The Story of ALIAS’ “More Than Words Can Say”

Canadian glam rockers Alias debuted in 1990 with a self-titled AOR treasure album which in a blink of an eye turned into an absolute sensation, conquering chart after chart and breaking record after record. No one even saw it coming – out of the blue vocalist Freddy Curci and guitarist Steve DeMarchi (Sheriff), along with Roger Fisher, Steve Fossen, and Mike DeRosier (Heart) formed this impressive, though very short-lived supergroup and …well, the rest is history. “Alias” entered the musical battlefield, armed with top notch radio hit singles, like “Waiting for Love”, “Heroes” and “Haunted Heart”. However, the song that truly stood out and made history was the astonishing power ballad, titled “(I Need You Now) More Than Words Can Say”. Every power ballad discussion, mixtape or playlist should feature this tune. As a matter of fact that’s how I got introduced to Alias – through a power ballad compilation CD I got a couple of years back.

There are a number of reasons why I thought this song deserves to get the spotlight! [My Rock Mixtapes] gives you the story of Alias’ “More Than Words Can Say”.

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• “(I Need You Now) More Than Words Can Say” was released as the second single from their 1990 eponymous debut album. The title is also known as just “More Than Words Can Say” – the (I Need You Now) part was added merely for convenience and advertising purposes. It does look more colorful, poetic and lyric-like, doesn’t it? You can just sing through the title… Also since the phrase “I Need You Now” is repeated so many times in the chorus, the audience thought that was the actual name of the song. Naturally, to make it less confusing and more accessible, they changed the title.

• The song bears a striking resemblance to Sheriff‘s number one hit “When I’m With You”. Unfortunately, the band didn’t live long enough to enjoy the gains of their single or to release a worthy follow-up while the momentum was still there. After the break-up, Freddy and Steve assembled a new supergroup and were more than ready to once again taste that sweet success. They didn’t wait that long…

• “More Than Words Can Say”- the brainchild of vocalist Freddy Curci and guitarist Steve DeMarchi, turned into an instant hit, topping the charts in Alias’ homeland of Canada and peaking at #2 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It took the track just a couple of weeks to get from the Top100 to the Top3 – that’s quite the speed, wasn’t it? The sudden and unanticipated commercial success of the song, however, disappeared as quick as it came. Many people refer to Alias as “one-hit-wonders”, though I never actually liked that phrase, especially when there’s talent and hard work.
  

• Freddy Curci – the lead singer and songwriter of Alias was presented with BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.)’s “Million-airs Award” for “More Than Words Can Say”. To get а sense of what а million airs means, it’s basically equivalent to 50,000 broadcast hours, which is around 5.7 years of on-going airplay. That’s incredible, isn’t it? How many songs do you think reached such milestones? You’d be surprised – only around 1,500 out of the 4.5 million songs by 300,000 BMI represented artists got this recognition! That should tell you something about the big splash this song made in 1990. “More Than Words Can Say” was basically playing everywhere, all the time! For that acknowledgment itself, this song deserves to take its honorable place in the history of popular music as one of the top played songs on the air. Of course, that’s not the only reason why this song is so worthy and valuable. Musically speaking, the tune has a lot to offer – at least to power ballad enthusiasts like me.

• The lyrics of “More Than Words” are simple, elegant and up to the point. Words are meaningless when we are faced with a great deal of pain over a loved one who left us. Thinking about that person, imagining that he/she is right there with you – you can’t describe that feeling, you just need that person back in your life or you feel like you might lose your mind. It’s a beautiful ballad to send to someone who you wish to get back with.

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…and then there’s this gorgeous live performance

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“More Than Words Can Say” Lyrics

Here I am at six o’clock in the morning
Still thinking about you
It’s still hard, at six o’clock in the morning
To sleep without you

And I know that it might
Seem too late for love
All I know

I need you now
More than words can say
I need you now
I’ve got to find a way
I need you now
Before I lose my mind
I need you now

Here I am, I’m looking out my window
I’m dreaming about you
Can’t let you go, at six o’clcok in the morning
I feel you beside me

And I know that it might
Seem too late for love
For love Oh, Oh, Oh

I need you now
More than words can say
I need you now
I’ve got to find a way
I need you now
Before I lose my mind
I need you now
More than words can say
I need you now
Oh I got to hear you say
I need you now
Before I lose my mind
I need you now
I need you now

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References:

Lyrics, retrieved from www.lyricsfreak.com
“More than Words Can Say” Official Wikipedia Page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/More_Than_Words_Can_Say
P.S. I don’t own any audio or visual material used in this publication. All the rights and credits go to the owners and/publishers.The publication expresses my personal opinion and in no way is trying to make a generalized statement. Please be kind and considerate when you read and/or comment.
Cheers~