Big up to you & the #HitParadePod... absolutely loved this episode (it brought back many familiar memories of my own chart obsession during high school in the early 80s). I looked up Rob Durkee's book and it is crazy expensive on AMZ (must be out of print).

Thank you for the #HitParadePod -- I always get excited when it appears in my feed. Loved hearing the origin story and the Casey Kasem backstory. Looking forward for what's next! PS I actually do use song titles and lyrics in my academic papers, but haven't cited you quite yet.

Hit Parade’s Origin Story—and a Long-Distance Dedication to Casey Kasem. What makes a person want to track these rankings? Why do we care about what—or who—is No. 1?

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:

The Pop-Chart Column That Isn’t Afraid to Ask: Why Is This Song No. 1? The Hot 100 has never been more accurate than it is today.

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.

Hit Parade’s Origin Story—and a Long-Distance Dedication to Casey Kasem. What makes a person want to track these rankings? Why do we care about what—or who—is No. 1?

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.

Nashville Turned Its Back on Two Country-Pop Upstarts. Then Hollywood Came Knocking. Long before Taylor Swift and Morgan Wallen, Olivia Newton-John and John Denver took country roads to pop superstardom.

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:

They Were Country When Crossovers Weren’t Cool Can you believe she was magic? Music journalist David Cantwell on Olivia Newton-John’s trailblazing country-pop crossover campaign.

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.

Excellent episode! Also excellent #HitParadePod last month. Lots of memories came flooding back, including this display at Lou’s Records (north San Diego county) that was put up just prior to the Blackstar release

Slate's Hit Parade: Country Roads and Summer Nights Edition

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:

Nashville Turned Its Back on Two Country-Pop Upstarts. Then Hollywood Came Knocking. Long before Taylor Swift and Morgan Wallen, Olivia Newton-John and John Denver took country roads to pop superstardom.

Almost heaven/hopelessly devoted: My new #HitParadePod episode—now live on @slate.com—is on John Denver & Olivia Newton-John, titans of ’70s pop who crossed over via country & tangled w/Nashville. They went Hollywood, then took different paths—she aerobicized…he went full Muppet. Embrace the mellow.

Bowie Built His Fame by Knowing When to Be an Oddity and When to Dance How rock’s freakiest alien built his pop stardom through a series of ch-ch-ch-changes.

Also! While #HitParadePod –The Bridge episodes are only for Slate Plus members, non-Plus listeners can now hear Part 2 of our January episode celebrating David Bowie—Starman…soulman…art-rocker & Blackstar. We walk through 8 chart phases of Bowie—he kept finding ways to ch-ch-change. Pts1&2 are here:

David Bowie Invented Eras Before the Eras Tour Music journalist Chris O’Leary says Bowie’s biggest musical legacy might not be a song or a sound, but his lifelong pursuit of reinvention.

On a new #HitParadePod –The Bridge, now live on @slate.com, my guest @bowiesongs.bsky.social says David Bowie both wanted hits & wanted to stay weird…worshipped jazz & American Black music…& had Eras years before Taylor dreamed it up. Plus…trivia—and a next-episode preview that fills up your senses.

I’m not even a metalhead & this is delightful—good for #Megadeth. This is 10yrs almost to the week after Bowie scored his only No1 LP ★. Of course I have Bowie on the brain cuz of my latest #HitParadePod, but turns out there’s a chart connection, as per the article: www.billboard.com/music/chart-...

Another great #HitParadePod from @cmolanphy.bsky.social for sure!

Bowie Built His Fame by Knowing When to Be an Oddity and When to Dance How rock’s freakiest alien built his pop stardom through a series of ch-ch-ch-changes.

The song they’re playing on the radio: my new #HitParadePod on @slate.com is a celebration of #Bowie —Starman, soulman, art-rocker & Blackstar. How’d his personae overlap w/his aspirations? I walk thru 8 chart phases of Bowie—glam…funk…new wave…altrock…even jazz—he kept finding ways to ch-ch-change.

For Nearly a Century, Hollywood Has Left Its Mark on the Pop Charts Movie soundtracks have sometimes eclipsed the films that inspired them in the first place.

December 2025: Hooked to the Silver Screen Edition—a history of movie soundtracks from Bing&Judy to Barbie&Huntr/x. How did The Graduate reboot movie music in the ’60s, Flashdance in the ’80s? Will KPop Demon Hunters spark a soundtrack comeback? Come to this place for magic. #HitParadePod @slate.com

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.

November 2025: Pour Some Sugar on Me Edition—how superproducer “Mutt” Lange, the mystery man of arena-rocking überpop, built an anthemic sound across genres: AC/DC to the Cars, Foreigner to Billy Ocean, Def Leppard to Shania Twain. A fast machine, Mutt kept his motor clean. #HitParadePod @slate.com

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.

October 2025: If You Love Sting, Set Him Free Edition—how Sting became the jazzy pop-generator who kept getting paid. In the Police he blended reggae+new wave. Solo, he tried classical, funk, rap…even Raï. On your radio or as a sample, every little thing Sting does is magic. #HitParadePod @slate.com

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.

