Shows
Slow BurnThe Slate Culture Gift GuideHark, the holiday season is upon us—and with it the most solemn of festive traditions: a gift guide! In this video and podcast special, Slate hosts Dana Stevens, Chris Molanphy, and Willa Paskin beam-in from their collective hearths to deliver unto the internet their favorite gifts for culture lovers this holiday. In addition to sharing gifts, they also discuss the cultural artifact that is the “holiday gift guide,” and its history going back to the early 20th century, up to the modern day. See the entirety of the 1910 gift guide Our Special Holiday Gift-Book from Greenhut-Siegel Cooper, and Esquir...
2025-12-1749 min
The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews"Joke" EntriesOver-the-top costumes, silly phrases twisted to make catchy hooks, and a backdrop that is not always taken seriously can cause a lot of Eurovision hopefuls to be lumped (or perhaps dismissed) into the category of “joke entries.” We’ll explore some examples and try to “get it” in terms of what might be happening under the hood of these songs. Chris Molanphy from Slate’s Hit Parade will join us to help with analyzing the novelty of Eurovision entries.
"Joke" Entries Summary
What is a novelty song? (1:19)
Does "Europop" automatically mean "novelty"? (7:04)
Eurovision Joke (or Novelty?) Entries (10...
2025-12-0233 min
Culture GabfestThe Slate Culture Gift GuideHark, the holiday season is upon us—and with it the most solemn of festive traditions: a gift guide! In this video and podcast special, Slate hosts Dana Stevens, Chris Molanphy, and Willa Paskin beam-in from their collective hearths to deliver unto the internet their favorite gifts for culture lovers this holiday. In addition to sharing gifts, they also discuss the cultural artifact that is the “holiday gift guide,” and its history going back to the early 20th century, up to the modern day. See the entirety of the 1910 gift guide Our Special Holiday Gift-Book from Greenhut-Siegel Cooper, and Esquir...
2025-11-1449 min
Decoder RingThe Slate Culture Gift GuideHark, the holiday season is upon us—and with it the most solemn of festive traditions: a gift guide! In this video and podcast special, Slate hosts Dana Stevens, Chris Molanphy, and Willa Paskin beam-in from their collective hearths to deliver unto the internet their favorite gifts for culture lovers this holiday. In addition to sharing gifts, they also discuss the cultural artifact that is the “holiday gift guide,” and its history going back to the early 20th century, up to the modern day. See the entirety of the 1910 gift guide Our Special Holiday Gift-Book from Greenhut-Siegel Cooper, and Esquir...
2025-11-1249 min
Hit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaThe Slate Culture Gift GuideHark, the holiday season is upon us—and with it, the most solemn of festive traditions: a gift guide! In this video and podcast special, Slate hosts Dana Stevens, Chris Molanphy, and Willa Paskin beam in from their collective hearths to deliver unto the internet their favorite gifts for culture lovers. In addition to sharing gifts, they also discuss the cultural artifact that is the “holiday gift guide,” and its history going back to the early 20th century, up to the modern day. See the entirety of the 1910 gift guide Our Special Holiday Gift-Book from Greenhut-Siegel Cooper, and Esquire’s ultra...
2025-11-1249 min
Outward: Slate's LGBTQ podcastFrom Hit Parade: The Hidden History of Queer Pop Icons Pt. 2Outward is going on a little summer break, in the meantime we’re leaving you with a delightfully queer episode of Slate’s Hit Parade with Chris Molanphy called Mighty Real. This is part two—catch part one in our previous episode.
Little Richard was rock ‘n’ roll’s flamboyant architect. Lesley Gore sang that no one owned her. Sylvester was a gender-fluid icon who helped define disco. Freddie Mercury made rock operatic, and George Michael demanded freedom.
What all of these LGBTQ artists had in common was bold hitmaking—and fear of being fully...
2025-08-061h 03
Slate CultureOutward | From Hit Parade: The Hidden History of Queer Pop Icons Pt. 2Outward is going on a little summer break, in the meantime we’re leaving you with a delightfully queer episode of Slate’s Hit Parade with Chris Molanphy called Mighty Real. This is part two—catch part one in our previous episode.
Little Richard was rock ‘n’ roll’s flamboyant architect. Lesley Gore sang that no one owned her. Sylvester was a gender-fluid icon who helped define disco. Freddie Mercury made rock operatic, and George Michael demanded freedom.
What all of these LGBTQ artists had in common was bold hitmaking—and fear of being fully...
2025-08-061h 03
Slate Daily FeedOutward | From Hit Parade: The Hidden History of Queer Pop Icons Pt. 2Outward is going on a little summer break, in the meantime we’re leaving you with a delightfully queer episode of Slate’s Hit Parade with Chris Molanphy called Mighty Real. This is part two—catch part one in our previous episode.
Little Richard was rock ‘n’ roll’s flamboyant architect. Lesley Gore sang that no one owned her. Sylvester was a gender-fluid icon who helped define disco. Freddie Mercury made rock operatic, and George Michael demanded freedom.
What all of these LGBTQ artists had in common was bold hitmaking—and fear of being fully...
2025-08-061h 03
Slate Gender and SocietyOutward | From Hit Parade: The Hidden History of Queer Pop Icons Pt. 2Outward is going on a little summer break, in the meantime we’re leaving you with a delightfully queer episode of Slate’s Hit Parade with Chris Molanphy called Mighty Real. This is part two—catch part one in our previous episode.
Little Richard was rock ‘n’ roll’s flamboyant architect. Lesley Gore sang that no one owned her. Sylvester was a gender-fluid icon who helped define disco. Freddie Mercury made rock operatic, and George Michael demanded freedom.
What all of these LGBTQ artists had in common was bold hitmaking—and fear of being fully...
2025-08-061h 03Slate Daily FeedOutward | From Hit Parade: The Hidden History of Queer Pop IconsOutward is going on a little summer break, in the meantime we’re leaving you with a delightfully queer episode of Slate’s Hit Parade with Chris Molanphy:
Little Richard was rock ‘n’ roll’s flamboyant architect. Lesley Gore sang that no one owned her. Sylvester was a gender-fluid icon who helped define disco. Freddie Mercury made rock operatic, and George Michael demanded freedom.
What all of these LGBTQ artists had in common was bold hitmaking—and fear of being fully out of the closet. For decades, queer acts topped the charts while cloaking their true identit...
2025-07-231h 03Outward: Slate's LGBTQ podcastFrom Hit Parade: The Hidden History of Queer Pop IconsOutward is going on a little summer break, in the meantime we’re leaving you with a delightfully queer episode of Slate’s Hit Parade with Chris Molanphy:
Little Richard was rock ‘n’ roll’s flamboyant architect. Lesley Gore sang that no one owned her. Sylvester was a gender-fluid icon who helped define disco. Freddie Mercury made rock operatic, and George Michael demanded freedom.
What all of these LGBTQ artists had in common was bold hitmaking—and fear of being fully out of the closet. For decades, queer acts topped the charts while cloaking their true identit...
2025-07-231h 00
Slate HistoryOutward | From Hit Parade: The Hidden History of Queer Pop IconsOutward is going on a little summer break, in the meantime we’re leaving you with a delightfully queer episode of Slate’s Hit Parade with Chris Molanphy:
Little Richard was rock ‘n’ roll’s flamboyant architect. Lesley Gore sang that no one owned her. Sylvester was a gender-fluid icon who helped define disco. Freddie Mercury made rock operatic, and George Michael demanded freedom.
What all of these LGBTQ artists had in common was bold hitmaking—and fear of being fully out of the closet. For decades, queer acts topped the charts while cloaking their true identit...
2025-07-231h 00Slate Gender and SocietyOutward | From Hit Parade: The Hidden History of Queer Pop IconsOutward is going on a little summer break, in the meantime we’re leaving you with a delightfully queer episode of Slate’s Hit Parade with Chris Molanphy:
Little Richard was rock ‘n’ roll’s flamboyant architect. Lesley Gore sang that no one owned her. Sylvester was a gender-fluid icon who helped define disco. Freddie Mercury made rock operatic, and George Michael demanded freedom.
What all of these LGBTQ artists had in common was bold hitmaking—and fear of being fully out of the closet. For decades, queer acts topped the charts while cloaking their true identit...
2025-07-231h 00Slate CultureOutward | From Hit Parade: The Hidden History of Queer Pop IconsOutward is going on a little summer break, in the meantime we’re leaving you with a delightfully queer episode of Slate’s Hit Parade with Chris Molanphy:
Little Richard was rock ‘n’ roll’s flamboyant architect. Lesley Gore sang that no one owned her. Sylvester was a gender-fluid icon who helped define disco. Freddie Mercury made rock operatic, and George Michael demanded freedom.
What all of these LGBTQ artists had in common was bold hitmaking—and fear of being fully out of the closet. For decades, queer acts topped the charts while cloaking their true identit...
2025-07-231h 03
Who Cares About the Rock Hall?Chris Molanphy's 2025 Rock Hall BallotWriter/podcaster Chris Molanphy (Hit Parade) shares his ballot with us. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2025-05-2353 min
Greatest Pop StarsVintage Pop Stardom: 1985 Phil Collins (with Chris Molanphy)No one could've seen him coming, but by 1985, Phil Collins was one of the biggest, hardest working and most sheerly unavoidable pop stars on the planet -- and also one of the greatest. On this Vintage Pop Stardom episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by pop and chart history expert Chris Molanphy to remember all things '85 Phil -- including "Easy Lover," 'No Jacket Required' and its many hits, 'Miami Vice,' and both coasts of Live Aid -- and answer the improbable question: Was Phil Collins the Greatest Pop Star of 1985?
2025-02-131h 30
Pop PantheonCHER: PART 2 (with Hit Parade's Chris Molanphy)Chris Molanphy returns to Pop Pantheon for the second and final part in our Cher series. Chris and Louie pick up on Cher’s career just as she scored a hit in 1979 with “Take Me Home” during the disco craze. Then they track her string of failures through the early eighties before her massively successful pivot to acting, including her Best Actress Oscar win for 1987’s Moonstruck. Next they dig into her best-selling album to date, 1989’s Heart of Stone, her infomercial era in the nineties and Sonny Bono's tragic death in 1998 which paved the way for yet another comeback w...
2025-01-161h 47
Pop PantheonCHER: PART 1 (with Hit Parade's Chris Molanphy)Chris Molanphy returns to Pop Pantheon for part one of our special two-part series on the Goddess of Pop herself, Cher. Chris and Louie dig into the origins of Cher’s mythology, her early work with Sonny Bonno and Phil Spector and Sonny and Cher’s breakout hit, “I Got You Babe.” From there, they dive into Cher’s iconic looks, her first solo hits and Sonny and Cher’s reinvention as television variety stars. Then they tackle the couple’s split, Cher’s second run of hits, including “Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves” and “Dark Lady,” and the commercial slump she found herself...
2025-01-091h 37Slate CultureHit Parade | I’d Like to Teach the World to Buy Edition Part 2That damned jingle! In that infernal commercial trying to sell you cars, sneakers, soda, gum! Can’t get it out of your head? Well, what if we made it longer, had a famous singer perform it, and put it on the radio? How would you like it then?A surprising number of hits across chart history got their start in advertisements: the Carpenters song that was originally a promo for a California bank. The ’70s country-pop smash by a character who didn’t exist, and was selling you sliced bread. The Sting song that began...
2024-12-2744 minHit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaI’d Like to Teach the World to Buy Edition Part 2That damned jingle! In that infernal commercial trying to sell you cars, sneakers, soda, gum! Can’t get it out of your head? Well, what if we made it longer, had a famous singer perform it, and put it on the radio? How would you like it then?A surprising number of hits across chart history got their start in advertisements: the Carpenters song that was originally a promo for a California bank. The ’70s country-pop smash by a character who didn’t exist, and was selling you sliced bread. The Sting song that began...
2024-12-2741 minSlate CultureHit Parade | I’d Like to Teach the World to Buy Edition Part 1That damned jingle! In that infernal commercial trying to sell you cars, sneakers, soda, gum! Can’t get it out of your head? Well, what if we made it longer, had a famous singer perform it, and put it on the radio? How would you like it then?A surprising number of hits across chart history got their start in advertisements: the Carpenters song that was originally a promo for a California bank. The ’70s country-pop smash by a character who didn’t exist, and was selling you sliced bread. The Sting song that began...
2024-12-1459 minHit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaI’d Like to Teach the World to Buy Edition Part 1That damned jingle! In that infernal commercial trying to sell you cars, sneakers, soda, gum! Can’t get it out of your head? Well, what if we made it longer, had a famous singer perform it, and put it on the radio? How would you like it then?A surprising number of hits across chart history got their start in advertisements: the Carpenters song that was originally a promo for a California bank. The ’70s country-pop smash by a character who didn’t exist, and was selling you sliced bread. The Sting song that began...
2024-12-1456 minSlate HistoryHit Parade | I’d Like to Teach the World to Buy Edition Part 1That damned jingle! In that infernal commercial trying to sell you cars, sneakers, soda, gum! Can’t get it out of your head? Well, what if we made it longer, had a famous singer perform it, and put it on the radio? How would you like it then?A surprising number of hits across chart history got their start in advertisements: the Carpenters song that was originally a promo for a California bank. The ’70s country-pop smash by a character who didn’t exist, and was selling you sliced bread. The Sting song that began...
2024-12-1456 minSlate CultureCulture Gabfest: How Quincy Jones Reinvented American MusicOn this week’s show, Extremely Musical Friend of the Pod (EMFOP) Chris Molanphy joins to memorialize pop’s Renaissance Man, Quincy Jones, who passed away on November 3, 2024. The legendary producer worked with every star under the sun, including Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, and Chaka Khan, and created the best-selling album in history. (“Thriller,” maybe you’ve heard of it?)Then, the trio mulls over Conclave, a sumptuous new film by director Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front) about what happens when the Pope dies. It’s a fun, pulp-y romp, but does the movie have anything...
2024-11-061h 13Culture GabfestHow Quincy Jones Reinvented American MusicOn this week’s show, Extremely Musical Friend of the Pod (EMFOP) Chris Molanphy joins to memorialize pop’s Renaissance Man, Quincy Jones, who passed away on November 3, 2024. The legendary producer worked with every star under the sun, including Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, and Chaka Khan, and created the best-selling album in history. (“Thriller,” maybe you’ve heard of it?)Then, the trio mulls over Conclave, a sumptuous new film by director Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front) about what happens when the Pope dies. It’s a fun, pulp-y romp, but does the movie have anything...
2024-11-061h 11
The Lives They're LivingChris Molanphy on Quincy JonesLiterally just as I was finishing this episode, the word came out that its subject, Quincy Jones, had died at the age of 91. So this goes out as a tribute to his legacy and memory.My guest, Chris Molanphy, is a chart analyst and pop critic who writes about the intersection of culture and commerce in popular music. For Slate, he created and hosts the Hit Parade podcast and writes their “Why Is This Song No. 1?” series. His most recent book is Old Town Road , about the Lil Nas X song of the same name and the chart...
2024-11-0440 minSlate HistoryHit Parade: I Wanna Rock with Q. Edition Part 2What does a music producer do? If his name is Quincy Jones, a little bit of everything: conducting, arranging, composing. Assembling teams of ace session musicians. Sometimes, even picking a catchy title and telling an artist to go write a song about it— would “Thriller” have worked as well if it had been called “Starlight”?Quincy Jones was pop’s Renaissance Man, and he could not be limited either by genre or by role. He played in jazz bands…produced teen pop hits…discovered young talent…scored Hollywood films…helped invent Yacht Rock and Yacht Soul…even rele...
2024-06-2955 minSlate CultureHit Parade: I Wanna Rock with Q. Edition Part 2What does a music producer do? If his name is Quincy Jones, a little bit of everything: conducting, arranging, composing. Assembling teams of ace session musicians. Sometimes, even picking a catchy title and telling an artist to go write a song about it— would “Thriller” have worked as well if it had been called “Starlight”?Quincy Jones was pop’s Renaissance Man, and he could not be limited either by genre or by role. He played in jazz bands…produced teen pop hits…discovered young talent…scored Hollywood films…helped invent Yacht Rock and Yacht Soul…even rele...
2024-06-2955 minHit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaI Wanna Rock with Q. Edition Part 2What does a music producer do? If his name is Quincy Jones, a little bit of everything: conducting, arranging, composing. Assembling teams of ace session musicians. Sometimes, even picking a catchy title and telling an artist to go write a song about it— would “Thriller” have worked as well if it had been called “Starlight”?Quincy Jones was pop’s Renaissance Man, and he could not be limited either by genre or by role. He played in jazz bands…produced teen pop hits…discovered young talent…scored Hollywood films…helped invent Yacht Rock and Yacht Soul…even rele...
2024-06-2955 minSlate CultureHit Parade: I Wanna Rock with Q. Edition Part 1What does a music producer do? If his name is Quincy Jones, a little bit of everything: conducting, arranging, composing. Assembling teams of ace session musicians. Sometimes, even picking a catchy title and telling an artist to go write a song about it— would “Thriller” have worked as well if it had been called “Starlight”?Quincy Jones was pop’s Renaissance Man, and he could not be limited either by genre or by role. He played in jazz bands…produced teen pop hits…discovered young talent…scored Hollywood films…helped invent Yacht Rock and Yacht Soul…even rele...
2024-06-1550 minHit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaI Wanna Rock with Q. Edition Part 1What does a music producer do? If his name is Quincy Jones, a little bit of everything: conducting, arranging, composing. Assembling teams of ace session musicians. Sometimes, even picking a catchy title and telling an artist to go write a song about it— would “Thriller” have worked as well if it had been called “Starlight”?Quincy Jones was pop’s Renaissance Man, and he could not be limited either by genre or by role. He played in jazz bands…produced teen pop hits…discovered young talent…scored Hollywood films…helped invent Yacht Rock and Yacht Soul…even rele...
2024-06-1550 minSlate HistoryHit Parade: I Wanna Rock with Q. Edition Part 1What does a music producer do? If his name is Quincy Jones, a little bit of everything: conducting, arranging, composing. Assembling teams of ace session musicians. Sometimes, even picking a catchy title and telling an artist to go write a song about it— would “Thriller” have worked as well if it had been called “Starlight”?Quincy Jones was pop’s Renaissance Man, and he could not be limited either by genre or by role. He played in jazz bands…produced teen pop hits…discovered young talent…scored Hollywood films…helped invent Yacht Rock and Yacht Soul…even rele...
2024-06-1550 minHit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaI Wanna Rock with Q. Edition Part 1What does a music producer do? If his name is Quincy Jones, a little bit of everything: conducting, arranging, composing. Assembling teams of ace session musicians. Sometimes, even picking a catchy title and telling an artist to go write a song about it— would “Thriller” have worked as well if it had been called “Starlight”?Quincy Jones was pop’s Renaissance Man, and he could not be limited either by genre or by role. He played in jazz bands…produced teen pop hits…discovered young talent…scored Hollywood films…helped invent Yacht Rock and Yacht Soul…even rele...
2024-06-1550 min
The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews"Authenticity"Chris Molanphy from Slate's Hit Parade joins us to discuss the Big 5 and Sweden's entries for Eurovision 2024. How do the entries from France, Spain, Italy, Germany, the UK, and Sweden stack up to current US Billboard chart sensibilities? Are there any bangers in the mix?
About Chris Molanphy
Chris Molanphy is a chart analyst and pop critic who writes about the intersection of culture and commerce in popular music. For Slate, he created and hosts the Hit Parade podcast and writes their “Why Is This Song No. 1?” series. His most recent book is Old Town Road...
2024-04-301h 03Who Cares About the Rock Hall?Lenny Kravitz w/ Chris MolanphyWriter and podcaster Chris Molanphy (Slate's Hit Parade) returns to the show to discuss the music and career of '90s genre-less chameleon Lenny Kravitz. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2024-04-121h 40
Mysteries of the EuroVerseEP 14: Eurovision Behind The Iron Curtain (The Intervision Song Contest)Episode 14: Eurovision Behind The Iron Curtain
25:00 Dr. Dean Vuletic (Historian, “Intervision: Popular Music and Politics in Eastern Europe”)
40:28 Chris Molanphy (Chart Expert, Host of Slate's Hit Parade, Author, "Old Town Road")
This week we're talking about the Intervision Song Contest - the Eurovision equivalent organized by communist governments during the cold war. Putin has been making noises about restarting the ISC, but as we talk about, he fundamentally misunderstands the original festival. Intervision was a liberalizing force, run by reformers working to open their countries to the rest of the world. We discuss what Intervision is and why it's so o...
2024-03-061h 01
Sound Up! with Mark Goodman and Alan LightAudience reaction to Rock Hall Noms, Mark reviews Stevie Nicks live and Chris Molanphy breaks down how Beyonce will impact country music and radio.On this episode of Sound Up!, hosts Mark Goodman and Alan Light Sound Off with our live audience on the nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2024, the Super Bowl and more. Chart expert Chris Molanphy joins to break down how Beyonce’s jump into country music will impact the music community, the charts and country radio. Plus, Mark gives us his review of Stevie Nicks live in concert. We also hear from our in-studio audience, play voice messages and read emails from the Sound Up! podcast community.
We want to make you pa...
2024-02-1645 minHit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaAnd the Grammy Goes to… Edition Part 2Do you watch the Grammy Awards every year and groan, or even yell at the screen? Hit Parade host Chris Molanphy sure does. But he has a weird hot take: The Grammys are better off not trying to be cool. They should reward the popular stuff—especially younger people’s music.Where the Recording Academy actually goes wrong is rewarding the old stuff—legendary artists long past their prime, from Frank Sinatra to Eric Clapton, Steely Dan to Beck. The Grammy wins remembered most fondly are artists at the peak of their chart prowess: Carole...
2024-01-2752 minHit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaAnd the Grammy Goes to… Edition Part 1Do you watch the Grammy Awards every year and groan, or even yell at the screen? Hit Parade host Chris Molanphy sure does. But he has a weird hot take: The Grammys are better off not trying to be cool. They should reward the popular stuff—especially younger people’s music.Where the Recording Academy actually goes wrong is rewarding the old stuff—legendary artists long past their prime, from Frank Sinatra to Eric Clapton, Steely Dan to Beck. The Grammy wins remembered most fondly are artists at the peak of their chart prowess: Carole...
2024-01-1353 minCulture GabfestEncore: Barbenheimer Blockbuster BonanzaThis week, we revisit one of our favorite episodes of 2023! The panel begins by examining Barbie, Greta Gerwig’s hot pink, record-breaking movie about the iconic Mattel doll. Then, the trio dives into Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which chronicles the life of the “Father of the Atomic Bomb,” and explores whether the film achieves its aims. Finally, they are joined by Slate’s Chris Molanphy to discuss the controversy behind country singer Jason Aldean’s latest song, “Try That In A Small Town.”In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel is once again joined by Chris Mo...
2023-12-2757 minHit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaThe Bridge: Can’t Tell Me Nothin’In this special mini-episode of Hit Parade, recorded live on at Housing Works bookstore in New York City, host Chris Molanphy is joined by Dan Charnas—author of the New York Times bestseller Dilla Time, The Life and Afterlife of J Dilla, and the acclaimed The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop. They discuss Chris’s new book Old Town Road—how he came to write it, what made the song exceptional, and how decades of chart and genre history led to Lil Nas X’s breakthrough.Podcast production by Kevin Bendis.
2023-11-1857 min
Switched on PopWhy Country Music Dominated 2023's ChartsCountry music's had a massive year. Seriously, not since 1958 have we seen so many country tunes topping the Hot 100 in a single year – and it's not been without its share of controversy. Leading this country music revival? Morgan Wallen, for starters. He bounced back from being shunned for dropping a racial slur with his number one single “Last Night.” Then there's Jason Aldean with “Try That in a Small Town,” a song and music video that which unsubtly lynching references. Next up, newcomer Oliver Anthony Music dropped “Richmond North of Richmond,” weaving in QAnon references and welfare shaming into a track largel...
2023-11-1448 min
Switched on PopWhy Country Music Dominated 2023's ChartsCountry music's had a massive year. Seriously, not since 1958 have we seen so many country tunes topping the Hot 100 in a single year – and it's not been without its share of controversy. Leading this country music revival? Morgan Wallen, for starters. He bounced back from being shunned for dropping a racial slur with his number one single “Last Night.” Then there's Jason Aldean with “Try That in a Small Town,” a song and music video that which unsubtly lynching references. Next up, newcomer Oliver Anthony Music dropped “Richmond North of Richmond,” weaving in QAnon references and welfare shaming into a track largel...
2023-11-1447 min
New Books in African American StudiesChris Molanphy, "Old Town Road" (Duke UP, 2023)In Old Town Road (Duke University Press, 2023), Chris Molanphy considers Lil Nas X’s debut single as pop artifact, chart phenomenon, and cultural watershed. “Old Town Road” was more than a massive hit, with the most weeks at No. 1 in Billboard Hot 100 history. It is also a prism through which to track the evolution of popular music consumption and the ways race influences how the music industry categorizes songs and artists. By both lionizing and satirizing genre tropes—it’s a country song built from an alternative rock sample, a hip-hop song in which nobody raps, a comical song that transcend...
2023-09-1548 min
New Books in BiographyChris Molanphy, "Old Town Road" (Duke UP, 2023)In Old Town Road (Duke University Press, 2023), Chris Molanphy considers Lil Nas X’s debut single as pop artifact, chart phenomenon, and cultural watershed. “Old Town Road” was more than a massive hit, with the most weeks at No. 1 in Billboard Hot 100 history. It is also a prism through which to track the evolution of popular music consumption and the ways race influences how the music industry categorizes songs and artists. By both lionizing and satirizing genre tropes—it’s a country song built from an alternative rock sample, a hip-hop song in which nobody raps, a comical song that transcend...
2023-09-1548 min
New Books in MusicChris Molanphy, "Old Town Road" (Duke UP, 2023)In Old Town Road (Duke University Press, 2023), Chris Molanphy considers Lil Nas X’s debut single as pop artifact, chart phenomenon, and cultural watershed. “Old Town Road” was more than a massive hit, with the most weeks at No. 1 in Billboard Hot 100 history. It is also a prism through which to track the evolution of popular music consumption and the ways race influences how the music industry categorizes songs and artists. By both lionizing and satirizing genre tropes—it’s a country song built from an alternative rock sample, a hip-hop song in which nobody raps, a comical song that transcend...
2023-09-1548 min
New Books in Popular CultureChris Molanphy, "Old Town Road" (Duke UP, 2023)In Old Town Road (Duke University Press, 2023), Chris Molanphy considers Lil Nas X’s debut single as pop artifact, chart phenomenon, and cultural watershed. “Old Town Road” was more than a massive hit, with the most weeks at No. 1 in Billboard Hot 100 history. It is also a prism through which to track the evolution of popular music consumption and the ways race influences how the music industry categorizes songs and artists. By both lionizing and satirizing genre tropes—it’s a country song built from an alternative rock sample, a hip-hop song in which nobody raps, a comical song that transcend...
2023-09-1548 min
New Books in LGBTQ+ StudiesChris Molanphy, "Old Town Road" (Duke UP, 2023)In Old Town Road (Duke University Press, 2023), Chris Molanphy considers Lil Nas X’s debut single as pop artifact, chart phenomenon, and cultural watershed. “Old Town Road” was more than a massive hit, with the most weeks at No. 1 in Billboard Hot 100 history. It is also a prism through which to track the evolution of popular music consumption and the ways race influences how the music industry categorizes songs and artists. By both lionizing and satirizing genre tropes—it’s a country song built from an alternative rock sample, a hip-hop song in which nobody raps, a comical song that transcend...
2023-09-1548 min
On the MediaIs "Rich Men North of Richmond" a MAGA Anthem or Nah?In early August, Christopher Anthony Lunsford, who goes by Oliver Anthony, quietly released a song called "Rich Men North of Richmond." A week later, the folk song had rocketed to the top of the Billboard charts — a historic feat for someone with no chart history to speak of. But the ascent wasn't without controversy. The song, to some, sounded like a right-wing anthem. And it was heralded as such online by right wing pundits, and included as a part of the first question of the opening Republican presidential primary debate. But Oliver Anthony's politics, and the song's appeal, have turned...
2023-09-0720 minCulture GabfestSummer Strut 2023This week, the panel is joined by pop critic and chart analyst (and host of Slate’s Hit Parade podcast) Chris Molanphy for our annual Summer Strut episode. The four dive into the longest listener-suggested summer playlist to date (this year, it’s a 682 song behemoth that adds up to approximately 42 hours!) and take turns in an electric, strut-ty roundtable discussion of their top picks.You can find their collective favorites here in the Summer Strut '23 Shortlist:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6Ivpm4HVLsMw3LFwkgp7lw?si=90d2d26d65264157
2023-08-091h 10Culture GabfestBarbenheimer Blockbuster BonanzaThis week, the panel begins by examining Barbie, Greta Gerwig’s hot pink, record-breaking movie about the iconic Mattel doll. Then, the trio dives into Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which chronicles the life of the “Father of the Atomic Bomb,” and explores whether the film achieves its aims. Finally, they are joined by Slate’s Chris Molanphy to discuss the controversy behind country singer Jason Aldean’s latest song, “Try That In A Small Town.” In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel is once again joined by Chris Molanphy to discuss all things Summer Strut. Wit...
2023-07-2656 min
Pop PantheonPAULA ABDUL (with Hit Parade's Chris Molanphy)Hit Parade host Chris Molanphy returns to discuss one of the defining pop stars of the late 1980s, Paula Abdul. Louie and Chris discuss the virtuosic choreography that snatched Paula a ticket to pop superstardom, her three year run of signature hits beginning with 1988’s blockbuster Forever Your Girl through 1991's Spellbound, her contributions to the MTV music video boom, why her final album, 1995’s Head Over Heels, flopped, and her second act as a TV personality. Finally, they rank Paula Abdul in the official Pop Pantheon.Listen to Pop Pantheon's Paula Abdul Essentials PlaylistJoin...
2023-07-131h 50Hit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaAt Last, My Legacy Has Come Along Edition Part 2What do you call a song that bombed on the charts back in the day, that now booms out of radios and streaming apps nationwide? Chris Molanphy has a name for these songs: legacy hits. Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer.” Etta James’s “At Last.” The Romantics’ “What I Like About You.” Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes.” Talking Heads’ “Once in a Lifetime.” Many catalysts can change a song’s trajectory, from movie scenes to stadium singalongs, wedding DJs to evolving tastes. Sometimes the hivemind just collectively decides that this Whitney Houston hit, not that one, is her song for the ages...
2022-09-301h 03Hit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaAt Last, My Legacy Has Come Along Edition Part 1What do you call a song that bombed on the charts back in the day, that now booms out of radios and streaming apps nationwide? Chris Molanphy has a name for these songs: legacy hits. Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer.” Etta James’s “At Last.” The Romantics’ “What I Like About You.” Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes.” Talking Heads’ “Once in a Lifetime.” Many catalysts can change a song’s trajectory, from movie scenes to stadium singalongs, wedding DJs to evolving tastes. Sometimes the hivemind just collectively decides that this Whitney Houston hit, not that one, is her song for the ages...
2022-09-1758 min
Hall of SongsChris Molanphy on The Hot 100, Popular Songs, Billy Joel, Garth Brooks + More!The Hot 100 has been the leading arbiter of song popularity within America since its conception in 1958. To better understand its nooks and crannies, and to better contextualize what makes a song so popular nationwide, we brought in the chart expert himself, Chris Molanphy, to break it all down. Molanphy is the author of the Slate series "Why Is This Song No. 1?" and the host of the Slate podcast Hit Parade.In this conversation, Tim, Chris, and Chris discuss popular songs, changes in the charts, and specific Hall of Songs topics such as freestyle, Billy Joel, and the...
2022-09-051h 25
Pop PantheonBillboard's Hot 100: Hits, History and Kinks (with Hit Parade's Chris Molanphy)Every episode of Pop Pantheon contains at least some mention of the Billboard's iconic singles chart, the Hot 100. So for this week's B-Side, DJ Louie is joined by chart analyst, cultural critic and host of Slate's podcast Hit Parade to talk the 60 year history of the chart, the way its metrics have evolved over time, what role having hits on the Hot 100 plays in a pop star's mythology and legacy, whether or not we can compare current hits like this week's #1 "Break My Soul" to past ones given how Billboard's methodology has been altered to fit new data and...
2022-08-111h 14Who Cares About the Rock Hall?Why 1983 Was a Huge Year for the 2022 Inductees w/ Chris MolanphyChris Molanphy (Slate's Hit Parade) joins Joe & Kristen for a discussion all about the year 1983. There is no point that year when a 2022 inductee isn't strongly represented on the Hot 100. From the breakthroughs of Duran Duran and Eurythmics to the #1 hits from Lionel Richie and Dolly Parton and beyond. Pat Benatar, Jimmy Iovine, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Carly Simon, Judas Priest, even artists from Sylvia Robinson's Sugar Hill Records label all put out music this year. Listen in as we break it all down. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
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2022-05-271h 20Who Cares About the Rock Hall?Calling Voters w/ Lauren Onkey, Arthur Levy, Chris Molanphy, Lori Majewski, Maura Johnston, Karen Glauber, Jim McGuinn & Evelyn McDonnellThis year's voter calling season comes to an end with a big one! A mega-sode, if you will. Joe & Kristen call up eight more Rock Hall voters to see who they're choosing on their ballot this year: Lauren Onkey, Arthur Levy, Chris Molanphy, Lori Majewski, Maura Johnston, Karen Glauber, Jim McGuinn, and Evelyn McDonnell. Plus, we combine our data with the findings of Future Rock Legends' own Neil Walls to do some final analysis! This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
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2022-04-292h 02Hit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaKilling Me Softly Part 2The early ’70s was a great time for R&B queens on the charts: Roberta Flack. Dionne Warwick. Patti LaBelle. Chaka Khan. They had come through the ’60s—Dionne as a smooth pop-and-B star, Patti as a girl-group frontwoman, Roberta as a cabaret pianist—and found themselves in a new decade with limitless possibilities. Flack turned folk songs into chart-topping, Grammy-winning R&B. Warwick shifted from Brill Building pop to Philly soul. LaBelle threw her insane voice at rock, funk and glam. And a relative newcomer, Rufus frontwoman Chaka Khan, followed in their footsteps, commanding the band and converting to disco...
2022-04-011h 00Pop PantheonDIANA ROSS PT. 2: THE SOLO YEARS (with Hit Parade's Chris Molanphy)Pop critic, chart analyst, writer of Slate's "Why Is This Song No. 1?", and host of the podcast Hit Parade, Chris Molanphy, joins DJ Louie once again for the second part of our series on Diana Ross. This episode, Louie and Chris discuss Diana's initially rocky transition from lead singer for The Supremes into solo superstar and how she finally scored a solo #1 with an unexpected, avant-garde cover of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" in 1970. They then discuss her spotty track record through the early-mid '70s, sometimes scoring massive hits with mostly adult-contemporary ballads like "Touch Me in the...
2022-03-101h 15Pop PantheonDIANA ROSS PT. 1: THE SUPREMES (with Hit Parade's Chris Molanphy)Pop critic, chart analyst, writer of Slate's "Why Is This Song No. 1?", and host of the podcast Hit Parade, Chris Molanphy, joins DJ Louie for the first of a two-part series on American Icon, Diana Ross. First, Louis and Chris set the stage by discussing how the phrases "pop" and "pop star" came into form in the late 1950s, the establishment of the teenager as a target market group for music and the birth of the "teen idol". They then discuss Diana Ross' backstory growing up in the burgeoning Detroit music scene, how the formation of the predecessor to...
2022-03-031h 24Hit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaRock ’n Soul, Part 2In part two of our deep dive into Daryl Hall & John Oates' genre-defying streak on the pop charts, Chris Molanphy argues they were also more cutting-edge than you may realize, essentially inventing their own form of cross-racial new wave after spending the ’70s trying everything: rock, R&B, folk, funk, even disco. At their Imperial peak in the early ’80s, Hall and Oates commanded the pop, soul and dance charts while still getting played on rock stations. And decades later, when the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ignored them, it was Black artists—rappers and soul fans—who pushed them in...
2022-01-2859 minWho Cares About the Rock Hall?The Rock Hall Voters vs. the Nominating Committee w/ Chris MolanphyCritic and podcaster Chris Molanphy (Slate's Hit Parade) returns to the show to nerd out with Joe & Kristen about the taste differences between the Nominating Committee and the larger voting body. What artists are popular with the NomCom but not with the voters? Which bands would probably do well with the voting body but are not of interest to the Committee? This and so much more! This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.
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2021-11-261h 36
Pals with Bill WadmanEpisode 40: Chris Molanphy Returns - Chart Analyst / Pop CriticBack for his second episode. Slate magazine's resident rock critic & chart analyst Chris Molanphy chats with me about the definition of a "Smash", why the demographics of the artists on the charts have changed over time, and how much he hates most Diane Warren penned songs. Always great to talk to Chris.
2021-11-011h 25Culture GabfestIt's Brutal Out HereThis week Steve is joined by Slate senior editor Allegra Frank and Slate staff writer Karen Han. The group first discusses Cruella, starring Emma Stone. Next, they discuss the television adaption of Colson Whitehead’s novel The Underground Railroad. Finally, the group is joined by Slate’s Hit Parade host Chris Molanphy to dive into Olivia Rodrigo’s breakout album Sour.In Slate Plus, the panel shares their experiences going back to movie theaters.Email us at culturefest@slate.com.Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Rachael Allen. Outro music: "I Wa...
2021-06-021h 02Hit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaBlame It on the Feign, Part 2In Part 2 of this episode of Hit Parade, Chris Molanphy continues his analysis of Milli Vanilli, the musical act that many of us who were around in 1989 listened to more than they might admit. They also have quite a legacy: a blend of pop, dance and rap that now seems commonplace but was still relatively novel then. If you’ve danced to Europop that fronts like hip-hop, you’re living in a world Milli Vanilli helped create. Chris Molanphy continues to break down the history of Milli Vanilli mastermind Frank Farian’s musical career: from his bur...
2021-05-2846 min
BeatseekerHow Tech is Changing the Charts with Chris MolanphyHow do music charts work? How does a song get on Billboard’s Hot100? How have the charts had to adapt over the years to stay relevant as new ways of listening to and purchasing music have come into play?
We speak with chart analyst Chris Molanphy, who explains the charts, how they are always evolving and why they are so important to the industry. We discuss a variety of charts, focusing mostly on Billboard and their Hot100. Chris carries deep insights into the fascinating history and evolution of music charts, from formulas used to determine how man...
2021-04-301h 12
MetaPodChris Molanphy of Hit Parade"Hit Parade is a podcast of pop-chart history that dissects how songs become hits: the intersection of art and commerce that is popular music."How do songs and albums achieve success on the charts and become lasting memories, for better or worse, in popular culture? Chris Molanphy, a pop-chart analyst, looks at both culture and commerce to arrive at answers.The answers, along with plenty of trivia, song clips, unexpected stories and entertaining cultural analysis form the Hit Parade podcast.“I’m always looking for the best stories,” explained Chris. “For ways to...
2021-04-281h 01Culture GabfestOops I Did It AgainThis week Steve and Dana are joined by Jessica Winter, editor at the New Yorker and author of the upcoming novel, The Fourth Child. They kick off the show by discussing Saint Maud, the critically acclaimed horror film by Rose Glass. Then they dig into the #FreeBritney movement and dissect a televised documentary by the New York Times that covers Britney Spears' legal battle with her father. After that, Slate's pop music expert Chris Molanphy joins the show to discuss Olivia Rodrigo's hit song Drivers License, which shot to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Chris is the host...
2021-02-171h 03Hit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaOne and Done, Part 1Hit Parade is back for non-Slate Plus listeners! Upcoming episodes will be split into two parts, released two weeks apart. For the full episode right now, sign up for Slate Plus and you'll also get The Bridge, our Trivia show and deep dive into our subjects. slate.com/hitparadeplus.“One-hit wonder” is a popular term in our culture—and not just in music: sportscasters, Wall Street analysts and news anchors all use it. But what does “one-hit wonder” actually mean on the pop charts? Hit Parade host Chris Molanphy has thought a lot about this—and he has rules to...
2020-09-1851 minHit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaThe Bridge: Yacht Or Nyacht?First, we have a few announcements about the future of Hit Parade—and it’s good news for both Slate Plus members and non-Plus listeners. While the economic challenges of COVID-19 certainly haven’t abated, Hit Parade has attracted enough new Plus members to allow us to take some episodes out from behind Slate’s paywall starting in September.Starting next month, full-length Hit Parade episodes will debut in the middle of the month, not the end (our next full-length episode drops on Friday, September 18). If you are a Plus member, you’ll hear the whole...
2020-08-2850 min
A Deeper ListenBillboard Bans BundlingBillboard announced this week that artists can no longer bundle album sales. Bundling is where an artist adds on, or “bundles” an album to a sale of a concert ticket or merch. For example, a fan would buy a ticket to a concert or an artist T-shirt and the artist adds in an album to that purchase. The idea was to game the billboard chart and count that sale of a ticket or sweatshirt as an album sale. The more album sales, the better your chances are of charting on billboard. Chris Molanphy is a pop critic, chart analyst and ho...
2020-07-1716 minHit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaThe Bridge: Lilith’s Winding RoadIn this mini-episode of Hit Parade, host Chris Molanphy is joined by Jessica Hopper, acclaimed critic for publications like Rolling Stone, The New York Times Magazine, GQ, The Guardian, Elle and Bookforum, and author of the books The Girls’ Guide to Rocking, The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic and Night Moves. Her deeply researched September 2019 piece for Vanity Fair, “Building a Mystery: An Oral History of Lilith Fair,” informed and helped inspire the latest episode of Hit Parade. Jessica and Chris discuss the reasons for the festival’s success against the odds, the legacy of its a...
2020-07-1707 minHit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaThe Bridge: Many Ways to be OutKastedIn this mini-episode of Hit Parade, host Chris Molanphy is joined by Dr. Regina Bradley, Assistant Professor of English and African Diaspora Studies at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia, She is the author of the forthcoming book Chronicling Stankonia: The Rise of the Hip Hop South; cohost of the southern hip-hop podcast Bottom of the Map on WABE and PRX; and host of the recent YouTube series OutKasted Conversations. Gina and Chris discuss the most recent full-length episode of Hit Parade, OutKast’s roots in Atlanta’s decades-long funk tradition, and what they meant to Southerners who felt alie...
2020-06-1205 minHit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaThe Bridge: Piano Man, EverymanA special Hit Parade announcement: Like many media organizations at the moment, Slate is getting hit pretty hard by what's going on with the economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. We want to continue doing our work, providing you with all our great podcasts, news and reporting, and we simply cannot do that without your support. So we're asking you to sign up for Slate Plus, our membership program. It's just $35 for the first year, and it goes a long way to supporting us in this crucial moment.As part of this effort, we're going...
2020-05-1504 minHit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaThe Bridge: Hits Don’t LieA special Hit Parade announcement: Like many media organizations at the moment, Slate is getting hit pretty hard by what's going on with the economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. We want to continue doing our work, providing you with all our great podcasts, news and reporting, and we simply cannot do that without your support. So we're asking you to sign up for Slate Plus, our membership program. It's just $35 for the first year, and it goes a long way to supporting us in this crucial moment.As part of this effort, we're going...
2020-04-1729 minHit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaThe Bridge: Wesley on WhitneyIn this mini-episode of Hit Parade, host Chris Molanphy is joined by Wesley Morris, Pulitzer Prize–winning critic, New York Times critic-at-large, and co-host of Still Processing. They discuss the most recent full-length episode of Hit Parade about the chart legacy of Whitney Houston, which was inspired in part by Wesley and his co-host Jenna Wortham’s analysis in Still Processing of Houston’s life, identity, and artistry. Wesley talks about his first memory of seeing Whitney on TV, his respect for the versatility of her voice, and his commiseration with her sometimes-cold reception by Black fans. Next, C...
2020-03-1329 minHit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaThe Bridge: Living in an Amish ParadiseIn this mini-episode of Hit Parade, host Chris Molanphy is joined by Nathan Rabin, podcaster and writer of two books about “Weird Al” Yankovic. They discuss the most recent full-length episode of Hit Parade, a history of novelty songs on the Billboard charts culminating with the oeuvre of the most successful parody musician ever. Nathan shares the history of his Al fandom and eventual book-length collaboration, and Chris and Nathan theorize about the secrets of Al’s success.(Want to see Nathan Rabin talk about Weird Al in person? Join him in Los Angeles on Saturday, February 22, 2020, at 3:3...
2020-02-1429 minHit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaThe Bridge: Legacy of the Elusive ChanteuseIn this mini-episode of Hit Parade, host Chris Molanphy is joined by Rich Juzwiak, writer for Jezebel as well as Slate’s advice column How to Do It. The two discuss the most recent full-length episode of Hit Parade, a breakdown of how Mariah Carey’s seasonal hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You” finally hit No.1 on Billboard’s Hot 100, an improbable 25 years after its original release. Rich walks Chris through the history of Mariah fandom—both his own and her loyal “Lambs”—and how he appreciates her for her low moments as much as her pop peaks.
2020-01-1732 minHit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaThe Bridge: Queens Bey, Rih and Robyn Reign Different KingdomsIn this mid-month mini-episode of Hit Parade, host Chris Molanphy is joined by The Bridge producer Asha Saluja to discuss the most recent full-length episode of Hit Parade, an exhaustive analysis of the top-charting singles of the 2010s. Chris tells Asha why Beyoncé, indisputably one of the decade’s most influential artists, didn’t make it into the episode. Then Chris and Asha talk about a few of their favorite singles of the decade--some made it onto the Billboard Hot 100, and others didn’t. Chris quizzes a Slate Plus listener with some music trivia, and the contestant turns the tables w...
2019-12-1327 minHit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaThe Bridge: Genre v. Generation, ’80s to ’10sIn this mid-month mini-episode of Hit Parade, host Chris Molanphy is joined by Ned Raggett, freelance music writer for All Music Guide and The Quietus and expert on the ’80s U.K. bands celebrated on the most recent full-length episode of Hit Parade. Chris and Ned discuss what they call the “holy quartet” of British postpunk bands—The Cure, The Smiths, Depeche Mode and New Order—and Ned weighs in on the challenge of what to call this wave: Is it goth? mope-rock? Do these bands actually constitute a genre, or more of a generational cohort? Also, Chris quizzes a Slate Pl...
2019-11-1527 minHit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaThe Bridge: Rain Sounds and Moody GothsIn this monthly mini-episode of Hit Parade, host Chris Molanphy is joined by Aisha Harris, culture editor for The New York Times’ Opinion section. Aisha and Chris discuss the Janet Jackson album Rhythm Nation 1814, the topic of the most recent full-length episode of Hit Parade. Aisha tells Chris about her early Jackson fandom, picks her all-time favorite Janet songs, and offers her opinion on the relevancy and influence of Janet’s sound today. Plus, Chris gives an inside scoop on the song template that Jackson’s longtime producers, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, used to generate multiple chart-topping hits. Chris q...
2019-10-1127 minHit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaThe Bridge: Ladies of the Canyon and the Rhythm NationIn this monthly mini-episode of Hit Parade, host Chris Molanphy is joined by Asha Saluja, operations manager for Slate Podcasts and new producer of these monthly mini-episodes. Asha tells Chris about an episode of Hit Parade about a certain pop queen–turned–EDM goddess that bridged two seemingly unrelated parts of her personal music history. Chris gives Asha the scoop on the anecdote from the last full-length Hit Parade episode about the TV appearance responsible for keeping Joni Mitchell away from Woodstock. Asha shares a letter from a listener with some firsthand perspective on the music of the late 1960’s. Plu...
2019-09-1326 minHit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaThe Bridge: Nostalgic for Number OnesIn this monthly mini-episode of Hit Parade, host Chris Molanphy is joined by Tom Breihan, senior editor at Stereogum and writer of their long-term blog project “The Number Ones,” a chronological review of every song that’s hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Tom gives Chris his reviews of the three Lennon-McCartney hits Chris discussed in the last full-length Hit Parade episode. Plus, Chris quizzes a Slate Plus listener with some music trivia, and the contestant turns the tables with a chance to try to stump Chris with a trivia question of her own. While this episode is available to all...
2019-08-1626 minHit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaThe Bridge: Farewell, Lilith FanHow much do you know about the women rockers who dominated the '90s? Find out in the latest episode of Hit Parade: The Bridge.In this monthly mini-episode of Hit Parade, Host Chris Molanphy is joined by T. J. Raphael, senior producer of the Slate Podcast Network. Together, they quiz one listener contestant with some music trivia. The player also has the opportunity to turn the tables: They get a chance to try to stump Molanphy, a music journalist for the past 25 years, with one of their own trivia questions. Slate Plus members get...
2019-07-1927 minHit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaThe Bridge: The "Give My Regards" EditionThink you know music? Hit Parade, the music history podcast from Slate, is back with a new episode of The Bridge.In this mini-episode of Hit Parade, Host Chris Molanphy is joined by T. J. Raphael, senior producer of the Slate Podcast Network. Together, they quiz one listener contestant with some music trivia. The player also has the opportunity to turn the tables: They get a chance to try to stump Molanphy, a music journalist for the past 25 years, with one of their own trivia questions. Chris is also joined by Elizabeth Craft, an assistant...
2019-06-1426 minHit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaThe Bridge: Monster Drums EditionThink you know music? Hit Parade, the music history podcast from Slate, is back with a new episode of The Bridge.In this mini-episode of Hit Parade, Host Chris Molanphy is joined by Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding of the podcast Switched on Pop. Together, they quiz one listener contestant with some music trivia. The player also has the opportunity to turn the tables: They get a chance to try to stump Molanphy, a music journalist for the past 25 years, with one of their own trivia questions. If you’d like to be a contestant on...
2019-05-1725 minHit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaThe Bridge: Cover Queens and The Boy WonderHost Chris Molanphy reflects on the previous full length episode of the show, and invites one Slate Plus member to play some music trivia related to an upcoming episode. This month, Molanphy is joined at the mic by T. J. Raphael, senior producer of the Slate Podcast Network. Together, they discuss some of the best cover songs of all time from the likes of Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix, and more. After a break, Molanphy is joined by one listener for some music trivia related to the next full-length episode of Hit Parade, which is all about Stevie...
2019-03-1522 minHit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaThe Bridge: R. Kelly and Music's #MeToo ReckoningHit Parade, the music history podcast from Slate, is back with a new episode of The Bridge.In this monthly mini-episode, Host Chris Molanphy reflects on the previous full length episode of the show, and invites one Slate Plus member to play some music trivia related to an upcoming episode. This month, Molanphy is joined at the mic by T. J. Raphael, senior producer of the Slate Podcast Network. Together, they discuss the sexual assault allegations facing artist R. Kelly, and whether the #MeToo movement will finally change the music industry. After a break, Molanphy...
2019-02-1524 minHit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaMusic Trivia: Grammys and Gaga EditionThink you know music? Hit Parade, the music history podcast from Slate, is back with a new episode of The Bridge.In this monthly mini-episode of Hit Parade, Host Chris Molanphy reflects on the previous full length episode of the show, and invites one Slate Plus member onto the show to play some music trivia related to the upcoming episode. How does it all work? Contestants are asked three trivia questions, and the player also has the opportunity to turn the tables—they get a chance to try to stump Molanphy, a music journalist for the past 25 ye...
2019-01-1823 minHit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaMusic Trivia: The Christmas Music EditionThink you know music? Quiz yourself with the latest episode of Hit Parade: The Bridge. This month, Host Chris Molanphy is joined by Jessica Goldstein, the culture editor at ThinkProgress and a journalist whose work has appeared in Vulture and The Washington Post, among other places. Her October article in Entertainment Weekly, “Britney Spears wanted to be a star: An oral history of '...Baby One More Time,'” was an inspiration for the November episode of Hit Parade. Chris is also joined by one listener contestant to play some music trivia, which is all abou...
2018-12-1425 minHit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaMusic Trivia: ’90s Teen-Pop EditionThink you know music? Quiz yourself with the latest episode of Hit Parade: The Bridge. This month, on the heels of the 2018 midterm elections, Host Chris Molanphy is joined by T. J. Raphael, senior producer for the Slate Podcast Network, to talk about musicians who make political endorsements. Chris is joined by one listener contestant to play some music trivia, which is all about '90s teen pop. If you’d like to be a contestant on an upcoming show, sign up for a Slate Plus membership here, and enter as a contestant here. You ca...
2018-11-1620 min
Heat RocksChris Molanphy on George Michael's "Faith" (1987)The Album: George Michael: Faith (1987) In the fall of 1987, it wasn't a foregone conclusion that George Michael's solo debut, Faith, would be a hit. As successful as Michael had been as half of the Wham! duo, going solo was always going to be a risk but as it turns out, it was one worth taking. Faith turned out to be a runaway hit, not simply a #1 album but spawning four different #1 singles, including the lively title song which became the best-selling song of 1988 in the U.S. It wasn't without controversy however, especially with conservative outcri...
2018-11-1551 minPals with Bill WadmanEpisode 10: Chris Molanphy - Chart Analyst / Pop CriticI'm very pleased to have the host of Slate's Hit Parade podcast, Chris Molanphy in the chair today. Chart analyst and pop critic, Chris sees connections and parallels along the history of popular music that would make a mere mortal music fan say 'Uncle!', and that's why we love him. Buckle up for a 100 minute trip up and down the Hot 100.
2018-08-191h 41Hit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaMusic Trivia: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame EditionThink you know music? Hit Parade, the pop-chart history podcast from Slate, is back with a new episode of The Bridge. In this monthly mini-episode of Hit Parade, host Chris Molanphy answers some listener mail and invites one contestant onto the show to play some music trivia. Players also have the opportunity to turn the tables on him: They get a chance to try to stump Molanphy, a music journalist for the past 25 years, with their own trivia question. This month, The Bridge tackles the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and some some music trivia from the ‘00s...
2018-05-1120 minHit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaThe You Give Rock a Bad Name EditionBon Jovi are many things: platinum-selling, chart-topping and now, Hall of Fame–inducted. That angers music critics, who have been slagging off this band of hard-rock prom kings since the 1980s. Among the haters is Hit Parade host Chris Molanphy, who has loathed Bon Jovi since high school. But even he can’t deny it: Bon Jovi are hugely influential. In the wake of their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, Chris puts aside his animus to explain how the biggest band in hair metal have remained strangely relevant—thanks to their deathless hits, their album sales and, more r...
2018-04-271h 11Hit Parade | Music History and Music TriviaMusic Trivia: Welcome to Hit Parade—The BridgeThink you know music? Hit Parade, the pop-chart history podcast from Slate, is rolling out a new feature. Every month, the show will test a listener contestant in a special mini episode called The Bridge. Host Chris Molanphy will invite one person onto the show to play some music trivia, and contestants have the opportunity to turn the tables on him: They’ll get a chance to try to stump Molanphy, a music journalist for the last 25 years, with their own trivia question. If you want to play along at home and quiz yourself, listen to the first episode of T...
2018-04-2011 min
The Jheri Curl ChroniclesThe Jheri Curl Chronicles Episode 48: Chart Geekery With Special Guest Chris MolanphyThe latest episode of the Jheri Curl Chronicles includes hits by The Whispers, Rufus and Chaka Khan, The Jacksons, Fatback and more. Our special guest for this episode is Chris Molanphy, journalist (Pitchfork.com, many more) and host of the "Hit Parade" podcast on Slate. We discuss the Billboard charts, NYC radio in the '80s, and much more!
2017-10-231h 58
Pop RocketThe GrammysThis week, Guy is in New York but not to fear! Margaret Wappler fills in as host with Wynter Mitchell and Karen Tongson to talk about music’s biggest night, The Grammys. They talk about everything, from the production to the performances to the winners and almost more importantly, the losers. Music critic for outlets like Slate, NPR, and Pitchfork Chris Molanphy pops in to provide context about The Grammys and to deliver his opinion on the results. Plus the panelists share what they’re all about this week, and what they can’t stop listening to. Karen To...
2017-02-1600 minPop RocketSearching for the Song of the Summer with Chris MolanphyIt’s finally going to happen, people. Many songs enter, but only one jam can be crowned the Song of the Summer. Guy, Oliver, Margaret, and Wynter bring their picks and some suggestions from the Facebook group and discuss what really makes a summer jam. Writer and analyst Chris Molanphy comes in with hard data to see what is objectively the Song of the Summer. Sia, Calvin Harris, DNCE, Lizzo, and so many more are brought into the fight. Who wins? The answer may shock you. With Guy Branum, Oliver Wang, Margaret Wappler, Wynter Mitchell, and guest, Ch...
2016-08-3100 min