If you were a fan of pop-rock from the early 2000s fine, then, so probably somewhere in your heart there is a special place occupied by Busted. It was a band formed by three teenagers with a passion for music: Charlie Simpson, James Bourne, and Matt Willis, way back in 2000. Basically, it did not take them long to get the world abuzz with some killer beats and really cheeky lyrics. Songs like “What I Go To School For” and “Air Hostess” may have been the anthems of your teenagehood, but how many of you have gone back to those lyrics as adults?
Now 39, Charlie Simpson has readily agreed that early Busted lyrics are “icky” by today’s standards, but he’s quite insistent that changing them would rewrite part of history. He told Metro.co.uk, “Some of the lyrical content of those songs we just wouldn’t write now, so there’s definitely that kind of [icky] feeling, but they’re so well known by our audience that it doesn’t really matter.”.
So, what exactly is it about these songs that raises eyebrows today? Well, let’s dissect a few examples. The lyrics in “What I Go To School For” run, “I drop a pencil on the floor, she bends down and shows me more,” sung from the perspective of a teenage boy with a crush on his 33-year-old schoolteacher. Another track, “Air Hostess,” describes a stewardess in a way that’s more lascivious than flattering: “Writing you a love letter, I messed my pants / When we flew over France, will I see you soon in my hotel room?”
Listening now to those lyrics, it’s no wonder they make some people squirm. When it was time to record the hits afresh for the new compilation album “Greatest Hits 2.0”, Charlie and the band had this interesting idea: instead of making many changes to the songs, they only change little things. Like this: in “What I Go To School For” they changed the age of the teacher from 33 to 53, just for the laugh – “otherwise, the teacher would be younger than us now!” said Charlie.
That the band has, for the most part, left the original lyrics intact might stand a little controversial at a time when many artists are revising their older works to better align with modern sensibilities. Taylor Swift, Lizzo, and Paramore are only three such artists. For Busted, though, the songs “capture a moment in time” and represent a nostalgic ride for both themselves and their fans.
Fast-forward to today, and Busted’s fanbase remains higher than ever: they have completed a 20th anniversary, hit number one with a new record, and are on the verge of playing tours that will see them perform everywhere from Suffolk to Japan and Australia. Not bad for a band who hadn’t played live since the autumn of 2004. The stats say it all: they sold out 26 arenas on their recent tour after originally booking just 11 – and the fans still keep coming. Busted’s pop-rock seems as adored now as it was back then. Charlie is refreshingly honest about Busted’s past and future. He has no regrets regarding the ups and downs of the band, including leaving them in 2005 to be with another post-hardcore band called Fightstar. “I think everything that has happened in the past has led us to this point now, which is Busted in the best place it’s ever been and I’m really happy with how everything is going.” It mightn’t have been that way, had history gone the wrong way, you know?
he reflected. Anyone planning on catching Busted live? Well, as Charlie explained, fans can look forward to a set full of “fan favorites.” Eager to hold onto that spark of nostalgia, they want to give the fans what they desire long-time fans, particularly. And let’s be honest, part of that charm is hearing those same original lyrics, risqué or not, which take us back to another, perhaps simpler, time in our lives. So if you find yourself harking back to those halcyon days, dig out that old Busted LP. Repulsive lyrics and all but perhaps because of them they provide a peek into the teenage minds that once captured the spirit of youthful rebellion and cheekiness. After all, some things are best left untouched – even if they make us squirm just a little.