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.
Breakdown
Plain White T's Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've seen a man shout out,
Afraid losing the woman he loves.
I've seen a woman lying
To her man flat out,
About who she's been with
And where she was.
I've seen a low fire
This fight, it isn't going anywhere
I've seen a child's eyes
Watching his parents freak out.
I know they seem him but they just don't care.
It won't stop if they don't stop yelling.
It's not the way of working your problems out.
I can't stand being around this yelling
So I'm finding my way out.
I'm gonna drive and never ever slow down.
I'm gonna drive until I break down.
Packing my things and getting out of this town.
I'm gonna drive until I break down.
I've seen a child's eyes.
I've seen him living in doubt.
Not ever knowing what it's like to be in love.
I've seen his friends try
To just to help him get out.
He never told them what the problem really was.
I've seen a suicide.
They couldn't figure it out.
He blamed himself because they couldn't get along.
I've seen his parents' eyes
Trying to figure it out.
Where did our baby go and what went wrong?
It won't stop if they don't stop yelling
It's not the way of working your problems out.
I can't stand being around this yelling
So I'm finding my way out.
I'm gonna drive and never ever slow down.
I'm gonna drive until I break down.
Packing my things and getting out of this town.
I'm gonna drive until I break down.
I'm gonna drive until I break down.
Hold it inside until I break down.
I'm gonna try until I break down
Say my goodbyes until I break down.
(Baby c'mon)
I'm gonna drive and never ever slow down.
I'm gonna drive until I break down.
Packing my things and getting out of this town.
I'm gonna drive until I break down.
I'm gonna drive and never ever slow down.
I'm gonna drive until I break down.
Packing my things and getting out of this town.
I'm gonna drive until I break down.
I'm gonna drive until I break down.
Hold it inside until I break down.
The lyrics to the song Breakdown by Plain White T's, convey the impact that witnessing constant fighting and yelling can have on a person, as well as the consequences of unresolved issues in relationships. The artist starts the song by describing different scenarios where he has seen people struggling with their relationships. The man who cries and shouts out, fearing to lose his love, the woman who lies flat out about cheating, the child who watches helplessly as his parents fight, and the suicide victim who couldn't cope with the constant fighting.
The artist then expresses his frustration with being around that kind of negative energy, and decides that he needs to get away from it all. He decides to "drive and never ever slow down" until he breaks down. The song represents the idea of physical distance as a way to deal with emotional turmoil. Sometimes, taking a break from a situation or walking away from it altogether might be the best way to cope.
Through the song, the artist depicts a situation where yelling and fighting do not solve problems but escalate them. The repetition of the lines, "It won't stop if they don't stop yelling, It's not the way of working your problems out, I can't stand being around this yelling, So I'm finding my way out," shows the frustration of the singer with the yelling and the urgency to find a way out of this situation. Breakdown is a reminder that constant anger and emotional violence can lead to the deterioration of relationships and the possibility of irreversible damage.
Line by Line Meaning
I've seen a man cry.
I have witnessed a man express his emotions through tears.
I've seen a man shout out,
I have witnessed a man yell out in frustration or anger.
Afraid losing the woman he loves.
He is fearful of losing a woman whom he loves very dearly.
I've seen a woman lying
I have seen a woman deceive others.
To her man flat out,
She lied directly to her significant other.
About who she's been with
She lied about her activities and who she spent time with.
And where she was.
She also lied about her whereabouts.
I've seen a low fire
I have witnessed a small, insignificant conflict.
And tried to figure it out.
I attempted to understand what is causing the argument.
This fight, it isn't going anywhere
The conflict doesn't seem to be getting resolved or moving forward.
I've seen a child's eyes
I have witnessed a child's expression during a difficult or emotionally charged situation.
Watching his parents freak out.
The child was observing his parents behaving erratically or in panic.
I know they seem him but they just don't care.
Although the parents are aware of their child's presence, they are not prioritizing his well-being or emotions.
It won't stop if they don't stop yelling.
The argument and conflict will not end if the yelling and screaming continues.
It's not the way of working your problems out.
Yelling and screaming is not an effective method of conflict resolution.
I can't stand being around this yelling
I am unable to tolerate the constant noise and screaming.
So I'm finding my way out.
I am looking for a way to escape and remove myself from the situation.
I'm gonna drive and never ever slow down.
I plan on driving away from this place as quickly as possible, without stopping.
I'm gonna drive until I break down.
I will keep driving until something stops me, whether my car breaks down or I collapse emotionally.
Packing my things and getting out of this town.
I am gathering my possessions and leaving this city behind.
I'm gonna drive until I break down.
Once again, I will drive until I can no longer continue.
Not ever knowing what it's like to be in love.
The child has never experienced the feeling of being in love and is unsure of what it means.
I've seen his friends try
I witnessed the child's friends attempting to help him.
To just to help him get out.
The friends want to assist the child in escaping from a difficult situation.
He never told them what the problem really was.
The child did not share the true nature of his problem with his friends.
I've seen a suicide.
I have witnessed someone taking their own life.
They couldn't figure it out.
The people around the person who committed suicide were unable to understand why it happened.
He blamed himself because they couldn't get along.
The person who committed suicide felt responsible for the tensions and disagreements around him.
Trying to figure it out.
The parents were attempting to understand what caused their child to feel so unhappy and troubled.
Where did our baby go and what went wrong?
The parents of the child are curious about why their child is in such emotional distress and despair.
Hold it inside until I break down.
I am going to keep my emotions bottled up until I can no longer contain them.
I'm gonna try until I break down
I will attempt to keep going despite my emotional turmoil, until I can no longer handle it.
Say my goodbyes until I break down.
I will say goodbye to those I need to, until I can no longer continue without breaking down.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TOM HIGGENSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tetsushatarii2108
I still remember the first time I heard this. It was so long ago on my best friends 23 song limit MP3 player… memories.
@verdantbf
This is honestly a great song I'm so proud of you Tom!
@inutrasha4027
I love this song 💙
@sahidalcantara
Todo lo que necesitaba. ❤️
@anthonyg5834
people are still here
@markchristopher3991
someone listened to this at max volume while running from an abusive mothers home, unsure of what the future would be. good luck…
It worker out…
@kise_ryota
Tão boa quanto eu lembrava
@pedrooberlaender91
Eles são foda
@MissUnderstood92
<3
@doodlethecommenter1257
Imagine having a 4x platinum song and dying this hard