2004 in British music

This is a summary of 2004 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year. The year was special for many successful artists, including Eminem, Scissor Sisters, Usher, Natasha Bedingfield, Jamelia and The Streets.

Summary

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 managed to reach the No.1 spot.

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 but didn't manage to sell 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.

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.

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 November 7, the top five consisted of all American performers/acts.

#1. Eminem - Just Lose It
#2. Destinys Child - Lose My Breath
#3. Britney Spears - My Prerogative
#4. Christina Aguilera & Missy Elliott - Car Wash
#5. Usher & Alicia Keys - My Boo

This broke a record in uk chart history. The #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 Love Machine and the Children In Need number 1 I' ll Stand By You. Natasha Bedingfield, Franz Ferdinand, The Scissor Sisters, Keane and The Streets also had a very successful year in 2004.

Charts

Singles

Issue Date	Song Title	Artist	Sales
4 January	Mad World	Michael Andrews featuring Gary Jules	45,761
11 January	All This Time	Michelle McManus	118,000
18 January	All This Time	Michelle McManus	60,570
25 January	All This Time	Michelle McManus	35,040
1 February	Take Me To The Clouds Above	LMC vs. U2	68,800
8 February	Take Me To The Clouds Above	LMC vs. U2	49,339
15 February	With a Little Help from My Friends / Measure Of A Man	Sam & Mark	42,800
22 February	Who's David?	Busted	30,000
29 February	Mysterious Girl	Peter Andre	107,870
7 March	Toxic	Britney Spears	102,576
14 March	Cha Cha Slide	DJ Casper	57,280
21 March	Yeah!	Usher	87,350
28 March	Yeah!	Usher	49,616
4 April	Five Colours In Her Hair	McFly	49,511
11 April	Five Colours In Her Hair	McFly	37,000
18 April	F**k It (I Don't Want You Back)	Eamon	153,287
25 April	F**k It (I Don't Want You Back)	Eamon	99,783
2 May	F**k It (I Don't Want You Back)	Eamon	80,000
9 May	F**k It (I Don't Want You Back)	Eamon	55,732
16 May	F.U.R.B. (F U Right Back)	Frankee	79,563
23 May	F.U.R.B. (F U Right Back)	Frankee	49,500
30 May	F.U.R.B. (F U Right Back)	Frankee	36,500
6 June	I Don't Wanna Know	Mario Winans	61,303
13 June	I Don't Wanna Know	Mario Winans	47,800
20 June	Everytime	Britney Spears	54,000
27 June	Obviously	McFly	42,000
4 July	Burn	Usher	49,334
11 July	Burn	Usher	31,400
18 July	Lola's Theme	Shapeshifters	52,000
25 July	Dry Your Eyes	The Streets	54,500
1 August	Thunderbirds / 3AM	Busted	70,665
8 August	Thunderbirds / 3AM	Busted	36,290
15 August	Babycakes	3 Of A Kind	55,000
22 August	These Words	Natasha Bedingfield	68,745
29 August	These Words	Natasha Bedingfield	41,000
5 September	My Place / Flap Your Wings	Nelly	54,729
12 September	Real To Me	Brian McFadden	34,435
19 September	Call On Me	Eric Prydz	68,138
26 September	Call On Me	Eric Prydz	46,370
3 October	Call On Me	Eric Prydz	34,432
10 October	Radio	Robbie Williams	41,700
17 October	Call On Me	Eric Prydz	23,519
24 October	Call On Me	Eric Prydz	21,749
31 October	Wonderful	Ja Rule featuring R. Kelly and Ashanti	23,706
7 November	Just Lose It	Eminem	63,312
14 November	Vertigo	U2	51,917
21 November	I'll Stand By You	Girls Aloud	57,957
28 November	I'll Stand By You	Girls Aloud	29,992
5 December	Do They Know It's Christmas?	Band Aid 20	292,594
12 December	Do They Know It's Christmas?	Band Aid 20	287,849
19 December	Do They Know It's Christmas?	Band Aid 20	231,492
26 December	Do They Know It's Christmas?	Band Aid 20	231,929

