Chris Molanphy

“For those of us who grew up impatiently waiting for new-music Fridays…”

Not to be a spoil-sport, but in the ’90s new music came out on Tuesdays. The universal release date of Friday has only been in effect for about a decade (since 2015).

Cover art for Eurowhat 284: "Joke" Entries. Latvia's Wolves of the Sea, a Russian Granny, and Ireland's Dustin the Turkey.

ICYMI: Several Eurovision hopefuls tend to be lumped into the category of “joke entries.” We explore some examples and try to “get it” in terms of what might be happening under the hood of these songs with @cmolanphy.bsky.social from Slate’s Hit Parade www.eurowhat.com/284

Y’all have a typo in this writeup—“Luther” debuted@ *No3* on Hot Rap Songs in Dec ’24, not No1 (“Squabble Up” was No1 that week). Just tagging this in case @augetoffmygold.bsky.social or someone else on staff wants to fix it…

Cover art for Eurowhat 284: "Joke" Entries. Latvia's Wolves of the Sea, a Russian Granny, and Ireland's Dustin the Turkey.

🤪 NEW EPISODE 🤪

Several Eurovision hopefuls tend to be lumped into the category of “joke entries.” We’ll explore some examples and try to “get it” in terms of what might be happening under the hood of these songs with @cmolanphy.bsky.social from Slate’s Hit Parade www.eurowhat.com/284

I feel about Oasis roughly the way I feel about Weezer: I get why certain people love them…even like what I like by them (sometimes even love!) but will never argue w/the haters cuz they’re also right. And I side w/the haters inasmuch as I don’t relate to the worship—it’s like: These guys? Really?

The Reclusive Producer Who Shook the Charts All Night Long Mutt Lange avoided the spotlight while crafting some of the loudest, catchiest, and bestselling records of all time.

Also! While #HitParadePod –The Bridge episodes are only for Slate Plus members, non-Plus listeners can now hear Pt2 of our November episode on “Mutt” Lange, superproducer of arena überpop. Mutt pumped up rockers, pop stars & country divas—AC/DC to Billy Ocean, Def Leppard to Shania. Pts1&2 are here:

How Shania Twain and Mutt Lange Redefined Country Music (Twice!) Music journalist Brian Mansfield explains how a Nashville superstar and an arena-rock superproducer reinvented ’90s country radio.

On a new #HitParadePod –The Bridge, now live on
@slate.com, my guest, Nashville journalist @brianmansfield.bsky.social, says Mutt Lange & Shania Twain reinvented ’90s country music twice—pumping it up, then crossing it over. Plus…trivia—and a next-episode preview that’s hooked to the silver screen.

Slate's Hit Parade: Pour Some Sugar on Me Edition

Thx to #HitParadePod listeners who’ve been sending kind words about our latest episode on Mutt Lange—the überpop producer behind smashes from Def Leppard to Shania Twain. For those who’ve asked our accompanying Spotify playlist is now live—find it on the @slate.com show page for the episode…or here:

You managed to make this fundamentally uninteresting hit more interesting—so nice work. This was one of the No1s I skipped & I can’t say I regret it. What was that teacher thinking, playing “34+35”?

YouTube video by You'll Hear It All the HITS on Songs in the Key of Life (with Hit Parade)

Your friendly chart nerd—on video! I had a blast w/musicians & fellow record nerds Peter Martin & Adam Maness on their video+audio podcast #YoullHearIt dissecting Stevie Wonder’s masterwork 𝘚𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘒𝘦𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦. How did Wonder integrate funk+jazz+pop? How was it a chart phenom? Feel it all over.

How to Geek Out About the Billboard Charts, Part 2 The second half of our interview with Hit Parade chart analyst Chris Molanphy about his podcast Hit Parade, including the power of Prince in 1986, the future of music criticism, and 'Old Town Road.'

And here’s Part 2 of my interview with @jmkarmstrong.bsky.social for #TheMinistryofPopCulture —about how poptimism made #HitParadePod possible, why music podcasters support each other, and the best idea I ever had in the shower (it involved Prince).

How to Geek Out About the Billboard Charts ... as a Profession Chris Molanphy made a niche for himself to finally put decades of Billboard chart obsession to good use. The result was the engrossing podcast "Hit Parade."

I enjoyed talking to @jmkarmstrong.bsky.social for her Substack #TheMinistryofPopCulture, about how I invented my charts&criticism beat and launched #HitParadePod. We had such a good chat she issued it in 2 parts. Here’s part 1, including the story of how the podcast got longer than a feature film.

I know it’s wrong, but backseat Jimmy’s “…and finding out she’s 5” still makes me LOL. Probably wouldn’t fly today but more absurd than actually creepy.

YouTube video by WelcomeToBrooklyn Jimmy the Cab Driver - Ironic

Nicely done re:the pedantry. For BonusBeats I was convinced you were gonna include the “Ironic” installment of Donal Logue’s Jimmy the Cab Driver MTV ad. To this day my sister @catherinetinker.bsky.social & I still say “DONCHOO THINK?” like Jimmy.
P.S. The Spacehog song’s a 10—wish it’d gone to No1!

The Reclusive Producer Who Shook the Charts All Night Long Mutt Lange avoided the spotlight while crafting some of the loudest, catchiest, and bestselling records of all time.

