{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/62bc729dcf1ab400126c1e1b/6a6e4beff7c2060a1f699fbb?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Chris Molanphy: One Chart to Rule Them All","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/62bc729dcf1ab400126c1e1b/1785613215932-a9c90cbe-a164-4484-bbb0-7d863bb32845.jpeg?height=200","description":"<p>This week we're putting <em>The Tonearm</em>'s needle on pop-chart analyst <strong>Chris Molanphy</strong>.</p><p>For almost a decade, Chris has hosted <em>Hit Parade</em>, <em>Slate</em>'s monthly show on the history behind the Billboard charts. He also writes <em>Slate</em>'s long-running Why Is This Song No. 1? column, and wrote a book on Lil Nas X's Old Town Road for Duke University Press.</p><p>We talk about how a Netflix episode can send a forty-year-old song back onto the charts, why he refuses to believe in a guilty pleasure, and what changes in an artist's career when they keep reinventing instead of repeating a formula.</p><p>—</p><h2><strong>Dig Deeper</strong></h2><p><strong>Our Guest:</strong></p><ul><li>Visit Chris Molanphy at <a href=\"https://chris.molanphy.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">chris.molanphy.com</a> and follow him on <a href=\"https://bsky.app/profile/cmolanphy.bsky.social\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Bluesky</a></li><li>Listen to <a href=\"https://slate.com/podcasts/hit-parade\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Hit Parade</em></a> on Slate</li><li>Read the <a href=\"https://slate.com/tag/why-is-this-songno1\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">\"Why Is This Song No. 1?\"</a> series</li><li>Purchase <a href=\"https://read.dukeupress.edu/books/book/3262/Old-Town-Road\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Old Town Road</em></a>, Chris's book on the Lil Nas X hit, from Duke University Press</li></ul><p><strong>Hit Parade Episodes Discussed:</strong></p><ul><li><a href=\"https://slate.com/podcasts/hit-parade/2026/03/casey-kasem-and-a-countdown-to-hit-parades-100th-episode\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Feet on the Ground, Reaching for the Stars Edition</a> — the 100th episode, on Casey Kasem and a life spent with the charts</li><li><a href=\"https://slate.com/podcasts/hit-parade/2026/05/billy-idol-turned-punk-into-pop-in-the-mtv-era\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Dancing With Himself Edition</a> — Billy Idol from the Bromley Contingent to MTV</li><li><a href=\"https://slate.com/podcasts/hit-parade/2026/02/john-denver-and-olivia-newton-johns-crossover-from-country-to-pop\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Country Roads and Summer Nights Edition</a> — John Denver and Olivia Newton-John</li><li><a href=\"https://slate.com/podcasts/hit-parade/2026/01/a-history-of-david-bowies-chart-career\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Starman to Blackstar Edition</a> — David Bowie's chart career</li><li><a href=\"https://slate.com/podcasts/hit-parade/2026/04/what-made-donna-summer-the-queen-of-disco\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">The Queen of Disco Edition</a> — Donna Summer</li><li><a href=\"https://slate.com/podcasts/hit-parade/2026/05/near-misses-hit-songs-that-stalled-on-the-pop-charts\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Near-Miss Hits: '70s Edition</a> — the songs that stalled</li><li><a href=\"https://slate.com/podcasts/hit-parade/2022/09/pop-chart-flops-can-turn-into-latter-day-classics\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Legacy Hits Are Flops-Turned-Classics</a> — the \"Tiny Dancer\" episode</li><li><a href=\"https://slate.com/podcasts/hit-parade/2022/11/three-punk-sophisticates-helped-invent-new-wave\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">The \"Angry Young Men\" Who Turned Punk into New Wave</a> — Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, and Graham Parker</li><li><a href=\"https://slate.com/podcasts/hit-parade/2023/05/how-britpop-ruled-90s-u-k-music\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">How Britpop Ruled '90s U.K. Music</a></li><li><a href=\"https://slate.com/culture/2018/12/hit-parade-podcast-the-christmas-music-edition.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">The Christmas Music Edition</a> — the UK Christmas number ones show from 2018</li></ul><p><strong>Chart History and Reference:</strong></p><ul><li><a href=\"https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/36698/hit-men-by-fredric-dannen/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Hit Men: Power Brokers and Fast Money Inside the Music Business</em></a> by Fredric Dannen</li><li>Fred Bronson's <a href=\"https://archive.org/details/billboardbookofn0000bron\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><em>The Billboard Book of Number One Hits</em></a> [Link unverified — recommend manual check]</li><li>Paul Grein's <a href=\"https://www.billboard.com/author/paul-greinbillboard-com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">\"Chart Beat\"</a> column at Billboard</li><li><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Top_40\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Casey Kasem's <em>American Top 40</em></a></li></ul><p>—</p><ul><li>Dig into this episode's complete show notes at <a href=\"https://www.podcast.thetonearm.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">podcast.thetonearm.com</a></li></ul><p>—</p><p>• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate <em>The Tonearm</em> ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.</p><p> • Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of <em>The Tonearm</em> in your podcast app of choice.</p><p> • Looking for more? Visit <a href=\"https://podcast.thetonearm.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">podcast.thetonearm.com</a> for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the <em>Talk Of The Tonearm</em> email newsletter. You can also follow us on <a href=\"https://bsky.app/profile/thetonearm.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Bluesky</a>, <a href=\"https://social.lol/@thetonearm\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Mastodon</a>, <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/@TheTonearm\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">YouTube</a>, and <a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-tonearm/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">LinkedIn</a>.</p><p> • Be sure to bookmark our online magazine, <em>The Tonearm</em>! → <a href=\"https://www.thetonearm.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">thetonearm.com</a></p>","author_name":"Lawrence Peryer"}