is more than just the band's signature anthem; it is one of the best acoustic rock ballads ever made.

Thirty-five years after the single was released, the 1991 song has earned another major accolade after being included on the list of 100 greatest soft rock songs of all time.

Amazon Music released a curated playlist that celebrates essential songs of the genre and represents the enduring legacy and evolution of soft rock music, with "More Than Words" by Extreme was among the soft rock favorites from the later decades.

Written by vocalist Gary Cherone and guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, the song was featured on their 1990 sophomore album Extreme II: Pornograffitti .

At the time, the band's label, A&M Records, focused on Extreme's funk-metal and hard rock songs like "Decadence Dance" and "Get the Funk Out" as their first and second singles.

However, after their first two songs underperformed in the U.S., Nuno Bettencourt wanted to take a different route with "More Than Words" and release it as a single.

Initially, the label was against it and thought that it might confuse listeners and affect the band's association with its hard rock and funk-metal style.

"I fought for it," Bettencourt shared, as cited by American Songwriter . "I threatened to stop touring and quit the band if they wouldn't release it. I was such a pain in the ass about it that management and the label finally agreed to test the song in a market. They told me, 'We don't think it's gonna do anything,' but they paid a station in Phoenix to spin it three times on a Monday. The next day, my manager called and said, 'Don't get too excited, but it came in top nine in Phoenix.' The next day it climbed higher, and by the end of the week it was almost number one. And they still refused to release it. They tested it in another market and the same thing happened. It was a real fight to get the song out there."

Interestingly, it changed the band's trajectory by turning them into international superstars after peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Beyond its popularity in the U.S., "More Than Words" also ranked No. 1 in Canada, New Zealand and the Netherlands, while it reached No. 2 in the U.K., Ireland and Australia.

Extreme's song also earned a nod at the 1992 Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group.

In a 2025 Facebook post , the band delivered a heartfelt message to fans, thanking them for "keeping the song alive for over three decades."

Related: 1970 Rock Song, Reimagined by George Harrison, Is Still a Major Hit 56 Years Later

This story was originally published by Parade on Sep 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.