Turn back the clock a few years to the summer of 2004, turn on the radio, and it is Usher's whispered "Confessions Pt. II," Hoobastank's star-making ballad "The Reason," and the sexy "Slow Motion" by Juvenile featuring Soulja Slim that are most likely to come to mind.
This list of the top 10 pop songs of the summer 2004 is based on data from record industry charts from the months of June, July, and August 2004.
1. Usher - "Confessions, Pt. II"
Courtesy Arista
Summer 2004 has to be considered the summer of Usher. He placed 3 songs in the summer top 10 from the album Confessions. The top ranking of those is an intimate confession of relationship misdeeds.
2. Hoobastank - "The Reason"
Courtesy Island
Hoobastank climbed the ladder of stardom with this yearning power ballad.
3. Juvenile featuring Soulja Slim - "Slow Motion"
Courtesy Cash Money
New Orleans-based rapper Juvenile heated up many summer nights in 2004 with this slinky hit.
4. Alicia Keys - "If I Ain't Got You"
Courtesy J Records
This is one of the hits that helped Alicia Keys ward off any concerns of a sophomore slump with the release of her album The Diary of Alicia Keys.
5. Nina Sky featuring Jabba - "Move Ya Body"
Courtesy Universal
The song remains instantly memorable even if artist Nina Sky is not. "Move Ya Body" is almost impossibly infectious.
6. Usher - "Burn"
Courtesy Arista
The first huge hit from Usher's album Confessions is this heartfelt expression of regret at the end of a love relationship.
7. Kevin Lyttle featuring Spragga Benz - "Turn Me On"
Courtesy Atlantic
"Turn Me On" was first recorded in 2001 in the soca style and became an instant success on Kevin Lyttle's home Caribbean island of St. Vincent. It took until the summer of 2004 for it to finally make its way to pop radio in the U.S. Once there the song became a massive pop hit.
8. Terror Squad - "Lean Back"
Courtesy Universal
Led by Fat Joe and Remy, Terror Squad showed the world how to do a dance that wasn't exactly a dance. All you had to do was "lean back."
9. Usher featuring Lil Jon & Ludacris - "Yeah!"
Courtesy Arista
Usher's "Yeah!" became the standard by which all superstar hip hop collaborations will be measured.
10. Maroon 5 - "This Love"
Courtesy Octone
It took some time for the album Songs About Jane to catch fire. It was first released in the summer of 2002, but it didn't really start to catch fire in 2003. Eventually, Maroon 5 carried home the Grammy for Best New Artist in February, 2005.
