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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126
The Bridge: Lilith’s Winding Road
7 min
127
Building a Herstory Edition
Sarah McLachlan harnessed this energy into an all-woman tour she dubbed Lilith Fair. Its string of sellouts from 1997 to ’99 affirmed women’s clout in the decade of grunge-and-gangsta.
7 min
128
The Bridge: Many Ways to be OutKasted
Chris Molanphy talks to OutKast expert Dr. Regina Bradley about what they meant to Southern hip-hop.
4 min
129
Shake It Like a Polaroid Picture Edition
Outkast is inarguably one of the most important acts in hip hop and pop music history, but their impressive chart runs, and the brand of Atlanta hip hop they championed, was far from inevitable.
7 min
130
The Bridge: Piano Man, Everyman
Chris Molanphy talks to special musical guest Julian Velard about Billy Joel’s singular authenticity.
3 min
131
Still Billy Joel to Me Edition
Billy Joel’s first Top 40 hit, way back in 1974, was “Piano Man,” and the nickname stuck. But for a guy who became famous sitting behind 88 keys, few of his biggest hits are really piano songs. In fact, on all three of his No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, keyboards are not the primary instrument.
7 min
132
The Bridge: Hits Don’t Lie
Chris Molanphy talks to guest Eduardo Cepeda about Latin music’s journey to the center of American pop.
27 min
133
La Vida Loca Edición
93 min
134
The Bridge: Wesley on Whitney
Chris Molanphy talks to guest Wesley Morris about Whitney Houston’s vocal genius and crossover means.
27 min
135
I'm Your Whitney Tonight Edition
86 min
136
The Bridge: Living in an Amish Paradise
27 min
137
The White and Nerdy Edition
Novelty songs were a tough way to make a music career. Until one self-proclaimed Weird guy turned parodies into pop classics.
84 min
138
The Bridge: Legacy of the Elusive Chanteuse
30 min
139
Make My Wish Come True Edition
70 min
140
The Bridge: Queens Bey, Rih and Robyn Reign Dif...
Chris Molanphy and Bridge producer Asha Saluja discuss who won the 2010s in music.
26 min
141
Rolling in God’s Royal Uptown Road Edition.
94 min
142
The Bridge: Genre v. Generation, ’80s to ’10s
Chris Molanphy and Ned Raggett discuss the ’80s wave of British alt-rock.
25 min
143
Lost and Lonely Edition
83 min
144
The Bridge: Rain Sounds and Moody Goths
Chris Molanphy and Aisha Harris talk about the song template Janet Jackson’s producers spun into five hits.
24 min
145
State of the World Edition
70 min
146
The Bridge: Ladies of the Canyon and the Rhythm...
23 min
147
We Are Stardust, We Are Gold-Certified
Sure, Woodstock was a legendary festival—but it also turned several performers into chart-topping stars.
73 min
148
The Bridge: Nostalgic for Number Ones
24 min
149
Without The Beatles
This month, Hit Parade explores the legacy of songs by The Beatles topping the charts...without The Beatles. This is the story of how a discarded Beatles song, a superstar vanity cover, and a bizarre disco medley managed to top the charts with Beatles songwriting credits, but without the fab four.
67 min
150
The Bridge: Farewell, Lilith Fan
25 min