Mike Wise

File this one under “What I’m listening to.”

I’ve been a fan of Slate’s Hit Parade podcast for a while, but the latest episode is particularly good. Host Chris Molanphy does a great job of explaining the stories behind the music that rises and falls on the Billboard music charts.

This current episode explores hit singles that only made it to #2. It tells the history of “Shop Around” by the Miracles and “We Got the Beat,” by the Go-Go’s, but it is his analysis of Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone” I really appreciate.

I wish I had the musical ear that could have recognized that YeahYeahYeah’s song “Maps” was the inspiration for Clarkson’s hit, and helped legendary producers Max Martin and Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald usher in a new era of pop music with indie rock influences.

Check out Episode 8 of Slate’s Hit Parade below:

http://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/hit_parade/2017/12/some_no_2_songs_that_have_become_classics.html