Chris Molanphy
@cmolanphy.bsky.social
Chart analyst/pop critic. Host of podcast #HitParadePod. Writer of Slate's #WhylsThisSongNo1? Author of book #OldTownRoad. Feet on the ground, reaching for the stars. (Pronouns—he/him/his.)
A fast machine, kept his motor clean: My new #HitParadePod on @slate.com is about superproducer “Mutt” Lange, mystery man of arena-rocking überpop. Mutt’s anthemic sound worked across genres—AC/DC to the Cars, Foreigner to Billy Ocean, Def Leppard to Shania. Let the magic man pour some sugar on you.
The Reclusive Producer Who Shook the Charts All Night Long
Mutt Lange avoided the spotlight while crafting some of the loudest, catchiest, and bestselling records of all time.
slate.com
November 16, 2025 at 4:09 AM
A fast machine, kept his motor clean: My new #HitParadePod on @slate.com is about superproducer “Mutt” Lange, mystery man of arena-rocking überpop. Mutt’s anthemic sound worked across genres—AC/DC to the Cars, Foreigner to Billy Ocean, Def Leppard to Shania. Let the magic man pour some sugar on you.
On a new #HitParadePod –The Bridge—now live on @slate.com—my guest @gedge1.bsky.social, author of an upcoming book on the Police, says the surprise isn’t how briefly but how long the skilled trio stayed together. Plus trivia—& a next-episode preview that pours some sugar & shakes you all night long.
Sting and the Police: Adventurous Hitmakers, Combustible Bandmates
Writer Geoff Edgers unravels the tension within the Police and why Sting's “pretentious” years might actually be his most authentic.
slate.com
November 2, 2025 at 5:56 AM
On a new #HitParadePod –The Bridge—now live on @slate.com—my guest @gedge1.bsky.social, author of an upcoming book on the Police, says the surprise isn’t how briefly but how long the skilled trio stayed together. Plus trivia—& a next-episode preview that pours some sugar & shakes you all night long.
Keep it💯on the land…thе sea…the sky—2wks into Taylor’s latest Era my @slate.com series #WhyIsThisSongNo1? considers“The Fate of Ophelia.” We were promised ‘Showgirl’ bangers but the song adapts Swift’s broody ’20s mode for the return of Max. Plus…the album’s chart feats+an asterisk on besting Adele.
America Is Already Moving On From Taylor Swift’s New Album—With One Major Exception
The Life of a Showgirl’s massive opening has proven short-lived, but one part has real staying power.
slate.com
October 25, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Keep it💯on the land…thе sea…the sky—2wks into Taylor’s latest Era my @slate.com series #WhyIsThisSongNo1? considers“The Fate of Ophelia.” We were promised ‘Showgirl’ bangers but the song adapts Swift’s broody ’20s mode for the return of Max. Plus…the album’s chart feats+an asterisk on besting Adele.
The big #Hot100 news isn’t that Tay’s “Ophelia” is No1 a 2nd week—it’s at the end of the story where @billboard.com announces a big change to the chart’s recurrent rule that I expected. Bottom line, songs will pulled sooner & I say thank heaven—& bye “Lose Control” which shoulda been gone eons ago.
October 20, 2025 at 7:08 PM
The big #Hot100 news isn’t that Tay’s “Ophelia” is No1 a 2nd week—it’s at the end of the story where @billboard.com announces a big change to the chart’s recurrent rule that I expected. Bottom line, songs will pulled sooner & I say thank heaven—& bye “Lose Control” which shoulda been gone eons ago.
He’ll be earworming you: My new #HitParadePod on @slate.com is about Sting, the jazzy pop-generator who keeps getting paid. In the Police he blended reggae+new wave. Solo, he tried jazz, classical, funk, rap…even Raï. Whether on your radio or getting sampled, every little thing Sting tries is magic.
Every Breath Sting Takes, Every Hit Sting Makes—We’ve Been Watching Him.
Everyone knows "Every Breath You Take"—but Sting's legacy is built on hits from the unexpected genres.
slate.com
October 19, 2025 at 11:56 PM
He’ll be earworming you: My new #HitParadePod on @slate.com is about Sting, the jazzy pop-generator who keeps getting paid. In the Police he blended reggae+new wave. Solo, he tried jazz, classical, funk, rap…even Raï. Whether on your radio or getting sampled, every little thing Sting tries is magic.
