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. Get more Hit Parade with Slate Plus! Join for 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 | ||
| The Bridge: Genre v. Generation, ’80s to ’10s | 2019-11-15 | ||
| Lost and Lonely Edition | 2019-10-31 | ||
| The Bridge: Rain Sounds and Moody Goths | 2019-10-11 | ||
| State of the World Edition | 2019-09-27 | ||
| The Bridge: Ladies of the Canyon and the Rhythm Nation | 2019-09-13 | ||
| We Are Stardust, We Are Gold-Certified | 2019-08-30 | ||
| The Bridge: Nostalgic for Number Ones | 2019-08-16 | ||
| Without The Beatles | 2019-07-26 | ||
| The Bridge: Farewell, Lilith Fan | 2019-07-19 | ||
| The Lullaby of Broadway Edition | 2019-06-28 | ||
| The Bridge: The "Give My Regards" Edition | 2019-06-14 | ||
| The Invisible Miracle Sledgehammer Edition | 2019-05-31 | ||
| The Bridge: Monster Drums Edition | 2019-05-17 | ||
| The Posthumous Hits Edition, Live from Seattle | 2019-04-26 | ||
| Coming Soon: Hit Parade, Live in Seattle! | 2019-04-04 | ||
| The Everybody Say YEAH! Edition | 2019-03-29 | ||
| The Bridge: Cover Queens and The Boy Wonder | 2019-03-15 | ||
| The Bad Moon on the Rise Edition | 2019-02-28 | ||
| The Bridge: R. Kelly and Music's #MeToo Reckoning | 2019-02-15 | ||
| The Gaga is Born Edition | 2019-01-25 |