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The OCC look back at 2004:

There's only one possible response to this list of 100 songs turning 20 next year: "2004, what a time to be alive!"

The first new Number 1 of the year was Michelle McManus' Pop Idol winner's single All This Time, which topped the Official Singles Chart for three straight weeks after being released in January. Once Pop Idol was succeeded by The X Factor, it became standard practice for winners' singles to drop in December just in time for the annual festive chart battle. In fact, from 2005 and 2014, seven Christmas Number 1s in 10 years were claimed by the latest X Factor winner.

Anyway, back to 2004. It was a year where four beloved artists – Busted, Britney Spears, McFly and Usher – claimed two Number 1s apiece. Busted reached the top with Who's David and their double A-side release Thunderbirds/3AM, while Britney scored Number 1s with her iconic dance-pop banger Toxic and gorgeously haunting ballad Everytime – that's what we call range.

Meanwhile, McFly gatecrashed the mainstream in style by reaching Number 1 with their first two singles – the perky pop nuggets 5 Colours in Her Hair and Obviously – and then scoring a Number 1 album with their debut, Room on the 3rd Floor. Like Britney, Usher displayed his range by making Number 1 with a club banger (Yeah!) followed by a more reflective ballad (Burn).

Other notable Number 1s included Eamon's scathing break-up bop f*** It (I Don't Want You Back) and Frankee's equally salty answer record F.U.R.B. (f*** You Right Back). Though Frankie claimed at the time to be his real-life ex, Eamon insisted this was just a clever marketing ploy. "I have never met Frankee and she is definitely not my girlfriend or ex-girlfriend," he told MTV News at the time. "The only way I was associated with [her song]was when I was asked for licensing permission by Frankee's representatives, which makes me a writer on her song by copyright law."

The final Number 1 of the year was a much more family-friendly effort: Do They Know It's Christmas? by Band Aid 20, the third iteration of the charity supergroup following 1984's original team-up and 1989's Band Aid II. Performers who featured on the 2004 recording of Do They Know It's Christmas? included Busted, Sugababes, Dizzee Rascal, Coldplay's Chris Martin, Beverley Knight, Dido, Jamelia, Joss Stone and Will Young. Their collaborative single went on to spend four weeks at Number 1 – just one less than the 1984 version managed.

Meanwhile, 2004 also yielded some absolutely classic Number 2s – among them Girls Aloud's The Show and Love Machine, Rachel Stevens' Some Girls, Kelis' Milkshake and Kylie Minogue's I Believe in You. On top of this, it brought the Official Singles Chart debut of The Killers' Mr Brightside, which has gone on to spend more weeks in the Top 100 than any other song in history. We'll say it again: what a time to be alive!

Here were the biggest UK hits during the year:

#1s:
3 of a Kind - Baby Cakes
Band Aid 20 - Do They Know It's Christmas?
Brian McFadden - Real to Me
Britney Spears - Everytime
Britney Spears - Toxic
Busted - Thunderbirds / 3AM
Busted - Who's David?
DJ Casper - Cha Cha Slide
Eamon - f*** It (I Don't Want You Back)
Eminem - Just Lose It
Eric Prydz - Call on Me
Frankee - F.U.R.B. (f*** You Right Back)
Girls Aloud - I'll Stand by You
Ja Rule feat. R. Kelly and Ashanti - Wonderful
LMC vs. U2 - Take Me to the Clouds Above
Mario Winans feat. P. Diddy and Enya - I Don't Wanna Know
McFly - Five Colours in Her Hair
McFly - Obviously
Michelle McManus - All This Time
Natasha Bedingfield - These Words
Nelly - My Place / Flap Your Wings
Robbie Williams - Radio
Sam & Mark - With a Little Help from My Friends
Shapeshifters - Lola's Theme
The Streets - Dry Your Eyes
U2 - Vertigo
Usher - Burn
Usher feat. Ludacris and Lil' Jon - Yeah!

Top 10s:
Anastacia - Left Outside Alone (3)
Anastacia - Sick and Tired (4)
Ashlee Simpson - Pieces of Me (4)
Avril Lavigne - My Happy Ending (5)
Beverley Knight - Come As You Are (9)
Black Eyed Peas - Hey Mama (6)
Blue - Breathe Easy (3)
Britney Spears - My Prerogative (4)
Christina Aguilera feat. Missy Elliott - Car Wash (4)
Christina Milian - Dip It Low (2)
D12 - My Band (4)
Daniel Bedingfield - Nothing Hurts Like Love (3)
Dannii Minogue vs. Flower Power - You Won't Forget About Me (7)
Destiny's Child - Lose My Breath (2)
Dizzee Rascal - Stand Up Tall (10)
Duran Duran - (Reach Up for The) Sunrise (5)
Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out (3)
George Michael - Amazing (4)
George Michael - Flawless (Go to the City) (8)
Geri Halliwell - Ride It (4)
Girls Aloud - Love Machine (2)
Girls Aloud - The Show (2)
Goldie Lookin' Chain - Guns Don't Kill People, Rappers Do (3)
Green Day - American Idiot (3)
Gwen Stefani - What You Waiting For? (4)
Jamelia - See It in a Boy's Eyes (5)
Jamelia - Thank You (2)
Jay Sean - Stolen (4)
Jennifer Lopez - Baby I Love U! (3)
Jessica Simpson - With You (7)
JoJo - Leave (Get Out) (2)
Joss Stone - You Had Me (9)
Kanye West - Through the Wire (9)
Keane - Everybody's Changing (4)
Keane - Somewhere Only We Know (3)
Kelis - Milkshake (2)
Kelis - Trick Me (2)
Kelis feat. Andre 3000 - Millionaire (3)
Khia - My Neck, My Back (Lick It) (4)
Kylie Minogue - Chocolate (6)
Kylie Minogue - I Believe In You (2)
Kylie Minogue - Red Blooded Woman (5)
Lemar - If There's Any Justice (3)
Manic Street Preachers - The Love of Richard Nixon (2)
Maroon 5 - This Love (5)
McFly - That Girl (3)
N.E.R.D. - She Wants to Move (5)
Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten (6)
Nina Sky - Move Ya Body (6)
O-Zone - Dragostea Din Tei (3)
Outkast - Roses (4)
Peter Andre - Insania (3)
R.E.M. - Leaving New York (5)
Rachel Stevens - Some Girls (2)
Razorlight - Golden Touch (9)
Ronan Keating feat. Yusuf Islam - Father and Son (2)
Scissor Sisters - Comfortably Numb (10)
Shania Twain - Party for Two (10)
Shaznay Lewis - Never Felt Like This Before (8)
Snoop Dogg feat. Pharrell - Drop It Like It's Hot (10)
Snow Patrol - Run (5)
Sophie Ellis-Bextor - I Won't Change You (9)
The 411 - Dumb (3)
The Darkness - Love Is Only a Feeling (5)
The Killers - Mr. Brightside (10)
The Libertines - Can't Stand Me Now (2)
The Rasmus - In the Shadows (3)
Twista - Slow Jamz (3)
V - Hip to Hip/Can You Feel It? (5)
Victoria Beckham - This Groove/Let Your Head Go (3)
Will Young - Friday's Child (4)
Will Young - Your Game (3)

Top 20s:
15 – 3rd Wish Featuring Baby Bash – Obsession (Si Es Amor)
11 – Agnetha Faltskog – If I Thought You'D Ever Change Your Mind
15 – Alcazar – This Is The World We Live In
13 – Alex Parks – Cry
18 – Alicia Keys – If I Ain't Got You
18 – Alistair Griffin – You And Me (Tonight)
18 – Angel City – Touch Me
15 – Armand Van Helden – My My My
13 – Ash – Orpheus
12 – ATL – Calling All Girls
12 – Basement Jaxx Featuring Lisa Kekaula – Good Luck
14 – Beenie Man – King Of The Dancehall
14 – Belle And Sebastian – I'm A Cuckoo
20 – Belle And Sebastian – Books
11 – Beyonce – Me Myself And I
15 – Big Brovaz – Yours Fatally
17 – Big Brovaz – We Wanna Thank You (Things That You Do)
11 – Black Eyed Peas – Let's Get It Started
11 – Brandy – Afrodisiac
13 – Calling – Our Lives
14 – Candee Jay – If I Were You
13 – Cliff Richard – I Cannot Give You My Love
16 – Corrs – Angel
11 – Danzel – Pump It Up
12 – Darren Hayes – Pop!ular
16 – Delays – Long Time Coming
14 – Dizzee Rascal – Dream
16 – DJ Casper featuring The Gap Band – Oops Upside Your Head
17 – DT8 Project – The Sun Is Shining (Down On Me)
20 – Elton John – All That I'm Allowed (I'm Thankful)
11 – Embrace – Ashes
15 – Emma – Crickets Sing For Anamaria
14 – Estelle – 1980
15 – Estelle – Free
16 – Eye Opener – Hungry Eyes
12 – Fatboy Slim – Slash Dot Dash
11 – Ferry Corsten – Rock Your Body Rock
20 – Flip And Fill Featuring Junior – Irish Blue
11 – Flip And Fill Featuring Karen Perry – Discoland
11 – Fountains Of Wayne – Stacy's Mom
17 – Franz Ferdinand – Michael
19 – Funeral For A Friend – Escape Artists Never Die
13 – Fya Featuring Smujji – Must Be Love
20 – Gabrielle – Stay The Same
19 – Gladiator Featuring Izzy – Now We Are Free
20 – Goldfrapp – Strict Machine
14 – Goldie Lookin' Chain – Your Mother's Got A Penis
12 – Good Charlotte – Predictable
19 – Graham Coxon – Freakin' Out / All Over Me
11 – Groove Armada – I See You Baby
14 – Gunther And The Sunshine Girls – Ding Dong Song
18 – Hilary Duff – Come Clean
15 – Him – The Funeral Of Hearts
13 – Hives – Walk Idiot Walk
12 – Hoobastank – The Reason
15 – Hope Of The States – The Red The White The Black The Blue
19 – I Dream Featuring Frankie And Calvin – Dreamin'
18 – Ian Brown – Keep What Ya Got
16 – Jaimeson – Take Control
13 – James Fox – Hold On To Our Love
12 – Jamie Cullum – These Are The Days/Frontin'
20 – Jamie Cullum – Everlasting Love
15 – Janet – Just A Little While
19 – Janet – All Nite (Don't Stop)/I Want You
16 – Javine – Don't Walk Away
18 – Javine – Best Of My Love
12 – Jay-Z – 99 Problems / Dirt Off Your Shoulder
14 – Jay-Z & Linkin Park – Numb/Encore
13 – JC Chasez – Some Girls (Dance With Women)/Blowing Me Up
13 – Jennifer Ellison – Bye Bye Boy
20 – Jentina – French Kisses
16 – Jet – Are You Gonna Be My Girl
12 – Joe Featuring G Unit – Ride Wit U/More And More
18 – Joss Stone – Fell In Love With A Boy
18 – Joss Stone – Super Duper Love (Are You Diggin On Me?)
16 – Kanye West – Jesus Walks
17 – Kasabian – Processed Beats
19 – Kasabian – Club Foot
19 – Katie Melua – Call Off The Search
18 – Keane – This Is The Last Time
14 – Kelly Llorenna – This Time I Know It's For Real
18 – Killers – All These Things That I've Done
16 – Kings Of Leon – The Bucket
13 – Kristian Leontiou – Shining
11 – Lethal Bizzie – Pow! (Forward)
13 – Liberty X – Everybody Cries
14 – Lil' Flip – Sunshine
20 – Lionel Richie – Just For You
19 – Lloyd Banks – On Fire
13 – Lostprophets – Last Summer
18 – Lostprophets – Wake Up (Make A Move)
16 – Marillion – Don't Hurt Yourself
13 – Marilyn Manson – Personal Jesus
13 – Maroon 5 – Harder To Breathe
15 – Marques Houston Featuring Joe Budden And Pied Piper – Clubbin'
17 – Method Man Featuring Busta Rhymes – What's Happening
16 – Michelle – The Meaning Of Love
11 – Motorcycle – As The Rush Comes
14 – Muse – Butterflies And Hurricanes
16 – Muse – Sing For Absolution
15 – Music – Freedom Fighters
19 – Mylo – Drop The Pressure
18 – Nas Featuring Olu Dara – Bridging The Gap
15 – Nelly Furtado – Try
17 – No Doubt – It's My Life/Bathwater
12 – Noise Next Door – Lock Up Ya Daughters / Ministry Of Mayhem
19 – Oceanlab – Satellite
11 – Offspring – Hit That
17 – Ordinary Boys – Talk Talk Talk
11 – Paul Weller – Wishing On A Star
13 – Paul Weller – The Bottle
18 – Paul Weller – Thinking Of You
12 – Pet Shop Boys – Flamboyant
14 – Peter Andre – The Right Way
12 – Phixx – Wild Boys
13 – Phixx – Love Revolution
11 – Pink – God Is A Dj
18 – Placebo – Twenty Years
14 – Pop! – Heaven And Earth
19 – Prodigy – Girls
15 – Raghav Featuring Jahaziel – Let's Work It Out
15 – Rasmus – Guilty
18 – Razorlight – Vice
20 – Razorlight – Rip It Up
11 – S Club 8 – Don't Tell Me You're Sorry
19 – Sam And Mark – The Sun Has Come Your Way
14 – Sarah Connor – Bounce
12 – Scissor Sisters – Laura
14 – Scissor Sisters – Mary
17 – Scissor Sisters – Take Your Mama
15 – Slipknot – Duality
12 – Speedway – Can't Turn Back
14 – Status Quo – You'll Come 'round
14 – Stellar Project Featuring Brandi Emma – Get Up Stand Up
19 – Steriogram – Walkie Talkie Man
17 – Strokes – Reptilia
19 – Styles And Breeze – You're Shining
16 – Super Ferry Animals – The Man Don't Give A ****
20 – Travis – Walking In The Sun
17 – Tupac Featuring The Notorious BIG – Runnin' (Dying To Live)
16 – Twista – Overnight Celebrity
19 – UD Project – Saturday Night
12 – V – You Stood Up
11 – Vs – Call U Sexy
14 – Wet Wet Wet – All I Want
16 – White Stripes – Jolene
15 – Zutons – Don't Ever Think (Too Much)
19 – Zutons – Pressure Point

What songs from 2004 have aged the best 20 years on?