Chris Molanphy

My book 𝙊𝙡𝙙 𝙏𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙍𝙤𝙖𝙙 earned a starred review from @LibraryJournal. I’m especially gratified by the “verdict”: “More than just an analysis of ‘Old Town Road’…has wide appeal for music and pop culture fans.” Exactly what I was going for! libraryjournal.com/review/old-tow… 📖⭐️🙌🏼

@tombreihan I for one am opening up the places I got hurt today. Thanks for this.

@byagoda I’m also on this week’s @SlateCultFest memorializing #QuincyJones+the joy he delivered. Steve Metcalf, @juliaturner, @thehighsign & I recap Q’s history from my recent #HitParadePod episode & dissect his pop genius—from “It’s My Party”to “We Are the World.” slate.com/podcasts/cultu…

Want to think about ANYTHING else right now? Here are 2 podcast chats about the legacy of the great #QuincyJones. I joined @byagoda for an episode of his podcast #TheLivesTheyreLiving. I broke down Q’s jazz background & the sound he pioneered by the ’80s: pod.link/1744211348/epi…

@tombreihan Cosign “fades into the background too easily”—it’s why I often forget this exists. It hit No1 over Christmas/New Year’s week & @Slate all but encouraged me to skip it. P.S. Hey, remember when the holidays weren’t Mariah & Brenda every year & sometimes random hits floated to No1?

@nbougeard @tombreihan Most days it’s my favorite Weeknd track—it’s his “Human Nature,” with Daft Punk playing the Toto role.

@LoriMajewski Glad you got to do this before all our cities lie in dust, my friend.

I was SPELLBOUND!

I spoke to @AlexOfLoftus for this @BBCNews story about the new LP by @tylerthecreator dropping on a Monday rather than the global-standard Friday. Giving up 3 days of streams may not matter to Tyler, who is set to hit No1 on both sides of the Atlantic. bbc.com/news/articles/…

@billboardpro Correction: “Thinking Out Loud” only reached No2 on the Hot 100, not No1. (It spent 8 weeks stuck behind Ronson/Mars’s “Uptown Funk!”) FYI @Bill__Donahue.

Ed Sheeran Beats ‘Let’s Get It On’ Copyright Case at Appeals Court: ‘Basic Musical Building Blocks’ blbrd.cm/ChC3YMO

@RossOnRadio @tombreihan @Fray_dee I have long argued that the “Wannabe” moment of the ’10s was “Hollaback Girl” in ’05: a No1 driven by downloads before radio caught up, and a hip-hop influence on what was fundamentally a pop/dance song, years before Gaga ratified that whole approach.

@cmmolanphy @tombreihan @Fray_dee I'm not sure there *was* a "Wannabe" moment in the '10s, in terms of both something new/cool and something universally loved. It seems like "Espresso" and "A Bar Song" could be that, but not if there are no other hits for the next six months!

@tombreihan Five stars no notes, incl. the rating which I cosign fully (my Moz favorite too). Your intro to the piece, assessing Moz as a #shittygenius a la Ye, was so good, I read it aloud to my GF.👏🏼 P.S. re: “if only the Smiths had held it together,” I wrote this: chris.molanphy.com/take-a-bow/

@RossOnRadio @tombreihan @Fray_dee The only other candidate I’ve come up with for the ’10s pivot was Desiigner’s “Panda,” a No1 fueled by streaming that was doing some of the same things Tom attributes to “Black Beatles.” But “BB” had a much bigger social footprint & spread farther & wider so it’s a better pick.

@cmmolanphy @tombreihan Agree with @Fray_dee that "Uptown Funk" was part of a stutter-step backwards (along with "Happy," "Born This Way," "Can't Stop the Feeling") that was crowd-pleasing but never quite galvanizing.

Hey! If you happen to be a Slate Plus subscriber, please check out this week's installment of #HitParadePod to hear me talk about U2 with @cmmolanphy slate.com/podcasts/hit-p…

@sterlewine Also! While #HitParadePod–The Bridge episodes are only for @SlatePlus members, non-Plus listeners can now hear Pt2 of our October show on U2—how they pivoted from the earnest ’80s to the ironic ’90s & back again, and kept scoring hits. Parts 1&2 are here: slate.com/podcasts/hit-p…

On a new #HitParadePod–The Bridge, U2 critic/scholar @sterlewine says the Irish quartet couldn’t exist without Bono—a BS artist but not a bullshitter—& he’s why they always fronted like rockstars. Plus,trivia…& a preview that says a little prayer for you: slate.com/podcasts/hit-p…

@tombreihan Is it just me? I hear a lot of Alice in Chains in what FNM evolved into on “MC”—that creepy form of grunge. Which still doesn’t explain why this topped ModRock—by ’92, AiC were still scoring more play on Mainstream Rock radio. But still, to your point: This was alt-rock’s future.

@tombreihan A well-balanced take. Eight years later, I still feel “Closer” was the end of something—like, EDM is still huge, but it’s no longer the red-hot center of pop as in the early ’10s. It makes sense that a pseudo-ballad would be its last gasp as a pop force—I’m sticking to that take.

@tsnee_uiowa @tombreihan Here’s one from the beginning of the ’70s that Tom wrote about, because it went all the way to No1. But the artist in question then reverted back to goof-offs: stereogum.com/2026984/the-nu…

@tombreihan Have any other acts followed the Chainsmokers' career trajectory? That is, started in Spike Jones/Weird Al novelty song territory before becoming Serious Musicians? And yes, I know Spike and Al have better musical chops than either of the Chainsmokers.

@kateyrich You are still missed on @littlegoldmen.

Back off Bon Iver, this is my ONE thing

@Slate Huge thanks to all who are enjoying #HitParadePod’s U2 episode. (Apparently it is *not* buggin’ ya!) As requested, we now have an accompanying Spotify playlist—a collection of soaring anthems & (The) Fly grooves. Check the @Slate show page—or just go here: open.spotify.com/playlist/2JI3s…

On your knees boy: My new @Slate #HitParadePod is about 4 Irish lads w/devout hearts, big mouths & decades of hits. How’d U2 pivot from earnest 80s to ironic 90s & back? What was up w/that Apple stunt? And after 40+yrs why can’t we live with or without U2? slate.com/podcasts/hit-p…