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.
Let's Pretend
Plain White T's Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Turned out to hurt more then I thought it would.
'Cos i just can't handle losing you again
but the last thing I want is to just be friends
we've been through the same thing time and time again
Let's pretend.
put on our fake smiles and keep wasting our time
Let's pretend we're fine
Go out in style and come home in denial
let's pretend we're fine
If you really gotta know, I'm not doing so good.
It hurt me way more then I thought it could.
'Cos I just can't handle losing you again
but the last thing I want is to just be friends
we've been through the same thing time and time again
Let's pretend.
(Let's pretend everythings fine)
put on our fake smiles and keep wasting our time
Let's pretend we're fine
Go out in style and come home in denial
let's pretend we're fine
lie to ourselves
lie to everyone else
take anymore of this make-believe romance
is killing my make-believe mind
(its killing my make-believe mind)
but i rather pretend we're together
then know we're apart
Let's pretend.
(Let's pretend everythings fine)
put on our fake smiles and keep wasting our time
Let's pretend we're fine
Go out in style and come home in denile
let's pretend we're fine
The lyrics of Plain White T's's Let's Pretend reveal a story of a relationship that has ended leaving the singer in a state of emotional distress. He tells his listener that he has been hurt more than he ever thought he would be, implying that he invested deeply in the relationship. However, he acknowledges that he cannot handle losing the person he cares about again, but he still does not want to settle for friendship. This situation is not new to the two of them as they have been through the same situation before. Eventually, the singer resorts to the idea of pretending as it seems to be a better option than accepting the harsh reality of the relationship.
The theme of Let's Pretend is a reflection of the complexity of breakups, where the decision to break up does not necessarily mean that both parties have stopped loving each other. The singer's willingness to pretend shows how a person can hold onto love, despite the breakup. Moreover, it shows how putting on a facade can be a coping mechanism for some, at least in the immediate aftermath of a breakup.
In conclusion, Let's Pretend shows how one can cling to a love that has ended, as a way of avoiding the harsh reality of the situation. The lyrics suggest that such a pretense is not sustainable, but it is a viable option for a coping mechanism when reality seems unbearable.
Line by Line Meaning
If you really gotta know, I'm not doing so good.
I am not okay, and I am struggling to cope with the current situation.
Turned out to hurt more then I thought it would.
My pain is more intense than I initially anticipated it would be.
'Cos i just can't handle losing you again
I am unable to deal with the possibility of losing you yet again.
but the last thing I want is to just be friends
I do not want to settle for a friendship with you.
we've been through the same thing time and time again
We have experienced this situation multiple times in the past.
Let's pretend.
Let us create a false sense of reality.
(Let's pretend everythings fine)
Let us fool ourselves into thinking that everything is okay.
put on our fake smiles and keep wasting our time
We should mask our pain with a fake smile and carry on with meaningless activities.
Let's pretend we're fine
We should pretend that we are alright.
Go out in style and come home in denial
We should go out in a grand manner, but refuse to acknowledge the actual situation when we return home.
let's pretend we're fine
We should continue pretending to be fine.
lie to ourselves
We should deceive ourselves into thinking that everything is okay.
lie to everyone else
We should deceive everyone else around us as well.
take anymore of this make-believe romance
I cannot tolerate this fake relationship anymore.
is killing my make-believe mind
This false relationship is damaging my mental health.
(its killing my make-believe mind)
This fake relationship is taking a significant toll on my mind.
but i rather pretend we're together
However, I prefer pretending that we are still in a relationship.
then know we're apart
I do not want to face the fact that we are no longer together.
Contributed by Keira O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.