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.
Also! While #HitParadePod –The Bridge episodes are only for Slate Plus members, non-Plus listeners can now hear Pt2 of our October episode on Sting, the hook machine trying everything from punk to funk…swing to symphonies…reggae to Raï. Every little tune he wrote was chart magic. Parts 1&2 are here:
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
November 2, 2025 at 5:56 AM
Also! While #HitParadePod –The Bridge episodes are only for Slate Plus members, non-Plus listeners can now hear Pt2 of our October episode on Sting, the hook machine trying everything from punk to funk…swing to symphonies…reggae to Raï. Every little tune he wrote was chart magic. Parts 1&2 are here:
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.
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.
Thanks to @cmolanphy.bsky.social and #HitParadePod for bringing this column to life about the varying things that being #1 means these days. #AT40
In Part2 of my latest #HitParadePod on the history of No1 debuts (link below) I used data gathered by @rossonradio.com to track how songs that opened atop #Hot100 do on the air now. In the June week Sean checked the stats “Trollz” got 3 radio spins. I’d love to know who still plays that shit at all.
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 22, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Thanks to @cmolanphy.bsky.social and #HitParadePod for bringing this column to life about the varying things that being #1 means these days. #AT40
Touched by this email from #HitParadePod listener @akoseff.bsky.social +impressed by his essay ranking all 66 Grammy AotY winners. I’m sharing the post cuz his writing is sharp. I wouldn’t rank the albums exactly the same—neither would you—but it’s respectable: daily-cut.blogspot.com/2024/12/ever...
December 29, 2024 at 11:26 PM
Touched by this email from #HitParadePod listener @akoseff.bsky.social +impressed by his essay ranking all 66 Grammy AotY winners. I’m sharing the post cuz his writing is sharp. I wouldn’t rank the albums exactly the same—neither would you—but it’s respectable: daily-cut.blogspot.com/2024/12/ever...
On a new #HitParadePod—The Bridge, Tom Nawrocki, who blogged about 50 years of instrumental hits, says wordless hitmakers tend to be #OneHitWonders, but instrumentalists with pop hooks and personality can come back. Plus, trivia…and a next-episode preview that wants to be sedated.
How Instrumentals Become Novelties
Instrumentalists tend to get into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as “sidemen,” says writer Tom Nawrocki. But a distinctive style can make them legends.
slate.com
September 29, 2023 at 10:25 PM
On a new #HitParadePod—The Bridge, Tom Nawrocki, who blogged about 50 years of instrumental hits, says wordless hitmakers tend to be #OneHitWonders, but instrumentalists with pop hooks and personality can come back. Plus, trivia…and a next-episode preview that wants to be sedated.
April 2023: The British Are Charting Edition—a comparison of two British Invasions in two decades, ’60s & ’80s—from the Beatles to Duran Duran,Kinks to Eurythmics. Why did America fall for Cool Britannia twice? The beat…suits…synths…hair—it all mattered. #HitParadePod slate.com/podcasts/hit...
December 31, 2023 at 9:50 PM
April 2023: The British Are Charting Edition—a comparison of two British Invasions in two decades, ’60s & ’80s—from the Beatles to Duran Duran,Kinks to Eurythmics. Why did America fall for Cool Britannia twice? The beat…suits…synths…hair—it all mattered. #HitParadePod slate.com/podcasts/hit...
Also! While #HitParadePod – The Bridge episodes are only for Slate Plus members,non-Plus listeners can now hear Pt2 of our June show on king producer Quincy Jones—how he went from helming records for Ray & Frank to Aretha & Chaka before he even met Michael. Pts1&2 are here: slate.com/podcasts/hit...
Quincy Jones Was Pop’s Master Producer.
Everyone wanted to work with Quincy Jones, from Ray Charles to Frank Sinatra to Aretha Franklin—all before he even met Michael Jackson.
slate.com
June 29, 2024 at 6:24 PM
Also! While #HitParadePod – The Bridge episodes are only for Slate Plus members,non-Plus listeners can now hear Pt2 of our June show on king producer Quincy Jones—how he went from helming records for Ray & Frank to Aretha & Chaka before he even met Michael. Pts1&2 are here: slate.com/podcasts/hit...
What else should we be? My new #HitParadePod on @slate.com covers ’90s alt-rock from Cobain to Creed. How did GenX bring the left of the dial to the middle of the road & make Modern Rock our bizarro Top 40? How’d grunge become post-grunge & the new pop? Come as you are—back when Losers were winners.
From Cobain to Creed, How Alt-Rock Went Mainstream in the ‘90s
Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam led an explosion in alt-rock that brought the underground to the surface.
slate.com
May 17, 2025 at 8:36 PM
What else should we be? My new #HitParadePod on @slate.com covers ’90s alt-rock from Cobain to Creed. How did GenX bring the left of the dial to the middle of the road & make Modern Rock our bizarro Top 40? How’d grunge become post-grunge & the new pop? Come as you are—back when Losers were winners.
How does it FEEL? My 1st #HitParadePod of 2025 on @slate.bsky.social is about #BobDylan. The biopic ends@mid-’60s before Dylan scored any of his big hits. So I walk thru his chart career by decade—from his rocking ’70s thru his vibey ’90s & trickster ’00s. Now’s a good time to get tangled up in Bob.
‘A Complete Unknown’ Depicts Dylan’s Rise in the ‘60s. His Chart Success Came Years Later.
In the ’60s, Bob Dylan was folk’s “it” boy and a songwriting jukebox. His chart-topping records came in the decades that followed.
slate.com
January 18, 2025 at 9:10 PM
How does it FEEL? My 1st #HitParadePod of 2025 on @slate.bsky.social is about #BobDylan. The biopic ends@mid-’60s before Dylan scored any of his big hits. So I walk thru his chart career by decade—from his rocking ’70s thru his vibey ’90s & trickster ’00s. Now’s a good time to get tangled up in Bob.
Just a heads-up to #HitParadePod fans who were using Stitcher, which shuts down tomorrow (29th)—there are many ways to listen! Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Overcast or anywhere else you find podcasts. And thanks so much for being a loyal listener!
Hit Parade
What makes a song a smash? Talent? Luck? Timing? All that—and more.
slate.com
August 28, 2023 at 11:54 AM
Just a heads-up to #HitParadePod fans who were using Stitcher, which shuts down tomorrow (29th)—there are many ways to listen! Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Overcast or anywhere else you find podcasts. And thanks so much for being a loyal listener!
It’s Music’s Strangest Night™! My new #HitParadePod episode takes on #Grammys history & the charts—are the awards really all about the art? Hot take—maybe it’s better when the popular stuff wins: Carole, Stevie, Fleetwood Mac, Michael, Adele, Taylor. Plus…5 guidelines that could bring #justice4Bey.
Grammys Coronate Big Hits—and That’s OK.
If the Grammys are supposed to be about art, not charts, why do they reward big hits so often? You know, is that such a bad thing?
slate.com
January 13, 2024 at 9:38 PM
It’s Music’s Strangest Night™! My new #HitParadePod episode takes on #Grammys history & the charts—are the awards really all about the art? Hot take—maybe it’s better when the popular stuff wins: Carole, Stevie, Fleetwood Mac, Michael, Adele, Taylor. Plus…5 guidelines that could bring #justice4Bey.
Here’s the #HitParadePod episode where I discuss the legacy of the Journey song (and many other “legacy hits”).
Legacy Hits Are Flops-Turned-Classics
You’d never guess that the most beloved songs by Elton John, Etta James, the Romantics, Dolly Parton, and Talking Heads missed the Top 40 at first.
slate.com
November 28, 2023 at 9:38 PM
Here’s the #HitParadePod episode where I discuss the legacy of the Journey song (and many other “legacy hits”).
Also! While #HitParadePod —The Bridge episodes are only for Slate Plus members, non-Plus listeners can now hear Pt2 of our May episode on ’90s alt-rock—how it went mainstream as we went from Cobain to Creed. How did grunge explode—and how’d punk/ska/nü-metal/post-grunge benefit? Parts 1&2 are here:
From Cobain to Creed, How Alt-Rock Went Mainstream in the ‘90s
Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam led an explosion in alt-rock that brought the underground to the surface.
slate.com
May 31, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Also! While #HitParadePod —The Bridge episodes are only for Slate Plus members, non-Plus listeners can now hear Pt2 of our May episode on ’90s alt-rock—how it went mainstream as we went from Cobain to Creed. How did grunge explode—and how’d punk/ska/nü-metal/post-grunge benefit? Parts 1&2 are here:
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.”
Hey! If you happen to be a Slate Plus subscriber, please check out this week's installment of #HitParadePod to hear me talk about U2 with @cmolanphy.bsky.social slate.com/podcasts/hit...
U2 Always Knew They Were Rock Stars.
U2 observer and critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine says the Irish quartet were never much of a punk-rock band—but they did pick up where The Clash left off.
slate.com
October 28, 2024 at 7:49 PM
Hey! If you happen to be a Slate Plus subscriber, please check out this week's installment of #HitParadePod to hear me talk about U2 with @cmolanphy.bsky.social slate.com/podcasts/hit...
Interesting to focus this #Oscars tribute to Quincy Jones on ‘The Wiz,’ the film on which he met Michael Jackson.
For a deeper dive on Q. here’s my #HitParadePod episode from last June on his one-of-a-kind career: slate.com/podcasts/hit...
For a deeper dive on Q. here’s my #HitParadePod episode from last June on his one-of-a-kind career: slate.com/podcasts/hit...
Quincy Jones Was Pop’s Master Producer.
Everyone wanted to work with Quincy Jones, from Ray Charles to Frank Sinatra to Aretha Franklin—all before he even met Michael Jackson.
slate.com
March 3, 2025 at 3:16 AM
Interesting to focus this #Oscars tribute to Quincy Jones on ‘The Wiz,’ the film on which he met Michael Jackson.
