The Hit Parade podcast frequently blows me away, and I passionately hate most podcasts. It begins with Chris Molanphy’s deep research and exquisite writing. His obvious love of pop music and genuine respect for a range of artists and genres comes through—qualified by his dislike of Bon Jovi. Please note that I’m using the term “pop” music in the practical British sense—not the usually condescending American usage. The quality scripts are reinforced by excellent narration, an outstanding choice of clips, and balanced audio. I’d highlight the Tramps Like Us episode about Bruce Springsteen for the quality of the writing. Plus The Ride ‘til I can’t No More episode detailing how Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” exploded on the scene to show how Chris—a confessed 80’s kid—can address a variety of genres.

In all honesty, this is one of my favorite podcasts. The host pulls together so much information together to create a cohesive and well thought out narrative like very few can.

I love this podcast and am a boomer in my 70s. I remember pretty much all of the songs played here, some fondly and some not so fondly (not an Archies fan!). I hope you will one of these days get into some of the "alternative" FM stations that many of us really loved in the late 60s (in Seattle it was KOL-FM, vastly different from KOL-AM). They played some of the best songs of our generation, including from Blind Faith, the Yardbirds, Them, Jethro Tull, and others. Harder to find and keep the signal (yeah, I'm old!) but the DJs were not restricted in what they played and said and to us they were way cooler than the AM stations. Again, great podcast, and I love learning more about all types of music!

If you are a music fan, this podcast is the best. Deep dive into the archive for some classic episodes. I often relisten to them, they are packed with information and highly entertaining. Has helped me expand my music tastes and find new favorites. Chris and this podcast are a treasure.

Literally my #1 podcast! I love music/songs so finding out details about songs and artists is the best! I just discovered HP last year and started at episode 1. I hope it never ends.

This is some thoughtful natter on pop music. Could listen to this endlessly. Chris has a truly keen ear.

Even if you know a ton of music trivia… even if you know the backstory of a ton of musical artists… even if you spent your entire childhood watching MTV, you will learn more than you think about the stories behind hits, hitmakers, the music industry, and our larger culture. And you’ll learn it while hearing snippets of songs and learning why that snippet is more important than you thought 30 seconds earlier. I’ve listened to almost every episode and it has become my favorite thing to listen to on long drives.

If you love music, you will love this podcast. It’s that simple. Smart, funny, insightful, nostalgic. Chris is just so good!

Wish I could hear Casey Kasum ever week again. This podcast is simply amazing. The best episodes are those that I don’t think I won’t like. Every esisode is so informing and entertaining

I love the deep dives in to different eras and genres

Chris is an absolute pro. He stays focused, clean, crisp speaking voice. Such a wealth of music knowledge. I’ve been searching for this podcast for decades. I am reminded of songs I haven’t purchased and find myself expanding my music library with each episode. I also find myself learning something new in each & every episode. Thanks Chris & staff!

Compared to other platforms, Slate is very well funded. During COVID when other podcasts were putting out more content for loyal listeners, Hit Parade hid behind a pay wall. After time it was as split between two episodes two weeks apart, but now that two weeks is sometimes more. Other podcasts similar to Hit Parade release Spotify playlists to accompany the episodes, Hit Parade does not. This is a well researched and hosted podcast, but Slate can easily make it more accessible.

So many gems about the history and cross pollination in modern music. Chris is a great narrator and the music clips and facts are woven together perfectly. Not a chart geek, but I love this podcast!

This podcast made me fall in love with chart trivia, but more importantly, The-52’s.

Love this show and its eloquent pop culture references along with the host’s dry wit and turns of phrase. Fascinating and fun listening!

What a wealth of knowledge in each episode. So great to learn so much about music history and artists through the years...

Friend sent me a link to the Oct 2019 episode, and I’m instantly a fan. Can’t wait to listen to them all.

I loved this podcast for years, but as time went on he injected his politics more frequently. I don't want to hear that, from ANY side. It's too bad that EVERYTHING needs to be political.

Fascinating history of pop music and the artists!

Have loved this podcast for a long time! Chris is thorough in his research and I love the music samples, makes for a great listening experience. I always come away having learned something new and more songs added to my library. Keep up the great work!!!

Great show, well-researched, straight to the point, the music plays as it relates to the story and the host isn’t subjecting us to a comedy routine, very very good and entertaining podcast

I haven’t listened to many episodes, but the two-part history of punk rock, “This ain’t no party…” is outrageously thorough. A deep dive into the origin and meaning of “punk.”

I’ve been listening since day one, and this is one podcast that I’ll never get tired of. Every episode is so thoroughly researched and expertly re-contextualizes the artist up for discussion. Never phoned in, includes all the song clips you hope it will… just the best.

I’m a massive Springsteen fan, so I jumped into this podcast because of the pair of Springsteen episodes. From there, I discovered there were other episodes I wanted - the Billy Joel one, the one about the declining interest in the single, more and more. It’s never just an overview of an artist’s career - it’s usually the influences, the chart analytics, and what came next. Chris Molanphy’s engaging delivery has something to do with that, too. Soon, I was listening to episodes whose subject matter wasn’t all that familiar to me - the country, rap, and soul episodes, including a 2-hour deep dive into the band (and business) Chic. Soon, I was hooked enough to subscribe to Slate , so I could get my greedy ears on more episodes. Currently, I’m burning through episodes at a clip of 3 a day and I’m going to run out soon enough. As much as I want them to come out more frequently, I’m glad Molanphy and crew take the time to research and produce each episode this well. The best podcast I’ve discovered this year.

I solved the below problem by deleting Apple Podcasts off my iPhone and reinstalling from the App Store. I’ve lost my listening history, but I’m so glad the problem is fixed. Again, extremely weird that this issue only affected Slate Podcasts I *love* Hit Parade. It is by far my favorite podcast, as someone who grew up watching Billboard Hot 100 chart videos, itching for my childhood vh1 video countdowns. Something I’ve noticed across this and another podcast by Slate I adore, “Decoder Ring” — older episodes are no longer loading over my data connection. I have a backlog to get through, and I keep getting “This episode is temporarily unavailable.” This even happened to me in another podcast app, Overcast (the episodes just never load). Podcasts from other creators are loading just fine. Instead of streaming or downloading from my iPhone over data on a whim, I have to download the episodes over Wi-Fi to listen later. Even downloading on my data connection on the Podcasts app isn’t working! (edit: eventually downloading over Wi-Fi stopped working too, which led me to deleting and reinstalling the app) Really hope someone reads this and can help me out. I’ve been listening to Hit Parade for over 5 years and I cannot recommend it enough! I will come back and revise this to 5 stars once I got things back to normal.

Way too many ads, host talks too slowly, which makes him sound condescending. His tone is just really off-putting. Would not recommend.

I have been listening to this podcast for years now, and to me the best thing – above the amazing width that the host uncovers in what would seem to be a shallow, disposable subject – is how he builds on past subjects and podcasts, interlinking everything so that the whole slowly develops into a whole that is greater than the ever-growing sum of its various, occasionally contradictory parts.

I love popular music history but the sanctimonious, self-congratulatory host of this series ruins this podcast. Skip it until they replace this hack.

I listen to a fair number of music podcast! But this one is on a whole other level! Keep up the good work!

No kidding—once I started listening to this podcast, I couldn’t stop. Twelve solid hours! I appreciate how Chris provides social context and examples so even if the episode is not about my genre of music, I stay interested. I’ve shared it with friends and family, too. Since I’m almost 60, the podcast takes me on walks down memory lane, but my daughter loves it, too. Give it a listen—you’ll be glad you did!

Hands down, this is one of the all time best podcasts!! Chris’ music knowledge is absolutely incredible. I consider myself a Billboard geek, but what I know pales in comparison!! I learn so much each and every episode and they’re fun too!

Week after week, that show impresses and amazes me. Deep dives into some of the best music ever made covering all genres and categories. Absolutely brilliant and an absolute pleasure to listen to.

I’ve been listening to Hit Parade since it first started and it’s by far one of my favorite podcasts. I LIVE for Chris Molanphy’s musical knowledge and deadpan dad jokes. I cannot wait for the day when I can flex what I’ve learned from Hit Parade at a bar’s trivia night!

By far my fave podcast. Intelligent, informative, entertaining. very well put together. kudos.

Anyone with even a passing interest in music history would thoroughly enjoy this podcast. I only wish they would do a playlist of all the songs discussed on each episode that I could download after!

Mid fifties guy, this podcast nails i!

It’s a good podcast. If you love music and are interested in what makes one song or genre a “hit” on the charts, how music is influenced, etc this podcast is very informative. The host is incredibly knowledgeable but very dry. It might be better if he had a co host who was a bit looser, funnier. Or maybe an after show for those of us hankering for more humor? Hearing him talk about rap and R&B is inherently funny as it’s like listening to a very white professor/uncle discuss hip hop culture. He does truly love music and appreciates that popular music is worthy when many music critics downplay what charts. I especially love the episodes about Bon Jovi where the host unabashedly hates the band but clearly understands that many people do appreciate them. He validated my fandom of Chic and the influence of Nile Rodges & Bernard Edwards. I look forward to more episodes - the year end 2022 episodes count down all of the year end #1s since Billboard started and it was clear to me that there is so much left to uncover, dissect and discuss about popular music. I’m looking forward to many more years of this podcast. Thank you Chris for what you’ve done so far and what will come.

Just the best most well done podcast . I try to never miss an episode

Such a good podcast. Amazingly researched, well-written, and calmly delivered. I have been a fan of top 40 countdowns since my childhood in the 90a, and I still enjoy following pop music. I really appreciate Chris’s scholarly take on countdowns and music history, and each episode is fascinating. Even episodes that feature genres that aren’t my favorites are great. I especially enjoyed the Point of No Return episode for a deep dive into Freestyle music.

I have never thought much about the Billboard charts - not in my peak pop-listening years (middle school) nor my later music-buying years. Yet I am fascinated by Chris Molanphy’s scholarly, charts-based approach to analyzing musical hits that is both educational and fun to listen to.

Chris Molanphy is a master of writing for audio. The pod's economical layering of music clips with Molanphy's calm, concentrated delivery make for a transporting listening experience. Hit Parade and its bonus episodes for subscribers are not the only reason I subscribe to Slate Plus, but this one show is worth it alone. It also helps me discover and rediscover music. Molanphy's work combines a music expert's enthusiasm and knowledge with a genial voice, and a universe of popular music ranging from this week to the late 1950s. I love hearing him talk to music critics and listeners who call in to bonus episodes because he's smart, modest, kind, broad-minded, and trustworthy.

Keep marching! We love it.

One of the best music-related podcasts; one of my favorite podcasts, period. Bravo to Chris M and all involved in the podcast’s production!

I recently found this wonderful podcast series and am enjoying it from its beginning. I thought I knew a lot about rock/pop, but every episode has information that makes my eyes get big! Wonderfully researched, typical Slate high production values, and such a great escape!

Very informative and in-depth. Kind of wish he had another host or different guests to bounce off of, from time to time, though.

…I respond out loud, “I did.”

As someone who has often felt completely illiterate about cultural history of 20th century popular music, Hit Parade has been a powerful "litterating" agent and as a result listening to each episode is an absolute joy. Written and hosted by Chris Molanphy, Slate's music critic. The podcast highlights chart-topping songs over the 86 years of Billboard. Don't be put off by the topic or Chris's dry delivery. He's a fantastic story teller and every month he paints a masterful picture of a specific artist (or group of artists) and their journey from obscurity to chart success (and often back again). I love this approach because as you listen to more episodes you begin to see the stories interweave and play off each other, as each artist seeks success. This month's two part show on Billy Joel, has been particularly interesting. I've heard his songs thousands of times, but because his music is so diverse, I often never associated it to a single artist. The podcast talks about each of his albums, how Joel became successful, and what it took for him to stay at the top despite often being panned by critics. Highly Recommend!

I have been waiting for what may as well be an entire lifetime for 80's Freestyle Music, its artisits, producers, songs, and influence on mainstream pop artists and their music personnas. Your delivery and refusal to leave off any tidbit of history and recognizing how artistic contributions, big and small, collectively impact those that follow. Thank you so much for such a well researched, detailed, and thoughtfully produced piece of music history, even iff the music industry fails miserably at recognizing Freestyle's importance in influencing their pop music money makers.

Bingeing the podcast after hearing you on Pop Pantheon podcast last year . Thank you for posting the full Billy Joel podcast which was missing on the ITunes feed until today .

Easily the best music podcast I’ve ever listened to. Possibly the best podcast period. Lovingly and thoughtfully researched and written. Chris gives everything a chance, takes everyone’s artistry seriously, but never comes off as humorless.