This article gives details of the official charts from 2004. The year was special for many successful artists, including Eminem, Britney Spears, Scissor Sisters, Usher, Natasha Bedingfield, Jamelia, Franz Ferdinand, Green Day and The Streets.
The year started with the 2003 Christmas number one single topping the first chart of the year. This was followed by Michelle McManus, the winner of the second British series of Pop Idol with her first single release it topped the charts for 3 weeks. Second and third place contestants Mark Rhodes and Sam Nixon formed a duo, whose debut single was a cover of the Beatles song, "With a Little Help from My Friends", which also reached the No.1 spot.
On 9 March Westlife became a four piece after Brian McFadden decided to leave the band. His final single with the band was "Obvious" which peaked at No.3 in February; the remaining members Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Nicky Byrne, and Kian Egan, went on to further success without McFadden.
In April, Eamon achieved the number one spot with a song with more profanities than any other hit single; it stayed at number one for 4 weeks. In another first the answer song by Frankee replaced the original single at the top of the charts and stayed there for 3 weeks despite selling less than half as many copies as Eamon. Both artists released follow-up songs but neither performed well, relegating the pair to one-hit wonder status.
A new version of "Alltogethernow" by The Farm was released to mark the Euro 2004 football tournament – it reached number five on 13 June with Come On England, a remake of Come On Eileen (Dexys Midnight Runners) by 4-4-2, reaching number two.
The UK Official Download Chart began at the start of September, the first number 1 being Flying Without Wings by Westlife. U2 released their single Vertigo on music download services weeks before it came out on CD. It stayed at number one for 8 non-consecutive weeks on the download chart. While illegal sharing of music over the Internet had been popular for a number of years the music industry started creating new, pay-per-download services, which were very well received. Charting companies soon took notice and various download charts appeared on radio and television. The use and increased popularity of iPods also helped to promote download services, and Apple's online iTunes Music Store launched in the UK in June, selling over 450,000 songs in the first week.[1] Downloads began to be introduced into the main singles chart in 2005, although not fully until the beginning of 2007.
Albums by Dido, Katie Melua and Norah Jones dominated the first three months of the year. In May and June, Keane twice returned to the top of the charts with their album Hopes and Fears. The Scissor Sisters, The Streets and Maroon 5 also enjoyed great success with their albums. Numerous acts released greatest hits albums with Robbie Williams' being most successful, selling over one million copies in eight weeks.
Popular artists from the 1980s made successful returns with Duran Duran, The Cure, Depeche Mode and Morrissey releasing top ten singles. After appearing in the reality television show I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!, Peter Andre re-released his 1996 hit single Mysterious Girl, this time getting to the top spot.
In September and October Eric Prydz "Call on me" stayed at number one for five non-consecutive weeks and staying in the chart for a further 14 weeks.
In October the music industry mourned the loss of John Peel, the Radio 1 DJ famous for championing new bands and musical styles.
20 years after the original, the Band Aid single Do They Know It's Christmas? was re-recorded and became a massive success, easily selling the most singles of the year, and holding the Christmas number 1 spot. The second week of release saw the song sell almost as many as the first, pushing it to half a million in less than 14 days. This was all additional to the number of legal downloads as the song topped that chart as well. The song had sold over a million copies in a month.
Artists who narrowly missed out on number ones were Kelis whose Milkshake peaked at number two for 4 weeks in January and February and "Trick Me" in June. Other acts were Anastacia with Left Outside Alone who peaked at number three but was the seventh best selling of the year staying on the chart for 18 weeks. Also the long-awaited return of Destiny's Child came in November when they peaked at number two for 4 weeks with Lose My Breath the first single released of their album "Destiny Fulfilled".
On the issue date of 7 November, the top five consisted of all American performers/acts.
This broke a record in UK chart history. The No. 6 was also held by an American act, Ja Rule featuring. Ashanti & R. Kelly with Wonderful.
The most successful acts of 2004 were McFly whose first two debut singles entered at number one and they had two other top five hits later in the year. Natasha Bedingfield topped the singles, album and download charts. Britney Spears and Usher returned to the charts and had two number ones each (Toxic and Yeah! respectively) and another top five hits each. Girls Aloud also had big hits with songs including "The Show", "Love Machine" which both peaked at No. 2, and the 2004 Children in Need No. 1 single "I'll Stand by You". Former S Club star Rachel Stevens continued on with her solo career in this year too, reaching the top 3 once again with Sport Relief track "Some Girls" and a cover of Andrea True Connection's "More, More, More".