Reposted by Chris Molanphy
It’s hard to put into words what it means to lose D’Angelo. Not just the man, but the sound, the feeling, the very essence of soul that he embodied.
Remembering D’Angelo and the Eternal Rhythm of Neo-Soul | Black Girl Nerds
It’s hard to put into words what it means to lose D’Angelo. Not just the man, but the sound, the feeling, the very essence of the man
blackgirlnerds.com
October 14, 2025 at 6:02 PM
It’s hard to put into words what it means to lose D’Angelo. Not just the man, but the sound, the feeling, the very essence of soul that he embodied.
On a new #HitParadePod –The Bridge—now live on @slate.com —my guest Chris Dalla Riva, author of ‘Uncharted Territory,’ says songs that debut@No1 usually have an extra-musical X-factor. But the song is the song—whether good Drake or bad Drake. Plus, trivia & a next-episode preview sending out an SOS.
The Secret Sauce Behind No. 1 Debuts.
Can a hit single be simultaneously a chart-topper … and a misfire?
slate.com
September 29, 2025 at 6:25 AM
On a new #HitParadePod –The Bridge—now live on @slate.com —my guest Chris Dalla Riva, author of ‘Uncharted Territory,’ says songs that debut@No1 usually have an extra-musical X-factor. But the song is the song—whether good Drake or bad Drake. Plus, trivia & a next-episode preview sending out an SOS.
Just a sweet sweet fantasy: My new #HitParadePod at @slate.com is on the history of No1 debuts. How do songs score a fast pass to the penthouse? They’re not always classics—Idol coronations…rap beefs…boy-band soloists…superstar throwaways. For every “Fantasy” “Hello” or “Vampire” there’s a “Trollz.”
The Odd Alchemy That Sends a Brand-New Song to the Top of the Charts
For decades, No. 1 debuts were unheard of in America. Then the record labels and digital music hacked the Hot 100.
slate.com
September 13, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Just a sweet sweet fantasy: My new #HitParadePod at @slate.com is on the history of No1 debuts. How do songs score a fast pass to the penthouse? They’re not always classics—Idol coronations…rap beefs…boy-band soloists…superstar throwaways. For every “Fantasy” “Hello” or “Vampire” there’s a “Trollz.”
On the latest episode of #BeyondYachtRock2000 I join @jdryznar.bsky.social, @hollywoodsteve.bsky.social & Dave Lyons for a countdown of some of the oddest videos from MTV’s first day. From the Buggles (no…not that one) to Pete Townshend…Kate Bush to Todd Rundgren…it’s an all-new way to #KeeptheFire.
125. What the Heck? MTV’s First Day
Podcast Episode · Beyond Yacht Rock 2000 · 09/04/2025 · 1h 4m
podcasts.apple.com
September 5, 2025 at 4:40 AM
On the latest episode of #BeyondYachtRock2000 I join @jdryznar.bsky.social, @hollywoodsteve.bsky.social & Dave Lyons for a countdown of some of the oddest videos from MTV’s first day. From the Buggles (no…not that one) to Pete Townshend…Kate Bush to Todd Rundgren…it’s an all-new way to #KeeptheFire.
Hey @augetoffmygold.bsky.social —this is an entertainingly debatable ranking (eg if you weren’t gonna give PG No1 I’d have flipped your 1 & 3).But my big quibble: You mention the Cars’ shadow from defeated “Thriller” but the same goes for VH beating Nirvana. I’d put “Right Now” lower for that alone.
Every VMA Winner for Video of the Year, Ranked
Here's how Billboard ranks the 41 music videos that have won video of the year at the MTV Video Music Awards so far.
www.billboard.com
September 3, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Hey @augetoffmygold.bsky.social —this is an entertainingly debatable ranking (eg if you weren’t gonna give PG No1 I’d have flipped your 1 & 3).But my big quibble: You mention the Cars’ shadow from defeated “Thriller” but the same goes for VH beating Nirvana. I’d put “Right Now” lower for that alone.
I spoke w/Dane Haiken for his Substack interview series #HowWeRead, focusing on how I research episodes of my @slate.com podcast #HitParadePod —from Billboard chart books to memoirs by Nile Rodgers, John Fogerty & Phil Collins. Also, my origin story a la Paul McCartney’s apocryphal “Scrambled Egg.”
