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. Want more Hit Parade? Join Slate Plus to unlock monthly early-access episodes, bonus episodes of "The Bridge," and ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe directly from the Hit Parade show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/hitparadeplus to get access wherever you listen.
| Title | Date published | ||
| Give Up the Funk Edition Part 2 | 2022-10-28 | ||
| Give Up the Funk Edition Part 1 | 2022-10-15 | ||
| At Last, My Legacy Has Come Along Edition Part 2 | 2022-09-30 | ||
| At Last, My Legacy Has Come Along Edition Part 1 | 2022-09-17 | ||
| Still Billy Joel to Me Part 2 | 2022-08-26 | ||
| Still Billy Joel to Me Part 1 | 2022-08-12 | ||
| Point of No Return Part 2 | 2022-07-29 | ||
| Point of No Return Part 1 | 2022-07-16 | ||
| A Deal with the TV God Part 2 | 2022-07-01 | ||
| A Deal with the TV God Part 1 | 2022-06-18 | ||
| Flip It and Reverse It Part 2 | 2022-05-27 | ||
| Flip It and Reverse It Part 1 | 2022-05-21 | ||
| Decoder Ring: "We Got Ourselves a Convoy" | 2022-05-13 | ||
| I Got Five on It Part 2 | 2022-04-29 | ||
| I Got Five on It Part 1 | 2022-04-16 | ||
| Killing Me Softly Part 2 | 2022-04-01 | ||
| Killing Me Softly Part 1 | 2022-03-26 | ||
| We Invented the Remix Part 2 | 2022-02-25 | ||
| We Invented the Remix Part 1 | 2022-02-19 | ||
| Rock ’n Soul, Part 2 | 2022-01-28 |