Honestly the Albini-ness is the best thing about it—a pencil sketch of a song. I know…it’s Bush, what do I expect? But like, “Glycerine,” dopey lyrics & all, was a full song. This feels like a blueprint framed up by Albini into Pixies-slash–PJHarvey cosplay. I don’t hate it…but not much there there.
As part of Slate’s commemoration of my 100th episode of #HitParadePod, this week EIC Hillary Frey interviewed me for her weekly Friday email to Slate Plus members. It was fun reminiscing about how charts have changed, why Casey Kasem mattered, favorite HP episodes and my recent musical comfort food.
I’m surprised you resisted the temptation to dunk on Abel for his acting in ‘The Idol,’ but I suppose there’ll be ample time for that when you get to his next No1. Hell, the next Ariana duet probably predates both ‘The Idol’ & ‘Wicked.’
Thx for infusing this w/your personal story—you’re the ideal age to have had honest Sublime fandom. In my mid-20s I knew this was Not For Me—but I did put “What I Got” on my GF’s ’97 mixtape. Also, I have friends ~a decade younger & can’t count the no. of karaoke “Santeria” renditions they’ve done.
This ranking is fun but w/all due respect to @augetoffmygold.bsky.social & the Billboard gang, ranking JT’s “SexyBack” No1 & the still-superior, Pitchfork-poptimism totem “My Love” No37 is revisionist madness (not like opinion changed in 20yrs—cf @tombreihan.bsky.social’s ratings on The Number Ones)
Thx for filling out the Polo picture—both how we should classify him (drill seemed off to me, too) & why he fell off after I wrote about “Rapstar.” There’s also something in his story re:how ’21 now feels like the tail end of late-’10s emo rap & how it got swamped by country & electropop this decade
Also! While #HitParadePod –The Bridge episodes are only for Slate Plus members, non-Plus listeners can now hear Pt2 of our March show celebrating our milestone 100th episode. I tell the story of chart king Casey Kasem—how he launched AT40, created the LDD & survived a Dead Dog tape. Pts1&2 are here:
On a new #HitParadePod –The Bridge, my guest @slate.com editor Forrest Wickman says the trick of both my podcast & column #WhyIsThisSongNo1? is making connections between modern chart-toppers & hits of yore—an Archies-to-Huntr/x continuum. Plus—Casey Kasem trivia & words of gratitude from your host.
If you missed it last week, check out our annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Voter's Guide episode - this year with an actual voter!!! Special thanks to @cmolanphy.bsky.social for guesting while in town for PopCon at USC
In ’92 a ‘Man Called E’ promo landed at my college music mag & a few of us were momentarily entranced. Playing “Hello Cruel World” today I now realize Everett always had that Beck–manqué voice…even before Beck. So…between ’92 to ’96, basically the Zeitgeist caught up w/him. Nice how that worked out.
Huge thanks for this flattering post— “publish what is essentially an academic essay that speaks to a general audience” is my exact goal. ☺️
Billboard Bildungsroman: For the 100th episode of #HitParadePod on @slate.com I go deep on my chart-geek history. Part 1: my musical memoir, Solid Gold to Nirvana. Part 2: the story of Casey Kasem, original #AmericanTop40 host—how he nationalized countdowns, invented the LDD & survived the Dead Dog.
I joined @djlouiexiv.bsky.social on his #PopPantheon podcast along with pop critic @popsamcam.bsky.social to debate the past & current state of the #Hot100 and what a No1 hit means. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...
It was a blast joining the #BeyondYachtRock gang—
@jdryznar.bsky.social @hollywoodsteve.bsky.social Hunter & Dave—in the Fart Dungeon™ for a #RockHall ballot podcast chat. What genre is Billy Idol? Why can’t we agree on Mariah? Why do JD & NO belong together? And why does everybody diss the Crowes?
To me the great in-joke of “LtDO” is it’s a loose answer record to R&B king Teddy Pendergrass’s ’78 seduction classic “Close the Door.”
