Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia
Slate PodcastsWhat makes a song a smash? Talent? Luck? Timing? All that—and more. Chris Molanphy, pop-chart analyst and author of Slate’s “Why Is This Song No. 1?” series, tells tales from a half-century of chart history. Through storytelling, trivia and song snippets, Chris dissects how that song you love—or hate—dominated the airwaves, made its way to the top of the charts and shaped your memories forever.
Ge... more
| Publishes | Twice monthly | Episodes | 246 | Founded | 9 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Category | Music | |||
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Latest Episodes
The opening riff of “White Wedding” is instantly recognizable—a skittering, syncopated guitar line quickly swallowed by pummeling drums. But the song itself is a bit of an enigma. Is it rock? Pop? New wave? Rockabilly punk? Like much of Billy Idol’s ... more
Hit Parade is on a brief break, but if you need a daily dose of fascinating stories, check out History Daily. Host Lindsay Graham (the history guy! not the senator!) explores what happened "on this day in history," with a broad mix of politics, sport... more
Donna Summer was a hit-maker for two decades and a dance floor deity for more than three. Her collaborations with Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte were formative in dance, electronic, and rock music, influencing everyone from David Bowie and Blondie... more
Donna Summer was a hit-maker for two decades and a dance floor deity for more than three. Her collaborations with Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte were formative in dance, electronic, and rock music, influencing everyone from David Bowie and Blondie... more
Key Facts
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Reviews
- Hitting the Hits
Chris does an amazing job of taking all the cool context elements and music trivia that surrounds a specific theme and turns it into fun story telling that makes you feel like you were there.
The themes themselves are almost always both currently relevant and timeless. His ability to focus on either a specific musician, music genre, or obscure factoid and then turn them into something novel, approachable, and surprising is nothing short of spectacular.
Apple Podcasts5DJ Goodword
Canada3 days ago - Don’t listen to the consultants
I don’t know why y’all felt the need to have consultants. Tell you how to run your show, but you need to lose those notes they gave you. Changing your tone to “more conversational” has taken away one of the things I enjoy the most about listening to you. Frankly, I also like the two part episodes. Not sure it will continue to hold my interest, but I’ll give this new form out a chance, but please go back to your former speaking style.
Apple Podcasts3schwitze
United States7 days ago - New Format
I loved this show but the new format almost had me turning it off. Chris is very educated and informative when it comes to music but this new format has him sounding dumbed down. I’m not sure I will stick with it if it continues.
Apple Podcasts2b1ue1adyUnited States9 days ago - Great show, but dislike new approach
After many years enjoying the documentary style of the show, the new conversational direction of story telling feels off and takes away what made it unique. Now it sounds like another chatter podcast, which is what the Bridge was for
Apple Podcasts3Soria MezaUnited States11 days ago - Go Back To The Old Format
Chris is such a stupendous storyteller with such a great voice. The new format has watered all of these qualities down. This is the first time I felt bored and detached from an episode. Please go back to old format.
Apple Podcasts1KstylesUnited States11 days ago
Listeners Say
Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.
Chart Rankings
How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.
Apple Podcasts | #81 | United States/Music |
Apple Podcasts | #144 | Canada/Music |
Apple Podcasts | #116 |  Australia/Music |
Apple Podcasts | #34 |  New Zealand/Music |
Apple Podcasts | #63 |  Spain/Music |
Apple Podcasts | #107 |  Denmark/Music |
Talking Points
Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.
Audience Metrics
Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Hit Parade
What is Hit Parade about and what kind of topics does it cover?
A deeply researched music-history show that unpacks why certain songs became hits, weaving chart data, cultural context, and compelling storytelling. Episodes often blend biographical arcs with production details, era-defining moments, and clips that illuminate how charts shaped listener memories across decades. It's known for scholarly rigor, wide-ranging genre coverage, and a storytelling style that respects both nostalgia and analysis. A standout strength is the way complex histories are made accessible through vivid narratives and carefully sourced details, making it appealing to both hardcore music nerds and casual fans curious about how hits are made and remembered.
Where can I find podcast stats for Hit Parade?
Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Hit Parade. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Hit Parade and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.
How many listeners does Hit Parade get?
Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for Hit Parade, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.
What are the audience demographics for Hit Parade?
Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Hit Parade, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.
How many subscribers and views does Hit Parade have?
To see how many followers or subscribers Hit Parade has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.
Which podcasts are similar to Hit Parade?
These podcasts share a similar audience with Hit Parade:
1. Sound Opinions
2. Strong Songs
3. Song Exploder
4. One Song
5. Switched on Pop
How many episodes of Hit Parade are there?
Hit Parade launched 9 years ago and published 246 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
How do I contact Hit Parade?
Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.
Where can I see ratings and reviews for Hit Parade?
Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Hit Parade from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.
View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.
How do I access podcast episode transcripts for Hit Parade?
Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Hit Parade. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.
What guests have appeared on Hit Parade?
Recent guests on Hit Parade include:
1. Christian John Wykane
2. Giovanni Giorgio Moroder
3. Brian Eno
4. Julianne Escobedo Shepherd
5. Lindsay Zoladz
6. Norah Jones
7. Dan Charnas
To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.