The Bridge: Let Me Be the One

[This edition of my Hit Parade—“The Bridge” bonus series is available to Slate Plus subscribers only. A link to the episode show page is below. To sign up for Plus—and tell Slate that Hit Parade sent you!—visit slate.com/hitparadeplus.]

In this mini-episode of Hit Parade, host Chris Molanphy welcomes Maura Johnston, the eclectic critic and contributor to the Boston Globe and Time magazine. In her study on Latin freestyle dance-pop in the 1980s, Maura pointed out that the music’s themes were surprisingly sad, with an ache that was not unlike goth and synthpop. And freestyle’s penchant for melodramatic ballads meant it was often played alongside hair-metal on the radio, another genre packed with power ballads.

Next, Chris quizzes a Slate Plus listener with some music trivia, gives him a chance to turn the tables with a question of his own, and previews next month’s full-length episode. Slate Plus members can sign up for a chance to be our trivia contestant on a future episode here.

Podcast production by Kevin Bendis.