the summer of

What it was like to be 15 in 2004 in Canada

To be fifteen in Canada in 2004 was to have “Welcome to My Life” by Simple Plan everywhere, Shrek 2 on every screen, and Corner Gas on after school. That year, gas cost ~$0.89/L and Corner Gas debuts on CTV. was the new thing. Born in 1989? You turned 15 in 2004 — a teenager from 2002 to 2008, right in the window a soundtrack bonds to you for life.

Compiled by the Original Lore archive from period charts, box-office and price records. How we build these · sources noted throughout.

▶ Play your 2004 reel with sounda 30-second video of your year — the song, the screen, the turn.

the mixtape of 2004

Welcome to My Life — Simple Plan

  1. River Below — Billy TalentBilly Talent's yelp and slash was Toronto punk at full boil, played until the CD skipped.
  2. Figured You Out — NickelbackNickelback were unavoidable now, and this crunching hook throbbed from every parking lot and pickup at once.
  3. Somebody Told Me — The KillersThe Killers made new-wave cool again, and that guitar line felt like the doorway to somewhere bigger.
  4. Everybody's Fool — EvanescenceAmy Lee's goth soar gave the eyeliner crowd their anthem, dramatic and cathartic and endlessly replayed.
  5. Take Me Out — Franz FerdinandFranz Ferdinand's stomping riff turned every basement party into a jerky, joyous, art-school dance floor.

▶ Play your 2004 reel

why this one mattered

Montreal's own pop-punk crew wrote the anthem for anyone who ever felt like nobody got it — the song that turned every Canadian mall food court into a singalong that fall.

the year-end #1 was Peaked at #2 on Canada's CHR/Pop airplay charts in 2004.

what topped the Canadian box office in 2004

  • Shrek 2
  • Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
  • Spider-Man 2
  • The Incredibles
  • Mean Girls

the tv shows you are binging in 2004

  • Corner Gas
  • Trailer Park Boys
  • Canadian Idol
  • Degrassi: The Next Generation
  • Just for Laughs: Gags

the games you are playing in 2004

  • Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen
  • Neopets
  • Spider-Man 2
  • Sonic Heroes
  • Halo 2
  • Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

what things cost in 2004

What things cost in 2004
Gasoline~$0.89/L
Minimum wage (Ontario)$7.15/hr
Movie ticket$7.45
Canada Post domestic stamp$0.49
the average income~$31,900 avg individual income (approx., StatCan)

trending this year

Corner Gas
Photo by Paul Jerry (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Corner_Gas_set.jpg · CC BY 2.0
Corner Gas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Wikimedia Commons, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Grand_Theft_Auto_San_Andreas_logo.svg · Public domain
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
2004 federal election
Photo by DrRandomFactor and Mr.Election (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Canadian_federal_election,_2004_results_by_riding.svg · CC BY-SA 4.0
2004 federal election
NHL lockout
AI-generated illustration
NHL lockout
iTunes Music Store
Wikimedia Commons, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ITunes_Store.svg · Public domain
iTunes Music Store

the gadgets you just got

BlackBerry 7100 "Charm"
Wikimedia Commons, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blackberry_Quark.jpg · Public domain
BlackBerry 7100 "Charm"
iPod Mini
Photo by kaori (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Apple_iPod_mini_blue-2005-03-07.jpg · CC BY 2.0
iPod Mini
Nintendo DS
Photo by Evan-Amos (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nintendo-DS-Fat-Blue.jpg · Public Domain
Nintendo DS
iTunes Music Store Canada
AI-generated illustration
iTunes Music Store Canada
MSN Messenger
AI-generated illustration
MSN Messenger

what everyone is snacking on

Crispy Crunch
AI-generated illustration
Crispy Crunch
Wunderbar
AI-generated illustration
Wunderbar
Caramilk
AI-generated illustration
Caramilk
Fuzzy Peach candy
AI-generated illustration
Fuzzy Peach candy
Doritos
Bananasoldier, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Doritos

what everyone is drinking

Red Bull
VincentLR, Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lattina_di_Red_Bull.jpg) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Red Bull
Tim Hortons double-double
Photo by Justin (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tim_Hortons,_extra_extra_large.jpg · CC BY-SA 2.0
Tim Hortons double-double
Gatorade
Fotonovela, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gatorade_Thirst_Quencher.jpg) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Gatorade
A Caesar
Photo by AirIntake at English Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Caesar_Cocktail.JPG · CC BY-SA 3.0
A Caesar
Orange Crush
Photo by Alextvmx (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Botella_Orange_Crush_Mexico.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0
Orange Crush

what made the news in 2004

  • Nintendo DS launches across North America in November.
  • Canada's beef industry keeps reeling from 2003's mad cow crisis and border restrictions.
  • iTunes Music Store officially opens in Canada on December 2.
  • Rick Mercer's Monday Report and This Hour Has 22 Minutes skewer the federal election all summer.
The June 28 federal election leaves Paul Martin's Liberals with only a minority government.
Photo by DrRandomFactor and Mr.Election (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Canadian_federal_election,_2004_results_by_riding.svg · CC BY-SA 4.0
The June 28 federal election leaves Paul Martin's Liberals with only a minority government.
The NHL locks out its players on September 16, threatening to erase the entire hockey season.
Photo by Sarah Connors (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tyler_Seguin_playing_with_the_Boston_Bruins_during_a_February_22,_2012_away_game_against_the_St._Louis_Blues_at_the_Scottrade_Center_in_St._Louis_(6831953442_2).jpg · CC BY 2.0
The NHL locks out its players on September 16, threatening to erase the entire hockey season.
Corner Gas premieres on CTV and becomes an instant homegrown hit.
Photo by John Kaminski (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_grain_elevator_in_Rouleau,_Saskatchewan..JPG · CC BY-SA 4.0
Corner Gas premieres on CTV and becomes an instant homegrown hit.
The federal sponsorship scandal dominates headlines as the Gomery Inquiry is called.
Photo by Saffron Blaze (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Centre_Block_-_Parliament_Hill.jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0
The federal sponsorship scandal dominates headlines as the Gomery Inquiry is called.
The Canadian dollar surges to a 13-year high near 85 cents US in November before easing to about 82 cents by year's end.
Photo by shankar s. (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bank_of_Canada_building_(20564038590).jpg · CC BY 2.0
The Canadian dollar surges to a 13-year high near 85 cents US in November before easing to about 82 cents by year's end.

what everyone is saying

  • "Hoser"an affectionate put-down straight from Bob & Doug McKenzie
  • "Give'r"full commitment, no holding back
  • "Toonie"the $2 coin
  • "Chesterfield"what grandparents still called the couch
  • "Keener"the overly eager kid at the front of class

the summer of 2004.

you think you've got all the time in the world.

…and then it cools. Play the reel to feel where 2004 goes.

Turn 2004 into a 30-second reel →

▶ Play your 2004 reel with sound