For a deeper dive on Q. here’s my #HitParadePod episode from last June on his one-of-a-kind career: slate.com/podcasts/hit...
For a deeper dive on Q. here’s my #HitParadePod episode from last June on his one-of-a-kind career: slate.com/podcasts/hit...
August 2023: Shake It Like a Polaroid Picture Edition—how OutKast moved rap’s center of gravity from the coasts to the ATL and turned hip-hop into everything music. (This 2020 Slate Plus–exclusive episode is now available to all listeners.) #HitParadePod slate.com/podcasts/hit...
December 31, 2023 at 9:52 PM
August 2023: Shake It Like a Polaroid Picture Edition—how OutKast moved rap’s center of gravity from the coasts to the ATL and turned hip-hop into everything music. (This 2020 Slate Plus–exclusive episode is now available to all listeners.) #HitParadePod slate.com/podcasts/hit...
Toot-toot! Hey. Beep-beep! My new Slate #HitParadePod is about that crazy musical national pastime, #SongOfTheSummer. When did we decide there was one hot-weather hit to rule them all? And what are the best SotSs from the ’60s to the ’10s—“Light My Fire” to “Call Me Maybe”? slate.com/podcasts/hit...
Song of the Summer Is America’s pastime.
“Summer in the City.” “I Feel the Earth Move.” "Bette Davis Eyes." “Get Lucky.” “Espresso.” None of these hits was Billboard’s official Song of the Summer.
slate.com
July 14, 2024 at 5:04 PM
Toot-toot! Hey. Beep-beep! My new Slate #HitParadePod is about that crazy musical national pastime, #SongOfTheSummer. When did we decide there was one hot-weather hit to rule them all? And what are the best SotSs from the ’60s to the ’10s—“Light My Fire” to “Call Me Maybe”? slate.com/podcasts/hit...
It’s the Music Club and It's a Podcast So Different but Still Music Club: live in your #HitParadePod feed, @carlzoilus.bsky.social & I rebooted the @slate.bsky.social Music Club as a conversation w/ @annkpowers.bsky.social & @jawnita.bsky.social. We talk ’24 from Kendrick to Taylor…Charli to Doechii
Slate’s Music Club Visits the Hit Parade Podcast for a Look Back at 2024.
Our panel of music critics discuss their favorite albums of the year, from Charli to Doechii.
slate.com
December 28, 2024 at 7:46 PM
It’s the Music Club and It's a Podcast So Different but Still Music Club: live in your #HitParadePod feed, @carlzoilus.bsky.social & I rebooted the @slate.bsky.social Music Club as a conversation w/ @annkpowers.bsky.social & @jawnita.bsky.social. We talk ’24 from Kendrick to Taylor…Charli to Doechii
On a new #HitParadePod “The Bridge” @matoswk.bsky.social—author of the definitive book on 1984 hits—says crossover made the year great, as rockers after ‘Thriller’ packed LPs w/would-be hits & tried to made us all dance. Plus, trivia…and a preview that don’t mean ta bug ya. slate.com/podcasts/hit...
1984 Music Was All About Crossover.
The author of the definitive book on 1984's music says after Thriller, pop stars believed multiple hits across genres were possible—so they went for it.
slate.com
September 29, 2024 at 9:22 PM
On a new #HitParadePod “The Bridge” @matoswk.bsky.social—author of the definitive book on 1984 hits—says crossover made the year great, as rockers after ‘Thriller’ packed LPs w/would-be hits & tried to made us all dance. Plus, trivia…and a preview that don’t mean ta bug ya. slate.com/podcasts/hit...
Thanks to #HitParadePod listeners who’ve been enjoying and sending kind words about our most recent episode on the genius of Aretha Franklin. For those who’ve been asking, our accompanying Spotify playlist is now live—find it on the @slate.bsky.social show page for the episode, or right here.
Slate's Hit Parade: Say a Little Prayer Edition
open.spotify.com
December 5, 2024 at 2:24 PM
Thanks to #HitParadePod listeners who’ve been enjoying and sending kind words about our most recent episode on the genius of Aretha Franklin. For those who’ve been asking, our accompanying Spotify playlist is now live—find it on the @slate.bsky.social show page for the episode, or right here.
Um…wow! Kyle Gordon—a.k.a. DJ Crazy Times, the guy who did #PlanetOfTheBass, the awesome parody ’90s pop house song that’s been blowing up on social all month—reveals in this Slate article that he’s…a huge #HitParadePod fan?! I’m seriously flattered. 🪐🎚️🕺🏽
August 17, 2023 at 8:30 AM
Um…wow! Kyle Gordon—a.k.a. DJ Crazy Times, the guy who did #PlanetOfTheBass, the awesome parody ’90s pop house song that’s been blowing up on social all month—reveals in this Slate article that he’s…a huge #HitParadePod fan?! I’m seriously flattered. 🪐🎚️🕺🏽