Plain White T's are a pop-punk band formed in 1997 in Illinois, United Stat… Read Full Bio ↴Plain White T's are a pop-punk band formed in 1997 in Illinois, United States. They are best known for "Hey There Delilah", an acoustic song performed solely by singer Tom Higgenson originally released in 2005 and later hit #1 in the US in 2007.

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.

Anything
Plain White T's Lyrics

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I see your face in the frame on my desk
It Meant a lot now it means a lot less
It's just a place for the dust in my room to rest

I see the letters that were written for me
They said you cared and I totally believed
They didn't mention that five months later you'd leave

[Chorus]
You could have told me anything
You could have told me anything
You could have told me anything
To make me understand
'Cause I don't understand

I see the bracelet you gave me back then
Made it for me so I'd never forget
It must have worked 'cause I haven't forgotten you yet

I see the bed where we used to mess around
We'd talk for hours before you'd go down
That was before you decided not to keep me around

You could have told me anything
You could have told me anything
You could have told me anything
To make me understand

You could have told me anything
You could have told me anything
You could have told me anything
To make me understand
'Cause I don't understand

You could have told me why you had to go
I try to tell myself just let it go
but I see your face
It's everywhere I go

You could have told me anything
You could have told me anything
You could have told me anything
To make me understand

You could have told me anything
You could have told me anything
You could have told me anything
To make me understand

'Cause I don't understand
No I don't understand

Overall Meaning

The song "Anything" by Plain White T's is a heartfelt ballad that explores the emotions of a person after a failed relationship. The lyrics are filled with nostalgia and pain as the singer remembers their past with their former partner. The opening lines of the song refer to a picture frame on their desk that once held cherished memories of their former partner. But now it's just another piece of furniture collecting dust. This line shows how even the most meaningful objects can become meaningless after a breakup.

As the song progresses, the singer slowly reveals their feelings of betrayal and hurt. They talk about letters that were written to them expressing love and care, but those words became meaningless when their partner left them just five months later. The chorus of the song is a plea for honesty and understanding, as the singer expresses their confusion about why their partner had to leave. The lyrics indicate that if their partner had only been truthful with them, they would have been able to understand and move on.

The rest of the song builds on the theme of lost love and unanswered questions. The bracelet that their partner gave them is now a symbol of a love that has come to an end. The bed that they used to share is a bittersweet memory of the times they spent getting to know each other before things fell apart. The song ends with the singer trying to make sense of their emotions, but ultimately admitting that they don't understand why their partner had to leave.

Overall, "Anything" is a poignant song that captures the heartache of a failed relationship. It shows how even the most meaningful of objects can lose their importance when a relationship ends, and how difficult it is to understand why someone we love would leave us. The song speaks to anyone who has ever gone through a breakup and struggled to find closure.

Line by Line Meaning

I see your face in the frame on my desk
I am reminded of you whenever I see the picture of you I have on my desk

It meant a lot now it means a lot less
What used to be a cherished memory is now a fading memory

It's just a place for the dust in my room to rest
The picture has become nothing more than an object to collect dust in my room

I see the letters that were written for me
I come across the letters you wrote me in the past

They said you cared and I totally believed
Your letters expressed concern for me and I believed you meant it

They didn't mention that five months later you'd leave
However, your letters failed to inform me of your intentions to leave five months later

You could have told me anything
You could have been honest with me about anything

To make me understand
To help me comprehend why our relationship ended

'Cause I don't understand
Because I am struggling to make sense of the breakup

I see the bracelet you gave me back then
I still wear the bracelet you gave me as a reminder of our past together

Made it for me so I'd never forget
You made the bracelet so that it would keep our memories alive for me

It must have worked 'cause I haven't forgotten you yet
The bracelet has been effective in keeping our memories alive as I still haven't forgotten about you

I see the bed where we used to mess around
I am reminded of the times we spent together in bed

We'd talk for hours before you'd go down
We used to talk to each other for hours before we went to sleep

That was before you decided not to keep me around
However, that was all in the past before you decided to end the relationship

You could have told me why you had to go
You could have given me an explanation about why you had to end the relationship

I try to tell myself just let it go
I try to convince myself to move on from our relationship

but I see your face
But it's hard to forget you

It's everywhere I go
Because I am constantly reminded of you wherever I go

No I don't understand
I still don't understand why it had to end the way it did

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TOM HIGGENSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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