A fast machine, kept his motor clean: My new #HitParadePod on @slate.com is about superproducer “Mutt” Lange, mystery man of arena-rocking überpop. Mutt’s anthemic sound worked across genres—AC/DC to the Cars, Foreigner to Billy Ocean, Def Leppard to Shania. Let the magic man pour some sugar on you.

Again…why I enjoy yr column—you know the future so you complete the story arc from when I covered these hits in the moment. I made no predix re:Golden/Dior when they went to No1—you’re right that the whole wavelet feels like a blip now. Also 8wks@No1 was overkill but I still ain’t mad at that hook.

P.S. For me the 10 is “Cherub Rock.” Still pumps me up—what a build.
P.P.S. Don’t forget their VMAs VotY win w/"Tonight”—their Panic! at the Disco moment. If you skipped it cuz ‘1979” is the better Dayton/Faris video, I agree.
P.P.P.S. That Why Don’t We song has no chorus! Should’ve bitten that too.

I know it’s tough to pack the history of a totemic band into a single No1 song but you captured well Corgan’s skill/aspiration/insecurity/obnoxiousness.

BTW having seen SP headline the ’94 Lolla I can confirm you didn't miss much. One of my 3 worst concerts, even before BC began berating the crowd.

That's basically where I came out when I wrote about this for #WhyIsThisSongNo1? back in 2020—it’s better as a meme than a song, but it’s a charming/globally unifying phenomenon. It hasn’t aged well 5yrs later—honestly it’s all but disappeared—but as very online phenomena go it was rather wholesome.

Every Breath Sting Takes, Every Hit Sting Makes—We’ve Been Watching Him. Everyone knows "Every Breath You Take"—but Sting's legacy is built on hits from the unexpected genres.

Also! While #HitParadePod –The Bridge episodes are only for Slate Plus members, non-Plus listeners can now hear Pt2 of our October episode on Sting, the hook machine trying everything from punk to funk…swing to symphonies…reggae to Raï. Every little tune he wrote was chart magic. Parts 1&2 are here:

Sting and the Police: Adventurous Hitmakers, Combustible Bandmates Writer Geoff Edgers unravels the tension within the Police and why Sting's “pretentious” years might actually be his most authentic.

On a new #HitParadePod –The Bridge—now live on @slate.com—my guest @gedge1.bsky.social, author of an upcoming book on the Police, says the surprise isn’t how briefly but how long the skilled trio stayed together. Plus trivia—& a next-episode preview that pours some sugar & shakes you all night long.

The Beatles - Help! (Alternate Music Video) The rare alternate music video for "Help!". The version that appears on the Beatles' 1 DVD uses the better known simplistic video for promoting the…

To me the cheekiest thing is how the “Wonderwall” video is having its Beatle cake and eating it, too. It’s clearly styled after ‘Help!’ the movie—specifically that video-like sequence in the film: the B&W cinematography, the tight closeups, the shag hair. This is not a complaint—steal from the best.

This FTW: “It sounds like something that would soundtrack a party scene in a movie where the producers didn’t want to pay to license the song that would really be playing at that party.” 😂 DING.

In a world where Chris Brown is still scoring hits Travis’s penalty-box time was always gonna be brief.

Much as I love M.I.A.’s early work, can’t we agree that the crazy was always laying dormant there, waiting to pop off with the right heel-turn moment? A lot like Ye, come to think of it.

America Is Already Moving On From Taylor Swift’s New Album—With One Major Exception The Life of a Showgirl’s massive opening has proven short-lived, but one part has real staying power.

Keep it💯on the land…thе sea…the sky—2wks into Taylor’s latest Era my @slate.com series #WhyIsThisSongNo1? considers“The Fate of Ophelia.” We were promised ‘Showgirl’ bangers but the song adapts Swift’s broody ’20s mode for the return of Max. Plus…the album’s chart feats+an asterisk on besting Adele.

YouTube video by Miramax Muriel's Wedding | 'You Embarrass Us' Official Clip - Toni Collette, Rachel Griffiths | MIRAMAX

P.S. re:Baby Animals—a US label tried to make them happen here in ’92 & it didn’t take: “Painless” hit No29 Album Rock + a followup whiffed. At the time I didn’t comprehend how big they were in Australia until this movie scene a couple years later where Muriel’s shitty friends liken them to Nirvana.

To me the great lyric in this dopey song is “I’m never alone/I’m alone all the time” which I’ve always related to. I also love lyrics that knowingly contradict themselves a la ODB’s "Got Your Money” line “I don't have no trouble with you fuckin me/But I have a little problem with you not fuckin me.”

Taylor Swift’s ‘The Fate of Ophelia’ Tops Billboard Hot 100 for Second Week Taylor Swift claims eight of the top 10 songs on the Hot 100 via her album 'The Life of a Showgirl,' led by “The Fate of Ophelia.”

Details here…also not sorry to see “Beautiful Things”/“Die w/a Smile” yanked. It’s cosmically appropriate this happens in a week w/a dozen Taylor hits cuz when they landed last week I was hoping they’d push “Lose Control” below the old recurrent threshold & hence off the chart. Not an issue anymore.

The big #Hot100 news isn’t that Tay’s “Ophelia” is No1 a 2nd week—it’s at the end of the story where @billboard.com announces a big change to the chart’s recurrent rule that I expected. Bottom line, songs will pulled sooner & I say thank heaven—& bye “Lose Control” which shoulda been gone eons ago.

P.S. Thank you for not devoting that last chapter of your book to “Old Town Road.” 😉😅

I’m biased, but I do think you chose well and were onto something.