With the 2021 Hottest 100 set to take place on January 22nd, 2022, we here at Tone Deaf have decided to take a stroll down memory lane, recapping the countdowns of yesteryear in the lead-up to the latest edition of musical democracy. Today, we’re taking a look back at the Hottest 100 of 2003.
Taking place on January 25th, 2004, the triple j Hottest of 2003 was the eleventh annual countdown held by the station which limited votes to songs released in the last year.
After a year that saw Queens Of The Stone Age (and, by extension, Dave Grohl) dominate the countdown, the 2003 was another poll that saw Aussie talent hit the top spot, with Melbourne’s Jet hitting #1 with ‘Are You Gonna Be My Girl?’
However, Jet’s rise to the top was not without competition, with acts like OutKast and The White Stripes following closely behind. In fact, this year was the first time that an artist scored three tracks in the top ten, with Powderfinger becoming the first act to achieve this feat.
Check out Jet’s ‘Are You Gonna Be My Girl?’:
While Dave Grohl had managed to score ten tracks in last year’s countdown, Jack White was not to be outdone, scoring six tracks, including five with The White Stripes and one with Electric Six.
In fact, Jack White’s appearance on Electric Six’s ‘Danger! High Voltage’ was a point of contention for some time, with some band members claiming his vocals were actually that of an auto mechanic named John S. O’Leary. Despite this, Electric Six frontman Dick Valentine later confirmed in an interview that it was indeed Jack White who appears as a secondary vocalist.
Meanwhile, Frenzal Rhomb’s ‘Russell Crowe’s Band’ managed to take out a rather interesting honour, becoming the shortest song to chart in a countdown to date. At just 1:12, it’s a far cry from the countdown’s longest song, Metallica’s ‘St. Anger’ at 7:21.
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Check out Frenzal Rhomb’s ‘Russell Crowe’s Band’:
At the end of the day, triple j’s Hottest 100 for 2003 featured songs by 63 different artists from a total of 7 countries, including 47 from Australia, 35 from the USA, and 14 from England.
While the most successful artist was Jack White with six tracks, Powderfinger and The White Stripes followed closely behind, with five tunes each.
The Cat Empire, Jack Johnson, Muse and Placebo all charted three times, while a further 24 artists managed to appear twice.
Some artists also appeared with different bands, including Ben Folds (who appeared as a solo act and with The Bens), Cody ChesnuTT (who appeared as a solo act and with The Roots), and Flea (who appeared with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Mars Volta).
Check out the full list of songs in the triple j Hottest 100 for 2003 below. If you’re keen to learn more, head over to the Hottest 100 Database, and check out the Hottest 100 songs that didn’t make the Hottest 100.
triple j’s Hottest 100 of 2003
#1. ‘Are You Gonna Be My Girl?’ – Jet
#2. ‘Hey Ya!’ – OutKast
#3. ‘Seven Nation Army’ – The White Stripes
#4. ‘(Baby I’ve Got You) On My Mind’ – Powderfinger
#5. ‘Clocks (Röyksopp Trembling Heart Mix)’ – Coldplay
#6. ‘Hello’ – The Cat Empire
#7. ‘Sunsets’ – Powderfinger
#8. ‘Zebra’ – The John Butler Trio
#9. ‘The Nosebleed Section’ – Hilltop Hoods
#10. ‘Love Your Way’ – Powderfinger
#11. ‘Déjà Vu’ – Something For Kate
#12. ‘Lighthouse’ – The Waifs
#13. ‘We Used To Be Friends’ – The Dandy Warhols
#14. ‘The Hardest Button To Button’ – The White Stripes
#15. ‘I Love Work’ – Butterfingers
#16. ‘Relapse’ – Little Birdy
#17. ‘Taylor’ – Jack Johnson
#18. ‘Diamonds On The Inside’ – Ben Harper
