For over a decade, Plain White T's have been playing to packed audiences craving for that perfect pop-punk punch. Their journey, which began in a small suburban basement playing covers, has taken the band to Warped Tour three times, and landed them opening slots for bands like Jimmy Eat World and AFI. Plain White T's are road warriors in the truest sense and with their first major label album, Every Second Counts, the band is ready to rock in a big way.
PWT's story started back in high school, when frontman Tom Higgenson first stepped into Chicago's famed rock club the Metro and saw his future on the stage. With the local music scene exploding nationally courtesy of bands like Smashing Pumpkins and Veruca Salt, he decided the time was ripe for his own dreams to be realized. Armed with paper, pen, and guitar, Tom went to task, experimenting with lyrics and melodies on a four-track in his parents' Villa Park, Illinois home. Once he'd reached a level of comfort with his songwriting, he worked up the courage to hand off a tape to Christian Lane, singer of 90's buzz band Loud Lucy, and to his surprise, Christian actually listened to it.
Once he'd recruited a group of school pals, including guitarist Dave Tirio, it was only a matter of a couple years before Plain White T's, who'd attracted a loyal following thanks to Tom's ridiculously melodic tales of teen angst and loveless nights, were playing the Metro themselves.
The music industry took notice of that success and after selling thousands of copies of their self-released 2002 debut, Stop, PWT's were picked up by Fearless Records who re-issued the album along with 2005's All That We Needed. But it was their heartfelt, acoustic-tinged "Hey There Delilah" that cemented their status as potential hitmakers.
Tom's songwriting evolved after the success of the romantically frank "Delilah," which really was a departure for a band known for their energetic powerpop. On Hollywood Records debut, Every Second Counts, Tom, along with bandmates Mike Retondo (bass and vocals), De'Mar Hamilton (drums), and Tim Lopez (guitar, vocals), continues to turn the personal into the universal. Throughout the album, he sings of hook-ups and break-ups and the emotional rollercoaster in between. A prime example is lead single "Hate (I Really Don't Like You)." In a similar vein, the lyrics for "Friends Don't Let Friends Dial Drunk" also showcases Tom's offbeat take on love and life, while its melody sucks you in with every turn of phrase. Delving slightly deeper into emotional territory are upbeat tracks like "Our Time Now" and "Come Back to Me" as well as one of the album's quieter numbers, "Write You a Song."
In 2008, the group released the album 'Big Bad World'. The album had two hit singles: "1, 2, 3, 4" and "Natural Disaster". Both were on the American Top 40 at numbers 1 and 2 for three consecutive weeks. By late 2008, the band had joined the Rock Band Live tour with Panic! at the Disco, Dashboard Confessional and The Cab. Later that year, the band played at the Give It a Name festival in the UK. In 2007, the band performed the single "Our Time Now" on an episode of the Nickelodeon television series, iCarly. "Our Time Now" was also the theme song of the ABC Family dramedy series, Greek.
The band's "Rhythm of Love" single was the first to be released from the group's 2010 album, The Wonders of the Younger.' The song reached number five on the Hot AC chart, and was in the top ten in 2010 as well. In 2012, the band also covered The Ramones' "Pet Sematary" for the song soundtrack of the 2012 Disney film Frankenweenie. Should've Gone to Bed, a four-song EP, was released on April 9, 2013.
The band left Hollywood Records after creative conflicts with the label during the production of the American Nights album. 'American Nights' was released by Megaforce Records on March 31, 2015.
In 2015, they also appeared on Blues Traveler's album Blow Up the Moon, co-writing the song "Nikkia's Prom." On November 22, 2015, the band released a music video for "American Nights" featuring Higgenson's son, Lennon.
In May 2017, Plain White T's released a music video for their song "Land of the Living." The band, which had left their label Fearless Records in 2005, returned to the label. As of April 2017, the band have said that they are currently writing new music.
09A Lonely September
Plain White T's Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just trying to think of something to do
Trying to think of something anything
Just to keep me from thinking of you
But you know its not working out
Cause your all that's on my mind
One thought of you is all it takes
To leave the rest of the world behind
I didn't mean for this to go as far as it did
And I didn't mean to get so close
And share what we did
And I didn't mean to fall in love
But I did
And you didn't mean to love me back
But I know you did
I'm sitting here trying to convince myself
That your not the one for me
But the more I think
The less I believe and then the more
I want you here with me
You know the holidays are coming up
I don't want to spend them alone
Memories of x-mas time with you
Just kill me if I'm on my own
Oh
And I didn't mean for this to go as far as it did
And I didn't mean to get so close
And share what we did
And I didn't mean to fall in love
But I did
And you didn't mean to love me back
I know its not the smartest thing to do
We just can't seem to get it right
But what I wouldn't give to have
One more chance tonight
One more chance tonight
I'm sitting her trying to entertain
Myself with this old gutair
But with all my inspiration gone
Its not getting me very far
I look around my room and everything I see
Reminds me of you
Oh please baby won't you take my hand
We got nothing left to prove
I didn't mean for this to go as far as it did
And I didn't mean to get so close
And share what we did
And I didn't mean to fall in love but I did
And you didn't mean to love me back
But I know you did
And I didn't mean to meet you then
When we were just kids
And I didn't mean to give you chills
The way that I kiss
And I didn't mean to fall in love
But I did
And you didn't mean to love me back
But I know you did
Don't say you didn't love me back
Cause you know you did
No you didn't mean to love me back
But you did
The Plain White T's song "A Lonely September" tells the story of a person who is struggling to move on from a past love. The singer is constantly thinking about their former partner despite their efforts to distract themselves. They acknowledge that they didn't mean for the relationship to become so serious, but they fell in love anyway. The singer tries to convince themselves that they shouldn't be with their former partner, but the more they think about it, the more they want to be with them. The song ends with the singer admitting that their former partner did in fact love them back, despite their initial denial.
