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 Lullaby of Broadway Edition
76 min
152
The Bridge: The "Give My Regards" Edition
23 min
153
The Invisible Miracle Sledgehammer Edition
81 min
154
The Bridge: Monster Drums Edition
23 min
155
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
156
Coming Soon: Hit Parade, Live in Seattle!
Saturday, April 13th at the Museum of Pop Culture
0 min
157
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
158
The Bridge: Cover Queens and The Boy Wonder
20 min
159
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
160
The Bridge: R. Kelly and Music's #MeToo Reckoning
22 min
161
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
162
Music Trivia: Grammys and Gaga Edition
21 min
163
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
164
Music Trivia: The Christmas Music Edition
23 min
165
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
166
Music Trivia: ’90s Teen-Pop Edition
19 min
167
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
168
Music Trivia: The '90s Hip-Hop Edition
21 min
169
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
170
Music Trivia: The Aretha Franklin Edition
25 min
171
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
172
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
173
The Deadbeat Club Edition, Part Two
How the two leading bands from Athens, Georgia transformed themselves from college-rockers in the ’80s to hitmakers by the ’90s
54 min
174
The Deadbeat Club Edition, Part One
The story of how two very different bands came to define the boundaries of New Wave rock from the college town of Athens, Georgia
60 min
175
Music Trivia: The MTV and Alt-Rock Edition
18 min