HWR #11: Chris Molanphy
A pop historian in New York City
howweread.substack.com
August 27, 2025 at 6:49 AM
I spoke w/Dane Haiken for his Substack interview series #HowWeRead, focusing on how I research episodes of my @slate.com podcast #HitParadePod —from Billboard chart books to memoirs by Nile Rodgers, John Fogerty & Phil Collins. Also, my origin story a la Paul McCartney’s apocryphal “Scrambled Egg.”
I spoke w/Russ Martin for a @theglobeandmail.com article on why US/Canada had no galvanizing #SongoftheSummer this year. I distinguished charts-based vs cultural SoS’s—but @annkpowers.bsky.social had the best quote, on the problem w/SoS ’25 winner “Ordinary” by Alex Warren: “It doesn’t effervesce.”
Why is there no Song of the Summer for 2025?
After Charli XCX’s ‘brat summer’ last year, none of this year’s hits have captivated the collective imagination to become the obvious hot-weather anthem
www.theglobeandmail.com
August 18, 2025 at 6:00 PM
I spoke w/Russ Martin for a @theglobeandmail.com article on why US/Canada had no galvanizing #SongoftheSummer this year. I distinguished charts-based vs cultural SoS’s—but @annkpowers.bsky.social had the best quote, on the problem w/SoS ’25 winner “Ordinary” by Alex Warren: “It doesn’t effervesce.”
Going up…UP…UP!!! The latest in my @slate.com series #WhyIsThisSongNo1? is about “Golden” by fictional trio Huntr/x—the “Sugar,Sugar” of 2025. The 1st No1 by a girl group in 20+years, “Golden” &the KPDH soundtrack are rescuing the 2020s’ dullest pop summer. Forget demons—they’re slaying Alex Warren.
Netflix’s Most Popular Movie in Years Has Now Birthed a No. 1 Song
We finally have the first chart-topping hit by a girl group since Destiny’s Child. It’s not what you might expect.
slate.com
August 16, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Going up…UP…UP!!! The latest in my @slate.com series #WhyIsThisSongNo1? is about “Golden” by fictional trio Huntr/x—the “Sugar,Sugar” of 2025. The 1st No1 by a girl group in 20+years, “Golden” &the KPDH soundtrack are rescuing the 2020s’ dullest pop summer. Forget demons—they’re slaying Alex Warren.
Hear me blush at a lewd AI country song! (Don’t make me repeat its title.) Srsly this is a fun #WhatNextTBD episode from @slate.com. Thx to @lizzieohreally.bsky.social for a diverting, ominous game (+shoutout @charlieharding.bsky.social + @neatsloan.bsky.social for spoiling me on“Dust on the Wind”).
AI music slop is here. Inspired by @knibbs.bsky.social’s great piece, we made a show with her and with very good sport @cmolanphy.bsky.social, who had no idea what he was in for. slate.com/podcasts/wha...
Here Comes the A.I. Music Slop
If music be the food of love…this will starve you.
slate.com
August 10, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Hear me blush at a lewd AI country song! (Don’t make me repeat its title.) Srsly this is a fun #WhatNextTBD episode from @slate.com. Thx to @lizzieohreally.bsky.social for a diverting, ominous game (+shoutout @charlieharding.bsky.social + @neatsloan.bsky.social for spoiling me on“Dust on the Wind”).
I’m back on the #CultureGabfest on @slate.com for our cherished annual hot-weather tradition, Summer Strut! Julia Turner, Dana Stevens & Steve Metcalf cull the list + I demystify the bops. This year we jam to Lola Young…Bad Bunny…Haim…Diana Ross & Del tha Funkee Homosapien. slate.com/podcasts/cul...
August 6, 2025 at 9:20 PM
I’m back on the #CultureGabfest on @slate.com for our cherished annual hot-weather tradition, Summer Strut! Julia Turner, Dana Stevens & Steve Metcalf cull the list + I demystify the bops. This year we jam to Lola Young…Bad Bunny…Haim…Diana Ross & Del tha Funkee Homosapien. slate.com/podcasts/cul...
I appreciate folks who call me “pop-chart maestro.” ☺️ But srsly @chrisdeville.bsky.social’s Substack on Alex Warren et al. is a good read. Back in June in my @slate.com piece on “Ordinary” I called the Swims/Boone/Warren wave ‘Guys Who Really Mean It, Man.” Chris is more succinct—These F&#%ing Guys.
