2004

The Top 150 Hits of… 2004

Single sales continued to decline in 2004. Fantasia’s post-Idol finale track, “I Believe,” was the top selling physical single and it didn’t even go gold. I tacked it on the end at #150 being that it was #1 for a week and it’s one of those I-need-more-information-to-know-where-it-should-really-go songs.

Billboard started tracking digital download sales in mid 2003, but that information wasn’t used for the Hot 100 until Feb. 2005. We’ll see the effects of that on the next list.

1. Yeah! – Usher feat. Lil Jon & Ludacris
2. The Way You Move – OutKast feat. Sleepy Brown
3. Here Without You – 3 Doors Down
4. Goodies – Ciara feat. Petey Pablo
5. Hey Ya! – OutKast
6. Burn – Usher
7. If I Ain’t Got You – Alicia Keys
8. This Love – Maroon5
9. The Reason – Hoobastank
10. My Boo – Usher and Alicia Keys
11. She Will Be Loved – Maroon5
12. Lean Back – Terror Squad
13. Someday – Nickelback
14. I Don’t Wanna Know – Mario Winans feat. Enya & P. Diddy
15. Stand Up – Ludacris feat. Shawnna
16. Tipsy – J-Kwon
17. Confessions Part II – Usher
18. Slow Motion – Juvenile feat. Soulja Slim
19. Suga Suga – Baby Bash feat. Frankie J
20. Freek-a-Leek – Petey Pablo
21. Lose My Breath – Destiny’s Child
22. Slow Jamz – Twista feat. Kanye West & Jamie Foxx
23. Naughty Girl – Beyoncé
24. My Immortal – Evanescence
25. Sunshine – Lil’ Flip feat. Lea
26. Dirt Off Your Shoulder – Jay-Z
27. Walked Outta Heaven – Jagged Edge
28. Move Ya Body – Nina Sky feat. Jabba
29. White Flag – Dido
30. Dip It Low - Christina Milian
31. The First Cut Is the Deepest – Sheryl Crow
32. Diary – Alicia Keys feat Tony! Toni! Tone!
33. Me, Myself and I – Beyoncé
34. You Don’t Know My Name – Alicia Keys
35. One Call Away – Chingy feat. j. Weav
36. Turn Me On – Kevin Lyttle feat. Spragga Benz
37. My Place – Nelly feat. Jaheim
38. Milkshake – Kelis
39. Numb – Linkin Park
40. It’s My Life – No Doubt
41. Step in the Name of Love – R. Kelly
42. Overnight Celebrity – Twista
43. Hotel – Cassidy feat. R. Kelly
44. Heaven – Los Lonely Boys
45. Locked Up – Akon feat. Styles P.
46. My Happy Ending – Avril Lavigne
47. Let’s Go – Trick Daddy feat. Twista & Lil Jon
48. Pieces of Me – Ashlee Simpson
49. Leave (Get Out) – JoJo
50. Splash Waterfalls – Ludacris
51. Jesus Walks – Kanye West
52. All Falls Down – Kanye West feat. Syleena Johnson
53. One Thing – Finger Eleven
54. Salt Shaker – Ying Yang Twins feat. Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz
55. Read Your Mind – Avant
56. Toxic – Britney Spears
57. With You – Jessica Simpson
58. Meant to Live – Switchfoot
59. On the Way Down – Ryan Cabrera
60. I Like That – Houston feat. Chingy, Nate dogg & I-20
61. Sorry 2004 – Ruben Studdard
62. Oye Mi Canto – N.O.R.E. feat. Daddy Yankee, Nina Sky, Big Mato & Gem Star
63. On Fire – Lloyd Banks
64. Just Lose It – Eminem
65. Roses – OutKast
66. My Band – D12
67. I’m Still in Love with You – Sean Paul feat. Sasha
68. Charlene – Anthony Hamilton
69. Breathe – Fabolous