Albums

Issue Date	Album Title	Artist	Sales
4 January	Friday's Child	Will Young	54,442
11 January	Life For Rent	Dido	30,711
18 January	Life For Rent	Dido	30,638
25 January	Call Off The Search	Katie Melua	35,680
1 February	Call Off The Search	Katie Melua	55,504
8 February	Call Off The Search	Katie Melua	71,084
15 February	Feels Like Home	Norah Jones	235,890
22 February	Feels Like Home	Norah Jones	84,941
29 February	Call Off The Search	Katie Melua	70,413
7 March	Call Off The Search	Katie Melua	70,027
14 March	Call Off The Search	Katie Melua	58,917
21 March	Patience	George Michael	274,816
28 March	Confessions	Usher	98,872
4 April	Anastacia	Anastacia	87,398
11 April	Anastacia	Anastacia	78,432
18 April	Greatest Hits	Guns N' Roses	51,869
25 April	Greatest Hits	Guns N' Roses	48,901
2 May	D12 World	D12	86,666
9 May	Greatest Hits	Guns N' Roses	39,166
16 May	Hopes and Fears	Keane	155,432
23 May	Hopes and Fears	Keane	79,576
30 May	Under My Skin	Avril Lavigne	87,496
6 June	Hopes and Fears	Keane	58,732
13 June	No Roots	Faithless	47,000
20 June	Hopes and Fears	Keane	46,900
27 June	A Grand Don't Come for Free	The Streets	34,400
4 July	Scissor Sisters	Scissor Sisters	57,994
11 July	Room On The 3rd Floor	McFly	61,589
18 July	Scissor Sisters	Scissor Sisters	45,000
25 July	A Grand Don't Come for Free	The Streets	48,000
1 August	Live In Hyde Park	Red Hot Chili Peppers	63,330
8 August	Live In Hyde Park	Red Hot Chili Peppers	42,259
15 August	Anastacia	Anastacia	35,445
22 August	Songs About Jane	Maroon 5	46,998
29 August	Always Outnumbered Never Outgunned	The Prodigy	64,300
5 September	The Libertines	The Libertines	72,189
12 September	Unwritten	Natasha Bedingfield	83,954
19 September	Out Of Nothing	Embrace	55,613
26 September	American Idiot	Green Day	89,385
3 October	Mind Body & Soul	Joss Stone	75,100
10 October	Around The Sun	R.E.M.	69,700
17 October	10 Years Of Hits	Ronan Keating	101,135
24 October	Greatest Hits	Robbie Williams	320,081
31 October	Greatest Hits	Robbie Williams	148,748
7 November	Il Divo	Il Divo	132,829
14 November	Encore	Eminem	162,459
21 November	Encore	Eminem	148,249
28 November	How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb	U2	200,863
5 December	How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb	U2	127,982
12 December	How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb	U2	178,539
19 December	Greatest Hits	Robbie Williams	183,871
26 December	Greatest Hits	Robbie Williams	90,015

Downloads

Issue Date	Song Title	Artist
1 September	Flying Without Wings Live	Westlife
8 September	These Words	Natasha Bedingfield
15 September	These Words	Natasha Bedingfield
22 September	These Words	Natasha Bedingfield
29 September	These Words	Natasha Bedingfield
6 October	Vertigo	U2
13 October	Vertigo	U2
20 October	Vertigo	U2
27 October	Dogz Don't Kill People Wabbits Do	Mouldie Lookin Stain (Chris Moyles)
3 November	Vertigo	U2
10 November	Vertigo	U2
17 November	Vertigo	U2
24 November	Vertigo	U2
1 December	I Believe In You	Kylie Minogue
8 December	Do They Know It's Christmas?	Band Aid 20
15 December	Do They Know It's Christmas?	Band Aid 20
22 December	Do They Know It's Christmas?	Band Aid 20
29 December	Do They Know It's Christmas?	Band Aid 20

Top 40 Singles of 2004

Position	Song Title	Artist	Sales	Highest Position
1	Do They Know It's Christmas?	Band Aid 20	1,094,000	1
2	F*ck It (I Don't Want You Back)	Eamon	552,407	1
3	Cha Cha Slide	DJ Casper	351,421	1
4	Call On Me	Eric Prydz	335,000	1
5	Yeah	Usher	300,000	1
6	All This Time	Michelle McManus	292,000	1
7	Left Outside Alone	Anastacia	275,000	3
8	Mysterious Girl	Peter Andre	261,000	1
9	Toxic	Britney Spears	260,000	1
10	F*ck You Right Back	Frankee	246,000	1
11	I Don't Wanna Know	Mario Winans	242,000	1
12	Babycakes	3 of a Kind	230,000	1
13	Milkshake	Kelis	224,000	2
14	Take Me To The Clouds Above	LMC vs U2	223,000	1
15	Lose My Breath	Destiny's Child	221,000	2
16	My Band	D12	210,000	2
17	These Words	Natasha Bedingfield	200,000	1
18	Just Lose It	Eminem	199,000	1
19	Everytime	Britney Spears	197,000	1
20	Thunderbirds / 3 A.M.	Busted	188,000	1
21	Dry your Eyes	The Streets	188,000	1
22	Lola's Theme	Shapeshifters	182,000	1
23	In the Shadows	The Rasmus	176,000	3
24	Thank you	Jamelia	174,000	2
25	Hey Ya	Outkast	168,000	3
26	My Place/Flap your Wings	Nelly	163,000	1
27	Burn	Usher	159,000	1
28	Dragostea Din Tei	O-Zone	157,000	3
29	Mad World	Michael Andrews ft. Gary Jules	154,000	1
30	Against All Odds	Steve Brookstein	153,770	1
31	Somebody to Love	Boogie Pimps	151,000	3
32	5 Colours in her Hair	McFly	150,072	1
33	Trick Me	Kelis	147,000	2
34	I'll Stand By You	Girls Aloud	147,000	1
35	Changes	Ozzy & Kelly Osbourne	136,000	1
36	Leave (Get Out)	JoJo	131,000	2
37	Dip it Low	Christina Milian	129,000	2
38	Hotel	Cassidy	128,000	3
39	This Love	Maroon 5	128,000	3
40	Some Girls	Rachel Stevens	126,000	2

