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19 Years Ago Today, Someone Else’s Girlfriend Inspired One of the Biggest Love Songs of the 2000s: “I Didn’t Really Know the Girl”
On 28 July 2007, Plain White T's reached No. 1 on the US Hot 100 with "Hey There Delilah", a track that would go on to become one of the decade's defining love songs and earn the band two Grammy nominations. The twist behind its enduring status as an anthem for long-distance couples is that its subject, runner Delilah DiCrescenzo, was not actually in a relationship with frontman Tom Higgenson, who wrote the song after meeting her through a mutual friend while she was dating someone else.
The song first appeared on the band's 2005 album "All That We Needed" and flopped as a single, but strong album sales caught Hollywood Records' attention, leading to a new record deal. After their first major-label single underperformed, executives witnessed fans' enthusiastic response to "Hey There Delilah" live and pushed the band to rerecord and re-release it, this time to huge success. Higgenson has said the lyrics were largely imagined rather than autobiographical, since he barely knew DiCrescenzo, and although she attended the Grammys with him, the outing remained platonic.
In short
- "Hey There Delilah" hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 on 28 July 2007.
- Song's subject was not actually dating songwriter Tom Higgenson.
- Track was rerecorded and re-released before becoming a massive hit.
Explained simply
"Hey There Delilah" by Plain White T's became a major hit when it reached number one on the US charts in 2007 and earned two Grammy nominations. The track gained particular resonance among couples maintaining long-distance relationships. Understanding how the song came to be written helps explain its cultural impact.
The song's subject, Delilah DiCrescenzo, a runner, was not actually in a romantic relationship with frontman Tom Higgenson when he composed it. Higgenson wrote the song after meeting DiCrescenzo through a mutual friend whilst she was dating someone else. He has since clarified that the lyrics were largely fictional rather than based on his actual experiences, as he barely knew her at the time.
The song initially appeared on the band's 2005 album but failed to gain attention as a single. Record executives at Hollywood Records noticed strong enthusiasm for the track when fans heard it performed live, and they pushed the band to record a new version. The rerecorded single achieved significant commercial success, and though DiCrescenzo attended the Grammy Awards with Higgenson, their relationship remained platonic.
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