Hit Parade | Music History and Music ...
What makes a song a smash? Talent? Luck? Timing? All that—and more. Chris Molanphy, 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.
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76
At Last, My Legacy Has Come Along Edition Part 2
59 min
77
At Last, My Legacy Has Come Along Edition Part 1
What is a “legacy hit”? A chart flop back in the day that’s now a classic—from “Tiny Dancer” to “What I Like About You”
55 min
78
Still Billy Joel to Me Part 2
42 min
79
Still Billy Joel to Me Part 1
56 min
80
Point of No Return Part 2
45 min
81
Point of No Return Part 1
58 min
82
A Deal with the TV God Part 2
37 min
83
A Deal with the TV God Part 1
50 min
84
Flip It and Reverse It Part 2
How Pharrell, Timbaland and Missy, three nerds from Virginia, added quirk to pop and gave us all a dope beat to step to.
63 min
85
Flip It and Reverse It Part 1
How Pharrell, Timbaland and Missy, three nerds from Virginia, added quirk to pop and gave us all a dope beat to step to.
66 min
86
Decoder Ring: "We Got Ourselves a Convoy"
How a fake country star gave voice to frustrated truckers across America.
30 min
87
I Got Five on It Part 2
Hit Parade celebrates its fifth anniversary with a Top 20 countdown of your favorite episodes.
53 min
88
I Got Five on It Part 1
Hit Parade celebrates its fifth anniversary with a Top 20 countdown of your favorite episodes.
49 min
89
Killing Me Softly Part 2
How four R&B queens—Dionne, Patti, Roberta and Chaka—evolved into chart-toppers through the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s.
58 min
90
Killing Me Softly Part 1
How four R&B queens—Dionne, Patti, Roberta and Chaka—evolved into chart-toppers through the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s.
74 min
91
We Invented the Remix Part 2
In part 2 we continue to story of the remix.
60 min
92
We Invented the Remix Part 1
Today on Hit Parade, we trace the multifarious history of the remix.
64 min
93
Rock ’n Soul, Part 2
The second part of our deep dive on how Hall and Oates took a decade to find their sound, created their own ’80s genre and made their dreams come true.
56 min
94
Rock ’n Soul, Part 1
Hall and Oates took a decade to find their sound, created their own ’80s genre and made their dreams come true.
56 min
95
One Year: Hey Macarena!
A musical phenomenon that wormed its way into our brains, and maybe never left.
58 min
96
Chestnut Roasters, Part 2
The second part of our festive retrospective on the artists whose holiday hits outperform the rest of their catalog combined.
45 min
97
Chestnut Roasters, Part 1
A festive retrospective on the artists whose holiday hits outperform the rest of their catalog combined.
61 min
98
Be the One to Walk in the Sun, Part 2
73 min
99
Be the One to Walk in the Sun, Part 1
64 min
100
I Write Sins, Not Tragedies, Part 2
The pop-punk and emo boom of the ’90s and ’00s, continued.
59 min