May 2021 - Chris Molanphy

The versatile Disney star might be the dying genre’s best hope. Tweet Share Comment Tweet Share Comment When Olivia Rodrigo made her much-anticipated appearance on Saturday Night Live two weekends ago, the focus was, overwhelmingly, on the first song she performed, “Drivers License.” Over the winter, that out-of-nowhere chart-topping debut had instantly made her a [...] Read more

Hit Parade Slate

The Bridge: Hip-Hop, Hit Pop

28 May 202129 May 2021

Chris Molanphy and Amy Coddington give Milli Vanilli props as himbo forefathers of rap and pop cross-pollination. In this mini-episode of Hit Parade, host Chris Molanphy is joined by Amherst pop-music professor Amy Coddington to provide some context on how Milli Vanilli helped change the sound of pop music at the turn of the ’80s [...] Read more

Hit Parade Slate

Hit Parade: Blame It on the Feign Edition

20 May 202126 August 2021

Deceitful as they were, Milli Vanill’s blend of rap and dance-pop topped the charts and made a lasting impression. Read more

Slate Why Is This Song No. 1?

Why the Weeknd Had to Use an Old Trick to Score His New No. 1

8 May 20218 May 2021

The singer’s previous chart-topper is so huge that it’s actually become a problem for him. Stories about how DJs have turned underdog records into smash hits are legion, but few hitmaking radio pros have as long a legacy as Gary Guthrie. In 1978, when Guthrie was the program director for Louisville pop station WAKY, he [...] Read more

Slate Why Is This Song No. 1?

All Polo G’s “Rapstar” Needed to Reach No. 1 Was One Great Hook

1 May 20211 May 2021

The song’s riff alone threatened to eclipse the rapper’s entire last album. Imagine if TikTok had existed in the late ’60s: Maybe Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” would’ve been a hit sooner. Zep bassist John Paul Jones has claimed that the band’s guitar god Jimmy Page had the immortal riff for their biggest-ever pop hit [...] Read more