And another one (again)

That for starters is a line from Busted's famous "Year 3000". I think I would not want one boy band after another, although evidence sometimes points to the contrary (Plus One, BBMak, LMNT, North, need I go on?).

Yes, Busted is the topic of today's discussion. Yes also that it is about "Year 3000". However, this is not about Busted by itself. Similarly to the previous post of comparison between Plus One and Jesse McCartney, this one now is about Busted and the Jonas Brothers (of Meet the Robinsons fame).

I see my sister downloading "Year 3000" on LimeWire. As far as I'm concerned, I am staunchly anti-LimeWire, but when I notice that it was not Busted performing the music, I decided to investigate. This, as far as I'm concerned, is fast-becoming a controversy over the Atlantic.

Let me say though first that this post now reflects a great reverse from the previous post. Whereas in the Plus One-Jesse McCartney case Christian music is being pop-ified, Busted's music is being done the opposite (although with significantly less gusto and with virtually no God references), since according to Wikipedia, the Jonas Brothers are a Christian band. Quite ironic, if you ask me.

However, it is not an excuse for altering a perfectly good song. Let's compare the choruses of both versions:

Busted version:

He said I've been to the year 3000
Not much has changed but they lived underwater
And your great-great-great granddaughter is pretty fine

Jonas Brothers version:

He said I've been to the year 3000
Not much has changed but they lived underwater
And your great-great-great granddaughter is doing fine

"Year 3000" was made more kid- and teen-friendly for the sake of young audiences (...girls there with round hair like Star Wars float above the floor from ...triple-breasted women swim around town totally naked)? Even changed so that a younger demographic can relate (...it had outsold Kelly Clarkson from ...it had outsold Michael Jackson)? Although I have respect for this up-and-coming band, I am quite appalled at how much this song was changed from its original. It was made cleaner! If British teens can live with the original Busted version (and love it, by the way), why does it have to be made cleaner for American teens? It makes no sense at all.

Oh well. What's done is done. However, I remain a staunch supporter of the original, and I hate to admit it, but the original version is possibly still more popular than the newer version (the Jonas Brothers have been, as of this writing, booted from the most recent top 50, but unsure if they are still in the top 100, and Busted's version has reached the top 10 in the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands and Ireland in 2003). Unfortunately, we have to deal with the phenomenon of music gone cleaner.