Hits of the Year Edition Part 2

Hits of the Year Edition Part 2

Author: Slate Podcasts December 31, 2022 Duration: 1:32:47

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
Hooked to the Silver Screen Edition Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:45
If you need confirmation of Hollywood’s vast influence on mass culture, look no further than the pop charts. From the 1937 classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs through this year’s KPop Demon Hunters, soundtracks have…
Hooked to the Silver Screen Edition Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:15
If you need confirmation of Hollywood’s vast influence on mass culture, look no further than the pop charts. From the 1937 classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs through this year’s KPop Demon Hunters, soundtracks have…
Pour Some Sugar on Me Edition Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:17
When you hear the term “superproducer,” names like George Martin, Quincy Jones, Max Martin, Pharrell Williams or Missy Elliott might come to mind. But … Robert “Mutt” Lange? Probably not. Yet Lange was by some measures t…
Pour Some Sugar on Me Edition Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:36
When you hear the term “superproducer,” names like George Martin, Quincy Jones, Max Martin, Pharrell Williams or Missy Elliott might come to mind. But … Robert “Mutt” Lange? Probably not. Yet Lange was by some measures t…
The Slate Culture Gift Guide [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:09
Hark, the holiday season is upon us—and with it, the most solemn of festive traditions: a gift guide! In this video and podcast special, Slate hosts Dana Stevens, Chris Molanphy, and Willa Paskin beam in from their colle…
If You Love Sting, Set Him Free Edition Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:57
Walk into any store or flip on a radio, and you’ll probably hear the Police’s “Every Breath You Take” sooner or later. Thanks to that ubiquity, the swooning, menacing megahit’s songwriter—Sting—is a very wealthy man.Now…
If You Love Sting, Set Him Free Edition Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:53
Walk into any store or flip on a radio, and you’ll probably hear the Police’s “Every Breath You Take” sooner or later. Thanks to that ubiquity, the swooning, menacing megahit’s songwriter—Sting—is a very wealthy man.Now…
Toppermost of the Poppermost Edition Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:34
In the rarefied world of smash pop singles, there are No. 1s—and there are No. 1 debuts. Entering Billboard’s Hot 100 at the top is one of the hardest tricks in music. In fact, it wasn’t possible in the U.S. until 1995.…
Toppermost of the Poppermost Edition Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:25
In the rarefied world of smash pop singles, there are No. 1s—and there are No. 1 debuts. Entering Billboard’s Hot 100 at the top is one of the hardest tricks in music. In fact, it wasn’t possible in the U.S. until 1995.…
The White and Nerdy Edition Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:00
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…