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)
Stop the World
Extreme Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A masquerade
Made up of fools
And philosophers
Were it to rain
On our charade,
All washes away,
Except for our true colors
If any people bothered
Looking for truth, please,
Stop the world
From spinning 'round
Instead we choose to follow
Footsteps of fools, please
Stop the world
From spinning 'round
If nothing's new under the sun
For me and you
Won't somebody please
Stop the world
Stop the world
I wanna get off
Stop the world
Stop the world
Where there is love
If we forget
Yesterday,
We're bound to repeat it
Tomorrow
It's not too late
To start today,
Better off safe,
Than sorry
Do unto those as you would
Do to yourselves, please,
Stop the world
From spinning 'round
We need more feet to walk
In one another's shoes, please
Stop the world
From spinning 'round
There's nothing new
Under the sun
For me and you,
Won't somebody please
Extreme's song "Stop The World" is an honest observation of the world we live in. The first verse describes how society is like a masquerade, where people wear masks to hide their true selves. The fools and philosophers in this masquerade represent the two types of people in the world. The fools are those who blindly follow the crowd, while the philosophers are those who seek truth and meaning in life. The chorus begs for the world to stop spinning, so people can take a moment to reflect and find their true colors.
The second verse continues with the idea that we need to learn from our past mistakes to avoid repeating them. The lyrics suggest that it's never too late to start making better choices. The final lines of the song express the need for empathy and understanding towards others. The phrase "do unto those as you would do to yourself" is a golden rule that echoes the idea that we are all connected and need to treat each other with kindness and respect. The song ends with the plea for the world to stop spinning, implying that we need to take a moment to appreciate the beauty of love and life.
Line by Line Meaning
All the world's
The whole world is a performance.
A masquerade
It is like a masked ball.
Made up of fools
Mostly composed of fools.
And philosophers
And the wise.
Were it to rain
If the world were to experience turmoil.
On our charade,
On our pretense.
All washes away,
Everything disappears.
Except for our true colors
Except for who we truly are.
If any people bothered
If anyone cared.
Looking for truth, please,
Seeking the truth, I beg you.
Stop the world
Pause everything.
From spinning 'round
From moving continuously.
Instead we choose to follow
But we prefer to imitate.
Footsteps of fools, please
The stupid's way, for the sake of it.
If nothing's new under the sun
If everything is already known.
For me and you
For you and me.
Won't somebody please
Won't someone stop this cycle?
I wanna get off
I wish to get out of here.
Where there is love
Where love is there.
If we forget
If we don't remember.
Yesterday,
The past.
We're bound to repeat it
It will happen again.
Tomorrow
The future.
It's not too late
It isn't too late yet.
To start today,
We can begin right now.
Better off safe,
It is best to be cautious.
Than sorry
Instead of regretting it later.
Do unto those as you would
Do as you would do.
Do to yourselves, please,
Do it for yourself, please.
We need more feet to walk
We require more people to walk.
In one another's shoes, please
For us to see each other's perceptions.
There's nothing new
Nothing is original anymore.
Under the sun
In the world.
For me and you,
For both of us.
Won't somebody please
Won't someone stop this cycle?
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GARY F. CHERONE, NUNO BETTENCOURT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@deceiver444
I will repeat this till the end of days : "Three Sides To Every Story" is one of rock music's most underrated albums.
@shawnhampshirehick101
Agreed!❤
@boogyjuggy
agree
@Alexandre-vg3by
This is a realy Álbum of ART! Sound perfect to me till today 2023 . Mix , recording and mastering.
@user-sz4sl8ok8w
Я с вами
@tylergagne4535
Facts
@cmikesmith664
This entire album is a masterpiece... yet unknown to the world. 😢
@alacton1260
So agree. I bought this c.d when it came out and was blown away. Its like a rock opera like Tommy or The Wall. Not as good of course but worthy of the title
@gregmottola8539
yes. And that should remind you of something. Poetic justice I suppose.
@jeramyparker5950
Their first 3 albums are. Not a bad song on any of them!!