Let’s rewind.
The iPod Mini dropped in 5 colors. iTunes was just a baby. And the airwaves? “Yeah!” by Usher featuring Lil Jon & Ludacris was unavoidable . But so was Franz Ferdinand’s “Take Me Out,” Modest Mouse’s “Float On,” and Kanye West’s The College Dropout —an album so fresh it feels like it came out five years ago, not twenty. Meanwhile, emo went mainstream (Jimmy Eat World, Taking Back Sunday), and pop punk peaked with “I’m Not Okay (I Promise).” forgotten 2004
Halo 2 redefined online console multiplayer. Half-Life 2 raised the bar for storytelling. World of Warcraft launched… and some of you are still playing it. The Sims 2 introduced wants, fears, and generational chaos. And Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas gave us Big Smoke’s order and the most memeable mission intro of all time. Let’s rewind
So here’s to 2004. The forgotten hinge year. The last breath of analog life before the smartphone swallowed everything. And the airwaves
There was 2004.