Chris Molanphy

Chris Molanphy is a feature writer and critic who writes widely about music and the pop charts.

X

Recently by Chris Molanphy

Showing 1–20 of 313

Lightning Strikes Twice: the Fluky World of Pop’s Two-Hit Wonders

June 27, 2026 10:15 AM

Taylor Swift Once Told Country “We Are Never, Ever Getting Back Together,” but Now Here We Are

June 19, 2026 12:00 PM

How Power Ballads Taught Us to Pledge Love While Rocking Out

June 13, 2026 12:29 PM

Near Misses: Hit Songs That Never Quite Made the Winner’s Circle

May 30, 2026 8:33 AM

He Was Supposed to Be “Canceled.” He Just Broke One of Michael Jackson’s Most Enduring Records.

May 29, 2026 5:59 PM

Bleached Hair + an Elvis Sneer = MTV Immortality

May 15, 2026 3:12 PM

Donna Summer’s Three-Decade Chart Reign

April 10, 2026 7:30 PM

Hit Parade’s Origin Story—and a Long-Distance Dedication to Casey Kasem.

March 21, 2026 12:52 AM

America’s New No. 1 Song Just Did What Even Taylor Swift Couldn’t

March 07, 2026 9:00 AM

Taylor Swift Is Back to Her Old Tricks

Feb 28, 2026 5:47 AM

Bad Bunny Just Got the Last Laugh About His Super Bowl Halftime Show

Feb 21, 2026 5:50 AM

Nashville Turned Its Back on Two Country-Pop Upstarts. Then Hollywood Came Knocking.

Feb 14, 2026 12:00 AM

One Generation Is Showing More Longevity on the Charts Than Any Other. It’s Not the Boomers.

Jan 24, 2026 9:00 AM

Bowie Built His Fame by Knowing When to Be an Oddity and When to Dance

Jan 17, 2026 12:30 AM

The Year in Music, From Bad Bunny’s Imperial Phase to Gaga’s Mayhem to the Ascendance of Geese.

Dec 26, 2025 10:02 AM

For Nearly a Century, Hollywood Has Left Its Mark on the Pop Charts

Dec 12, 2025 6:00 PM

The Reclusive Producer Who Shook the Charts All Night Long

Nov 15, 2025 12:00 AM

The Beatles, Amish Popcorn, and a Charming Toilet Brush: The Best Culture Gifts for the Holidays

Culture Gabfest

Nov 12, 2025 5:00 AM

America Is Already Moving On From Taylor Swift’s New Album—With One Major Exception

Oct 24, 2025 4:46 PM

Every Breath Sting Takes, Every Hit Sting Makes—We’ve Been Watching Him.

Oct 17, 2025 8:00 PM

Sponsored Content