70. Through the Wire – Kanye West
71. Why? – Jadakiss feat. Anthony Hamilton
72. Broken – Seether feat. Amy Lee
73. F**k It (I Don’t Want You Back) – Eamon
74. Wat Da Hook Gon Be – Murphy Lee feat. Jermaine Dupri
75. Go DJ – Lil Wayne
76. Game Over (Flip) – Lil’ Flip
77. Headsprung – LL Cool J
78. U Should’ve Known Better – Monica
79. Are You Gonna Be My Girl – Jet
80. 100 Years – Five for Fighting
81. Bright Lights – matchbox twenty
82. Let’s Get It Started – Black Eyed Peas
83. Gigolo – Nick Cannon feat. R.Kelly
84. Running (Dying to Live) – 2Pac w/ Notorious B.I.G.
85. Breaking the Habit – Linkin Park
86. Live Like You Were Dying – Tim McGraw
87. Remember When – Alan Jackson
88. Change Clothes – Jay-Z
89. Everytime – Britney Spears
90. Perfect – Simple Plan
91. Southside – Lloyd feat. Ashanti
92. Stunt 101 – G-Unit
93. Dude – Beenie Man feat. Ms. Thing
94. Wanna Get to Know You – G-Unit feat. Joe
95. When the Sun Goes Down – Kenny Chesney & Uncle Kracker
96. American Soldier – Toby Keith
97. Don’t Tell Me – Avril Lavigne
98. You’ll Think of Me – Keith Urban
99. Happy People – R. Kelly
100. Hey Mama – Black Eyed Peas
101. Redneck Woman – Gretchen Wilson
102. Letters from Home – John Michael Montgomery
103. There Goes My Life – Kenny Chesney
104. 1985 – Bowling for Soup
105. I Go Back – Kenny Chesney
106. Mayberry – Rascal Flatts
107. Days Go By – Keith Urban
108. Balla Baby – Chingy
109. Suds in the Bucket – Sara Evans
110. Rubber Band Man – T.I.
111. Watch the Wind Blow By – Tim McGraw
112. Fallen – Sarah McLachlan
113. No Problem – Lil Scrappy
114. Nothing On but the Radio – Gary Allan
115. Hush – LL Cool J fea. 7 Aurelius
116. Mr. Mom – Lonestar
117. So Sexy – Twista feat. R. Kelly
118. If You Ever Stop Loving Me – Montgomery Gentry
119. Nolia Clap – Juvenile / Wacko / Skip
120. Accidentally in Love – Counting Crows
121. Whats Happnin! – Ying Yang Twins feat. Trick Daddy
122. Little Moments – Brad Paisley
123. You Can’t Take the Honk Tonk Out of the Girl – Brooks & Dunn
124. Whiskey Girl – Toby Keith
125. Let’s Be Us Again – Lonestar
126. Culo – Pitbull feat. Lil Jon
127. Take My Breath Away – Jessica Simpson
128. I Hate Everything – George Strait
129. Ocean Avenue – Yellowcard
130. That’s What It’s All About – Brooks & Dunn
131. Don’t Take Your Love Away – Avant
132. I Wanna Do It All – Terri Clark
133. In a Real Love – Phil Vassar
134. Sweet Southern Comfort – Buddy Jewell
135. Breathe, Stretch, Shake – Mase feat. P. Diddy
136. Invisible – Clay Aiken
137. Megalomaniac – Incubus
138. Slither – Velvet Revolver
139. More & More – Joe
140. Gangsta Nation – Westside Connection feat. Nate Dogg
141. Cowboys Like Us – George Strait
142. I Miss You – Blink-182
143. (I Hate) Everything About You – Three Days Grace
144. Perfect – Sara Evans
145. Somebody Told Me – The Killers
146. Whiskey Lullaby – Brad Paisley with Alison Krauss
147. Cold Hard Bitch – Jet
148. Breathe – Michelle Branch
149. Welcome to My Life – Simple Plan
150. I Believe – Fantasia

