The Queen of Disco Edition Part 1 (Encore)

The Queen of Disco Edition Part 1 (Encore)

Author: Slate Podcasts April 11, 2026 Duration: 31:18
Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia
Music

Donna Summer was a hit-maker for two decades and a dance floor deity for more than three. Her collaborations with Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte were formative in dance, electronic, and rock music, influencing everyone from David Bowie and Blondie to Madonna and Moby. But the rock establishment was stinting in its appreciation—whether at Comiskey Park in Chicago in 1979 or the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the 2000s.


In this encore episode from 2017, Chris Molanphy examines how Summer became the queen of disco … and then transcended that role altogether.


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.

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

Official website RSS
instagramyoutube
Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia
Podcast Episodes
Second-Chance Hits Edition Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:50
In 2023, several hits from years ago—sometimes decades—made it to No. 1 on Billboard’s pop charts after falling short the first time: Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer.” The Weeknd’s “Die for You.” Miguel’s “Sure Thing.” And,…
Second-Chance Hits Edition Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:32
In 2023, several hits from years ago—sometimes decades—made it to No. 1 on Billboard’s pop charts after falling short the first time: Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer.” The Weeknd’s “Die for You.” Miguel’s “Sure Thing.” And,…
Ride ’til I Can’t No More Edition Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:55
When it crash-landed on the charts in 2019, Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” felt new and old at the same time: a savvy, TikTok-fueled viral hit that summarized a century of cross-cultural collisions between R&B, rap and coun…
The Bridge: Can’t Tell Me Nothin’ [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:38
In this special mini-episode of Hit Parade, recorded live on at Housing Works bookstore in New York City, host Chris Molanphy is joined by Dan Charnas—author of the New York Times bestseller Dilla Time, The Life and Afte…
Ride ’til I Can’t No More Edition Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:03
When it crash-landed on the charts in 2019, Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” felt new and old at the same time: a savvy, TikTok-fueled viral hit that summarized a century of cross-cultural collisions between R&B, rap and coun…
This Ain’t No Party?! Edition Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:29
HEY! HO! LET’S GO!! Is this chant: (a) a movement of disaffected hipsters, (b) walkup music for a baseball player, or (c) a really catchy bop? How about all of the above?The legendary New York nightclub CBGB was the birt…
This Ain’t No Party?! Edition Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:18
HEY! HO! LET’S GO!! Is this chant: (a) a movement of disaffected hipsters, (b) walkup music for a baseball player, or (c) a really catchy bop? How about all of the above?The legendary New York nightclub CBGB was the birt…
Insert Lyrics Here Edition Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:58
If an instrumental tops the charts, it’s probably an earworm: “Tequila.” “Wipeout.” “Dueling Banjos.” “The Hustle.” “Feels So Good.” “Chariots of Fire.” “Axel F.” You can probably whistle or hum several of those from mem…
Insert Lyrics Here Edition Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:56
If an instrumental tops the charts, it’s probably an earworm: “Tequila.” “Wipeout.” “Dueling Banjos.” “The Hustle.” “Feels So Good.” “Chariots of Fire.” “Axel F.” You can probably whistle or hum several of those from mem…
Shake It Like a Polaroid Picture Edition Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:54
Talk about ’90s rap, and most music fans will throw around the word “gangsta” and talk about the East Coast–West Coast feud that tragically brought down Biggie and Tupac. But one rap group, OutKast, quite literally rose…

«1...345678910»