Chris Molanphy and Aisha Harris talk about the song template Janet Jackson’s producers spun into five hits. <audio title="The Bridge: Rain Sounds and Moody Goths" src="https://traffic.megaphone.fm/SLT3724819272.mp3" class="audio-player" tabindex="0" preload="metadata" controls></audio> <iframe title="The Bridge: Rain Sounds and Moody Goths" src="https://player.megaphone.fm/SLT3724819272?light=true" frameborder="no" height="200" scrolling="no" width="100%"></iframe> View Transcript Listen & Subscribe Choose your preferred player: Apple Podcasts Google [...] Read more

Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation redefined pop style 30 years ago—and generated more hits than any album, ever. <audio title="State of the World Edition" src="https://traffic.megaphone.fm/SLT1902110333.mp3" class="audio-player" tabindex="0" preload="metadata" controls></audio> <iframe title="State of the World Edition" src="https://player.megaphone.fm/SLT1902110333?light=true" frameborder="no" height="200" scrolling="no" width="100%"></iframe> View Transcript Listen & Subscribe Choose your preferred player: Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts TuneIn Spotify Stitcher [...] Read more

How a couple of major hit-makers fulfilled their chart destinies from the ’60s to the ’90s. <audio title="The Bridge: Ladies of the Canyon and the Rhythm Nation" src="https://traffic.megaphone.fm/SLT3707036581.mp3" class="audio-player" tabindex="0" preload="metadata" controls></audio> <iframe title="The Bridge: Ladies of the Canyon and the Rhythm Nation" src="https://player.megaphone.fm/SLT3707036581?light=true" frameborder="no" height="200" scrolling="no" width="100%"></iframe> View Transcript Listen longer Slate Plus members [...] Read more

Sure, Woodstock was a legendary festival—but it also turned several performers into chart-topping stars. <audio title="We Are Stardust, We Are Gold-Certified Edition" src="https://traffic.megaphone.fm/SLT3635412610.mp3" class="audio-player" tabindex="0" preload="metadata" controls></audio> <iframe title="We Are Stardust, We Are Gold-Certified Edition" src="https://player.megaphone.fm/SLT3635412610?light=true" frameborder="no" height="200" scrolling="no" width="100%"></iframe> Listen & Subscribe Choose your preferred player: Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts TuneIn Spotify Stitcher Overcast [...] Read more

How soon is too soon to mine pop’s past for a new hit? <audio title="The Bridge: Nostalgic for No. 1s" src="https://traffic.megaphone.fm/SLT3772466174.mp3" class="audio-player" tabindex="0" preload="metadata" controls></audio> <iframe title="The Bridge: Nostalgic for No. 1s" src="https://player.megaphone.fm/SLT3772466174?light=true" frameborder="no" height="200" scrolling="no" width="100%"></iframe> Listen longer Slate Plus members get ad-free versions of all Slate podcasts, plus extra segments, bonus episodes, and [...] Read more

Only three Lennon-McCartney songs not by the Beatles topped the Hot 100. And they’re all strange. <audio title="Podcast audio player" src="https://traffic.megaphone.fm/SLT9449298010.mp3" class="audio-player" tabindex="0" preload="metadata" controls></audio> <iframe title="Podcast audio player" src="https://player.megaphone.fm/SLT9449298010?light=true" frameborder="no" height="200" scrolling="no" width="100%"></iframe> Listen & Subscribe Choose your preferred player: Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts TuneIn Spotify Stitcher Overcast RSS Feed Get Your Slate Plus [...] Read more