The song is a powerful exploration of the pain and confusion that comes with trying to move on from a past love. It delves into the complexity of relationships and how they can evolve in unexpected ways. The lyrics are emotive and relatable, capturing the raw emotions that can come with heartbreak.
Overall, "A Lonely September" is a poignant and introspective song that speaks to the heart of anyone who has ever struggled to let go of a past love.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm sitting here all by myself
The singer is lonely, probably after a breakup.
Just trying to think of something to do
The singer is trying to distract themselves from the thought of their ex-partner.
Trying to think of something anything
They are desperate to take their mind off the ex-partner.
Just to keep me from thinking of you
They want to forget about their ex-partner's memory.
But you know its not working out
The distraction attempts are failing because the artist's mind keeps going back to their ex-partner.
Cause your all that's on my mind
The singer cannot stop thinking about their ex-partner all the time.
One thought of you is all it takes
A single thought of their ex-partner brings back all the memories of their relationship.
To leave the rest of the world behind
The artist's thoughts about their ex-partner are so strong that nothing else matters.
I didn't mean for this to go as far as it did
The artist did not intend for the relationship with the ex-partner to become serious.
And I didn't mean to get so close
The artist did not intend to become emotionally attached to the ex-partner.
And share what we did
The singer did not intend to get intimate with the ex-partner.
And I didn't mean to fall in love
The artist did not intend to fall in love with the ex-partner.
But I did
However, the singer still fell in love with the ex-partner against their intentions.
And you didn't mean to love me back
The singer thinks that the ex-partner did not intend to develop romantic feelings for them.
But I know you did
But the singer is aware that the ex-partner also fell in love with them.
I'm sitting here trying to convince myself
The artist is trying to rationalize that the ex-partner is not the right person for them.
That your not the one for me
The artist is trying to convince themselves that they do not need the ex-partner in their life.
But the more I think
The more the singer thinks about it,
The less I believe and then the more
The more they feel that they need their ex-partner in their life.
I want you here with me
The artist misses their ex-partner's company and wishes to be together with them.
You know the holidays are coming up
The artist remembers the time spent during holidays with their ex-partner.
I don't want to spend them alone
The artist does not want to be alone during the upcoming holidays.
Memories of x-mas time with you
The singer has fond memories of past holidays with their ex-partner.
Just kill me if I'm on my own
The thought of spending the holidays alone is unbearable for the artist.
I know its not the smartest thing to do
The singer acknowledges that getting back together with the ex-partner may not be wise.
We just can't seem to get it right
The singer and their ex-partner have had difficulties resolving the issues in their relationship.
But what I wouldn't give to have
Despite the difficulties, the singer still wants to be with their ex-partner again.
One more chance tonight
The artist would do anything to be given the opportunity to be with their ex-partner again.
I'm sitting here trying to entertain
The artist is trying to distract themselves from thoughts of the ex-partner by playing the guitar.
Myself with this old gutair
The singer wants to find solace in playing their guitar.
But with all my inspiration gone
Despite trying to play the guitar, the singer cannot find inspiration to do so.
Its not getting me very far
Playing the guitar is an inadequate distraction for the artist.
I look around my room and everything I see
Every object in the artist's room reminds them of their ex-partner.
Reminds me of you
The artist is reminded about their ex-partner constantly, even in their everyday life.
Oh please baby won't you take my hand
The singer is making a plea to their ex-partner to come back, holding their hand.
We got nothing left to prove
The artist and their ex-partner have already gone through and proved their love for each other.
Don't say you didn't love me back
The singer wants the ex-partner to acknowledge their love for each other.
Cause you know you did
The singer believes the ex-partner also loved them back, despite their denials.
No you didn't mean to love me back
The singer is aware that the ex-partner never intended to love them back.
But you did
Regardless, the artist knows that the ex-partner did indeed fall in love with them.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TOM HIGGENSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind