Hit Parade

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

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.

Here’s The Beef Edition

The Kendrick-Drake feud made it all the way to the Super Bowl, but pop star beefs go back to the earliest days of wax.

Mighty Real Edition

From Little Richard to Chappell Roan, queer artists have always been vanguards of pop, even when they have not been out.
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The Bridge: The Closet Was Never Binary

Barry Walters, a scholar of LGBTQ music, says queer artists have long expressed their identities on a spectrum.

All Apologies Edition

From Cobain to Creed, how alt-rock went mainstream in the ‘90s.
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The Bridge: Isn’t It Iconic?

Rob Harvilla, host of 60 Songs That Explain the ’90s, on the gap between what was cool and what actually charted during alt-rock’s greatest decade.

Only Girl in the World Edition

Rihanna was the most prolific 21st century chart-topper before bowing out of the game.
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The Bridge: Rihanna Is Still Unapologetic

Music journalist Julianne Escobedo Shepherd says Rih always had the swagger to chart her own pop path.

Singing Nuns and Green Tambourines Edition

The 1960s will always be associated with counterculture and the Summer of Love, but the decade’s pop charts were full of novelty, schlock, and bubblegum.
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The Bridge: Ballad of the Forgotten Hits

Producer, music archivist, and historian Andy Zax on why we love groovy ’60s hits but forget the Green Berets.

Material Girl in an Imperial World Edition

Pet Shop Boys coined the term “imperial phase” to describe a pop star’s untouchable era. In the ’80s, Madonna lived it.
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The Bridge: They Must Be Our Lucky Stars

Pop Pantheon’s DJ Louie XIV ranks pop royalty—and weighs in on imperial phases.

The Freewheelin’ Edition

A Complete Unknown depicts Bob Dylan’s ’60s cultural explosion. His chart success came many years later.
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The Bridge: Dylan Was Always Electric

Elijah Wald, whose book inspired the film A Complete Unknown, says the folk icon’s electrified surprise at Newport ‘65 had been gestating for years.

I’d Like to Teach the World to Buy Edition

How does advertising turn earworms and odd ditties into hits? You might be surprised at the bops that started as jingles.
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The Bridge: Slate’s Music Club 2024

Our critics’ roundtable returns to recap the year in music—from Chappell to Charli, Kendrick to Doechii, Sabrina to Shaboozey.

Say a Little Prayer Edition

How Aretha Franklin became not only the Queen of Soul but a massive pop star, earning respect with amazing grace.
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The Bridge: Spirit in the Dark

Black-music scholar Emily Lordi says Aretha Franklin personified soul by bringing the church to the pop mainstream.
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The Bridge: All That Bono Can’t Leave Behind

Critic and music historian Stephen Thomas Erlewine says U2 always carried themselves like rock stars, especially their frontman.

With or Without U2 Edition

How Bono and the boys pivoted from the earnest ’80s to the ironic ’90s. They’ve always been both cool and cringe.
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The Bridge: Got My Back Against the Record Machine

Author and 1984 music scholar Michaelangelo Matos says even the rockers that year wanted to make you dance.

What’s 1984 Got to Do with It Edition

How did the year of Prince, Madonna, Tina, Bruce and Cyndi come to be regarded as “pop’s greatest year”?
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The Bridge: Getting Hot in Herre

Slate Culture Gabfester Julia Turner says the ideal summer bop has tempo but also swag—and she still likes “Blurred Lines.”

Song(s) of the Summer Edition

When did America decide that every year there’d be one hot-weather hit to rule them all? (And why isn’t it “Espresso”?)
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The Bridge: Center of the “World”

Author and critic Gavin Edwards studied “We Are the World” minute by minute and affirms the vital role Quincy Jones played in its existence.

I Wanna Rock with Q. Edition

Quincy Jones was a legend even before he met Michael Jackson. He redefined what a producer could achieve, from “It’s My Party” to “We Are the World.”
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The Bridge: Girl Groups (Lindsay’s Version)

New York Times critic Lindsay Zoladz says girl groups may fade into history, but we can still playlist our favorite bops.

Be My Baby-Baby-Baby Edition

What is a girl group? In the ’60s, harmonizing ladies saved rock & roll. In the ’90s, sisters with voices gave pop some TLC.
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The Bridge: What Made Them Beautiful

Boy-band expert Maria Sherman says fans should own their fandom and not internalize anti–boy band denigration.