Wumbo Ranks Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Charts! (Ahhh, the deed is done.)

[President Squidward]

I used to love Lean Back a few years ago...

honestly find it a bit cringe now

[Joe Biden]

I may as well confess that I do like "Heaven" and, as much as I'm afraid to admit it, can tolerate both #2 and #7 just fine. No complaints about the rest of the list though, especially 8, 6, and 4, which I consider to be few of the ten worst songs 2004 had.

 

also hey ya for best song of 2004 or riot

[4EverGreen]

Unpopular opinion time, but I actually like SOME of Nickelback's output (from 2001-2009), and they are NOT the worst excuse for music in HISTORY!  I'd say WHAT it is, but every time I do, some INTERNET troll inevitably comes around and gets 'Butthurt' about my opinion, SOMEHOW making it wrong!  In any case, I think "Someday" is a good song, but I can respect why it's not to your liking. Outkast's "Hey Ya" is probably going to top the charts this year, or at least be on the top ten. Enough said, true believers! 

[Steel Sponge]

I'm just gonna go in a different route and root for "Jesus Walks" as your #1. not because it was my own #1 for that year or anything

[Katniss]

49 minutes ago, 4EverGreen said:

Unpopular opinion time, but I actually like SOME of Nickelback's output (from 2001-2009), and they are NOT the worst excuse for music in HISTORY!  I'd say WHAT it is, but every time I do, some INTERNET troll inevitably comes around and gets 'Butthurt' about my opinion, SOMEHOW making it wrong!  In any case, I think "Someday" is a good song, but I can respect why it's not to your liking. Outkast's "Hey Ya" is probably going to top the charts this year, or at least be on the top ten. Enough said, true believers! 

it's ok, you can say Chris Brown

[Clappy]

13 hours ago, 4EverGreen said:

Unpopular opinion time, but I actually like SOME of Nickelback's output (from 2001-2009), and they are NOT the worst excuse for music in HISTORY!  I'd say WHAT it is, but every time I do, some INTERNET troll inevitably comes around and gets 'Butthurt' about my opinion, SOMEHOW making it wrong!  In any case, I think "Someday" is a good song, but I can respect why it's not to your liking. Outkast's "Hey Ya" is probably going to top the charts this year, or at least be on the top ten. Enough said, true believers! 

Maybe if you didn’t post the same vapid comment over and over and over and over and over again, people would stop speaking out about it?  Just a thought.

Great list as always Wumbo.  Can’t wait to see what’s on the best list for this supremely nostalgic year to me.

[SG19]

I think Heaven is a legit decent song while Goodies, Lean Back, and The Reason are guilty pleasures,

[Wumbo]

Yeah!

 

2004 may have been the year of crunk, but that meant it was also the year of fun, too. So many of these songs I remember fondly. But it wasn't without its serious side, either. A lot of these songs really tugged at the heartstrings. As I said before, it was a varied year, and I'd argue a very good one. To further my argument, here's a list of 10 songs I found enjoyable enough to stick in a Top 10. Enjoy!

Wumbo's Top 10 Hits of 2004

Spoiler

 

Can we bring back this Kanye? Please?

10. "All Falls Down" - Kanye West ft. Syleena Johnson

 

Man, I miss when Kanye was more relevant for his music than his meme-ability. I'd argue that started changing around 2016, when his Taylor Swift controversy reached new heights, and he became more of a celebrity gossip machine than an artist. It helps that conversation that most of the stuff he released since then hasn't been up to snuff. I really hope you haven't listened to that new album. No one should have to put themselves through that.

So let's take it back to 2004, when Kanye West was just starting his career in superstardom and having three big hits off his debut, The College Dropout. It's songs like these that make me almost want to believe that Kanye died and got replaced by a less talented lookalike. But then again, I guess you have to take the bad with the good. This is Kanye at his best: he still retains his personality while really touching on some important issues. And doing it all while mispronouncing "Versace". I'm not sure if Kanye West will ever reach heights like this again. But I guess I'm glad that we got some truly great music out of him before he fell off the rails. Maybe if he got some help, everything would be better. Best to do it before it all comes crashing down.

 

Spoiler

 

Again, I allude to Kanye's latest album, but: remember a time when he was able to spout religious messages without coming off like such an egotistical jackass?

9. "Jesus Walks" - Kanye West

 

I'm talking about a time when Kanye was actually able to write meaningful, thoughtful musings on religion and not just use it as a crutch to promote his bloated ego or make terrible Chick Fil A references. Don't... just don't listen to that album. I'm ashamed I listened to it once.

Oddly, Kanye was always full of weird and goofy references. In this very song, he references a joke in Happy Gilmore about eating pieces of shit for breakfast. And a damn Regis and Kathie Lee reference. Yet he somehow mustered up the clout to make these references work in the song. I think it comes through with his earnest display of anger and passion. I honestly think these references add to the song. It just shows the power of the rest of it. That pulsating beat with the gospel choir is untouchable, and Kanye is just spitting fire at every turn. It really is a good question to ask why a record about faith is less marketable than guns, violence, and drug dealing. This is back when Kanye had the means and the desire to make statements with his music, and I only wish we could get that Kanye back.

 

 

Spoiler

 

CAROLIIIIINE

8. "Roses" - OutKast

 

I mean, if you've been keeping up with these lists thus far, you should know by now that I love OutKast. And 2004 was certainly a grand year for this duo, releasing their 5th project, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below and milking every moment of it. We've got a song that was too ubiquitous to ignore, but more on that later (oh, come on, you knew it was gonna be on here). This song, however, I feel gets swept under the rug by comparison, but it really is a jam. It's odd that a song so vile and bitter in the lyrics can turn out that way. Hell, it amounts to wishing for this girl's death in a car crash.

Just playin'

Yeah, okay.

But a good beat can save a lot, and honestly the dichotomy between these sour lyrics and the upbeat tempo really works. I can't think of any other songs that make me willingly sing "poo-oo-oo". But here we are. And here I am, singing it like a fool. But I don't even care. This song's infectious groove just takes you there, along with Andre 3000's bellowing on the verses. Big Boi does his part too, but this is clearly Andre's song, which makes sense as it's on his half of the record. This song is sweet as roses, but given the context of this song's lyrics, that might come off as an insult. So I'll go with begonias instead.

 

Spoiler

 

Ever since Chester Bennington's death, the story appears to have been rewritten on Linkin Park's legacy, as possibly one of the most influential bands in modern rock music. They were certainly one of the most iconic bands, as they spoke to the souls of dispirited youth everywhere. Yet before his death, they were constantly derided as a band to hate and a band that only "angry white boys" liked. It became embarrassing to have to admit to like them. Well, I always liked this band. Enough posturing.

7. "Numb" - Linkin Park

 

More and more, I start to wonder if the "angry white boy" stereotype does serious harm to young males who are already told to suppress their emotions. Certainly it's important to express your feelings in a healthy way, but it's also important to feel anger. I wonder if the stigma with listening to a band like this has caused more emotional suppression. Pretty fitting topic to discuss on a song called "Numb", I think. And this has held up as one of Linkin Park's most emotionally revealing songs, as Chester Bennington just lets it out on the chorus and bridge, with the keyboard melody adding an extra layer of melancholy, but still making it approachable to the average listener, which is probably why it did so well. I think it's important to feel things, and Linkin Park were certainly a feeling band. "Numb" is one of the best examples of that, and I think it's important to remember Linkin Park and Chester Bennington as a completely honest, irony-free band that processed raw emotion into their music. Honestly, it's something we need more of.

 

Spoiler

 

 

One of the harshest tragedies in music to this day is the far-too-young death of Aaliyah. I have no doubt in my mind that were she still alive today, she would still be making music and other R&B artists would still have to play catch-up. Of course, such a tragedy is bound to rock those within the music industry as well. Many of Aaliyah's friends and contemporaries came together to mourn her publicly, and her influence lasted in the songs people wrote about her, or were inspired to write by her. And you might be surprised by this one.

6. "If I Ain't Got You" - Alicia Keys

 

Alicia Keys is one of the greatest voices and songwriters of the 2000s. In a year that seemed so obsessed with partying down and having sex, Alicia was there to remind us all that it's okay to stay down to earth sometimes. And she performed this song beautifully.

I mentioned that this song is inspired by Aaliyah's death. Alicia Keys wrote it after her passing, saying that it was such a difficult time, but also an eye-opening one, one that makes you feel what moments matter more than others. And that's what this song is about. Some people want it all, but Alicia doesn't if it doesn't include the people she loves and cares about. It's a simple song, but effective, and certainly a breath of fresh air this year.

 

Spoiler

 

Of course, there's nothing wrong with mindless parties...

5. "Slow Jamz" - Twista ft. Kanye West & Jamie Foxx

 

Aww. Maybe that's not fair. This song is clearly for the ladies, name-dropping all those sexy cats from back in the day, including Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandross (whose song is pretty heavily sampled here), The Temptations, and... Michael Jackson.

She got a light-skinned friend look like Michael Jackson
Got a dark-skinned friend look like Michael Jackson

Well, it's hilarious anyway. No, for real, one of Kanye's best lines right here.

The whole song, despite being at least 75% a joke, comes off surprisingly smooth, and a lot of that has to do with the awesome sampling job. But another thing is that each artist contributes here. Jamie Foxx, no matter what people say about his overexposure in the music industry, is a great singer. Kanye was a great rapper. And Twista is just fantastic here, spitting bars with the best of 'em. I love this thing. It's like "Blurred Lines" done well, and non-rapey. Just a little music to set the mood. Most songs can't get away with referencing this many classic artists. But this song does, because it's smooth as butter and for my money, one of the best party jams of the 2000s.

 

Spoiler

 

It's Jay-Z.

4. "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" - Jay-Z

 

There's no doubt in my mind that Jay-Z was one of the best rappers of the 2000s. His swagger matched pretty much no one. He was on top of the world, and solidified that position after his marriage to Beyoncé. He's the sort of person that can make calling shoes "scooby-doos" seem cool. Not everyone has that kind of power. Anyway, this was my favourite hit from him this year, barring "99 Problems", which was totally a hit and baffles me that it didn't make this list. It would have been #1 if it did. But this is pretty awesome too. It boasts one of Timbaland's best beats and has Jay-Z straight spitting fire over it. This song was so successful that it actually made its way to President Obama publicly, who brushed the dirt right off his shoulder in response to trivial personal attacks from his opponents.

 

See, Obama was the cool prez. Drone strikes be damned. But it really is such an iconic gesture, and the fact that many people associate it with Jay-Z just speaks even more volumes to his popularity and superstardom. In 2004, Jay could do no wrong.

 

Spoiler

 

C'mon.

3. "Hey Ya!" - OutKast

 

You knew it was going to be on here. I flat out told you it was going to be on here. It's one of the best songs of the decade. It would be criminal for me to ignore it. So let's just enjoy the fact that this song exists. Sound good? Okay then.

Nah, I really wish I had more to say here. But this is one of those songs that's so boringly perfect it's impossible to analyze. It's a jam. It rocks. It simply is one of the greatest songs to ever exist. Not much more you can say. Except, stop shaking your Polaroid pictures. (Not that anyone uses cameras anymore anyway.)

 

Spoiler

 

Nostalgia is a hell of a drug. But I'd like to think that I'd enjoy this song just as much if I didn't have such nostalgic attachment to it. Because it's damn good, folks.

2. "My Happy Ending" - Avril Lavigne

 

Avril Lavigne was my first celebrity crush. She had everything going for her: she was Canadian, gorgeous, and she had a rocker's edge. But she wasn't afraid to get emotional on her songs, either. And this is probably the song I remember the most fondly from her. It's the catchiest, the hardest-hitting, and rocks the hardest. And you can say whatever you want about her music over the past ten years. This is the Avril Lavigne I'll always choose to remember. Sexy and fun but with a sharp tongue and a knack for finding hooks in pop rock. Fantastic stuff.

 

Spoiler

 

Hindsight is 20/20. And sometimes you only appreciate things when it's too late, which is a shame. Linkin Park truly were one of the great bands of the 2000s, and Meteora is one of the most fiery albums of that decade. So let's right some wrongs here and put this at #1.

1. "Breaking the Habit" - Linkin Park

 

Once again, it cannot be understated just how much of an influence Linkin Park turned out to be on bands that came after them. They popularized mixing electronica with rock music, and it influenced a generation of rock stars from that decade to this one. This song best shows how effective they are with it, making an absolute cannonball of a song that rips right through. Part of that can be attributed to Chester Bennington, who has always had the chops to deliver raw emotion in his music. But part of it can also be attributed to the lyric writing, with Mike Shinoda stepping in. All the band members play really well together to create one hell of an anthem about the struggle of drug usage and addiction. Linkin Park were pioneers, and they were instrumental in defining rock for years to come. And this song might be their best ever.

 

Full List:

Spoiler

 

1. "Breaking the Habit" - Linkin Park

2. "My Happy Ending" - Avril Lavigne

3. "Hey Ya!" - OutKast

4. "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" - Jay-Z

5. "Slow Jamz" - Twista ft. Kanye West and Jamie Foxx

6. "If I Ain't Got You" - Alicia Keys

7. "Numb" - Linkin Park

8. "Roses" - OutKast

9. "Jesus Walks" - Kanye West

10. "All Falls Down" - Kanye West ft. Syleena Johnson

11. "Yeah!" - Usher ft. Lil Jon and Ludacris

12. "Through the Wire" - Kanye West

13. "Don't Tell Me" - Avril Lavigne

14. "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" - Jet

15. "You Don't Know My Name" - Alicia Keys

16. "Toxic" - Britney Spears

17. "It's My Life" - No Doubt

18. "Salt Shaker" - Ying Yang Twins ft. Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz

19. "Me, Myself and I" - Beyoncé

20. "Breakaway" - Kelly Clarkson

21. "Stand Up" - Ludacris ft. Shawnna

22. "My Immortal" - Evanescence

23. "The Way You Move" - OutKast ft. Sleepy Brown

24. "Confessions Part II" - Usher

25. "Overnight Celebrity" - Twista

26. "Drop It Like It's Hot" - Snoop Dogg ft. Pharrell

27. "Freek-a-Leek" - Petey Pablo

28. "This Love" - Maroon 5

29. "She Will Be Loved" - Maroon 5

30. "White Flag" - Dido

31. "Live Like You Were Dying" - Tim McGraw

32. "100 Years" - Five for Fighting

33. "Why Don't You and I" - Santana ft. Alex Band

34. "Naughty Girl" - Beyoncé

35. "Diary" - Alicia Keys ft. Tony! Toni! Toné!

36. "Damn!" - YoungBloodZ ft. Lil Jon

37. "Burn" - Usher

38. "I Don't Wanna Know" - Mario Winans ft. Enya and P. Diddy

39. "Remember When" - Alan Jackson

40. "Everytime" - Britney Spears

41. "Dip It Low" - Christina Milian

42. "Headsprung" - LL Cool J

43. "Baby Boy"- Beyoncé ft. Sean Paul

44. "Get Low" - Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz ft. Ying Yang Twins

45. "My Boo" - Usher and Alicia Keys

46. "On Fire" - Lloyd Banks

47. "Gigolo" - Nick Cannon ft. R. Kelly

48. "Game Over (Flip)" - Lil' Flip

49. "Locked Up" - Akon ft. Styles P

50. "Read Your Mind" - Avant ft. Snoop Dogg

51. "Sorry 2004" - Ruben Studdard

52. "Hey Mama" - The Black Eyed Peas

53. "Milkshake" - Kelis

54. "The First Cut Is the Deepest" - Sheryl Crow

55. "Suga Suga" - Baby Bash ft. Frankie J

56. "Splash Waterfalls" - Ludacris

57. "Holidae Inn" - Chingy ft. Ludacris & Snoop Dogg

58. "Lose My Breath" - Destiny's Child

59. "Dude" - Beenie Man

60. "Meant to Live" - Switchfoot

61. "Change Clothes" - Jay-Z

62. "Let's Get It Started" - The Black Eyed Peas

63. "I Like That" - Houston ft. Chingy, Nate Dogg and I-20

64. "U Should've Known Better" - Monica

65. "My Place" - Nelly ft. Jaheim

66. "One Thing" - Finger Eleven

67. "Why?" - Jadakiss

68. "Here Without You" - 3 Doors Down

69. "Walked Outta Heaven" - Jagged Edge

70. "Redneck Woman" - Gretchen Wilson

71. "I Go Back" - Kenny Chesney

72. "Letters from Home" - John Michael Montgomery

73. "Just Lose It" - Eminem

74. "Step in the Name of Love" - R. Kelly

75. "With You" - Jessica Simpson

76. "Move Ya Body" - Nina Sky

77. "Leave (Get Out)" - JoJo

78. "Over and Over" - Nelly ft. Tim McGraw

79. "Fuck It (I Don't Want You Back)" - Eamon

80. "You'll Think of Me" - Keith Urban

81. "Hotel" - Cassidy ft. R. Kelly

82. "Wanna Get to Know You" - G-Unit ft. Joe

83. "Pieces of Me" - Ashlee Simpson

84. "Happy People" - R. Kelly

85. "American Soldier" - Toby Keith

86. "On the Way Down" - Ryan Cabrera

87. "Southside" - Lloyd ft. Ashanti

88. "My Band" - D12

89. "I'm Still in Love with You" - Sean Paul ft. Sasha

90. "Heaven" - Los Lonely Boys

91. "Turn Me On" - Kevin Lyttle

92. "Slow Motion" - Juvenile ft. Soulja Slim

93. "Someday" - Nickelback

94. "When the Sun Goes Down" - Kenny Chesney ft. Uncle Kracker

95. "One Call Away" - Chingy ft. J-Weav

96. "Sunshine" - Lil' Flip ft. Lea

97. "Lean Back" - Terror Squad

98. "Goodies" - Ciara ft. Petey Pablo

99. "The Reason" - Hoobastank

100. "Tipsy" - J-Kwon

 

 

[Joe Biden]

All I need your thoughts on are Are You Gonna Be My Girl and 7 Years 100 Years by Lukas Graham Five for Fighting

[Steel Sponge]

Thoughts on these:

My Band

I'm Still in Love with You

American Soldier

Change Clothes

One Thing

Drop It Like It's Hot

and finally...pajama time

[CyanideFishbone]

Thoughts on:

Toxic

My Immortal

Milkshake

Just Lose It (I think you covered it before my bad)

[Katniss]

Thoughts on:

It’s My Life

Salt Shaker 

Don’t Tell Me

Breakaway

The Way You Move 

[Wumbo]

"Are You Gonna Be My Girl": Screw Todd, I love Jet. They bring back classic rock in a way that still exhibits their swagger as a band, and this is easily one of the catchiest songs of 2004.

"100 Years": Willowy, wistful piano ballad that works for what it is.

"My Band": To me, this was the real discrowning moment of Eminem's career. I mean, listen to this. It just sounds like garbage. No one but ironybois would find this entertaining.

"I'm Still in Love with You": Sorry guys, Sean Paul is the most overrated artist of the entire decade. No bones about it.

"American Soldier": *barf*

"Change Clothes": Not Jay-Z's nor Pharrell's best work. So I guess 2004 wasn't perfect for Jay-Z after all.

"One Thing": I get why "Paralyzer" crossed over. I don't get this one.

"Drop It Like It's Hot": Snoop being Snoop can only get him so far, but hey, at least he's still in the Top 30?

Pajama Time: I just have nothing to say about this song. Again, it's a troll record designed to appeal to those poisoned by irony. Ha ha, Eminem's not trying! So what? Anyone could have done this. Hell, Kanye actually did it better in 2018 with "Lift Yourself", which at least resembled a joke with setup of the beautiful sample and payoff of poopity scoop. This is just white, and I mean very white, noise. A moment in Em's career that should be justly forgotten. "My Band" is still worse though.

(Okay, so maybe I had more to say about this song than I thought...)

"Toxic": Classic Britney, might actually be her best single upon retrospect. It's certainly got the best production of all of them.

"My Immortal": I think the consensus with Evanescence is they have a beautiful singer in Amy Lee wasted by a pretty mediocre band. So a song like "My Immortal" works by stripping that band away and just letting Amy Lee shine. It's definitely one of the best songs in the Evanescence catalog.

"Milkshake": This song just exists. No strong feelings one way or the other.

"It's My Life": Sorry to all you Talk Talk fans, but this is better than the original. A lot of that can be attributed to the force of charisma that is Gwen Stefani. Just a totally iconic pop star.

"Salt Shaker": Not much to say except Lil Jon's energy is infectious here, as it always is. He carries this song.

"Don't Tell Me": Another strong song from Avril Lavigne. I toyed with putting it on the list proper, but realized I'd be making most of the same points anyway with "My Happy Ending". Consider it a very honourable mention, along with the songs above it. (Surprised none of you asked why "Yeah!" didn't make the list, but for those of you curious, well, honourable mention it is.)

"Breakaway": A very sweet song by a very sweet performer. I definitely prefer her rock side, but I can appreciate a tune like this too.

"The Way You Move": Big Boi gets a chance to shine on the charts too! Man, what a great album.

Now then, the next month will probably be taken up by 2019, whenever that year-end list comes out, but join me again in this thread when we look at...

2009

We say goodbye to the 2000s with its last year. How will these songs hold up a decade later? Tune in and find out!

[kev]

On 11/20/2019 at 6:06 PM, 4EverGreen said:

Enough said, true believers! 

*Beliebers

[Joe Biden]

2009: The year that God Himself released the greatest album of the year.

[Steel Sponge]

2009? Oh hey, now we can finally put those Justin Bieber comments to rest since this is his last year for this project.

[Katniss]

RED ONE

CONVICT

GAGA

[4EverGreen]

Rest in peace, Michael Jackson. Your contributions to music will never be forgotten...and I REFUSE to say anything else about music this year!  I REFUSE to even TOUCH this subject any further!  Not even with a...39 and a half foot pole! 

[G4RY SMELLY]

27 minutes ago, 4EverGreen said:

Rest in peace, Michael Jackson. Your contributions to music will never be forgotten...and I REFUSE to say anything else about music this year!  I REFUSE to even TOUCH this subject any further!  Not even with a...39 and a half foot pole! 

Ok boomer!

[President Squidward]

On 11/27/2019 at 10:36 AM, Jerry Sprunger said:

“My Band": To me, this was the real discrowning moment of Eminem's career. I mean, listen to this. It just sounds like garbage. No one but ironybois would find this entertaining.”

god dammit guys do we tell him

FACK is also five stars I’m so sorry