| Chart date (week ending) | Song | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Westlife | ||
| Natasha Bedingfield | ||
| U2 | ||
| Dogz Don't Kill People Wabbits Do | Mouldie Lookin Stain (Chris Moyles) | |
| Vertigo | U2 | |
| Band Aid 20 | ||
| Chart date (week ending) | Album | Artist | Sales | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Life for Rent | 233,629 | |||
| Friday's Child | Will Young | 54,442 | ||
| Life for Rent | Dido | 30,711 | ||
| 30,638 | ||||
| Call Off the Search | Katie Melua | 35,680 | ||
| 55,504 | ||||
| 71,084 | ||||
| Feels Like Home | Norah Jones | 235,890 | ||
| 84,941 | ||||
| Call Off the Search | Katie Melua | 70,413 | ||
| 70,027 | ||||
| 58,917 | ||||
| Patience | George Michael | 274,816 | ||
| Confessions | Usher | 98,872 | ||
| Anastacia | Anastacia | 87,398 | ||
| 78,432 | ||||
| Greatest Hits | Guns N' Roses | 51,869 | ||
| 48,901 | ||||
| D12 World | D12 | 86,666 | ||
| Greatest Hits | Guns N' Roses | 39,166 | ||
| Hopes and Fears | Keane | 155,432 | ||
| 79,576 | ||||
| Under My Skin | 87,496 | |||
| Hopes and Fears | Keane | 58,732 | ||
| No Roots | Faithless | 47,000 | ||
| Hopes and Fears | Keane | 46,900 | ||
| A Grand Don't Come for Free | The Streets | 34,000 | ||
| Scissor Sisters | Scissor Sisters | 57,994 | ||
| Room on the 3rd Floor | McFly | 61,589 | ||
| Scissor Sisters | Scissor Sisters | 45,000 | ||
| A Grand Don't Come for Free | The Streets | 48,000 | ||
| Live in Hyde Park | Red Hot Chili Peppers | 63,330 | ||
| 42,259 | ||||
| Anastacia | Anastacia | 35,445 | ||
| Songs About Jane | Maroon 5 | 49,998 | ||
| Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned | The Prodigy | 64,300 | ||
| The Libertines | The Libertines | 72,189 | ||
| Unwritten | Natasha Bedingfield | 83,954 | ||
| Out of Nothing | Embrace | 55,613 | ||
| American Idiot | Green Day | 89,385 | ||
| Mind Body & Soul | Joss Stone | 75,100 | ||
| Around the Sun | 69,700 | |||
| 10 Years Of Hits | Ronan Keating | 101,135 | ||
| Greatest Hits | Robbie Williams | 320,081 | ||
| 148,748 | ||||
| Il Divo | Il Divo | 132,829 | ||
| Encore | 212,459 | |||
| 168,249 | ||||
| How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb | 200,863 | |||
| 127,982 | ||||
| 178,539 | ||||
| Greatest Hits | Robbie Williams | 183,871 |
| Chart date (week ending) | Album |
|---|---|
| Clubbers Guide - 2004 | |
| Kiss Smooth R&B | |
| Clubmix 2004 | |
| Beautiful | |
| BRIT Awards 2004 | |
| Clubmix 2004 | |
| Hit 40 UK | |
| Floorfillers | |
| The Best of New Woman | |
| Ultimate Diary Dancing | |
| Now 57 | |
| Hits 58 | |
| Power Ballads II | |
| Essential R&B - The Very Best of R&B | |
| Clubland 5 | |
| Now 58 | |
| Sad Songs | |
| Big Tunes - Living for the Weekend | |
| Now Years | |
| Big Tunes - Living for the Weekend | |
| Pop Party 2 | |
| Now 59 | |
Between 28 December 2003 and 1 January 2005.
| scope=col | scope=col | Title | scope=col | Artist | scope=col | Peak position | scope=col | Sales[3] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 1 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?" | Band Aid 20 | 1 | 1,065,749 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 2 | "F**k It (I Don't Want You Back)" | Eamon | 1 | 552,628 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 3 | "Cha Cha Slide" | DJ Casper | 1 | 352,367 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 4 | "Call on Me" | 1 | 316,869 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 5 | "Yeah!" | Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris | 1 | 300,740 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 6 | "All This Time" | 1 | 291,427 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 7 | "Left Outside Alone" | Anastacia | 3 | 275,296 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 8 | "Mysterious Girl" | 1 | 259,691 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 9 | "Toxic" | 1 | 258,604 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 10 | "Fuck You Right Back" | Frankee | 1 | 245,964 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 11 | "I Don't Wanna Know" | 1 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 12 | "Baby Cakes" | 3 of a Kind | 1 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 13 | "Take Me to the Clouds Above" | LMC vs U2 | 1 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 14 | "Milkshake" | Kelis | 2 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 15 | "Lose My Breath" | Destiny's Child | 2 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 16 | "My Band" | D12 | 2 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 17 | "These Words" | 1 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 18 | "Everytime" | 1 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 19 | "Thunderbirds"/"3am" | Busted | 1 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 20 | "Dry Your Eyes" | 1 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 21 | "Lola's Theme" | Shapeshifters | 1 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 22 | "In the Shadows" | 3 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 23 | "Just Lose It" | Eminem | 1 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 24 | "Thank You" | Jamelia | 2 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 25 | "Hey Ya!" | Outkast | 3 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 26 | "My Place"/"Flap Your Wings" | Nelly | 1 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 27 | "Burn" | Usher | 1 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 28 | "Dragostea din tei" | O-Zone | 3 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 29 | "Mad World" | featuring Gary Jules | 1 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 30 | "Against All Odds" | 2 | 153,770 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 31 | "Somebody to Love" | Boogie Pimps | 3 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 32 | "5 Colours in Her Hair" | McFly | 1 | 150,072 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 33 | "Trick Me" | Kelis | 2 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 34 | "I'll Stand by You" | Girls Aloud | 1 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 35 | "Changes" | and Kelly Osbourne | 2 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 36 | "Leave (Get Out)" | JoJo | 2 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 37 | "Dip It Low" | 2 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 38 | "Hotel" | Cassidy | 3 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 