Hey There Delilah

All summer I've been hearing the song Hey There Delilah by Plain White T's on the radio. More than once I've caught myself humming the catchy melody. But what I really love are the lyrics: sweet, sentimental and oh-so-romantic. If you haven't heard it yet, take a listen.



The romance writer in me immediately started thinking about the story behind the words being sung. Was this a song written for a real girl named Delilah? Were they really in a long-distance relationship and this was his way of making her feel better when she'd gotten herself in a funk? The questions continued.

An expert at procrastination (especially with a proposal to write and revisions to finish), I decided I wanted to find out the story behind the song. It didn't take long thanks to google. Here's what I learned:

• The song was first released in 2005, then rereleased in June 2007. Smart move to put it out there again!

• There is a real Delilah. Her name is Delilah DiCrescenzo. She's training for the 2008 Olympic Trials.

• Delilah, who was already in a relationship, was never romantically involved with Tom Higgenson who took over a year to write the song inspired by her.

If you want to read the entire story about the song, check out this article by USA Today writer Brain Mansfield. In the article, Delilah had to say about the song: "It was so beautifully written," she says. "There was pressure to live up to this ideal. I didn't know how to be polite but, you know, ditch him."

I shook my head when I read that. I remember when I was younger I would love to have someone write a romantic song about me. Who am I kidding? I still would like that. What about you?