Perhaps some other time I will write an essay about my feelings around this song, which are complicated and bound up in cultural conditioning and social expectations and gender roles. The essay has been cartwheeling around in my head for a really long time, but I’ve yet to commit it to paper or screen. At some point I probably will.

But I’m going to share this earworm now anyway because last night I saw Bullet Train and am still reveling in its slow-burn humor. That movie is absurdist archetype theatre, and it’s worth watching for that reason alone. (But perhaps go in with that understanding to enjoy it more.)

Anyway, this video is absurd. It’s Jack Black and Jimmy Fallon recreating the official video for Extreme’s “More Than Words,” and they are really faithful in their commitment to the self-conscious and, dare I suggest from the perch of hindsight, pompous original. And they are also really adept at playing and singing the song. And I love both videos for different reasons.

So first up is the parody, and after that is the original. Do enjoy.

 

And for comparison and nostalgia’s sake…