39 | "This Love" | Maroon 5 | 3 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 40 | "Some Girls" | 2 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 41 | "My Neck, My Back (Lick It)" | Khia | 4 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 42 | "Obviously" | McFly | 1 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 43 | "If There's Any Justice" | Lemar | 3 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 44 | "Vertigo" | U2 | 1 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 45 | "Amazing" | 4 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 46 | "Breathe Easy" | Blue | 4 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 47 | "Slow Jamz" | Twista featuring Kanye West and Jamie Foxx | 3 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 48 | "Car Wash" | featuring Missy Elliott | 4 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 49 | "Love Machine" | Girls Aloud | 2 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 50 | "I'm Still in Love with You" | featuring Sasha | 6 |
| scope=col | scope=col | Title | scope=col | Artist | scope=col | Peak position | scope=col | Sales[5] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 1 | Scissor Sisters | Scissor Sisters | 1 | 1,594,259 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 2 | Hopes and Fears | Keane | 1 | 1,593,677 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 3 | Greatest Hits | 1 | 1,530,788 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 4 | Songs About Jane | Maroon 5 | 1 | 1,490,117 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 5 | Call Off the Search | 1 | 1,356,962 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 6 | Anastacia | Anastacia | 1 | 1,115,928 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 7 | Confessions | Usher | 1 | 1,108,590 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 8 | Feels Like Home | 1 | 993,632 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 9 | Final Straw | Snow Patrol | 3 | 991,219 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 10 | Il Divo | Il Divo | 1 | 968,460 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 11 | Greatest Hits | Guns N' Roses | 1 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 12 | 10 Years of Hits | 1 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 13 | A Grand Don't Come for Free | 1 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 14 | How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb | U2 | 1 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 15 | Encore | Eminem | 1 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 16 | The Soul Sessions | 4 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 17 | Franz Ferdinand | Franz Ferdinand | 3 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 18 | American Idiot | Green Day | 1 | 746,364 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 19 | Unwritten | 1 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 20 | Patience | 1 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 21 | Friday's Child | 1 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 22 | Ultimate Kylie | 4 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 23 | Speakerboxxx/The Love Below | Outkast | 8 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 24 | Allow Us to Be Frank | Westlife | 3 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 25 | 2 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 26 | Elephunk | 3 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 27 | Twentysomething | 3 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 28 | Greatest Hits | 6 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 29 | Room on the Third Floor | McFly | 1 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 30 | Life for Rent | Dido | 1 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 31 | Under My Skin | 1 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 32 | O | 8 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 33 | Mind Body & Soul | 1 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 34 | The College Dropout | 12 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 35 | Thank You | Jamelia | 4 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 36 | Destiny Fulfilled | Destiny's Child | 5 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 37 | Best of Blue | Blue | 6 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 38 | The Best of LeAnn Rimes | 2 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 39 | 10 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 40 | The Singles 1992–2003 | No Doubt | 5 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 41 | Hot Fuss | 5 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 42 | 3 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 43 | A Ticket for Everyone | Busted | 11 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 44 | What Will the Neighbours Say? | Girls Aloud | 6 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 45 | Up All Night | Razorlight | 3 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 46 | Who Killed...... The Zutons? | 6 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 47 | Gold: Greatest Hits | ABBA | 4 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 48 | Singles | Travis | 4 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 49 | Out of Nothing | Embrace | 1 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 50 | Time to Grow | Lemar | 8 |
| scope=col | scope=col | Title | scope=col | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 1 | Now 59 | 1 | ||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 2 | Now 57 | 1 | ||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 3 | Now 58 | 1 | ||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 4 | Pop Party 2 | 1 | ||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 5 | Ultimate Dirty Dancing (Original Soundtrack) | 1 | ||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 6 | Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (Original Soundtrack) | 2 | ||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 7 | Power Ballads II | 1 | ||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 8 | Cream Classics | 2 | ||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 9 | The Annual 2005 | 2 | ||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 10 | Essential R&B – The Very Best of R&B: Summer 2004 | 1 |
Notes:
Total sales for albums in 2004 amounted to 163,405,658.[7]