The Bridge: Wesley on Whitney

Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia

Slate Podcasts

Music History,, Music

4.8 • 2.2K Ratings

🗓️ 13 March 2020

⏱️ 31 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this mini-episode of Hit Parade, host Chris Molanphy is joined by Wesley Morris, Pulitzer Prize–winning critic, New York Times critic-at-large, and co-host of Still Processing. They discuss the most recent full-length episode of Hit Parade about the chart legacy of Whitney Houston, which was inspired in part by Wesley and his co-host Jenna Wortham’s analysis in Still Processing of Houston’s life, identity, and artistry. Wesley talks about his first memory of seeing Whitney on TV, his respect for the versatility of her voice, and his commiseration with her sometimes-cold reception by Black fans. Next, Chris quizzes a Slate Plus listener with some music trivia, and the contestant turns the tables with a chance to try to stump Chris with a question of his own. Then, Chris teases the upcoming full-length episode of Hit Parade, which will look at Latin pop crossover on the American charts. While this episode is available to all listeners, our trivia round is open only to Slate Plus members. Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Dear Prudence and Slow Burn. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Want your question featured in an upcoming show? Email a voice memo to hitparade@slate.com. Podcast production by Asha Saluja. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello slate listeners do us a favor and help us make a better slate by answering our survey
0:05.8	it'll only take a few minutes you can find it at slate dot com slash survey
0:15.0	Hey Tom Sharpling here, the host of the Best Show. And if you've never heard of the Best Show before,
0:18.0	everything you need to know is right there in the title.
0:21.0	Each week we put on the best live podcast you're ever going to hear
0:24.7	featuring live callers, celebrity guests, music, plenty of surprises. Who knows
0:31.2	what's going to happen. Last month alone, we were joined by Conan O'Brien, Patricia Arquette,
0:37.0	Jeff Tweedy from Wilco, Nathan Fielder, Sunan Archives, John Oliver,
0:41.0	the list goes on and on. So what are you waiting for? Join us live every
0:46.0	Tuesday night on Twitch at 6 p.m. Pacific time and find us the next day on the
0:50.7	Forever Dog Podcast Network and wherever you find podcasts. Well, there's a bridge and there's a river that I still must cross.
1:10.0	Hey everybody, this is Chris Malampi, of hip parade slate's podcast of pop chart history
1:16.7	welcome to the bridge that's step by step by Whitney Houston, her cover of an Annie Lennox song,
1:26.0	taken from the soundtrack to her 1996 film The Preacher's Wife.
1:30.7	Like so many hits in Houston's career, step by step aimed to bridge her white and black
1:37.0	fan bases. In this case with a pop soul song by a white singer-songwriter recorded for a gospel-centered film about a black Baptist church.
1:51.0	Step-by-step hit number 15 on the Hot 100 and number 29 on the
1:56.5	R&B chart in 1997. And these mini episodes bridge are full length monthly episodes, give us a chance to catch up with
2:06.0	listeners, and enjoy some hit parade trivia.
2:09.2	This month I'm delighted to be joined by Wesley Morris, Pulitzer Prize winning critic, New York Times Critic
2:16.0	at Large, and a friend and frequent guest on Sleep Podcasts.
2:20.4	I first encountered Wesley at Grantland where he hosted the podcast Do You Like Prince
	...

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