(Which is retroactively ironic cuz as we speak Miley C’s lawyers are trying to dismiss a case arguing that her answer record to a Bruno Mars song isn’t plagiarism.)
If "Sinners" had won would the ending sketch be Conan meeting Buddy Guy in '90s Starter jacket clothes
Y’know what would be *really* on the nose? If she made a documentary about herself, wrote a song for that, and the music branch nominated even THAT song. Hahahahaha, that would be so crass…
Oh, wait.
Here’s the other #Oscars podcast chat I took part in w/the #BelowTheLine gang. In this episode Louis Weeks, Tom Peyton & I talk Best Song: Can Diane Warren be stopped? Is the 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘋𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 song extra-dreamy? Can the 𝘚𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 song pull an upset…or should we give Team 𝘒𝘗𝘰𝘱 𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 the statue now?
Like you I find 311 stupid but can’t hate them (I agree their riffage is pretty legit). However I’m wondering if we should blame them more for what came next. In my Pitchfork piece on alt-chart history I posited the song you’re covering in 4wks as the turning point—but 311’s template hit No1 first.🤔
I’m back playing #Oscars pundit on the music categories for #BelowTheLine podcast. First up…Best Score—Louis Weeks, Jennie Armon & I discuss: Will the Academy go for 𝘉𝘶𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘢 weirdness or 𝘍𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘪𝘯 lushness? Why’s 𝘏𝘢𝘮𝘯𝘦𝘵’s best tune ineligible? And does Göransson have the prize locked for 𝘚𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴?
P.S. Shout-out to the always spot-on @natalieweiner.bsky.social for her recent @billboard.com analysis of what Langley+Moroney atop the pop charts means for women in country. I cited & quoted Natalie directly in my @slate.com piece.
Two-steppin' round the room: my new #WhyIsThisSongNo1? on @slate.com is about “Choosin’ Texas,” Ella Langley’s country smash that’s improbably tops@pop—the 1st song by a woman to top #Hot100, Hot Country +Country Airplay (a decade after #Tomatogate). How did Ella go where even Dolly&Taylor couldn’t?
wrote a little about Langley/Moroney and What It All Means in my latest for @billboard.com ! www.billboard.com/music/countr...
Thanks for the shoutout. A quibble: “Montero” was in fact a solid radio hit—No3 across formats (29wk run on Radio Songs)+No1 at pop radio (30wk run). That was a pleasant surprise when I researched my “Old Town Road” book—Nas’s 2021 followups were all embraced in places where the video didn’t matter.
Also! While #HitParadePod –The Bridge episodes are only for Slate Plus members, non-Plus listeners can now hear Part 2 of our February episode on John Denver+Olivia Newton-John—’70s crossover titans whose careers ran parallel as they pivoted country to pop…Rocky Mountains to Xanadu. Pts1&2 are here:
On a new #HitParadePod –The Bridge, live on @slate.com, my guest @cantkill.bsky.social says Olivia Newton-John & John Denver were just part of a ’70s country-to-pop crossover wave, as Nashville acts covered a slew of rock&pop hits. Plus trivia…and a next-episode preview that’s ready for a milestone.
It's all right…dancing through the lightning strikes: my latest #WhyIsThisSongNo1? on @slate.com is about “Opalite,” which gives Taylor her first followup No1 hit since her ‘1989’ heyday. How did the celeb-studded video & clever sales tactics push it to the top? And why does it deserve to be there?
Always a delight to join @augetoffmygold.bsky.social on @billboard.com’s Greatest Pop Stars podcast. This time, for Andrew’s Vintage Pop Stars series, I’m on to talk about David Bowie’s ’83—his commercial peak. How well do hits like “Let’s Dance” & “Modern Love” hold up? Has “China Girl” aged badly?
Thanks to #HitParadePod listeners who’ve been sending kind words about our Feb episode on John Denver+Olivia Newton-John—the Patient(s) Zero of pop-to-country crossover. For those who’ve asked, our accompanying Spotify playlist is now live—find it on the @slate.com show page for the episode…or here:
