the summer of

What it was like to be 15 in 2004 in America

To be fifteen in America in 2004 was to have “Yeah!” by Usher ft. Lil Jon & Ludacris everywhere, Shrek 2 on every screen, and American Idol on after school. That year, gas cost $1.88 and Facebook (then "The Facebook") 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

Yeah! — Usher ft. Lil Jon & Ludacris

  1. Yeah! — Usher ft. Lil Jon & LudacrisThe crunk anthem that owned every dance floor, sweaty and euphoric until the lights came up.
  2. Hey Ya! — OutKastStill everywhere, still irresistible, dancing so hard you finally forgot to be self-conscious.
  3. Burn — UsherUsher's breakup slow-jam was the one you played alone, aching over someone who'd moved on.
  4. Lose My Breath — Destiny's ChildThe pounding drumline jam that ruled the last summer before everyone scattered for good.
  5. Drop It Like It's Hot — Snoop Dogg ft. PharrellThose tongue clicks were everywhere, the coolest, most minimal groove of the entire year.

▶ Play your 2004 reel

why this one mattered

The crunk&B juggernaut that ruled 2004 for 12 weeks at #1. Lil Jon's 'YEAH!' and the snapping synth were the sound of every dance, every gym, every car that year. 'Confessions' was THE album, and for a 15-year-old this was the unavoidable, body-moving center of the year.

the year-end #1 was Yeah! — Usher ft. Lil Jon & Ludacris.

the movies you are watching in 2004

  • Shrek 2
  • Spider-Man 2
  • The Incredibles
  • Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
  • The Passion of the Christ

the tv shows you are binging in 2004

  • American Idol
  • Lost
  • Desperate Housewives
  • CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
  • Friends

the games you are playing in 2004

  • Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen
  • Mario vs. Donkey Kong
  • Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
  • Tony Hawk's Underground 2
  • Pokémon Emerald
  • Halo 2

what things cost in 2004

What things cost in 2004
a gallon of gas$1.88
a movie ticket$6.21
a gallon of milk$3.16
minimum wage$5.15/hr
a first-class stamp$0.37
the average income$44,334

trending this year

TheFacebook launches
Aleksi Tappura (via Unsplash / Wikimedia Commons); CC0 — no attribution required · CC0 1.0 (Public Domain Dedication)
TheFacebook launches
Nintendo DS
Photo by Evan-Amos (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nintendo-DS-Fat-Blue.jpg · Public Domain
Nintendo DS
Halo 2
Rich.S., via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
Halo 2
Livestrong wristband
Photo by Sherool (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Livestrong_wristband.jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0
Livestrong wristband
Lost premieres
Jon Sullivan · Public Domain
Lost premieres

the gadgets you just got

Motorola Razr V3
Photo by Raimond Spekking (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Motorola_RAZR_V3-4899.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0
Motorola Razr V3
Apple iPod Mini
© Raimond Spekking / CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Apple 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
Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP)
Photo by Evan-Amos (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sony-PSP-1000-Body.png · Public Domain
Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP)
BlackBerry 7290
Photo by Maximilian Schönherr (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blackberry_7290_German_edition_2004,_unboxing.gif · CC BY-SA 4.0
BlackBerry 7290

what everyone is snacking on

Doritos
Bananasoldier, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Doritos
Oreo
Evan-Amos, via Wikimedia Commons (File:Oreo-Two-Cookies.jpg) · Public Domain (author release)
Oreo
Hot Pockets
Tony Branston, originally on Flickr, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hot_Pocket_Cooked.jpg) · CC BY-SA 2.0
Hot Pockets
Lunchables
Photo by Jake Przespo (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Enjoying_a_lunchable_for_the_first_time_in_many_many_years.jpg · CC BY 2.0
Lunchables
Gushers
Wikimedia Commons, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Betty_Crocker_Fruit_Gushers_pieces.jpg · CC0
Gushers

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
Coca-Cola C2
Holly Cheng, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CocaCola_C2.jpg) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Coca-Cola C2
Capri Sun
Photo by Tamzin Hadasa Kelly (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Capri_Sun_pouch_standing.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0
Capri Sun
Starbucks Frappuccino
Vikiçizer, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Starbucks_frappuccino.JPG) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Starbucks Frappuccino
Mountain Dew
Genoist, Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mountain_Dew.jpg) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Mountain Dew

what made the news in 2004

  • George W. Bush defeats John Kerry to win a second presidential term
  • Boston Red Sox break the curse, win first World Series since 1918
  • A massive Indian Ocean tsunami kills over two hundred thousand people
  • Facebook launches from a Harvard dorm room as a college network
Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami kills over 220,000
David Rydevik · Public Domain (released by author David Rydevik)
Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami kills over 220,000
George W. Bush re-elected over John Kerry
White House photo by Eric Draper · Public Domain (Executive Office of the President / US federal government)
George W. Bush re-elected over John Kerry
Facebook launches at Harvard
Elaine Chan and Priscilla Chan, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5)
Facebook launches at Harvard
Boston Red Sox break the Curse, win World Series
Rochester (uploaded by SDudley), via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Boston Red Sox break the Curse, win World Series
NASA's Spirit and Opportunity rovers land on Mars
NASA/JPL/Cornell University, Maas Digital LLC · Public Domain (NASA)
NASA's Spirit and Opportunity rovers land on Mars

what everyone is saying

  • "Yeah!"Hook from Usher's chart-dominating 2004 hit 'Yeah!'
  • "Wardrobe malfunction"Coined after the Janet Jackson Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime incident
  • "You're fired!"Donald Trump's catchphrase from NBC's The Apprentice
  • "Stop trying to make fetch happen"Line from the 2004 film Mean Girls
  • "Poke"Facebook's signature interaction, launched in 2004

top-performing stocks in 2004

Top-performing stocks in 2004
CompanyTickerPriceChange
Apple Inc.AAPL$32 (pre-2005 split)+200%
GoogleGOOG$192+125% (since Aug IPO at $85)
Sirius Satellite RadioSIRI$3.80+150%
Marvel EnterprisesMVL$19+90%
Chico's FASCHS$23+60%

worst-performing stocks in 2004

Worst-performing stocks in 2004
CompanyTickerPriceChange
Merck & Co.MRK$32-30%
Krispy Kreme DoughnutsKKD$12-65%
PfizerPFE$27-25%
Coca-Cola Co.KO$41-17%
Delta Air LinesDAL$7.50-38%

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