In their heyday, The Plain White T's saw radio success with their song "Hey There Delilah" from their album Every Second Counts. The acoustic song, with its saccharine lyrics depicting a long-distance romance, eventually reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in July 2007. The single became the golden ticket that opened the door to fame for the band, whose start began in 1997, playing basement gigs in Illinois.
It seemed like The Plain White T's had finally made it. "Hey There Delilah" went platinum and earned two Grammy nominations. But the rocket to the top would soon run out of fuel for the pop-punk band. After their meteoric rise in 2007, here are some potential reasons Plain White T's never reached their anticipated stardom.
8 Rising Too High, Too Fast
When the sleeper hit "Hey There Delilah" finally caught flame, it was a year after it was initially released off the band's third studio album, All That We Needed.
The band's lead singer, Tom Higgenson, told Chron about his struggles with the sudden stardom. “It seemed like everything I always wanted came at the exact same time,” he said. “I didn’t know how to really enjoy any of it because it was so much happening so fast."
7 The Story Behind "Hey There Delilah" Was Far From Romantic
While fans were singing along to Higgenson's ode to the girl who shined brighter than Times Square, many were disappointed to find out that the real Delilah did not return his heartfelt sentiments.
Higgenson wrote the song after meeting Delilah DiCrescenzo in 2002. She was dating someone else at the time and turned the songwriter down. DiCrescenzo later told ESPN in 2013, ""I was nervous that I'd let Tom's fans down. They'd be disappointed to hear I have a boyfriend. Every girl would want a song written about her, and they'd think I was ungrateful and rude to deny Tom.""
6 "Delilah" Pigeonholed The Band
The acoustic phenomenon that was "Hey There Delilah" retreated from the band's pop-punk style, and made it hard to return to their roots. Unlike other punk-pop stars, such as Avril Lavigne, whose hit "Sk8er Boi" gave her the spotlight to do other types of music and earn millions, Plain White Ts wound up pigeonholed.
Higgenson told Billboard, "What we really think is that people don’t want to just hear us with an acoustic guitar. They just want to hear us do something that connects with them, whether it’s to a piano or guitar or full band — whatever."
Follow-up singles like "1,2,3,4" and "Rhythm of Love" echoed the same gentleness of "Delilah", displacing them even farther from their staple style.
5 Album Delays At Hollywood Records
The band had been signed to Hollywood Records when gearing up to release their seventh studio album, "American Nights." But they faced delays on behalf of the label.
Higgenson spoke to The Chicago Tribune about the final days at Hollywood Records saying, "It felt like we were in career limbo... It was time to move on. Last summer we went on tour and there was no momentum: 'Why are we out here?' There was no game plan. We knew we had to get out of there."
4 Tim Lopez Appearing On "Ready For Love"
The band's guitarist, Tim Lopez, was scheduled to be on a reality show "Ready for Love," in 2013, while the band was signed to Hollywood Records. The label sought to maximize the band's exposure with the venture and promote their album "American Nights."
Higgenson told The Morning Call, "You couldn't help but feel the label had an agenda that they were kind of just going to piggyback off of the show — the success of the show that hadn't even aired yet and wasn't even a thing yet."
And unlike Travis Barker's resurgence with Blink182 after reality TV kept him relevant with the Kardashians (even though Blink182 fans hope Kourtney stays far away from the group's tour) it didn't work out for the Plain White Ts.
The reality show was eventually canceled after two episodes.
3 Success Did Not Mean Money
Contrary to what people believed, the platinum status of "Hey There Delilah" did not mean monetary gain for the band. The reality was that the band was not as financially successful as it would seem.
The band's guitarist, Dave Tirio, told The Orange County Register, "The truth is you have to have a lot of success before you make a lot of money. We haven’t yet. Most of us still live at home when we go home. I sleep in the same bed I did my whole life. My car is still dead in the driveway. We’re still living very, very meager."
2 Nickelodeon And ABC Family Appearances
While signed to Hollywood Records, the band made an appearance on the teen sitcom iCarly and had a four-episode arc on the ABC Family series Greek.
Higgenson spoke to The Dallas Observer in 2011, shrugging off the idea of appearing on a teen show affecting the band's image. "I don't think there are any rules anymore." he said, "A band like Phoenix can get big from being in a car commercial, and having a song on a video game is what breaks more bands these days."
The appearance of both shows could have potentially shifted the band's targeted demographic, attaching them to a teen audience, while causing older fans to lose interest.
1 Plain White T's May Actually Be One-Hit-Wonders
While the band has gone on to have notable singles after "Hey There Delilah", none of them have had the impact of the acoustic hit. The song's prominence seems to have eclipsed their later releases. It was the song that put the band on the map and, as unexpected as it was, was a memorable success.
"But I never thought it would be a hit, just because it’s a little acoustic thing." Higgenson told The Orange County Register, You never expect that song to be the one you go to as a release. Expect it to be a big, hooky rock song."
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