These F&#%ing Guys
The latest B-side from Such Great Heights looks at Alex Warren, Benson Boone, and the power of negative polarization
suchgreatheights.substack.com
August 6, 2025 at 2:23 AM
I appreciate folks who call me “pop-chart maestro.” ☺️ But srsly @chrisdeville.bsky.social’s Substack on Alex Warren et al. is a good read. Back in June in my @slate.com piece on “Ordinary” I called the Swims/Boone/Warren wave ‘Guys Who Really Mean It, Man.” Chris is more succinct—These F&#%ing Guys.
On a new #HitParadePod –The Bridge—now live on @slate.com —my guest @dancharnas.bsky.social says beef has always been part of rap’s culture of competition—& sometimes, grammar matters! (Shout-out Chino XL+2Pac.) Plus, trivia…and a next-episode preview that debuts at the toppermost of the poppermost.
Before “Not Like Us,” There Was “Hit ‘Em Up”
Kendrick may have mastered the forensic diss, but Tupac set the standard.
slate.com
July 29, 2025 at 7:06 PM
On a new #HitParadePod –The Bridge—now live on @slate.com —my guest @dancharnas.bsky.social says beef has always been part of rap’s culture of competition—& sometimes, grammar matters! (Shout-out Chino XL+2Pac.) Plus, trivia…and a next-episode preview that debuts at the toppermost of the poppermost.
#RIP #TomLehrer —Cold War comic+a formative building block of my sense of humor (alongside Python). Honestly my all-time TL jam is “Vatican Rag” followed closely by “Pollution,” “A Christmas Carol” &“Who’s Next?” But given this weekend’s sad news this is really the only selection to remember him by.
Tom Lehrer - We Will All Go Together When We Go
YouTube video by The Tom Lehrer Wisdom Channel
www.youtube.com
July 27, 2025 at 8:10 PM
#RIP #TomLehrer —Cold War comic+a formative building block of my sense of humor (alongside Python). Honestly my all-time TL jam is “Vatican Rag” followed closely by “Pollution,” “A Christmas Carol” &“Who’s Next?” But given this weekend’s sad news this is really the only selection to remember him by.
I not only enjoyed but empathized w/this @lindaholmes.bsky.social piece reflecting on the HBO Billy Joel doc & how it reflects our uncool childhood fandom. As an outerborough New Yorker in the ’70s–’80s, I grew up w/Joel’s music unquestioningly & I related to Holmes’s take on why this doc hits hard.
“It's a kind of ouroboros of self-sabotage, where the inability to ever be satisfied pushes satisfaction farther and farther away.”
I didn't know I needed the new Billy Joel documentary
NPR critic Linda Holmes has been a Billy Joel fan since the '80s. HBO's new two-part documentary still taught her something new about his life — and provided a chance to consider the role of his music...
www.npr.org
July 26, 2025 at 9:21 PM
I not only enjoyed but empathized w/this @lindaholmes.bsky.social piece reflecting on the HBO Billy Joel doc & how it reflects our uncool childhood fandom. As an outerborough New Yorker in the ’70s–’80s, I grew up w/Joel’s music unquestioningly & I related to Holmes’s take on why this doc hits hard.
You probably think this pod is about you—my new #HitParadePod from @slate.com is a history of diss records, which predate hip-hop+even rock. From Eddie Cantor bitching about “Bananas” to Carly Simon puncturing vanity…an army of Roxanne,Roxannes or K-dot ethering Drake…beef on wax has served up hits.
From Beatles to Biggie, Carly to Kendrick, Diss Records Are a Pop Fixture
They weren’t always called diss tracks, but pop stars have been trading insults since Tin Pan Alley.
slate.com
July 20, 2025 at 8:17 PM
You probably think this pod is about you—my new #HitParadePod from @slate.com is a history of diss records, which predate hip-hop+even rock. From Eddie Cantor bitching about “Bananas” to Carly Simon puncturing vanity…an army of Roxanne,Roxannes or K-dot ethering Drake…beef on wax has served up hits.
