What could be more ridiculous than trying to rank the thousands of singles and albums you’ve bought and heard over a lifetime? Here we go …
I ranked my singles of the year at end of 1991 and 1997, and then 2000 and every year since. I only started ranking albums every year since 2008, but I did rank them in 2004 (picking a no 1 album – Hopes and Fears – that I find almost unlistenable twenty years later).
So I’ve also included the original 2004 singles and albums lists, but the first two charts are a December 2024 re-ranking of both of these lists.
| | Top tracks of 2004 |
| |
| 1 | Franz Ferdinand | Take Me Out |
| 2 | Art Brut | Formed A Band |
| 3 | Bloc Party | Little Thoughts |
| 4 | Others | Stan Bowles |
| 5 | Cursor Miner | Library |
| 6 | Dead 60s | You're Not The Law |
| 7 | Charlotte Hatherley | Kim Wilde |
| 8 | Von Bondies | C'mon C'mon |
| 9 | Do Me Bad Things | Time For Deliverance |
| 10 | Bloc Party | Helicopter |
| 11 | Client | In it For The Money |
| 12 | Divine Comedy | Our Mutual Friend |
| 13 | Beauty Shop | Monster |
| 14 | Franz Ferdinand | Michael |
| 15 | Rachid Taha | Rock El Casbah |
| 16 | Franz Ferdinand | This Fire |
| 17 | Futureheads | First Day |
| 18 | Franz Ferdinand | Matinee |
| 19 | Kaiser Chiefs | I Predict A Riot |
| 20 | Killers | Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine |
| 21 | Stills | Lola Stars And Stripes |
| 22 | Divine Comedy | Come Home Billy Bird |
| 23 | Franz Ferdinand | Tell Her Tonight |
| 24 | Graham Coxon | Bittersweet Bundle of Misery |
| 25 | Trashcan Sinatras | Weightlifting |
| 26 | Futureheads | Hounds Of Love |
| 27 | Arcade Fire | Neighbourhood #2 (Laïka) |
| 28 | KT Tunstall | Suddenly I See |
| 29 | Futureheads | Robot |
| 30 | Libertines | Can't Stand Me Now |
| 31 | U2 | Vertigo |
| 32 | William Shatner | Common People |
| 33 | Britney Spears | Toxic |
| 34 | They Might Be Giants | Au Contraire |
| 35 | Manfred Mann; Thomas D | Demons and Dragons |
| 36 | Kasabian | L.S.F. |
| 37 | Stills | Still In Love Song |
| 38 | Wonder Stuff | Better Get Ready For A Fist Fight |
| 39 | Babyshambles | Killamangiro |
| 40 | Killers | Somebody Told Me |
| 41 | Starsailor | Four To The Floor |
| 42 | Strokes | Reptilia |
| 43 | They Might Be Giants | Experimental Film |
| 44 | Walkmen | The Rat |
| 45 | Auf Der Maur | Followed The Waves |
| 46 | Athlete | El Salvador |
| 47 | Franz Ferdinand | 40’ |
| 48 | Futureheads | A to B |
| 49 | Fighting Cocks | Don't Care |
| 50 | Graham Coxon | Freakin’ Out |
| 51 | Stereolab | Margerine Melodie |
| 52 | Franz Ferdinand | Come On Home |
| 53 | Rakes | Strasbourg |
| 54 | Futureheads | Meantime |
| 55 | Charlotte Hatherley | Summer |
| 56 | Franz Ferdinand | Auf Achse |
| 57 | Vines | Ride |
| 58 | Stills | Changes Are No Good |
| 59 | VHS Or Beta | Night On Fire |
| 60 | Rooney | I'm Shakin' |
| 61 | April Tears | Just For A While |
| 62 | Fiery Furnaces | Tropical Iceland |
| 63 | They Might Be Giants | Bastard Wants To Hit Me |
| 64 | Goldie Lookin Chain | Guns Don't Kill People Rappers Do |
| 65 | Delays | Long Time Coming |
| 66 | Manic Street Preachers | The Love of Richard Nixon |
| 67 | Josh Rouse | Straight to Hell |
| 68 | Nina Gordon | Straight Outta Compton |
| 69 | Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster | I Could Be An Angle |
| 70 | Bettie Serveert | Lover I Don't Have To Love |
| 71 | Interpol | Slow Hands |
| 72 | Mansun | Slipping Away |
| 73 | Death From Above 1979 | Romantic Rights |
| 74 | Scenario Rock | Skitzo Dancer (Part 1) |
| 75 | Ikara Colt | Modern Feeling |
| 76 | (International) Noise Conspiracy | Black Mask |
| 77 | Division of Laura Lee | Does Compute |
| 78 | Snow Patrol | Run |
| 79 | Bees | Chicken Payback |
| 80 | Mull Historical Society | How 'Bout I Love You More |
| 81 | Damien Rice | Cannonball |
| 82 | Amphetameanies | This Boy |
| 83 | Emma Bunton | Free Me |
| 84 | Nouvelle Vague | Guns Of Brixton |
| 85 | Scissor Sisters | Comfortably Numb |
| 86 | Duke Spirit | Cuts Across The Land |
| 87 | Ash | Clones |
| 88 | Hives | Walk Idiot Walk |
| 89 | Charlatans | Up At The Lake |
| 90 | Fiery Furnaces | Single Again |
| 91 | Reuben | Freddy Kruger |
| 92 | Morrissey | First Of The Gang To Die |
| 93 | Modest Mouse | Float On |
| 94 | Rass | 5678 |
| 95 | Pet | Yes No Yes |
| 96 | Cave In | Inspire |
| 97 | Keane | Everybody's Changing |
| 98 | Carina Round | Lacuna |
| 99 | A Girl Called Eddy | Somebody Hurt You |
| 100 | Hope of The States | Nehemiah |
| | Original chart - top tracks of 2004 |
| |
| 1 | Franz Ferdinand | Take Me Out |
| 2 | Dead 60s | You're Not The Law |
| 3 | Client | In It For The Money |
| 4 | Keane | Bedshaped |
| 5 | Courtney Love | Mono |
| 6 | (International) Noise Conspiracy | Black Mask |
| 7 | Kaiser Chiefs | I Predict A Riot |
| 8 | Charlotte Hatherley | Kim Wilde |
| 9 | Hope Of The States | Nehemiah |
| 10 | Killers | Somebody Told Me |
| 11 | Do Me Bad Things | Time For Deliverance |
| 12 | Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster | I Could Be An Angle |
| 13 | Cursor Miner | Library |
| 14 | MJ Hibbett and the Validators | Things'll Be Different (When I'm In Charge) |
| 15 | They Might Be Giants | Au Contraire |
| 16 | Others | Stan Bowles |
| 17 | U2 | Vertigo |
| 18 | Fiery Furnaces | Single Again |
| 19 | Razorlight | Golden Touch |
| 20 | Vines | Ride |
| 21 | Stereolab | Margerine Melodie |
| 22 | They Might Be Giants | Experimental Film |
| 23 | Kasabian | L.S.F. |
| 24 | Ikara Colt | Modern Feeling |
| 25 | Snow Patrol | Run |
| 26 | Divine Comedy | Come Home Billy Bird |
| 27 | Keane | This Is The Last Time |
| 28 | Trashcan Sinatras | Weightlifting |
| 29 | Thrills | Whatever Happened To Corey Hain? |
| 30 | Franz Ferdinand | Michael |
| 31 | Reuben | Freddy Kreuger |
| 32 | Death From Above 1979 | Romantic Rights |
| 33 | Keane | Everybody's Changing |
| 34 | Art Brut | Formed A Band |
| 35 | Jim Bob | My Face Your Arse |
| 36 | Morrissey | First Of The Gang To Die |
| 37 | Interpol | Evil |
| 38 | Franz Ferdinand | This Fire |
| 39 | Muse | Butterflies and Hurricanes |
| 40 | Von Bondies | C'mon C'mon |
| 41 | Britney Spears | Toxic |
| 42 | Client featuring Carl Barat | Pornography |
| 43 | Morrissey | Irish Blood, English Heart |
| 44 | Delays | Lost In A Melody |
| 45 | Kings Of Leon | The Bucket |
| 46 | Killers | All These Things That I've Done |
| 47 | Client | Radio |
| 48 | Girls Aloud | Love Machine |
| 49 | Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster | Mister Mental |
| 50 | Go! Team | Ladyflash |
| 51 | Gear | Self Security |
| 52 | Lostprophets | Last Train Home |
| 53 | White Stripes | The Hardest Button To Button |
| 54 | Franz Ferdinand | Matinee |
| 55 | Wonder Stuff | Better Get Ready For A Fist Fight |
| 56 | Bloc Party | Helicopter |
| 57 | Carina Round | Lacuna |
| 58 | Futureheads | Decent Days and Nights |
| 59 | !!! | Hello Is This Thing On? |
| 60 | Radio 4 | Party Crashers |
| 61 | Beats For Beginners | Kill All DJs |
| 62 | Bloc Party | Little Thoughts |
| 63 | Rooney | I'm Shakin' |
| 64 | Damien Rice | Cannonball |
| 65 | Libertines | Can't Stand Me Now |
| 66 | Hope Of The States | The Red, The White, The Black, The Blue |
| 67 | Dresden Dolls | Girl Anachronism |
| 68 | Belle and Sebastian | I'm A Cuckoo |
| 69 | Stills | Lola Stars and Stripes |
| 70 | Josh Rouse | Come Back (Light Therapy) |
| 71 | Ben Kweller | The Rules |
| 72 | Kasabian | Cutt Off |
| 73 | Muse | Sing For Absolution |
| 74 | Stills | Still In Love Song |
| 75 | Futureheads | Meantime |
| 76 | Auf Der Maur | Followed The Waves |
| 77 | Embrace | Ashes |
| 78 | Charlatans | Up At The Lake |
| 79 | Keane | Somewhere Only We Know |
| 80 | Silver Sun | Bubblegum |
| 81 | Blankket | Hey Ya! |
| 82 | Graham Coxon | Bittersweet Bundle Of Mystery |
| 83 | Duke Spirit | Cuts Across The Land |
| 84 | Stills | Changes Are No Good |
| 85 | Departure | All Mapped Out |
| 86 | Embrace | Gravity |
| 87 | Mull Historical Society | How 'Bout I Love You More |
| 88 | Snow Patrol | Spitting Games |
| 89 | Graham Coxon | Freakin' Out |
| 90 | Mansun | Slipping Away |
| 91 | Pet | Yes No Yes |
| 92 | Eastern Lane | I Said Pig On Friday |
| 93 | Biffy Clyro | My Recovery Injection |
| 94 | UNKLE and Ian Brown | Reign |
| 95 | Fiery Furnaces | Tropical Ice-Land |
| 96 | Modest Mouse | Ocean Breathes Sally |
| 97 | Phoenix | Run Run Run |
| 98 | Yeah Yeah Yeahs | Y Control |
| 99 | Rakes | Strasbourg |
| 100 | Koreans | Still Strung Out |
Leave a Reply