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)
Wind Me Up
Extreme Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't even know whether to come or go
Up down head's spinning around
Wind up in the lost and found
Wind me up, Wind me up
Wind me up, Wind me up
Wind me up, Wind me up
Tell me why you make it so hard
All I ask is finish what you start
Wind me up, Wind me up
Wind me up, Wind me up
Wind me up, Wind me up
Wind me up that's all you do
Wind me up and leave me blue
I'd like to see if you could be
Kind enough to me when you
Wind me up
Don't take me places then want to go home
Sometimes, I think I'm better off alone
Hey girl, you know what you do
Color me red then leave me blue
The lyrics of Extreme's song "Wind Me Up" depict a frustrating relationship where the singer feels toyed with and confused. He's unsure about whether to stay or leave or what his partner truly wants. The chorus, "Wind Me Up," is repeated multiple times, and it refers to the partner's behavior of enticing the singer only to leave him feeling "lost and found," a place where he can't seem to figure out what she really wants from him. The singer pleads with his partner to finish what she starts, asking why she makes things so difficult. He feels strung along, and the repetitive refrain of "Wind Me Up" reinforces this sense of being played with like a toy.
As the lyrics proceed, the singer continues to express his confusion and disappointment. He suggests that his partner only seems to wind him up and then abandon him, leaving him feeling blue. He wishes that she would treat him more kindly and show some consistency. The final lines express his frustration with her behavior, and he creates an opposition between being colored red, which can signify passion, anger, or love, and being left blue, which is associated with sadness, loneliness, and melancholy. Ultimately, the singer is left feeling confused, frustrated, and unhappy with the relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got something that you ought to know
I have important information to share with you.
Don't even know whether to come or go
I'm confused about what I should do next.
Up down head's spinning around
I'm feeling incredibly disoriented and dizzy.
Wind up in the lost and found
I feel like I'm lost and have no sense of direction.
Wind me up, Wind me up
You keep playing with my emotions and making me feel unsettled.
Tell me why you make it so hard
I don't understand why you're making things difficult for me.
All I ask is finish what you start
I'm begging you to follow through with what you initiate.
Wind me up that's all you do
You keep stringing me along and then abandoning me.
Wind me up and leave me blue
Your actions leave me feeling sad and downcast.
I'd like to see if you could be
I wonder if you're capable of treating me with kindness.
Kind enough to me when you
I'm hoping that you'll show empathy towards me in the future.
Don't take me places then want to go home
It's frustrating when you bring me somewhere and then abruptly want to leave.
Sometimes, I think I'm better off alone
I wonder if it's better for me to be alone rather than deal with your unpredictable behavior.
Hey girl, you know what you do
You're aware of how you're affecting me emotionally.
Color me red then leave me blue
You make me feel happy and then quickly turn around and make me feel sad.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GARY F. CHERONE, NUNO BETTENCOURT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind