Consequently, Extreme's music is never easy to classify; it's not just heavy metal, hard rock, or pop— their albums cover all of that territory with a sweeping ambition and a social consciousness to match. Although a mostly hard rock band, it was the Everly Brothers-style acoustic ballad, "More Than Words," that crossed them over into the mainstream — it hit number one and the follow-up single, the acoustic-based pop rocker "Hole Hearted," hit number four.
They released two albums in the hey day of glam metal but received diminished attention from the mainstream following the grunge explosion following the release of Nirvana's "Nevermind" in 1991. Despite this, they released two more albums before the hiatus. Vocalist Gary Cherone went on to join Van Halen in 1997, replacing Sammy Hagar, and the group released "Van Halen III." He left Van Halen soon after, in 1999 and formed Tribe of Judah, with fellow Extreme members Pat Badger and Mike Mangini.
The group reformed in 2004 for a short tour of Boston and Japan as well as reforming in 2006 for a small U.S. tour. On November 26th 2007, it was announced that Extreme would come back in 2008 with a new album & tour.
In July 2007 Bettencourt quit Satellite Party for the Extreme reunion with Cherone and Pat Badger. On November 26, 2007, the band announced plans for a world tour in the summer of 2008 with King's X as well as a release date for their new album, Saudades de Rock, produced by Bettencourt. Kevin Figueiredo, who played with Bettencourt in DramaGods and Satellite Party, took over drum duties for the band. Original drummer Paul Geary would still remain involved with the band, albeit in a management position.
2015–present: Six
In a May 2015 interview with Eddie Trunk, vocalist Gary Cherone said that Extreme had been writing and demoing new material for their follow-up to Saudades de Rock, and would enter the studio in the fall to begin recording.
In a September 2016 interview, guitarist Nuno Bettencourt revealed that Extreme had been working on approximately 17 songs for their new album, and added, "We're about 17 songs into it. We're just wrapping them up. We've got to do vocals, some guitar. Slowly but surely."
In 2016, the band released Pornograffitti Live 25: Metal Meltdown, an audio/video presentation of its 2015 concert at Las Vegas' Hard Rock Casino.
During the 2017 KISS Kruise, the band invited original drummer Paul Geary to join them on stage to play "Hole Hearted". In June 2018, Extreme toured Australia with Mr. Big, which marked the latter's first tour of Australia and Extreme's first tour of the continent since 1993. After their Australian tour, they went on to tour Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok and Taipei. Extreme headlined Shirock 2019 alongside Scottish hard rock band Nazareth. On October 19, 2019, the band performed in India in front of over 30,000 fans in Ukhrul.
On February 17, 2023, the band began to release a different teaser each day, to end on February 28. On March 1, 2023, Extreme released the single "Rise" and announced that 'Six" would be released on June 9. On April 19, 2023, Extreme released the official videos for "Banshee" and "#Rebel" on their YouTube channel.
Current members
Gary Cherone – lead vocals (1985–96, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007–present)
Nuno Bettencourt – guitars, brass/orchestration arrangements, keyboards, piano, backing and lead vocals (1985–96, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007–present)
Pat Badger – bass, backing vocals (1986–96, 2006, 2007–present)
Kevin Figueiredo – drums, percussion, occasional backing vocals (2007–present)
Diskogs
Extreme (1989)
Extreme II: Pornograffitti (1990)
III Sides to Every Story (1992)
Waiting for the Punchline (1995)
Saudades de Rock (2008)
Six (2023)
Leave Me Alone
Extreme Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'll set the mood
There's nothing wrong
Prefer solitude
Alone to think
Of what I don't know
The deeper I sink
The further I'll go
Nothing to fear
No need to hide
I'm already there
Came in from outside
Safe in my nest
Home sweet home
No invited guests
I want to be alone
Leave me alone
Leave me alone
I wish you would
Leave me alone
Leave me alone
I just want to be alone
It's better this way
No one will get hurt
If you stay away
I won't lose my shirt
If I have become
Too defensive
I'm not the one
You have to live with
[Chorus]
I want to be, I want to be
I want to be, alone
Don't feel sorry
It's not your concern
Only the lonely
Are the ones who get burned
Safe in my nest
Home sweet home
No invited guests
I want to be alone
Extreme's "Leave Me Alone" is a song about one's preference for solitude. The lyrics convey a desire to be left alone, to be free of obligations, interruptions, and distractions. The singer sets the mood with the first line of the song, declaring that he is perfectly fine with being on his own. He says that prefer solitude and that he likes to think, but he doesn't know what about. The deeper he sinks into his thoughts, the further he goes away from everyone else. The singer is alright with it, and he feels that there is no need to hide or be afraid of anything. He's already safe in his nest, and he doesn't want any guests over.
In the chorus, the singer explicitly states that he wants to be left alone. There's an understood implication that someone is trying to reach out to him, but he rebuffs the attempt. He thinks it's better that way, so nobody gets hurt, and he won't lose his shirt. The lines before the refrain indicate that the singer could have become too defensive and that the person he's talking to doesn't have to live with him. The final line of the chorus repeats the desire to be alone three more times, emphasizing the message.
The song finishes with a couple of additional verses reiterating the same desire for solitude. The singer reassures the listener that there is no need to feel sorry for him or to be concerned about his wellbeing. Only the lonely get burned, but he's safe in his home. Finally, he repeats the same refrain, "I want to be alone," perhaps indicating that he's not content with his current situation.
Line by Line Meaning
As for this song
Regarding this specific song
I'll set the mood
I'll create the atmosphere
There's nothing wrong
There's nothing bad happening
Prefer solitude
I like being alone
Alone to think
Being by myself to ponder
Of what I don't know
About things I don't understand
The deeper I sink
The further I delve
The further I'll go
The more profound my exploration
Nothing to fear
Nothing alarmingly risky
No need to hide
No need to conceal
I'm already there
I'm already in that state
Came in from outside
Just came back in
Safe in my nest
Contentedly secure in my quarters
Home sweet home
My happy habitat
No invited guests
No guests have been called for
I want to be alone
I desire to be by myself
Leave me alone
Please don't bother me
Leave me alone
I repeat: don't bother me
I wish you would
I really do hope you would comply
Leave me alone
I really mean it, please leave me be
Leave me alone
I'm begging you to let me be
I just want to be alone
I don't want company
It's better this way
It's superior under these circumstances
No one will get hurt
Nobody will be wounded
If you stay away
If you keep your distance
I won't lose my shirt
I won't suffer a severe loss
If I have become
If I happen to be
Too defensive
Overly guarded
I'm not the one
I'm not the problem
You have to live with
You'll have to deal with it yourself
Don't feel sorry
Don't empathize
It's not your concern
It's irrelevant to you
Only the lonely
Solitude is only troubling to those who crave relationships
Are the ones who get burned
Are the ones who suffer
Safe in my nest
Peacefully comfortable in my domestic setting
Home sweet home
The place where I feel pleasantly at ease
No invited guests
No guests have RSVP'd
I want to be alone
I desperately want to be left unaccompanied
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GARY F. CHERONE, MICHAEL ANTHONY MANGINI, NUNO BETTENCOURT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind