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It was a year that gave us chart-dominating albums, shocking controversies and unforgettable collaborations. Join us as we count down our picks for the most iconic music moments of 2004! Which moment do you remember most? Let us know in the comments below!
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 moments that define the world of
00:05music in the year 2004.
00:12Number 10, Band-Aid 20 Reunites Stars for Charity.
00:1620 years after the original Band-Aid recording, Bob Geldof and Midge Your reunited a new generation of British and
00:23Irish musicians for another version of Do They Know It's Christmas in November 2004.
00:30If we let in life, then we'd fetish shame.
00:34Known as Band-Aid 20, the project brought together established stars, including Bono, Paul McCartney, and Robbie Williams, alongside contemporary
00:43acts such as Dido, Sugar Babes, Busted, and The Darkness.
00:47The remake raised money for famine relief in Sudan's Darfur region, where a devastating humanitarian crisis had displaced millions of
00:54people.
00:55Do They Know It's Christmas Time At All
01:00It would lay the foundation for 2005's Live Aid series of concerts, mirroring the success of 1985's Live Aid.
01:07It was a display of collective effort that once again highlighted the power of celebrity collaborations when it came to
01:12drawing attention to a good cause.
01:14The single debuted at number one on the Christmas charts and stayed there for four weeks.
01:18Feed the world, let them know it's Christmas time, a dream.
01:27Number 9. MySpace Changed How Musicians Reach Their Audiences.
01:31In 2004, MySpace was emerging as an important online meeting place for musicians and fans, foreshadowing the transformation of music
01:39promotion in the years ahead.
01:40At first, when I see you cry, yeah, it makes me smile, yeah, it makes me smile.
01:49Although the platform initially served a broader social networking purpose, its music features allowed artists to upload songs, customize their
01:56profiles, and communicate directly with listeners.
01:59This was huge for independent artists who wanted to get around conventional record label intervention.
02:04Soon, we would see the emergence of bands like the Arctic Monkeys in the UK get helped along through MySpace
02:09fan groups.
02:10The group themselves seemed oblivious to what was happening, but through their fans, the power of social media was beginning
02:23to show itself.
02:24Although MySpace would not have the long-term success that other similar sites would display, its role in the world
02:29of music promotion cannot be understated.
02:31MySpace was not only fan to fan, but artist to artist, fan to artist, and back.
02:36A recommendation engine so unfiltered it was almost primitive.
02:40Number 8. When Lip-Syncing Goes Wrong
02:42No list of the biggest live music blunders in history would be complete without a mention of this infamous Saturday
02:48Night Live disaster.
02:49Once again, Ashley Simpson.
02:55Ashley Simpson made an appearance on the show to promote her debut album, and during her second song performance, the
03:00whole thing unraveled in dramatic fashion.
03:03Just as she was due to start, her backing track malfunctioned, exposing the fact that she wasn't singing live.
03:08If that wasn't bad enough, she then very awkwardly tried to pass the whole thing off by dancing a little
03:12jig before walking off stage.
03:21At the end of the broadcast, she blamed her band for playing the wrong track, explaining that she had been
03:26experiencing acid reflux, and relied on pre-recorded vocals to protect her voice.
03:30The incident became an immediate media sensation, raising questions about authenticity, live performance, and the use of backing tracks in
03:37pop music.
03:38It unfortunately did real damage to her reputation, and for many people, it's the first thing that springs to mind
03:43when Ashley Simpson's name is mentioned.
03:45It was the most humbling experience of my life, because the whole world thinks everything that you just put your
03:52heart and soul into writing is a joke.
03:56This was one of the decade's biggest musical mishaps, and a moment that Simpson never truly lived down.
04:01For even more unforgettable live TV disasters and pop culture controversies, scan the QR code on screen for WatchMojo's 24
04:07-7 pop culture live stream.
04:09I feel so bad my band started playing the wrong song, and I didn't know what to do, so I
04:13thought I'd do a hoedown.
04:14Number 7. Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake's Super Bowl Controversy.
04:18One of the most controversial musical moments of the 2000s might seem completely overblown by today's standards,
04:24but the incident known as Nipplegate caused some major waves.
04:34Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake were performing a choreographed finale when Timberlake pulled part of Jackson's costume away,
04:41briefly exposing her breast in what became known as the wardrobe malfunction.
04:44The incident triggered an enormous public debate about broadcast standards, sexualization, and the treatment of women in entertainment.
04:51There were, of course, numerous complaints made to CBS, and Timberlake later apologized for his role.
04:56There could have been ways that I could have gone about it and handled it better.
05:03However, it was Jackson who suffered the most.
05:06The controversy had lasting consequences for her career, with some broadcasters and industry figures reportedly distancing themselves from her.
05:13All these years later, while most people argue that it was not her fault, the damage was unfortunately done.
05:29Number 6. Kanye West Releases the College Dropout.
05:32Every now and then, a musician arrives on the scene with a debut that sounds fully formed, showcasing an artistic
05:38identity that is so strong that it's impossible to look away.
05:42I swear it's right here, history in the making, man.
05:45Kanye West is regarded as one of those artists.
05:48His first album, The College Dropout, is oozing with all the character and charisma we would later know him for,
05:54and to say it made an instant splash would be an understatement.
05:56Having established himself as a sought-after producer, West stepped into the spotlight with a distinctive approach built around sped
06:02-up soul samples,
06:04gospel influences, and warm, unconventional beats.
06:12His lyrics explored insecurity, consumerism, religion, education, and the contradictions of pursuing success,
06:19offering an alternative to the gangster rap narratives that dominated much of the genre's mainstream image.
06:23Little did we know how important he would later become, but this critical and commercial triumph was a huge opening
06:29statement for Kanye.
06:37Number 5. Jay-Z and Linkin Park's Numb slash Encore collaboration.
06:42Out of all the pair-ups that could have happened in 2004, we're guessing this one wasn't on many people's
06:46bingo cards.
06:47Who you know fresher than the whole riddle me that?
06:50The rest of y'all know where I'm lyrically at.
06:52Can none of y'all mirror me back? Yeah, hear me?
06:54Hip-hop and rock collided spectacularly when Jay-Z and Linkin Park combined their music for Numb slash Encore,
07:01a mash-up that became one of the defining crossover experiments of the mid-2000s.
07:05Released on the collaborative EP Collision Course in November 2004,
07:09the track fused Linkin Park's Numb with Jay-Z's Encore,
07:12pairing Chester Bennington's emotionally charged vocals with Jay-Z's confident rhythmic delivery.
07:29Producer Mike Shinoda helped bring the contrasting recordings together,
07:33creating a seamless blend of alternative rock, rap, and electronic production.
07:37The track and the EP itself were hugely successful, earning them a hit single and a Grammy Award,
07:43proving that even the most unlikely of collaborations can yield incredible results.
07:56Number 4. Outkast wins big at the Grammy Awards.
07:59The creative U-turn taken by Outkast on their penultimate album as a duo was a strange one for many
08:05reasons.
08:06But lean a little bit closer, see, roses really smell like, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh.
08:12Although Andre 3000 and Big Boy had worked closely together for years,
08:16Speakerbox slash The Love Below was packaged more as a pair of solo albums than a truly collaborative effort.
08:21Still, the results spoke for themselves.
08:24Big Boy's polished hip-hop and Andre's increasingly melodic and soul-inspired music
08:28ended up winning them the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
08:31Oh, thanks, dude, to the most high for this one all day long, man.
08:35Music is rocking like never before.
08:37They were the first hip-hop group to take home the award.
08:39The crossover success of Hey Yeah! was already one of the bigger surprises of the decade so far.
08:44And yet, Outkast's shocking run of mainstream success was not quite done.
08:48The victory represented a major breakthrough for Southern hip-hop,
08:51demonstrating that adventurous rap music could achieve both crossover popularity
08:55and the industry's highest accolades.
08:57We love y'all. Thank you very much.
08:59Southern player list of Catlac music.
09:01Stanky. Stanky. Stanky very much.
09:04You're smoking.
09:05Number three, Usher releases Confessions and dominates the charts.
09:092004 was the year when Usher truly managed to single himself out
09:13as a legitimate powerhouse of the R&B genre.
09:16Daddy burn. Daddy burn.
09:20Catalanine burn.
09:21His album that year, Confessions, was a landmark achievement for him,
09:25bolstered by some of the most essential singles of the decade.
09:27Released in March, the record blended silky vocals, infectious club production,
09:32and intimate storytelling about relationships, temptation, and infidelity.
09:36Its lead single, Yeah! featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris,
09:40became an enormous international hit,
09:42bringing crunk influences into mainstream R&B and dance music.
09:51It sold a million copies in its first week in the U.S. alone.
09:54Even though Usher had already achieved chart success in the past,
09:57Confessions was well and truly the milestone
09:59that took things to an entirely different level.
10:02Of the five singles released from the album,
10:04four of them ended up topping the charts.
10:11Number 2. Beyonce and Prince Opened the Grammys
10:14The 2004 Grammy Awards began with a spectacular meeting of generations
10:19as Beyonce joined Prince for an electrifying opening performance.
10:23Purple rain, purple rain, oh yeah!
10:29Although it was relatively early in her solo career,
10:31it was obvious that Beyonce had all the makings of a generationally important superstar.
10:36The fact that she held her own against a formidable performer like Prince said it all.
10:40From opening with the classic purple rain,
10:42to the more contemporary crazy in love,
10:44we got to see a musical evolution that brought some real quality to the table.
10:56Beyonce went on to dominate the Grammys that evening, taking home 5 awards.
11:00Her status as one of the most impactful stars in the next 20 years was not known to us yet,
11:05but the clues were very clearly there to be seen.
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11:39Number 1 Green Day Reclaims Rock with American Idiot
11:42Although they hit what many assumed would be their commercial peak in the 1990s, Punk
11:47Icons Green Day had an almighty ace up their sleeves for the 2000s.
11:56With political and social tensions reaching a real high in the US, the band decided to
12:01make an overt statement with their next LP, American Idiot.
12:04Even the title was confrontational.
12:06The music, as it turned out, was some of the most catchy and radio ready that the band
12:10had ever released.
12:12My shadow is the only one that walks beside me.
12:17From the title track onwards, Green Day were able to carve out a level of mainstream success
12:22that virtually nobody saw coming.
12:24The album debuted at number 1 on the US Billboard 200 and eventually won a Grammy for Best Rock
12:29Music Album.
12:29Its success helped demonstrate that guitar-driven rock could still dominate popular culture in
12:34an era increasingly shaped by hip-hop and pop.
12:37It basically transformed Green Day into mainstream rock giants.
12:46But what is the music moment from 2004 that sticks out in your memory?
12:49Let us know in the comments down below.
12:51Let us know in the comments below.