Busted are an English pop rock band from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, consisting of James Bourne, Matt Willis and Charlie Simpson. Formed in 2000, the band had four UK number-one singles, released two studio albums, Busted (2002) and A Present for Everyone (2003), one compilation album and one live album before breaking up in January 2005 following Simpson's decision to pursue a career fronting alternative rock band Fightstar. They have also won two Brit Awards and won The Record of the Year in 2004 with their single "Thunderbirds", amongst other awards. Busted have sold over 5 million albums worldwide.
On 11 November 2013, Willis and Bourne announced plans to tour together with McFly as the supergroup McBusted in 2014, and this continued into 2015.
On 10 November 2015, it was announced that Simpson had rejoined the band after successful secret writing sessions and they would embark on a UK and Ireland arena tour in 2016.
James Bourne and Matt Willis had been friends for a number of years and had written material together. Willis claimed that they had been inspired by Green Day, Blink-182 and BBMak. Busted were formed in early 2000 and originally consisted of Bourne, Willis, Ki Fitzgerald and Owen Doyle, although this version of the band broke up later that year. Tom Fletcher was auditioned and offered a place in the group to complete the lineup. 24 hours later, Busted's manager told Fletcher via a phone call that the band was to go ahead as a trio, comprising Bourne, Willis and Charlie Simpson, who was at the same audition as Fletcher.
The bills are all due and my baby need shoes but I'm busted
Cotton is down to a quarter a pound but I'm busted
I got a cow that's gone dry and a hen that won't lay
A big stack of bills that gets bigger each day
The county will haul my belongings away I'm busted
I called brother Bill to get me a loan I was busted
For I hate to beg like a dog for a bone but I'm busted
But Bill said that there ain't a thing I can do
My wife and my kids're all down with the flu
And I was just thinking of calling on you I'm busted
[ fiddle ]
Now Lord I'm no thief but a man can go wrong when he's busted
The food that we canned last summer is gone I'm busted
The fields're all bare and the cotton won't grow
Me and my family's got to pack up and go
But I'll make a living the Lord only knows I'm busted