September 2025: Toppermost of the Poppermost Edition—a 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” or “Vampire,” there’s a “Trollz.” #HitParadePod @slate.com

The History of Novelty Songs on the Charts, From the Big Bopper to Tiny Tim to Weird Al Parodists and stand-ups were big record sellers at rock’s birth, and comedy helped spawn rap … and the career of one accordion-playing weirdo.

August 2025: White and Nerdy Edition—in honor of Weird Al’s summer tour, an encore of our beloved HP history of novelty, parody & comedy hits. From the early rockers about cavemen, bathtubs, bikinis & mothers-in-law thru 21st-c. memes, hilarious hits have brought the funny. #HitParadePod @slate.com

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.

July 2025: Here’s the Beef Edition—a history of diss tracks, which predate hip-hop, even rock. From Eddie Cantor bitching about “Bananas” to Carly Simon puncturing that “Vain” dude…an army of Roxanne,Roxannes or K-dot ethering Drake…beef on wax has served up piping-hot hits. #HitParadePod @slate.com

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.

June 2025: Mighty Real Edition—how queer artists navigated the charts while navigating the closet. We celebrate #LGBTQ+ hitmakers who shaped how pop sounds, signifies, shimmies+shakes—Little Richard to Lil Nas X, Dusty Springfield to Sylvester, Boy George to Chappell Roan. 🏳️‍🌈 #HitParadePod @slate.com

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.

May 2025: All Apologies Edition—how Generation X brought the left of the dial to the middle of the road and made ’90s alternative rock our bizarro Top 40, from Cobain to Creed. How did grunge become post-grunge and the new pop? Come as you are—back when Losers were winners. #HitParadePod @slate.com

Rihanna Was a 21st Century Chart-topper Before (Maybe?) Bowing Out of the Game The Barbadian singer bombarded the charts in the 2000s and 2010s, recalling the heyday of prolific hit machines like the Supremes.

April 2025: Only Girl in the World Edition—how Rihanna became the millennium’s most prolific hitmaker before she bowed out of the game. Rih dropped more music in a decade than most acts do in two, rebooting the old Motown model for a new age. Find love in a hopeless place. #HitParadePod @slate.com

Forget Woodstock and the Summer of Love. This is What the ‘60s Really Sounded Like. A decade known for revolutionary sounds was a lot cornier than you might think.

March 2025: Singing Nuns and Green Tambourines Edition—how the ’60s were misremembered. We walk thru the real hits from “Dominique” to “Dizzy”…“Sukiyaki” to “Somethin’ Stupid” & I identify 5 categories of forgotten hits. The big Boomer decade was more Mad Men than Big Chill. #HitParadePod @slate.com

Pet Shop Boys Coined This Term. In the ‘80s, Madonna Embodied It. There’s success—and then there’s unstoppable, do-no-wrong success. Here’s how to know when an artist is “imperial.”

February 2025: Material Girl in an Imperial World Edition—what is an Imperial phase? How pop stars reach that all-is-gold career moment—from Beatles to Taylor…Bee Gees to Gaga. I offer 8 Imperial rules & go deep on a legendary Imperial phase—Madonna’s record ’80s hit streak. #HitParadePod @slate.com

‘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.

January 2025: The Freewheelin’ Edition—how Bob Dylan started topping the charts a decade *after* the biopic ends. We walk through his chart career decade by decade—from his electric ’60s and rocking ’70s, through his vibey ’90s and trickster ’00s. Get tangled up in Bob. #HitParadePod @slate.com

All my thanks to #HitParadePod listeners & subscribers for enjoying my labor of love in 2025 (+a special shoutout to the @slate.com Plus community). As always, we covered a lot—spanning genres and decades. Now’s a good time to catch up on any Hit Parade episodes you missed! slate.com/podcasts/hit...

For Nearly a Century, Hollywood Has Left Its Mark on the Pop Charts Movie soundtracks have sometimes eclipsed the films that inspired them in the first place.

Also! As always, non–Slate Plus listeners can now hear Part 2 of my latest full-length #HitParadePod episode. This month it’s our show on the history of movie soundtracks—from Bing & Judy to Barbie & Huntr/x. How’d The Graduate reboot movie music in the ’60s. Flashdance in the ’80s? Pts1&2 are here:

The Year in Music, From Bad Bunny’s Imperial Phase to Gaga’s Mayhem to the Ascendance of Geese. The unanimity of DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS. Plus: Rosalia’s lush Lux, the irresistible KPop Demon Hunters, and the polarizing power of Getting Killed.

You know together we're glowing: Now live in your @slate.com podcast feed @carlzoilus.bsky.social takes over #HitParadePod –The Bridge to host a year-end Slate Music Club w/guests @jawnita.bsky.social @lindsayzoladz.bsky.social & me. We talk ’25 from Bad Bunny & Rosalía to Gaga & KPop Demon Hunters.