RockLists.com

Year-end consensus · Alternative & Modern Rock · 19 countdowns combined

The best alternative rock songs of 2004

19 radio stations and charts published year-end countdowns for 2004: KROQ, 91X, Live 105, Q101, WHFS, K-Rock, WFNX, 107.7 The End, 89X, CD101, Y100, CFNY 102.1 The Edge, CHOI Radio X, The Buzz, Channel 104.9, John Peel (BBC Radio 1), Triple J, Radio & Records and WIRS 107.9. Combining every list, the top alternative rock song of 2004 is “Take Me Out” by Franz Ferdinand, which appeared on 18 of the 19 countdowns and was voted number one by one of them. Ten different songs were voted number one somewhere: “Float On” by Modest Mouse (5 stations), “American Idiot” by Green Day (4 stations), “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” by Green Day (2 stations), “Megalomaniac” by Incubus (2 stations) and “A Decade Under the Influence” by Taking Back Sunday and others. Linkin Park was the year’s most-charted artist, with five different songs placing 41 times across the countdowns.

19countdowns
627songs charted
10different #1s

Top 100 songs of 2004

All 627 songs →

Ranked by combined points across every 2004 year-end countdown in this format. How it works.

# Song Strength Lists Best #1s
1 Take Me Out Franz Ferdinand
1,623		 18 #1 1
2 Float On Modest Mouse
1,555		 18 #1 5
3 Somebody Told Me The Killers
1,540		 17 #2 –
4 American Idiot Green Day
1,534		 17 #1 4
5 Megalomaniac Incubus
1,395		 17 #1 2
6 Vertigo U2
1,350		 17 #4 –
7 The Reason Hoobastank
1,225		 14 #5 –
8 Cold Hard Bitch Jet
1,220		 17 #3 –
9 Ch-Check It Out Beastie Boys
1,185		 16 #6 –
10 Pain Jimmy Eat World
1,177		 16 #11 –
11 Love Song 311
1,166		 15 #5 –
12 Slither Velvet Revolver
1,158		 14 #2 –
13 Breaking the Habit Linkin Park
1,145		 13 #4 –
14 I Miss You blink-182
1,130		 15 #10 –
15 Vindicated Dashboard Confessional
1,056		 16 #10 –
16 Last Train Home Lostprophets
1,032		 14 #2 –
17 Numb Linkin Park
1,030		 12 #2 –
18 Are You Gonna Be My Girl Jet
1,006		 12 #3 –
19 Maps Yeah Yeah Yeahs
987		 14 #4 –
20 Time Is Running Out Muse
975		 14 #6 –
21 Fall to Pieces Velvet Revolver
968		 14 #9 –
22 Boulevard of Broken Dreams Green Day
918		 14 #1 2
23 Lying From You Linkin Park
875		 11 #2 –
24 Mr. Brightside The Killers
845		 14 #6 –
25 Ocean Breathes Salty Modest Mouse
838		 14 #5 –
26 Just Like You Three Days Grace
800		 10 #6 –
27 Meant to Live Switchfoot
794		 13 #4 –
28 Run Snow Patrol
792		 15 #13 –
29 Slow Hands Interpol
769		 14 #10 –
30 Silver and Cold AFI
756		 13 #16 –
31 Duality Slipknot
743		 10 #4 –
32 Reptilia The Strokes
733		 14 #10 –
33 I Believe in a Thing Called Love The Darkness
724		 12 #9 –
34 The Outsider A Perfect Circle
655		 11 #8 –
35 So Cold Breaking Benjamin
640		 10 #1 1
36 Look What You've Done Jet
640		 14 #23 –
37 A Decade Under the Influence Taking Back Sunday
634		 11 #1 1
38 Broken Seether
632		 10 #13 –
39 Such Great Heights The Postal Service
627		 7 #2 –
40 I Am the Highway Audioslave
618		 9 #12 –
41 This Fire Franz Ferdinand
603		 14 #21 –
42 Feeling This blink-182
591		 11 #20 –
43 Triple Trouble Beastie Boys
588		 14 #22 –
44 Talk Show on Mute Incubus
582		 9 #15 –
45 I Hate Everything About You Three Days Grace
578		 7 #3 –
46 Vitamin R (Leading Us Along) Chevelle
572		 9 #4 –
47 Down blink-182
571		 13 #15 –
48 One Thing Finger Eleven
568		 10 #13 –
49 Somewhere Only We Know Keane
567		 12 #17 –
50 Until the Day I Die Story of the Year
563		 11 #22 –
51 Hit That The Offspring
561		 10 #7 –
52 Darling Nikki Foo Fighters
559		 9 #10 –
53 Getting Away With Murder Papa Roach
543		 10 #11 –
54 Ocean Avenue Yellowcard
537		 10 #6 –
55 Figured You Out Nickelback
509		 7 #4 –
56 Hysteria Muse
506		 11 #3 –
57 Dare You To Move Switchfoot
501		 9 #15 –
58 No Phone Cake
496		 10 #29 –
59 Reach for the Sky Social Distortion
475		 9 #21 –
60 Irish Blood, English Heart Morrissey
466		 11 #26 –
61 (Can't Get My) Head Around You The Offspring
460		 10 #25 –
62 Anthem of Our Dying Day Story of the Year
454		 12 #43 –
63 Echo Trapt
437		 9 #10 –
64 Ride The Vines
436		 13 #43 –
65 A Favor House Atlantic Coheed and Cambria
427		 11 #25 –
66 C'mon C'mon The Von Bondies
424		 9 #27 –
67 Walk Idiot Walk The Hives
420		 13 #32 –
68 The End of the World The Cure
418		 11 #17 –
69 Personal Jesus Marilyn Manson
414		 9 #16 –
70 We're All To Blame Sum 41
397		 11 #40 –
71 What You Are Audioslave
392		 9 #30 –
72 Cold Crossfade
376		 8 #34 –
73 It's My Life No Doubt
359		 7 #21 –
74 Los Angeles Is Burning Bad Religion
353		 5 #21 –
75 Talk Shows On Mute Incubus
341		 5 #21 –
76 All Downhill From Here New Found Glory
340		 10 #42 –
77 Word Up Korn
324		 8 #36 –
78 So Far So Good Thornley
322		 5 #4 –
79 Fortune Faded Red Hot Chili Peppers
319		 7 #28 –
80 I'm Not Okay (I Promise) My Chemical Romance
316		 8 #33 –
81 Only One Yellowcard
313		 9 #34 –
82 Faint Linkin Park
312		 4 #14 –
83 Still In Love Song The Stills
301		 5 #14 –
84 Wake Up (Make a Move) Lostprophets
286		 7 #42 –
85 Big Brat Phantom Planet
285		 12 #20 –
86 45 Shinedown
277		 5 #8 –
87 I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself The White Stripes
270		 8 #26 –
88 Mad World Michael Andrews
262		 4 #19 –
89 What's Your Number Cypress Hill
262		 6 #43 –
90 Running Blind Godsmack
254		 5 #26 –
91 Predictable Good Charlotte
246		 5 #27 –
92 Hey Ya! Outkast
241		 5 #3 –
93 Rollover DJ Jet
240		 10 #52 –
94 Weak and Powerless A Perfect Circle
233		 5 #25 –
95 Coin-Operated Boy The Dresden Dolls
228		 4 #12 –
96 Vitamin R Chevelle
219		 3 #18 –
97 Same Direction Hoobastank
208		 7 #37 –
98 Feelin' Way Too Damn Good Nickelback
205		 5 #32 –
99 Take It Away The Used
202		 8 #47 –
100 12:51 The Strokes
200		 4 #10 –

