To be fifteen in Britain in 2009 was to have “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga everywhere, Avatar on every screen, and The X Factor on after school. That year, gas cost £1.08/L and WhatsApp was the new thing. Born in 1994? You turned 15 in 2009 — a teenager from 2007 to 2013, 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.
Poker Face — Lady GagaGaga crash-landed with that 'p-p-p-poker face', and school corridors haven't stopped stuttering the hook since.
I Gotta Feeling — The Black Eyed PeasThe 'tonight's gonna be a good night' that detonated at every eighteenth, wedding and last dance for a decade.
Boom Boom Pow — The Black Eyed PeasRobot-voiced and impossibly futuristic, it was the sound of Nokias, MSN and thinking the future had finally arrived.
Bonkers — Dizzee Rascal & Armand Van HeldenDizzee gone full rave, 'I'm just a rascal' hollered under strobe lights at your first proper illicit night out.
Sexy Chick — David Guetta feat. AkonEuro-dance sleaze that owned every Ibiza-dreaming club night and holiday you saved your paper-round money for.
'Poker Face' was 2009 — the year-end best-seller, that stuttering 'p-p-p' hook and disco-electro pulse everywhere from the school bus to the sixth-form disco. Lady Gaga arrived fully formed and strange, and for a whole year, being fifteen sounded exactly like this.
the year-end #1 was the UK's best-selling single of 2009.
the movies you are watching in 2009
Avatar
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Slumdog Millionaire
The Hangover
Up
the tv shows you are binging in 2009
The X Factor
Britain's Got Talent
The Inbetweeners
Misfits
Top Gear
the games you are playing in 2009
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
FIFA 10
Wii Sports Resort
Pokémon Platinum
The Beatles: Rock Band
Assassin's Creed II
what things cost in 2009
What things cost in 2009
a litre of petrol
£1.08
a cinema ticket
£5.53
a pint of lager
£2.85
a gallon of gas
£1.08/L
minimum wage
£5.80/hr
a first-class stamp
£0.39
the average income
£25,800
trending this year
Photo: Dennis Cortés (CC0) · CC0 1.0 Universal (Public Domain Dedication)WhatsAppPhoto by Deborah Wilbanks (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Susan_Boyle_Nov_2009.jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0Susan BoyleWikimedia Commons, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spotify_on_smartphone_(Unsplash).jpg · CC0Spotify mobileAI-generated illustrationRage Against the Machine at ChristmasSnaily, CC BY-SA 3.0 (also GFDL), via Wikimedia CommonsAvatar
the gadgets you just got
Photo by Nicolas Richoffer (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IPhone_3GS.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0iPhone 3GSAI-generated illustrationSpotifyPhoto by Evan-Amos (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nintendo-DSi-Bl-Open.jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0Nintendo DSiPhoto by Klaeiis (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BlackBerry_Curve_8520.jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0BlackBerry Curve 8520Photo by BrayLockBoy (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Samsung_N130_Netbook_running_Windows_XP,_11_December_2019.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0Netbooks
what everyone is snacking on
Wikimedia Commons, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cadbury_Buttons_(25607686634).jpg · CC0Cadbury Twirl BitesPhoto by Mx. Granger (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nik_Naks_-_UK.jpg · CC0Nik NaksPhoto by Dan arndt (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dairy_Milk_Freddo.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0FreddoPhoto by HardyNathan (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wotsits_Reallly_Cheesy.jpg · CC0WotsitsPhoto by Tiia Monto (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kinder_Bueno.png · CC BY-SA 4.0Kinder Bueno
what everyone is drinking
AI-generated illustrationWKDBxxiaolin, edited by Pittigrilli, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Can_of_Monster_Energy_drink_sold_in_China_(0.33_l),_on_white_background.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0Monster EnergyAI-generated illustrationCapri-SunAI-generated illustrationLucozade SportAI-generated illustrationRobinsons squash
what made the news in 2009
The MPs' expenses scandal erupts, engulfing Westminster and the Telegraph
Susan Boyle's Britain's Got Talent audition becomes a worldwide YouTube sensation
Swine flu (H1N1) sweeps the UK amid a global pandemic scare
Ian Tomlinson dies after being struck by police at the G20 London protests
Photo by David Iliff (Diliff) (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Palace_of_Westminster,_London_-_Feb_2007.jpg · CC BY-SA 2.5The MPs' expenses scandal engulfs WestminsterPhoto by Deborah Wilbanks (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Susan_Boyle_Nov_2009.jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0Susan Boyle becomes a global YouTube sensationPhoto by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:H1N1_influenza_virus.jpg · Public domainSwine flu spreads across the UKPhoto by Wonker (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rage_Against_The_Machine_11.jpg · CC BY 2.0Rage Against the Machine beats X Factor to Christmas number onePhoto by spiraltri3e (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:G20_Protest,_London,_2009_(3405130610).jpg · CC BY 2.0Ian Tomlinson dies at the G20 London protests
what everyone is saying
"Duck house"the emblem of the MPs' expenses scandal
"Epic fail"the internet-era put-down that went mainstream
