chuck-mangione
Hit ParadeSlate

The Bridge: Feels So Good

Blogger and pop historian Tom Nawrocki says instrumentals were the ultimate novelty hits. Listen & Subscribe Choose your preferred player: Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Stitcher Amazon Music Overcast TuneIn RSS Feed For questions about subscriptions or your Slate Plus feed, check our FAQ. Please enable javascript to get your Slate Plus feeds. All Slate [...] Read more
HerbA-KennyG
Hit ParadeSlate

Hit Parade: Insert Lyrics Here Edition

How instrumental hits topped the charts from the ’50s through the ’70s and why they fell off—well, except for Kenny G. If an instrumental tops the charts, it’s probably an earworm: “Tequila.” “Wipeout.” “Dueling Banjos.” “The Hustle.” “Feels So Good.” “Chariots of Fire.” “Axel F.” You can probably whistle or hum several of those from [...] Read more
oliver-anthony
SlateWhy Is This Song No. 1?

That Welfare-Bashing Country Song Is Still Atop the Charts, but There’s a Silver Lining

Oliver Anthony’s overnight smash shows how passionate niches have taken over the Hot 100. It’s not all bad. At a time of national polarization, a singer-songwriter who has never recorded professionally before scores an improbable chart-topper that finds favor with America Firsters. The artist, a high-school dropout trying to make something of himself, claims to [...] Read more