Hits of the Year Edition Part 1

Hits of the Year Edition Part 1

Author: Slate Podcasts December 16, 2022 Duration: 45:41

Sam the Sham over the Rolling Stones? The Knack over Donna Summer? Wilson Phillips over Mariah Carey? Glass Animals over Harry Styles?


On Billboard’s year-end Hot 100, upsets are quite common. Songs that seemed to dominate the chart all year are defeated by stealthily ubiquitous earworms. Sometimes the obvious song takes the prize: “Hey Jude,” “Every Breath You Take” or “I Will Always Love You.” And then sometimes it’s a one-hit wonder: Domencio Mudugno, Daniel Powter, Gotye, Glass Animals—all won the year-end Hot 100 prize.


Join Chris Molanphy as he explains the secrets behind having the hit of the year—and why it doesn’t always go to a superstar.


Podcast production by Kevin Bendis.





Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


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...
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia
Podcast Episodes
The White and Nerdy Edition Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:10
Sped-up voices. Wacky instruments. Songs about cavemen, bathtubs, bikinis, and mothers-in-law. From the dawn of rock ‘n’ roll through the 1970s—the age of streaking, CB radios, disco and King Tut—novelty songs could be c…
Here's The Beef Edition Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:41
When Kendrick Lamar took the Super Bowl halftime stage in 2025 and had the stadium chanting along to “Not Like Us,” it was clear: Diss tracks had gone stratospheric.The Kendrick vs. Drake beef echoes legendary rap rivalr…
Here’s the Beef Edition Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:28
When Kendrick Lamar took the Super Bowl halftime stage in 2025 and had the stadium chanting along to “Not Like Us,” it was clear: Diss tracks had gone stratospheric.The Kendrick vs. Drake beef echoes legendary rap rivalr…
Mighty Real Edition Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:06
Little Richard was rock ‘n’ roll’s flamboyant architect. Lesley Gore sang that no one owned her. Sylvester was a gender-fluid icon who helped define disco. Freddie Mercury made rock operatic, and George Michael demanded…
Mighty Real Edition Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:49
Little Richard was rock ‘n’ roll’s flamboyant architect. Lesley Gore sang that no one owned her. Sylvester was a gender-fluid icon who helped define disco. Freddie Mercury made rock operatic, and George Michael demanded…
All Apologies Edition Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:02
The story of Nevermind, Nirvana’s genre-defining breakthrough, is a familiar one. Less well known is the saga of Billboard’s Modern Rock chart—and how college-rock staples of the 1980s like R.E.M. and The Cure gave way t…
All Apologies Edition Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:06
The story of Nevermind, Nirvana’s genre-defining breakthrough, is a familiar one. Less well known is the saga of Billboard’s Modern Rock chart—and how college-rock staples of the 1980s like R.E.M. and The Cure gave way t…
Only Girl in the World Edition Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:40
It’s been nearly a decade since Rihanna released a studio album—and fans and critics alike have wondered when, if ever, a follow-up to 2016’s Anti might arrive. Which is ironic, because in her heyday, Rihanna was the mos…
Only Girl in the World Edition Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:45
It’s been nearly a decade since Rihanna released a studio album—and fans and critics alike have wondered when, if ever, a follow-up to 2016’s Anti might arrive. Which is ironic, because in her heyday, Rihanna was the mos…
Singing Nuns and Green Tambourines Edition Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:28
When you think of music in the 1960s, some groundbreaking artists probably come to mind: Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix and the Jefferson Airplane, for example. But the pop charts paint a very different picture of that decade,…