On a new #HitParadePod —The Bridge, my guest @barrywalters.bsky.social says LGBTQ hitmakers have long expressed queerness through their art & on the dancefloor, whether or not they were nominally “out.” Plus, trivia…and a next-episode preview that’s trying to strike a chord & it’s probably D-minor.
Throughout Pop History, the Closet Was Never Binary.
LGBTQ pop stars often lived publicly ambiguous lives—while making music that was unmistakably queer.
slate.com
June 29, 2025 at 10:26 PM
On a new #HitParadePod —The Bridge, my guest @barrywalters.bsky.social says LGBTQ hitmakers have long expressed queerness through their art & on the dancefloor, whether or not they were nominally “out.” Plus, trivia…and a next-episode preview that’s trying to strike a chord & it’s probably D-minor.
Mighty Real: my new #HitParadePod on @slate.com celebrates #LGBTQ+ hitmakers who shaped how pop sounds, signifies, shimmies+shakes. How’d queer artists navigate the charts while coming out? We salute titans from Little Richard to Lil Nas X…Dusty Springfield to Sylvester…Boy George to Chappell Roan.🏳️🌈
LGBTQ Music Has Long Been Coded and Even Denied, Yet Never Absent From the Pop Charts for Long.
Queer artists have continually redefined pop even when the culture wouldn't let them do so openly.
slate.com
June 14, 2025 at 11:36 PM
Mighty Real: my new #HitParadePod on @slate.com celebrates #LGBTQ+ hitmakers who shaped how pop sounds, signifies, shimmies+shakes. How’d queer artists navigate the charts while coming out? We salute titans from Little Richard to Lil Nas X…Dusty Springfield to Sylvester…Boy George to Chappell Roan.🏳️🌈
’Til we're dead and buried: My new @slate.com #WhyIsThisSongNo1? article considers the social-media-spawned Alex Warren & his wedding-ready smash “Ordinary.” How did the last year of Teddy Swims & Benson Boone domination help Warren scale the #Hot100? Is this the Jelly Roll–indication of the charts?
America’s New Favorite Song Is by Its New No. 1 Wife Guy
The sound of the mid-’20s isn’t the main pop girls, Kendrick, or Drake. It’s dudes like Alex Warren.
slate.com
June 6, 2025 at 9:55 PM
’Til we're dead and buried: My new @slate.com #WhyIsThisSongNo1? article considers the social-media-spawned Alex Warren & his wedding-ready smash “Ordinary.” How did the last year of Teddy Swims & Benson Boone domination help Warren scale the #Hot100? Is this the Jelly Roll–indication of the charts?
Stellar column from @rossonradio.com dissecting 30yrs of #Hot100 No1 debuts & which endure as radio hits. Love Sean’s comparison of UK & US No1 debuts—they do have quirks in common. I was already planning to do something like this on #HitParadePod so I appreciate his insights informed by hard data.
From Michael to Morgan: A Radio History of No. 1 Debuts – RadioInsight
From almost the beginning of rock and roll, songs were debuting at No. 1 on the U.K. charts. The first two were Elvis Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock” and “It’s Now or Never.” Over the years, the list inclu...
radioinsight.com
June 5, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Stellar column from @rossonradio.com dissecting 30yrs of #Hot100 No1 debuts & which endure as radio hits. Love Sean’s comparison of UK & US No1 debuts—they do have quirks in common. I was already planning to do something like this on #HitParadePod so I appreciate his insights informed by hard data.
@tombreihan.bsky.social I imagine you will give this side-eye, but here…posted w/o comment: www.billboard.com/pro/lizzo-se...
(You didn't post about your Lizzo #NumberOnes entry on Monday, right? Good article, even if I like the song a lot more than you.)
(You didn't post about your Lizzo #NumberOnes entry on Monday, right? Good article, even if I like the song a lot more than you.)
Lizzo Says Dancers’ Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Is Attack On Free Speech Rights In New Appeal
Lizzo says a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by her backup dancers is an “attack” on her free speech rights.
www.billboard.com
June 3, 2025 at 5:21 PM
@tombreihan.bsky.social I imagine you will give this side-eye, but here…posted w/o comment: www.billboard.com/pro/lizzo-se...
(You didn't post about your Lizzo #NumberOnes entry on Monday, right? Good article, even if I like the song a lot more than you.)
(You didn't post about your Lizzo #NumberOnes entry on Monday, right? Good article, even if I like the song a lot more than you.)