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)
Warheads
Extreme Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wanna have some fun?
Choose a side
And, here's your gun
Brought up
Knowing right from wrong
Squash the meek,
Just try and,
Cross the line,
Don't even bother
To waste my time
What's that
Look in your eyes?
It's time I cut you.
Down to size
This world ain't
Big enough for two,
And I've got my
Sights on you
Would you like to be,
I'm a warhead
You're a warhead
A warhead just like me?
He's a warhead
She's a warhead
Watch 'em scream 'm yell
Would you like to be,
A warhead too
When I blow them
Straight to hell
Ramboy,
It's us and them
Just like your Daddy
In Vietnam
Monkey see,
Monkey do,
Your boy's grown up
Just like you
This world ain't
Big enough for two,
And I've got my
Sights on you
Would you like to be,
I'm a warhead
You're a warhead
A warhead just like me?
He's a warhead
She's a warhead
Watch 'em scream 'n yell
Would you like to be,
A warhead too
When I blow them
Straight to hell
I've seen Black heads,
White heads,
Red heads,
Dead heads,
Big heads,
Shit heads,
But there's no heads
Like warheads!
"Warheads" by Extreme is a song that delves into the atrocities of war and conflict. The lyrics reflect the mindset of a soldier who has been conditioned to believe that killing is necessary to establish dominance and power. The opening lines- "Hey Kid, Wanna have some fun? Choose a side And, here's your gun" - suggest that violence and aggression come with a sense of thrill and excitement. The following lines - "Brought up Knowing right from wrong Squash the meek, Inherit the strong" - hints at the notion that in war, only the strongest survive and only through conquering the weak can one establish their dominance.
The song goes even further to highlight the dehumanizing nature of war, with lyrics such as - "What's that Look in your eyes? It's time I cut you. Down to size" - implying that in war, killing is just a matter of reducing the enemy to a mere statistical number. The chorus of the song - "Would you like to be, I'm a warhead You're a warhead A warhead just like me? He's a warhead She's a warhead Watch 'em scream 'm yell Would you like to be, A warhead too When I blow them , Straight to hell" - further emphasizes the idea of the soldier as a "warhead," trained and equipped to destroy others.
In conclusion, "Warheads" is a commentary on the devastating impact of war on individuals and society at large. Through its lyrics, the song emphasizes the harms of violence and aggression and the importance of peace and understanding.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey Kid,
Wanna have some fun?
The singer is inviting someone to join them in their violent activity.
Choose a side
And, here's your gun
The singer is giving the person a weapon to fight for their side.
Brought up
Knowing right from wrong
Squash the meek,
Inherit the strong
The singer was taught to be ruthless, and believes in the survival of the strongest.
Just try and,
Cross the line,
Don't even bother
To waste my time
The artist is warning against any challenge to their superiority.
What's that
Look in your eyes?
It's time I cut you.
Down to size
The artist perceives a perceived weakness in the other, and believes they can overpower them.
This world ain't
Big enough for two,
And I've got my
Sights on you
The singer desires to eliminate those who are not on their side, and specifically targets the person they are speaking to.
Would you like to be,
I'm a warhead
You're a warhead
A warhead just like me?
The singer is glorifying their violent tendencies, and attempting to persuade the person to align themselves with it.
He's a warhead
She's a warhead
Watch 'em scream 'n yell
Would you like to be,
A warhead too
When I blow them
Straight to hell
The artist takes enjoyment out of the pain of others, and invites the other to join them in inflicting it.
Ramboy,
It's us and them
Just like your Daddy
In Vietnam
The artist implies that they are in conflict with another group, in the same way the other person's parent may have been involved in a war.
Monkey see,
Monkey do,
Your boy's grown up
Just like you
The artist is suggesting that the other person is just following in the footsteps of their parent and taught to be violent.
I've seen Black heads,
White heads,
Red heads,
Dead heads,
Big heads,
Shit heads,
But there's no heads
Like warheads!
The singer is emphasizing the power and uniqueness of those who engage in violence, and that they are superior to others.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GARY F. CHERONE, NUNO BETTENCOURT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind