1. Kanye West - Jesus Walks By creating a song that was as intelligent as it was catchy, Kanye West convinced us all that, dude, it's like totally okay to accept Jesus. Sure, his other singles were great, but none seemed to stand out with such soulful integrity as this. 2004 was a retardedly strong year for hip hop, and to rise above the rest with a single like this was a true feat on West's part. Can I say retardedly? Is that a word?
2. Britney Spears - Toxic Yeah, Britney. Sorry, guys. Actually, this would have been my number one if I wasn't so worried about what Zed and Michael would say. I just can't ignore the fact that way back in February, before she released that other single, before she went back to being... herself, this perfectly constructed pop song pwned my ass. Hell, it still does.
3. Jay Z - 99 Problems 'Hey look, guys. I'm retiring. I swear.' Let's pretend for a moment that Jay Z never did that album with R. Kelly, or that other one with Linkin Park. Or any other guest appearances since Black. Let's also pretend that he'll never stage a glorious comeback. Well, Jigga, you sure went out on a fine note.
4. Usher - Yeah! There was no escaping Usher in 2004. You could run, sure, but he'd find you. You're at home one night after a hard day's work, relaxing. Just opening a bag of cheetos, when you hear something from your kitchen. Your ears perk, and you hear it again. You mute the TV and quietly creep down the hall. When you peer in, you see Usher, doing that dance, eating your corn flakes. 'Put those back!' you say, 'Get out of my house!' He leaves, yes, but deep down, you know you want him to come back.
5. The Streets - Dry Your Eyes Oh, those wacky British. It takes Mike Skinner's endearingly bad flow to add the extra charm to this breakup song. The storytelling here is amazing, the strings manage to sound real somehow, and you can now hear this song playing overhead in your local Wal-Mart. If I was Mike Skinner's ex-girlfriend, this song would convince me to take him back. Then I would make animal love to him on my parents' bed.
-Giles
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