100 songs turning 20 in 2025: From Girls Aloud to Oasis and Mariah Carey to McFly

It's no exaggeration to call 2005 a fascinating one on the Official Singles Chart, as this guide to 100 songs turning 20 next year really proves.

This was the year that choreo-slaying girlband Pussycat Dolls made their debut with two consecutive Number 1 singles: their sassy banger Don't Cha featuring Busta Rhymes and the altogether more romantic Stickwitu. 

Though McFly and Oasis also scored two Number 1s apiece – the former with All About You and I'll Be OK; the latter with Lyla and The Importance of Being Idle – they were all bested by the late, great Elvis Presley. Thanks to an extensive reissue campaign, three of The King's classic singles (Jailhouse Rock, One Night/I Got Stung and It's Now or Never) hit Number 1 in January and February of 2005. They duly became Elvis's 19th, 20th and 21st Number 1 singles – enough to put him top of the all-time list to this day. 

Meanwhile, the longest-running Number 1 singles of 2005 were Tony Christie and Peter Kay's Comic Relief release (Is This the Way to) Amarillo, which spent seven weeks at the summit, and James Blunt's era-defining ballad You're Beautiful, which spent five weeks on top. The latter was taken from James's blockbuster debut album Back to Bedlam, which spent seven weeks at Number 1 on the Official Albums Chart in 2005 – more than any other LP.

Comeback of the year surely went to Mariah Carey, who sent three singles into the Top 10 – It's Like That at Number 4, We Belong Together at Number 2 and Get Your Number/Shake It Off at Number 8 – and a fourth, Don't Forget About Us, that peaked at Number 11. All were taken from her The Emancipation of Mimi album, which topped out at Number 7 and spent 50 weeks on the Official Albums Chart in 2005 and 2006.

There was also plenty of pop action on the Official Singles Chart. Girls Aloud notched up another three Top 10 hits with Long Hot Summer, Biology and See The Day, while Rachel Stevens scored two Top 10 singles (Negotiate with Love and So Good) plus a third that peaked at Number 12 (I Said Never Again But Here We Are). 

On top of this, former classical queen Charlotte Church entered her Main Pop Girl era with the Top 10 hits Crazy Chick and Call My Name, both taken from her first album of original material, Tissues and Issues, which peaked at Number 5. 

And, well, are you feeling breathless yet? The end of the year brought two pretty seismic Number 1 singles: Arctic Monkeys' storming debut I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor and Madonna's massive ABBA-sampling banger Hung Up. It really was quite a year – and the 100 songs below aren't even the half of it.

Number 1 Singles

Jennifer Lopez – Get Right

Stereophonics – Dakota

McFly – All About You

Tony Christie featuring Peter Kay – (Is This the Way to) Amarillo

Akon – Lonely

Oasis – Lyla

Crazy Frog – Axel F

2Pac featuring Elton John – Ghetto Gospel

James Blunt – You're Beautiful

McFly – I'll Be OK

Oasis – The Importance of Being Idle 

Gorillaz featuring Shaun Ryder – Dare

Pussycat Dolls featuring Busta Rhymes – Don't Cha

Sugababes – Push the Button

Arctic Monkeys – I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor

Westlife – You Raise Me Up

Madonna – Hung Up

Pussycat Dolls – Stickwitu

Nizlopi – JCB Song

Shayne Ward – That's My Goal

Top 10 Singles

Erasure – Breathe (Number 4)

Rooster – Staring at the Sun (5)

Athlete – Wires (4)

The Bravery – An Honest Mistake (7)

Will Smith – Switch (4)

Natalie Imbruglia – Shiver (8)

Mariah Carey – It's Like That (4)

Rachel Stevens – Negotiate with Love (10)

Garbage – Why Do You Love Me? (7)

Melanie C – Next Best Superstar (10)

Editors – Munich (10)

Snoop Dogg featuring Charlie Wilson and Justin Timberlake – Signs (2)

Weezer – Beverly Hills (9)

The Coral – In the Morning (6)

Kelly Osbourne – One Word (9)

Black Eyed Peas – Don't Phunk with My Heart (3)

Jennifer Lopez featuring Fat Joe – Hold You Down (6)

Amerie – 1 Thing (4)

Foo Fighters – Best of You (4)

Jamiroquai – Feels Just Like It Should (8)

Missy Elliott – Lose Control (7)

Charlotte Church – Crazy Chick (2)

Backstreet Boys – Incomplete (8)

Mariah Carey – We Belong Together (2)

Kanye West – Diamonds from Sierra Leone (8)

Rachel Stevens – So Good (10)

Elton John – Electricity (4)

Inaya Day – Nasty Girl (9)

Lee Ryan – Army of Lovers (3)

Paul Weller – From the Floorboards Up (6)

Daniel Powter – Bad Day (2)

Goldfrapp – Ooh La La (4)

Rihanna – Pon de Replay (2)

Texas – Getaway (6)

Simon Webbe – Lay Your Hands (4)

Black Eyed Peas – Don't Lie (6)

Girls Aloud – Long Hot Summer (7)

Jessica Simpson – These Boots Are Made for Walkin' (4)

Coldplay – Fix You (4)

Goldfrapp – Number 1 (9)

Katie Melua – Nine Million Bicycles (5)

Liberty X – Song 4 Lovers (5)

Charlotte Church – Call My Name (10)

Robbie Williams – Tripping (2)

Franz Ferdinand – Do You Want To? (4)

Kate Bush – King of the Mountain (4)

Hilary Duff – Wake Up (7)

Craig David – All the Way (3)

Pharrell feat Gwen Stefani – Can I Have It Like That (3)

Son of Dork – Ticket Outta Loserville (3)

Girls Aloud – Biology (4)

Black Eyed Peas – My Humps (3)

Will Young – Switch It On (5)

Girls Aloud – See the Day (9)

Sugababes – Ugly (3)

Top 40 Singles

Verbalicious – Don't Play Nice (11)

Faders – No Sleep Tonight (13)

Rooster – You're So Right for Me (14)

Faith Evans – Again (12)

Javine – Touch My Fire (18)

The Magic Numbers – Forever Lost (15)

The Magic Numbers – Love Me Like You (12)

Ben Adams – Sorry (18)

Geri Halliwell – Desire (22)

Ordinary Boys – Boys Will Be Boys (16)

John Legend – Ordinary People (24)

The Subways – Rock & Roll Queen (22)

Rachel Stevens – I Said Never Again (But Here We Are) (12)

Bananarama – Move In My Direction (14)

Hard-Fi – Living for the Weekend (15)

Jo O'Meara – What Hurts the Most (13)

Nickelback – Photograph (18)

Lisa Scott-Lee – Electric (13)

Dannii Minogue & Soul Seekerz – Perfection (11)

Lovebites – You Broke My Heart (13)

Lady Sovereign – 9 to 5 (33)

Da Playaz vs Clea – We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off (35)

Maximo Park – Apply Some Pressure (15)

Lil' Kim – Lighters Up (12)

Mary J Blige – Be Without You (32)

Image: Claire Greenway/Gie Knaeps/Getty Images/Kevin Mazur/WireImage/MJ Kim/MTV