Slate Archives - Page 21 of 33

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

Slate Why Is This Song No. 1?

Why It Took an Inflatable Butt for Lizzo to Finally Score Her First No. 1

6 September 201921 September 2019

The singer has long been a hit with parents. “Truth Hurts” finally won over their kids. Tweet Share Comment <img src="https://compote.slate.com/images/51fb9b74-0ef8-4e08-9bff-6b7b76e582cb.jpeg?width=780&height=520&rect=1560x1040&offset=0x0" alt="Lizzo onstage at Coachella." /> Photo illustration by Slate. Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Coachella. Recently in Music America’s New Favorite Song Cements This as the Summer of Gen Z Taylor Swift’s [...] Read more

Slate Why Is This Song No. 1?

America’s New Favorite Song Cements This as the Summer of Gen Z

30 August 201921 September 2019

No one older than 22 has topped the Hot 100 since April. If singer-slash–nonthreatening boy Shawn Mendes got to choose a day in his life to relive over and over—as a wistful, horny Bill Murray longs to do in Groundhog Day—I’ll bet he would choose Monday, Aug. 26, 2019. Mendes’ awesome day climaxed on the MTV [...] Read more

Hit Parade Slate

Hit Parade: We Are Stardust, We Are Gold-Certified Edition

30 August 201921 September 2019

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

Slate Why Is This Song No. 1?

How Billie Eilish Brought Lil Nas X to the End of the “Road”

22 August 201921 September 2019

The 17-year-old singer followed the new rules for pop success—and held on till X couldn’t no more. Does anybody remember Jay Sean? Ten years ago, this British singer, born to Sikh parents, blended Bhangra and R&B and topped Billboard’s Hot 100 with a chirpy, Auto-Tuned hip-hop ditty called “Down.” Featuring a bridge rapped by the [...] Read more

Hit Parade Slate

The Bridge: Nostalgic for No. 1s

16 August 201921 September 2019

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

Slate Why Is This Song No. 1?

How “Old Town Road” Became the Longest-Running No. 1 in Hot 100 History

29 July 201921 September 2019

Music It wasn’t just the controversy, the memes, or all those remixes. By Chris Molanphy July 29, 20194:34 PM Tweet Share Comment In the nearly four months since I last had a new No. 1 hit to write about for Slate, there have been moments, I’ll admit, when I wondered whether Lil Nas X’s [...] Read more

Hit Parade Slate

Hit Parade: Without the Beatles Edition

26 July 201921 September 2019

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

Hit Parade Slate

The Bridge: Farewell, Lilith Fan

19 July 201921 September 2019

A new female-focused concert series could include alt-rockers like Alanis Morisette and rising hip-hop stars like Lizzo. <audio title="Podcast audio player" src="https://traffic.megaphone.fm/SLT8618809515.mp3" class="audio-player" tabindex="0" preload="metadata" controls></audio> <iframe title="Podcast audio player" src="https://player.megaphone.fm/SLT8618809515?light=true" frameborder="no" height="200" scrolling="no" width="100%"></iframe> Get More Hit Parade Slate Plus members get extended, ad-free versions of our podcasts—and much more. Sign up today and [...] Read more

Hit Parade Slate

Hit Parade: The Lullaby of Broadway Edition

28 June 20194 July 2019

Hit Parade Music from Broadway used to top the charts before rock and rap made the musical old hat—but show tunes are making a comeback. By Chris Molanphy June 28, 201910:17 AM Tweet Share Listen to Hit Parade: <iframe src="https://player.megaphone.fm/SLT1487097838?light=true" frameborder="no" height="200" scrolling="no" width="100%"></iframe> Get More Hit Parade Slate Plus members get extended, ad-free [...] Read more