43 - 13/12/2004 Green Day - Boulevard Of Broken Dreams

Chart Run: 02-02-01-01-01-02-04-05-06-09-13-16-22-25-31 (15 weeks)

I've already spoken about how much I loved American Idiot in the post for its title track, so its no surprise that its follow-up Boulevard of Broken Dreams also makes in appearance. If anything is surprising, it's that it didn't enter at the top, but 3 weeks in each of the top 2 positions made it a huge hit. The Good Riddance to American Idiot's Basket Case, it was fully deserving of its status. The follow-ups from the album charted at #4, #17 and #15 and then that was it for them in my chart.

It's a song which still brings back memories, and is still great, but possibly suffered a bit for me from overplay. I'd rank it a level below their Big 3.

2025 Rating: 8/10

Songs Kept From #1: Razorlight - Rip It Up
Rip It Up started in my chart with a run of 05-04-03-02-02 to become their third #2 of the year, spending 8 of its 52 weeks as runner-up, a position they wouldn't get that close to reaching again. As it was the Christmas weeks there was the usual very little in the release schedule. Two follow-ups to much more successful songs were the only two to enter the top 10 in these three weeks: The Streets - Could Well Be In and Jet - Get Me Out of Here

2024 Rank and Review

A reduction in songs which reached the top this year, 20 from 23 in 2003. It seemed like a more consistent year with fewer songs I didn't enjoy this time, but only three would I consider to be absolute greats. Before doing this and putting in any great thought, I'd have probably said 2004 would've been one of my favourite years for music, with the birth of the new wave of indie bands hitting the charts, but in truth it was pretty average. The wave of indie was definitely not at its peak yet, and there was precious little else to get excited about. The list of UK number ones is more dire than usual, and there isn't much (if any) other mainstream stuff that I look back on fondly.

I do think that this period marked a bit of a change in my music taste, there was definitely a move away from the rockier stuff which took up a lot more time at the top of my charts in the previous year, but there was a lack of variety to what I enjoyed, whereas it feels like that would change over the next couple of years.

1. Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out

2. The Libertines - Can't Stand Me Now

3. Wolfman feat. Pete Doherty - For Lovers

4. blink-182 - I Miss You

5. Green Day - American Idiot

6. Graham Coxon - Freakin' Out

7. The Killers - All These Things That I've Done

8. Basement Jaxx feat. Lisa Kekuala - Good Luck

9. Green Day - Boulevard of Broken Dreams

10. The Killers - Mr Brightside

11. Jimmy Eat World - Pain

12. Babyshambles - Killamangiro

13. Keane - Somewhere Only We Know

14. The Streets - Fit But You Know It

15. Jet - Look What You've Done

16. Snow Patrol - Spitting Games

17. Basement Jaxx feat. JC Chasez - Plug It In

18. U2 - Vertigo

19. Ash - Starcrossed

20. Lostprophets - Last Train Home

2005 will begin on Friday.

Green Day was one of my faves of theirs, while with some acts I am not as fond of the ballads, with Green Day I tend to prefer them more, mayeb it's cos they don't do many so it's a treat when one comes along.