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 this day (July 28) in 2007, Plain White T’s were at No. 1 on the Hot 100 with “Hey There Delilah.” The song held the top spot for two consecutive weeks. It also brought the band a pair of Grammy nominations. While the song has long been an anthem for couples in long-distance relationships for nearly two decades, the individuals involved in this song weren’t dating. This was the band’s frontman, Tom Higgenson’s attempt to impress Delilah DiCrescenzo, a steeplechase and cross country runner he met through a mutual friend.

“Hey There Delilah” took the scenic route to the top of the Hot 100. The band recorded it for their 2005 album All That We Needed, which was released via Fearless Records. The next year, they shared the song as a single from that LP, but it didn’t become a hit. However, the album sold enough copies to draw the attention of Hollywood Records, who signed the Plain White T’s ahead of their next LP, Every Second Counts.

They released “Hate (I Really Don’t Like You)” as their first single with Hollywood. It peaked at No. 68 on the Hot 100. Then, according to Songfacts, the head of the record label went to one of the band’s concerts. While there, he saw the overwhelming crowd reaction to “Hey There Delilah.” As a result, the label convinced them to rerecord the song for their major label debut. They released it as a single for the second time, and it became a huge hit.

“Hey There Delilah” has been many listeners’ introduction to the Plain White T’s. Unfortunately, it isn’t indicative of their sound. They don’t usually do heartfelt acoustic ballads. Instead, they lean more toward pop-punk.

The Meeting That Inspired the Plain White T’s Breakout Hit

Plain White T’s lead singer, Tom Higgenson, met Delilah DiCrescenzo through a mutual friend and was immediately smitten.

“I was like, ‘Well, all right, I’ve got to write a song for this girl.’ I literally started playing it. The first verse just poured out of me exactly as it is, all the way through to the chorus,” he recalled. “I didn’t really know the girl, you know? So, it was like, ‘What’s it like in New York City? Tonight, you look so pretty.’”

It took him six months to finish the song. “I just had to make up the rest of it,” he explained. “If I was in this long-distance relationship with somebody, what would I want to say? What would those emotions be?”

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While the song was a huge hit for the band, it didn’t pan out for Higgenson. DiCrescenzo was dating someone else at the time. She did, however, attend the Grammys with Higgenson, where the song was nominated for two awards. It was a strictly platonic outing.

Featured Image by Denise Truscello/WireImage

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