Welcome back to the 00s – if you thought 2005 was great (it was) you’re in for a treat because 2004 might just be even better. Brace yourself for a trip down memory lane as we uncover more hidden gems and some ‘hits’ that are best forgotten…

As ever, no songs that were released in 2003 and carried over into the new year count (sorry, Michael Andrews and Gary Jules (although Mad World was never going to rank first anyway)), and all songs are judged by their musical integrity and not the integrity (or lack of) of the artists involved.

Let’s go!

28. Wonderful – Ja Rule feat. R. Kelly and Ashanti (1)

R. Kelly…eek! What can I say, this was the lowest selling UK No 1 at the time (though the following year saw four singles peak at the top with fewer sales); Ashanti at least omitted R. Kelly’s verse from her remix version…

27. With a Little Help from my Friends – Sam and Mark (1)

Sam and Mark are the poor man’s Dick and Dom who are the poor man’s Ant and Dec. This single is trash.

26. Real to Me – Brian McFadden (1)

Brian must have really thought his decision to leave Westlife had been a good one when his debut solo single reached the top of the charts…

25. Just Lose It – Eminem (1)

Parodying all kinds of things – from Pee-wee Herman to Michael Jackson – this is not one of the best Eminem tracks.

24. Do They Know It’s Christmas? – Band Aid 20 (4)

Ugh, the biggest selling single of 2004 is this. The cover/remake that nobody asked for. The original Band Aid version is perfect and the obsession with rehashing it every decade or so is baffling. Bonus points purely for being an iconic Christmas song and for being a charity single…I guess.

23. All This Time – Michelle McManus (3)

Michelle McManus won the final season of Pop Idol and had something of a modest hit with this classic reality show ballad. Both she and Pop Idol faded into obscurity as X Factor burst onto the scene. Honestly, this is a bit of a nostalgia hit for me, although I do admit, I had also conflated it with Geraldine McQueen’s The Winner’s Song.   

22. I Don’t Wanna Know – Mario Winans feat Enya & P. Diddy (2)

I’m pretty certain we can get a clean version of this without P. Diddy…wouldn’t make the song much better but would save poor Mario (and Enya) the association.

21. Burn – Usher (2)

Honestly, this is such a weak follow up to Yeah! Call me a hater, but for me, this is a snoozefest. 

20. My Place – Nelly (1)

I don’t remember this track and 2004 was my year for music – that said, it’s a vibe.

19. Fuck It (I Don’t Want You Back) – Eamon (4)

This song, and its ‘twin’ were the music talking point of the summer; bear in mind I was 10 and I remember the drama like it was yesterday. When Eamon released this controversial track it prompted an ‘answer song’ from artist Frankee who claimed to be the girl he’s referring to in the track. Turns out they never even dated but we all fell for the marketing ploy.

18. F.U.R.B – Frankee (3)

Honestly, Eamon’s track is better but the fact that this song exists means it just edges it in the rankings. It’s basically a rehash of Eamon’s track; but the laughable lyrics (well guess what yo, your sex was wack) are gold.

17. Dry Your Eyes – The Streets (1)

Dreary. But oddly enjoyable – I vividly remember a dog featuring in the music video, so bonus points for that. 

16. Radio – Robbie Williams (1)

Of all of Robbie’s number ones this is probably the least remembered. It’s fine, kind of fun, but it’s no Angels (which didn’t get to number 1!)

15. Mysterious Girl – Peter Andre feat Bubbler Ranx (1)

Possibly the only good thing Peter Andre has produced and let’s be honest, it’s not even that good,
but boy is it a guilty pleasure.

14. Obviously – McFly (1)

McFly overplay this song to death and have sucked some of the fun out of it, but it’s still a solid pop song, obviously.

13. Vertigo – U2 (1)

In the days before U2 spammed everyone’s iTunes with an album nobody wanted, they actually managed number ones with decent songs. It’s not their most memorable or iconic song but it’s a decent rock number.

12. These Words – Natasha Bedingfield (2)

The bridge between the verse and chorus is classic; as are the ‘I love yous’ but overall it’s not as good a song as Unwritten which only managed to reach number six(!)

11. I’ll Stand By You – Girls Aloud (2)

Did I cry when they performed it at the O2 last year? Of course. Is it the best Girls Aloud single? Absolutely not. Bonus points for being the Children in Need single though.

10. Who’s David – Busted (1)

Tragically overlooked compared to other Busted hits like Air Hostess or Crashed the Wedding. Such a product of its time because you just know there’s no way a pop-punk (lowercase punk) teen boy-band track like this would ever reach the top of the charts today.

9. Everytime – Britney Spears (1)

Britney was having a moment in 2004. Everytime was the perfect follow up to Toxic; a slow, emotional ballad with a haunting piano riff – underrated.

8. 5 Colours in Her Hair – McFly (2)

Debut success for McFly – they still dine out on this one today.

7. Baby Cakes – 3 of a Kind (1)

This is such a stupid song – but that chorus is as catchy as they come. If you remember this song then you 100% sang along to it.

6. Cha Cha Slide – DJ Casper (1)

OK, so this is more a dance routine than song (and don’t pretend you don’t know the moves) but it stands for longevity alone. And was your school disco even a school disco without it? 

5. Take Me To The Clouds Above – LMC vs. U2 (2)

This is one of those obscure songs you forget even exists until it gets brought up in random lists like this. Never played on the radio, never included in any ‘greatest hits’ compilations but a great tune. It helps that this song samples two smash 80s hits – Whitney’s How Will I Know and U2’s With or Without You – you can’t deny this song is a banger.

4. Yeah! – Usher (2)

I guarantee nobody even bothers listening to the lyrics of the song – the synth sound is all you need to hear to get hyped.

3. Call on Me – Eric Prydz (5)

Sampling the masterful song that is Steve Winwood’s Valerie, this Eric Prydz track was everywhere in 2004. Prydz even managed to get Steve to rerecord his vocals for the track. It’s still not a patch on the original but is one of the best remixes to top the charts where it remained for 5 weeks (albeit momentarily knocked off by Robbie) – the music video may have helped sales…

2. Lola’s Theme – Shapeshifters (1)

This was the SOUND OF THE SUMMER – I will always rate Lola’s Theme. I’m not sure Shapeshifters ever managed any other kind of success but if you’re going to have a hit with one song, this is the kind of hit you want. They get (biased) bonus points for playing at a festival in my hometown.

1. Toxic – Britney Spears (1)

Only one week at the top for Toxic?! Insanity. One of Britney’s best and the music video is killer. It tops this chart for being the iconic piece of pop perfection that it is.  

Second the Best

The biggest selling No 2 was Kelis’ iconic Milkshake, which couldn’t quite bring enough boys to the yard. Another massive No 2 was Girls Aloud’s Love Machine, arguably a better contender for No 1 than I’ll Stand by You.

Across the Pond

In the USA, Outkast’s Hey Ya! spent six weeks at the top of the charts. One of the most memorable songs of 2004 maxed out at No 3 in the UK, losing out (inexplicably) to Sam and Mark.

The Hit that Got Away

2004 was a great year for big hits. Anastacia had the seventh best selling single of the year with Left Outside Alone which peaked at No 3. If there was any justice in the world, Lemar would have had a No 1 with If There’s Any Justice. And Ozone had a summer smash with Dragostea Din Tei which would have been the first Romanian language song to top the charts, alas…