Oscar Benton (born Ferdinand van Eif on February 3, 1949 - died in IJmuiden… Read Full Bio ↴Oscar Benton (born Ferdinand van Eif on February 3, 1949 - died in IJmuiden on November 8, 2020) is a Dutch vocalist and the founder of the Oscar Benton Blues Band in 1967. The band rose to fame in 1968 by being a runner up in the Jazz Festival, Loosdrecht, Holland. In his solo career, Oscar Benton released with his 1981 homonymous album the Bensonhurst Blues, written by Artie Kaplan & Artie Kornfeld, and produced by the EMI Records. The Bensonhurst Blues, which is considered to be Oscar Benton's best hit, was part of the soundtrack of the 1999 movie La Bûche. Earlier it was on the soundtrack of the film Pour la Peau d'un Flic, 1.979, which features Alain Delon. The earliest version of that song is that of Artie Kaplan in his 1973 album Confessions Of A Male Chauvinist Pig produced by the Hopi Records. The Italian singer Adriano Celentano, in his 2004 album C'é Sempre un Motivo, included an Italian version, named Vengo del Jazz. A famous Romanian singer, Margareta Paslaru, sings it in Romanian under the title Spuneam Ca Nu-Mi Passa (Bui Bui Bui). The Romanian singer Aurelian Andreescu also recorded a Romanian language version of this song titled Îndrăgostitul. The song became the musical theme of the TV show Crazy Horse in the early 2000s.

In 1968, the Oscar Benton Blues Band released its first album, Feel so good. In 1969, they released the album The blues is gonna wreck my life. In 1971, they released Benton ‘71. In 1974, the band changed members and also the name by becoming Blue Eyed Baby. Oscar Benton himself changed his stage name to Billy Boy Bishop. The Blue Eyed Baby released the LP Blue Eyed Baby.. Oscar Benton began his solo career in 1981 Oscar Benton with the album Bensonhurst Blues which brought him to prominence in the world of blues. Dans les années 2000 une partie du spectacle du Crazy Horse « Lay laser lay », se déroule sur sa reprise de Bensonhurst Blues. In 2011, Oscar Benton released his CD album, Oscar Benton is Still Alive.

Needless to add here, none of the other versions of the Bensonhurst Blues manages to catch up with Oscar Benton's 1979 version. Oscar Benton is a unfairly underrated singer. Indeed, he's a poetic vocalist who can be compared to the bard tradition of George Brassens, Charles Aznavour, and Enrico Macias.

*You can also see ‘Oscar Benton Blues Band’ on Last.fm here: Oscar Benton Blues Band

Busted
Oscar Benton Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

My bills are all due and the baby needs shoes and I'm busted
Cotton is down to a quarter a pound, but I'm busted
I got a cow that went dry and a hen that won't lay
A big stack of bills that gets bigger each day
The county's gonna haul my belongings away cause I'm busted.

I went to my brother to ask for a loan cause I was busted
I hate to beg like a dog without his bone, but I'm busted

My brother said there ain't a thing I can do,
My wife and my kids are all down with the flu,
And I was just thinking about calling on you 'cause I'm busted.

Well, I am no thief, but a man can go wrong when he's busted
The food that we canned last summer is gone and I'm busted
The fields are all bare and the cotton won't grow,
Me and my family got to pack up and go,
But I'll make a living, just where I don't know cause I'm busted.

I'm broke, no bread, I mean like nothing, It's over

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Oscar Benton's "Busted" depict a man's struggle with financial hardship. He goes through a list of all the things that are going wrong in his life - bills due, declining cotton prices, livestock problems, mounting debts and the prospect of losing his possessions to the county. He then goes to his brother to seek help and is met with his own struggles and denial. The man begins to consider desperate measures, pondering turning to a life of crime to feed his family. The final verse shows the man feeling lost and hopeless, with nothing left to do but pack up and leave with his family.

The song is relatable to anyone who has gone through tough financial times, especially those in rural areas who rely on agriculture for their income. It speaks to the desperation, anxiety and helplessness that comes with such situations. The phrase "I'm busted" is used throughout the song as both a description of his current state, as well as an expression of hopelessness.

One interesting fact about the song is that it was originally written and recorded by Harlan Howard, with several other artists also releasing their own versions. The most well-known version was by Johnny Cash, who had a hit with it in 1962. Benton's version came in 1968 and became a hit in several European countries, though it was not successful in the US.

Another interesting fact is that the song's success in Europe is partly attributed to its use in a popular Dutch film called "De Witte Van Sichem". The film's director, Robbe De Hert, heard the song on a local radio station and decided to use it in the film. Its popularity in the film helped propel it to chart success in several European countries.

Chords (based on the version by Johnny Cash):
Verse: G | C | G | D | G | C | G | D | G |
Chorus: G | C | G | D | G | C | G | D | G |

Line by Line Meaning

My bills are all due and the baby needs shoes and I'm busted
I have no money left to pay my bills and my baby needs shoes, so I am completely broke.

Cotton is down to a quarter a pound, but I'm busted
The price of cotton is very low and I have no money to buy it, so I am in a difficult financial situation.

I got a cow that went dry and a hen that won't lay
My cow is unable to produce milk, and my hen is not laying eggs, which means I have no means of generating income.

A big stack of bills that gets bigger each day
I have a lot of unpaid bills that keep piling up, making my financial situation even worse.

The county's gonna haul my belongings away cause I'm busted.
Because of my inability to pay my debts, my property is going to be confiscated by the county.

I went to my brother to ask for a loan cause I was busted
As I was facing dire financial straits, I went to my brother to ask for help in the form of a loan.

I hate to beg like a dog without his bone, but I'm busted
I feel ashamed to have to ask for financial help, as I have lost my financial independence.

My brother said there ain't a thing I can do,
Despite my plea, my brother was unable to provide me with any assistance.

My wife and my kids are all down with the flu,
My family is ill with the flu, adding another layer to my financial and personal challenges.

And I was just thinking about calling on you 'cause I'm busted.
As a last resort, I was hoping to call on my brother for help, but now I realize that there is no one left to turn to.

Well, I am no thief, but a man can go wrong when he's busted
I always try to act honestly, but a man in a difficult financial situation may be tempted to do things he wouldn't normally do.

The food that we canned last summer is gone and I'm busted
I have run out of food that my family and I canned last summer, which highlights how challenging and dire the current situation is.

The fields are all bare and the cotton won't grow,
My fields look barren, and the cotton crops are not growing, so I will have a tough time finding any source of income from them.

Me and my family got to pack up and go,
My family and I will have to leave our house and relocate to a cheaper location to survive, highlighting how difficult the circumstances really are.

But I'll make a living, just where I don't know cause I'm busted.
As I navigate through these difficult circumstances, I am not sure where I will end up or what job I will find, but I will make a living somehow.

Contributed by Leo G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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