2003

The Top 150 Hits of… 2003

At this point (after the decline of physical singles but before the rise of digital downloads), the Hot 100 was primarily an airplay chart. For the most part, I’m finding the point scale to be pretty accurate. All of the songs within a general point span are ending up within a few spaces of each other on Billboard’s year-end chart. Except in the few cases in which songs with little airplay were released as CD singles that sold a lot.

Case in point: Three singles spun from American Idol’s second season hit the top 5 in 2003, the biggest being “This Is the Night” by Clay Aiken. It was the year’s only platinum selling single and was #1 for 2 weeks. But it quickly fell down and off the chart. Numerically, it’s about 80 points off from the other songs around it on Billboard’s year-end list. But again, Billboard knows better than I in these later years (see 2000). Ruben Studdard’s hit is only about 20 points off. Still, I wouldn’t have expected “Flying Without Wings” be anywhere near the top 100 of the year, having only been on the chart for 10 weeks, but there it was. I’m telling you all this because, given the above, it’s possible that the American Idol Finalists’ version of “God Bless the USA” should be at the bottom of the top 150 somewhere. Possible. But I don’t have any way of figuring out where, and even if I could, I really can’t bring myself to put it in there.

This was the first of these lists that I’ve done for which I had less than 100 of the songs in iTunes. That could be helped if Ja Rule, Jennifer Lopez, Nelly, and Sean Paul would release greatest hits albums. It’s time, don’t you think?

