Hit Parade is back for non-Slate Plus listeners! Upcoming episodes will be split into two parts, released two weeks apart. For the full episode right now, sign up for Slate Plus and you'll also get The Bridge, our Trivia show and bonus deep dive into our subjects. slate.com/hitparadeplus.
In Part 2 of this episode of Hit Parade, we continue the story of how ... Show More
May 30
All Apologies Edition Part 2
The story of Nevermind, Nirvana’s genre-defining breakthrough, is a familiar one. Less well known is the saga of Billboard’s Modern Rock chart—and how college-rock staples of the 1980s like R.E.M. and The Cure gave way to heavier, more commercially dominant groups of the ‘90s lik ... Show More
1h 3m
Mar 2021
Hit Parade: Don’t Know Much About History, Part 1
Hit The Oscar-nominated film One Night in Miami… imagines the conversation between Sam Cooke, Malcolm X, Cassius Clay and Jim Brown the night in 1964 they gathered to celebrate the soon-to-be Muhammad Ali’s heavyweight victory. Malcolm X challenges Sam Cooke to use his amazing vo ... Show More
53m 41s
Oct 2021
The Velvet Underground Pt I
No Dogs in Space is back for Season 2!Marcus and Carolina return, and this season we shift our focus towards a sub-genre of Music, that much like Punk, encompasses a wide range of different styles cross-pollinating organically in the underground music scene of the 1970's, this se ... Show More
1h 20m
May 2024
Billie Eilish hits both hard and soft
On Billie Eilish’s third album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, Eilish finally graduates from her signature anti-pop persona into full blown pop stardom. This record finds Eilish experimenting on the themes from her earlier records, while crafting an economic ten tracks that position thems ... Show More
43m 7s
Oct 2023
The Beatles: 1. Rock n' Roll
Martin Freeman tells the story of the Fab Four’s rise, fall and rebirth - and how they changed the world along the way. In the space of just 8 years, their journey took them from the smoky clubs of Hamburg and Liverpool, to Abbey Road and unprecedented global fame. And when their ... Show More
28m 13s
Apr 2021
Bonus Episode: Bowie's Guitarist Carlos Alomar on Recording 'Young Americans' and the Berlin Trilogy, Co-Writing 'Fame' and Funking Up David's Music for 30 Years
We’re taking a brief break from the story this week. (We’ll be back with our final chapter on David Bowie on Monday, May 3rd!) But today we have something very special in store: a conversation with Carlos Alomar — a funk guitar icon, and one of David’s most crucial musical collab ... Show More
47m 9s