Hit Parade

What makes a song a smash? Talent? Luck? Timing? All that—and more.

Illustration depicting a female with a microphone

Listen longer

Slate Plus members get ad-free versions of all Slate podcasts, plus extra segments, bonus episodes, and more. Try it today for just $1.

Join Slate Plus
Advertisement

About the Show

Chris Molanphy, a pop-chart analyst and author of Slate’s “Why Is This Song No. 1?” series, tells tales from a half-century of chart history. Through storytelling, trivia, and song snippets, Chris dissects how that song you love—or hate—dominated the airwaves, made its way to the top of the charts, and shaped your memories forever.

Host

  • Chris Molanphy is a feature writer and critic who writes widely about music and the pop charts.

I Write Sins, Not Tragedies Edition

The pop-punk and emo boom of the ’90s and ’00s shows how punk keeps selling out and buying in.

The Bridge: She Feels the Earth Move

Ann Powers joins Chris Molanphy for a retrospective of 1971, from its foundational music to its social movements.

Spirit of ’71 Edition

Did the music 50 years ago really “change everything”? How a new generation of singer-songwriters rebooted the charts.

The Bridge: Get-Down Showdown

Chris Molanphy quizzes Slate staffers on the chart hits of the 1970s, from Elton to Stevie, Carole to Donna.

The Bridge: Everybody’s Got a Hungry Chart

Chris Molanphy and Caryn Rose discuss Bruce Springsteen’s artistry and whether he tried to evade pop success.

Tramps Like Us Edition

Bruce Springsteen went from “new Dylan” to pop pinup when he learned to keep the catchy songs for himself.

The Bridge: Beats, Rhymes and Life

Chris Molanphy and Oliver Wang discuss the evolution of singing in rap.

Say My Name, Say My Name Edition

Rappers are singing and singers are rapping. When did these styles merge?

The Bridge: Hip-Hop, Hit Pop

Chris Molanphy and Amy Coddington give Milli Vanilli props as himbo forefathers of rap and pop cross-pollination.

Blame It on the Feign Edition

Deceitful as they were, Milli Vanill’s blend of rap and dance-pop topped the charts and made a lasting impression.

The Bridge: You Said You Needed “Space”—WHAT?!

Chris Molanphy and Brittany Spanos discuss Taylor Swift’s enduring appeal for fans of all ages.

Taylor’s Version of Country Edition

At the turn of the ’10s, Taylor Swift pulled off a masterful country-to-pop crossover, ruling two genres at once.

The Bridge: Tuesday Night Trivia Club

Chris Molanphy hosts a remote pop quiz about pop, exclusively for Slate Plus members.

Don’t Know Much About History Edition

Sam Cooke was a hit-maker, soul pioneer, label boss … and a social activist, well before that One Night in Miami.

The Bridge: Another Saturday Night in Miami

Chris Molanphy talks to Slate’s own Jack Hamilton about misunderstood soul legend Sam Cooke.

The AC/DC Rule Edition

From Back in Black to Born This Way, follow-up albums often do better on the charts than more-loved classics.

The Bridge: Sampler’s Delight

Chris Molanphy talks to hip-hop journalist Mosi Reeves about Chic, the Sugarhill Gang, and disco and rap’s parallel histories.

These Are the Good Times Edition

How the sleek disco group Chic spawned hip-hop and new wave and shaped acts from Diana Ross to Duran Duran.

The Bridge: Radio-Friendly Unit Shifters

Chris Molanphy talks to veteran Billboard analyst Geoff Mayfield about the Billboard charts in the early SoundScan era.

Smells Like Christmas Spirit Edition

How Christmas brought about Nirvana’s chart victory over Michael Jackson—and invented a holiday sales strategy.