Every station’s number one of 2004

StationNumber one songCountdown
KROQ Float On Modest Mouse KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 2004
91X Boulevard of Broken Dreams Green Day 91X Top 91 Songs of 2004
Live 105 Float On Modest Mouse Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 2004
Q101 Float On Modest Mouse Q101 Top 101 Songs of 2004
WHFS American Idiot Green Day WHFS Top 99.1 Songs of 2004
K-Rock Float On Modest Mouse K-Rock Top 92.3 Songs of 2004
WFNX American Idiot Green Day WFNX Top 100 Songs of 2004
107.7 The End Float On Modest Mouse The End Top 77 Songs of 2004
89X A Decade Under the Influence Taking Back Sunday 89X Top 89 Songs of 2004
CD101 Dry Your Eyes The Streets CD101 Top 101 Songs of 2004
Y100 American Idiot Green Day Y100 Top 100 Songs of 2004
CFNY 102.1 The Edge American Idiot Green Day CFNY Top 102 Songs of 2004
CHOI Radio X So Cold Breaking Benjamin CHOI Top 98 Songs of 2004
The Buzz Megalomaniac Incubus The Buzz Top 99 Songs of 2004
Channel 104.9 Boulevard of Broken Dreams Green Day Channel 104.9 Top 104.9 Songs of 2004
John Peel (BBC Radio 1) Theme From Sparta FC #2 Fall John Peel's Festive Fifty of 2004
Triple J Take Me Out Franz Ferdinand Triple J Hottest 100 of 2004
Radio & Records Megalomaniac Incubus Radio & Records Top 100 Songs of 2004
WIRS 107.9 The End of Heartache Killswitch Engage WIRS Top 107 Songs of 2004

All 2004 countdowns in this ranking

About the 2004 ranking

Radio stations count down their listeners’ favorite songs at the end of every year. Each station’s list reflects its own audience, so a song that ruled Los Angeles could miss the top ten in Chicago. To find the songs that defined 2004 everywhere, RockLists gives every appearance percentile-based points (a number one earns 100, the last position earns close to zero) and adds them up across all 19 qualifying countdowns. Each radio format is ranked separately, so classic rock and hard rock countdowns never shift the alternative results; use the tabs above to switch formats. Read the full methodology.