#19. ‘Rollover D.J.’ – Jet
#20. ‘Feeler’ – Pete Murray
#21. ‘Armies Against Me’ – Epicure
#22. ‘Fortune Faded’ – Red Hot Chili Peppers
#23. ‘Who’s Gonna Save Us?’ – The Living End
#24. ‘The Horizon Has Been Defeated’ – Jack Johnson
#25. ‘Baby Blue’ – Little Birdy
#26. ‘Russell Crowe’s Band’ – Frenzal Rhomb
#27. ‘There’s Always Someone Cooler Than You’ – Ben Folds
#28. ‘Danger! High Voltage’ – Electric Six
#29. ‘With My Own Two Hands’ – Ben Harper
#30. ‘The Bitter End’ – Placebo
#31. ‘Time Is Running Out’ – Muse
#32. ‘You Were The Last High’ – The Dandy Warhols
#33. ‘Gay Bar’ – Electric Six
#34. ‘Everyone Deserves Music’ – Michael Franti & Spearhead
#35. ‘Plastic Loveless Letter’ – Magic Dirt
#36. ‘Just Because’ – Jane’s Addiction
#37. ‘Days Like These’ – The Cat Empire
#38. ‘Everytime’ – Butterfingers
#39. ‘Coming Home’ – Alex Lloyd
#40. ‘Times Like These’ – Jack Johnson
#41. ‘Blackbird’ – The Beautiful Girls
#42. ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ – Muse
#43. ’12:51′ – The Strokes
#44. ‘Dumb Enough’ – Hilltop Hoods
#45. ‘Weak And Powerless’ – A Perfect Circle
#46. ‘77%’ – The Herd
#47. ‘Bomb The World’ – Michael Franti & Spearhead
#48. ‘There There. (The Boney King Of Nowhere.)’ – Radiohead
#49. ‘2 + 2 = 5 (The Lukewarm.)’ – Radiohead
#50. ‘Fisherman’s Daughter’ – The Waifs
#51. ‘Sista (Live)’ – The John Butler Trio
#52. ‘Just Pretend’ – The Bens
#53. ‘Feeling This’ – Blink-182
#54. ‘Let Me Be’ – Xavier Rudd
#55. ‘Greed For Your Love’ – Missy Higgins
#56. ‘Franco Un-American’ – NOFX
#57. ‘Work It’ – Missy Elliott
#58. ‘The Leaving Song Pt. II’ – AFI
#59. ‘So Entertaining’ – Gus & Frank
#60. ‘Watch Out Boys’ – Magic Dirt
#61. ‘St. Anger’ – Metallica
#62. ‘Music’ – The Beautiful Girls
#63. ‘Song For A Sleepwalker’ – Something For Kate
#64. ‘Step Into My Office, Baby’ – Belle And Sebastian
#65. ‘Something White & Sigmund’ – Andromeda
#66. ‘Tabloid Magazine’ – The Living End
#67. ‘Lovesong’ – Amiel
#68. ‘One Second Of Insanity’ – The Butterfly Effect
#69. ‘Hysteria’ – Muse
#70. ‘The Outsider’ – A Perfect Circle
#71. ‘Girl’s Not Grey’ – AFI
#72. ‘Running Up That Hill’ – Placebo
#73. ‘Life Sentence’ – Epicure
#74. ‘Look Good In Leather’ – Cody ChesnuTT
#75. ‘The Seed (2.0) (feat. Cody ChesnuTT)’ – The Roots
#76. ‘Rockin’ Rocks’ – Powderfinger
#77. ‘Stumblin” – Powderfinger
#78. ‘Who’s Ya Daddy?’ – Gerling
#79. ‘Milkshake’ – Kelis
#80. ‘Satisfaction’ – Benny Benassi Presents The Biz
#81. ‘The Golden Path (feat. The Flaming Lips)’ – The Chemical Brothers
#82. ‘Good Luck (feat. Lisa Kekaula)’ – Basement Jaxx
#83. ‘Reptilia’ – The Strokes
#84. ‘We Don’t Play Guitars (feat. Peaches)’ – Chicks On Speed
#85. ‘Pass That Dutch’ – Missy Elliott
#86. ‘Lines’ – Pete Murray
#87. ‘Move Your Feet’ – Junior Senior
#88. ‘Voices In My Head’ – Machine Gun Fellatio
#89. ‘Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine’ – The White Stripes
#90. ‘Break It (Down James Brown)’ – Offcutts
#91. ‘Vampire Racecourse’ – The Sleepy Jackson
#92. ‘Doctor, Doctor’ – Gyroscope
#93. ‘I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself’ – The White Stripes
#94. ‘In The Cold, Cold Night’ – The White Stripes
#95. ‘Special Needs’ – Placebo
#96. ‘Man Of Constant Sorrow’ – Skeewiff
#97. ‘Growing On Me’ – The Darkness
#98. ‘Out Of Time’ – Blur
#99. ‘Inertiatic ESP’ – The Mars Volta
#100. ‘The Chariot’ – The Cat Empire
Quick Facts:
Artists: 63
Most Successful Artist: Jack White (6 tracks)
Number Of Countries: 7
Top Three Countries: Australia (47 tracks), USA (35 tracks), England (14 tracks)
Shortest Song: ‘Russell Crowe’s Band’ – Frenzal Rhomb (1:12)
Longest Song: ‘St. Anger’ – Metallica (7:21)