1. Unwell – matchbox twenty
2. In da Club – 50 Cent
3. Get Low – Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz feat. Yin Yang Twins
4. Ignition – R. Kelly
5. Baby Boy - Beyoncé feat. Sean Paul
6. Lose Yourself – Eminem
7. Get Busy – Sean Paul
8. Crazy in Love – Beyoncé feat. Jay-Z
9. Right Thurr – Chingy
10. When I’m Gone – 3 Doors Down
11. Work It – Missy Elliott
12. Miss You – Aaliyah
13. The Game of Love – Santana feat. Michelle Branch
14. Shake Ya Tailfeather – Nelly, P. Diddy& Murphy Lee
15. Picture – Kid Rock feat. Sheryl Crow or Allison Moorer
16. Bring Me to Life – Evanescence feat. Paul McCoy
17. Damn! – YoungBloodz feat. Lil Jon
18. 21 Questions – 50 Cent feat. Nate Dogg
19. Beautiful – Christina Aguilera
20. All I Have – Jennifer Lopez feat. LL Cool J
21. I Know What You Want – Busta Rhymes & Mariah Carey feat. the Flipmode Squad
22. I’m with You – Avril Lavigne
23. Drift Away – Uncle Kracker feat. Dobie Gray
24. Magic Stick – Lil’ Kim feat. 50 Cent
25. P.I.M.P. – 50 Cent
26. Why Don’t You & I – Santana feat. Alex Band or Chad Kroeger
27. Bump, Bump, Bump – B2K & P. Diddy
28. Into You – Fabolous feat. Tamia or Ashanti
29. Landslide – Dixie Chicks
30. ’03 Bonnie & Clyde – Jay-Z feat. Beyoncé
31. Don’t Mess with My Man – Nivea feat. Brian & Brandon Casey
32. Can’t Let You Go – Fabolous feat. Mike Shorey & Lil’ Mo
33. Mesmerize – Ja Rule feat. Ashanti
34. Where Is the Love? – Black Eyed Peas
35. Rock wit U (Awww Baby) – Ashanti
36. Air Force Ones – Nelly feat. Kyjuan, Ali & Murphy Lee
37. Holidae In – Chingy feat. Ludacris & Snoop Dogg
38. Jenny from the Block – Jennifer Lopez feat. Styles & Jadakiss
39. Cry Me a River – Justin Timberlake
40. Headstrong – Trapt
41. How You Gonna Act Like That – Tyrese
42. Rock Your Body – Justin Timberlake
43. No Letting Go – Wayne Wonder
44. Frontin’ – Pharrell feat. Jay-Z
45. So Gone – Monica
46. Never Leave You – Uh Ooh, Uh Oooh! – Lumidee
47. Your Body Is a Wonderland – John Mayer
48. Beautiful – Snoop Dogg feat. Pharrell & Uncle Charlie Wilson
49. Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip Hop) – Erykah Badu feat. Common
50. Gossip Folks – Missy Elliott feat. Ludacris
51. She Hates Me – Puddle of Mudd
52. Miss Independent – Kelly Clarkson
53. Calling All Angels – Train
54. So Far Away – Staind
55. This Is the Night – Clay Aiken
56. In Those Jeans – Ginuwine
57. Rain on Me – Ashanti
58. The Remedy (I Won’t Worry) – Jason Mraz
59. Excuse Me Miss – Jay-Z
60. Can’t Hold Us Down – Christina Aguilera feat. Lil’ Kim
61. Are You Happy Now? – Michelle Branch
62. Forever and for Always – Shania Twain
63. Harder to Breathe – Maroon 5
64. I Can – Nas
65. Wanksta – 50 Cent
66. If You’re Not the One – Daniel Bedingfield
67. Thioa Thiong – R. Kelly
68. My Love Is Like… Wo – Mya
69. It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere – Alan Jackson & Jimmy Buffet
70. Like Glue – Sean Paul
71. My Front Porch Looking In – Lonestar
72. Angel – Amanda Perez
73. Don’t Know Why – Norah Jones
74. 19 Somethin’ – Mark Wills
75. Don’t Wanna Try – Frankie J
76. Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop – Young Gunz
77. The Jump Off – Lil’ Kim feat. Mr. Cheeks
78. Intuition – Jewel
79. Hell Yeah – Ginuwine feat. Baby
80. Beer for My Horses – Toby Keith & Willie Nelson
81. Fighter – Christina Aguilera
82. Family Portrait – Pink
83. Thugz Mansion – 2Pac
84. Clocks – Coldplay
85. Put That Woman First – Jaheim
86. These Days – Rascal Flatts
87. She’ll Leave You with a Smile – George Strait
88. Red Dirt Road – Brooks & Dunn
89. What Was I Thinkin’ – Dierks Bentley
90. Flying Without Wings – Ruben Studdard
91. Sing for the Moment – Eminem
92. Have You Forgotten? – Darryl Worley
93. I Love This Bar – Toby Keith
94. No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems – Kenny Chesney
95. Come Over – Aaliyah
96. Sick of Being Lonely – Field Mob
97. I Want You – Thalia feat. Fat Joe
98. Like a Stone – Audioslave
99. Who’s Your Daddy – Toby Keith
100. Fabulous – Jaheim feat. Tha Rayne
101. Superman – Eminem
102. Real Good Man – Tim McGraw
103. Say Yes – Floetry
104. All the Things She Said – T.A.T.U.
105. Brokenheartsville – Joe Nichols
106. Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous – Good Charlotte
107. Big Star – Kenny Chesney
108. I Just Wanna Be Mad – Terri Clark
109. Why Can’t I? – Liz Phair
110. Disease – matchbox twenty
111. The Baby – Blake Shelton
112. Who Wouldn’t Want to Be Me – Keith Urban
113. (There’s Gotta Be) More to Life – Stacie Orrico
114. Somewhere I Belong – Linkin Park
115. Dance with My Father – Luther Vandross
116. That’d Be Alright – Alan Jackson
117. Let’s Get Down – Bow Wow feat. Baby
118. Big Yellow Taxi – Counting Crows feat. Vanessa Carlton
119. Snake – R. Kelly feat. Cam’ron & Big Tigger
120. Man to Man – Gary Allan
121. The Boys of Summer – The Ataris
122. She’s My Kind of Rain – Tim McGraw
123. Fall Into Me – Emerson Drive
124. Celebrity – Brad Paisley
125. Help Pour Out the Rain (Lacey’s Song) – Buddy Jewell
126. I Believe – Diamond Rio
127. I Melt – Rascal Flatts
128. Three Wooden Crosses – Randy Travis
129. Never Scared – Bone Crusher feat. Killer Mike & T.I.
130. Bigger Than My Body – John Mayer
131. Stay Gone – Jimmy Wayne
132. Tough Little Boys – Gary Allan
133. I Should Be … - Dru Hill
134. You Know You’re Right – Nirvana
135. Love You Out Loud – Rascal Flatts
136. Clubbin – Marques Houston feat. Joe Budden & Pied Piper
137. Stacy’s Mom – Fountains of Wayne
138. All My Life – Foo Fighters
139. This One’s for the Girls – Martina McBride
140. Wave on Wave – Pat Green
141. Do That… - Baby feat. P. Diddy
142. 4 Ever – Lil’ Mo feat. Fabolous
143. Red Rag Top – Tim McGraw
144. Faint – Linkin Park
145. Raining on Sunday – Keith Urban
146. So Yesterday – Hilary Duff
147. What Would You Do? – The Isley Brothers
148. Addicted – A Simple Plan
149. Something – Lasgo
150. I Wish I Wasn’t – Heather Headley