Top 40 Albums of 2004

Position	Song Title	Artist	Highest Position	Sales
1	Scissor Sisters	Scissor Sisters	1	1,594,259
2	Hopes and Fears	Keane	1	1,593,677
3	Greatest Hits	Robbie Williams	1	1,530,000
4	Songs About Jane	Maroon 5	1	1,495,000
5	Call Off The Search	Katie Melua	1	1,350,000
6	Anastacia	Anastacia	1	1,110,000
7	Confessions	Usher	1	1,095,000
8	Feels Like Home	Norah Jones	1	1,000,000
9	Final Straw	Snow Patrol	3	980,000
10	Il Divo	Il Divo	1	960,000
11	Greatest Hits	Guns N Roses	1	920,000
12	Encore	Eminem	1	877,000
13	10 Years Of Hits	Ronan Keating	1	870,000
14	A Grand Don't Come for Free	The Streets	1	869,000
15	How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb	U2	1	855,000
16	The Soul Sessions	Joss Stone	4	775,000
17	Franz Ferdinand	Franz Ferdinand	3	770,000
18	American Idiot	Green Day	1	746,364
19	Unwritten	Natasha Bedingfield	1	680,000
20	Patience	George Michael	1	660,000
21	Friday's Child	Will Young	1	640,000
22	Ultimate Kylie	Kylie Minogue	4	595,000
23	Speakerboxxx / The Love Below	Outkast	8	590,000
24	Allow Us To Be Frank	Westlife	3	585,000
25	Greatest Hits - My Prerogative	Britney Spears	2	585,000
26	Elephunk	Black Eyed Peas	3	580,000
27	Twentysomething	Jamie Cullum	3	565,000
28	Greatest Hits	Shania Twain	6	545,000
29	Room On The Third Floor	McFly	1	540,000
30	Life For Rent	Dido	1	520,000
31	Under My Skin	Avril Lavigne	1	510,000
32	O	Damien Rice	8	495,000
33	Mind Body & Soul	Joss Stone	1	490,000
34	The College Dropout	Kanye West	12	455,000
35	Thank You	Jamelia	4	425,000
36	Destiny Fulfilled	Destiny's Child	5	420,000
37	Best Of	Blue	6	415,000
38	The Best Of	LeAnn Rimes	2	410,000
39	Love Songs - A Compilation... Old And New	Phil Collins	10	408,000
40	The Singles 1992-2003	No Doubt	5	406,000

Top 10 Downloads of 2004

Position	Song Title	Artist
1	Vertigo	U2
2	What You Waiting For?	Gwen Stefani
3	Lose My Breath	Destiny's Child
4	American Idiot	Green Day
5	Do They Know It's Christmas?	Band Aid 20
6	These Words	Natasha Bedingfield
7	She Will Be Loved	Maroon 5
8	Just Lose It	Eminem
9	I Believe in You	Kylie Minogue
10	Car Wash (song)	Christina Aguilera Featuring Missy Elliott

Music awards

BRIT Awards

The 2004 BRIT Awards winners were:

British album: The Darkness - "Permission to Land"
British breakthrough act: Busted
British dance act: Basement Jaxx
British female solo artist: Dido
British group: The Darkness
British male solo artist: Daniel Bedingfield
British rock act: The Darkness
British single: Dido - "White Flag"
British urban act: Lemar
International album: Justin Timberlake - "Justified"
International breakthrough act: 50 Cent
International female solo artist: Beyoncé
International group: The White Stripes
International male solo artist: Justin Timberlake
Outstanding contribution: Duran Duran
Pop act: Busted