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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151
The Bridge: Nostalgic for Number Ones
24 min
152
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
153
The Bridge: Farewell, Lilith Fan
25 min
154
The Lullaby of Broadway Edition
76 min
155
The Bridge: The "Give My Regards" Edition
23 min
156
The Invisible Miracle Sledgehammer Edition
81 min
157
The Bridge: Monster Drums Edition
23 min
158
The Posthumous Hits Edition, Live from Seattle
Dearly beloved, we gather on the charts to get through this thing called life…and death. Live from MoPOP in Seattle, Hit Parade tells the stories of some of the biggest chart-toppers from beyond the grave.
87 min
159
Coming Soon: Hit Parade, Live in Seattle!
Saturday, April 13th at the Museum of Pop Culture
0 min
160
The Everybody Say YEAH! Edition
Stevie Wonder’s legendary songbook started when he was a “Little” young man. How a semi-improvised live recording became his first, and least likely, No. 1 hit.
65 min
161
The Bridge: Cover Queens and The Boy Wonder
20 min
162
The Bad Moon on the Rise Edition
Creedence Clearwater Revival was an eternal chart bridesmaid—a record number of No. 2’s—and the No. 1’s holding them back weren’t all classics
59 min
163
The Bridge: R. Kelly and Music's #MeToo Reckoning
22 min
164
The Gaga is Born Edition
Lady Gaga may be about to pivot from Grammy-winner to Oscar-winner. How did A Star Is Born both reflect and reboot her decade-long career?
66 min
165
Music Trivia: Grammys and Gaga Edition
21 min
166
The Christmas is All Around Edition
The annual derby for UK Christmas No. 1 is the world’s most hotly contested pop-chart contest. But can the competition survive in the streaming age?
70 min
167
Music Trivia: The Christmas Music Edition
23 min
168
The Give Me a Sign Edition
How an introverted Swedish producer and a showbiz kid from Louisiana made the late 1990s’ most influential No. 1 hit
71 min
169
Music Trivia: ’90s Teen-Pop Edition
19 min
170
The Oh. My. God. Becky Edition
What finally got hip-hop to the top of the Billboard charts? Whether conscious or gangsta, trippy or lascivious, rap’s early ’90s arrival at No. 1 started a party—but some rappers literally bum-rushed the show.
81 min
171
Music Trivia: The '90s Hip-Hop Edition
21 min
172
The Nights on Broadway Edition
How did the Bee Gees survive the fall of disco—the falsettos? The white suits? It was the songs—from ’60s British Invasion, to ’70s R&B, to ’80s country, even ’90s hip-hop.
88 min
173
Music Trivia: The Aretha Franklin Edition
25 min
174
Madonna: The Veronica Electronica Edition (Encore)
In 1998, at a crossroads, Madonna rebooted her career by fusing electronics with matters of the heart—and turned digital music into viable pop.
72 min
175
The Feat. Don’t Fail Me Now Edition
The featured-artist credit has gone from a rare anomaly to a staple of the charts. How did guest rappers change the way supporting performers are credited across popular music?
70 min