Pop Pantheon
DJ Louie XIV
2 Listeners
All episodes
Best episodes
Top 10 Pop Pantheon Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Pop Pantheon episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Pop Pantheon for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Pop Pantheon episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
03/10/22 • 75 min
Pop critic, chart analyst, writer of Slate's "Why Is This Song No. 1?", and host of the podcast Hit Parade, Chris Molanphy, joins DJ Louie once again for the second part of our series on Diana Ross. This episode, Louie and Chris discuss Diana's initially rocky transition from lead singer for The Supremes into solo superstar and how she finally scored a solo #1 with an unexpected, avant-garde cover of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" in 1970. They then discuss her spotty track record through the early-mid '70s, sometimes scoring massive hits with mostly adult-contemporary ballads like "Touch Me in the Morning" and "Do You Know Where You're Going To", but just as often releasing records that made little impact, all while pursuing a secondary career as a movie star most notably in her Oscar-nominated performance as Billie Holiday in 1972's Lady Sings the Blues. Louie and Chris then chronicle various pop movements that coincided with and affected Diana's career in this '70s- the racial segregation of radio, the birth of the female pop singer-songwriter like Carole King and Joni Mitchell, innovative R&B artists like Roberta Flack and Chaka Khan- Diana's third wind as a disco queen, beginning with 1976's smash "Love Hangover", 1979's "The Boss" and eventually, her blockbuster, career-defining collaboration with Chic's Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, 1980's Diana and it's legendary singles, "I'm Coming Out" and "Upside Down". Finally, Louie and Chris debate what allowed Diana to beat the odds, defying pop's ageist bent with hits across three decades and what exactly makes Diana one of the ultimate Tier 1 Icons in the official Pop Pantheon.
Send questions about this episode, the Pantheon, pop stars in general or whatever else is on your mind to [email protected]
Join the Pop Pantheon Discord Monday 3/14 at 8PM ET / 5PM PT!
Check Out Louie's Diana Ross Essentials Playlist
Follow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram
Follow DJ Louie XIV on Twitter
Follow Pop Pantheon on Instagram
2 Listeners
08/11/22 • 74 min
Every episode of Pop Pantheon contains at least some mention of the Billboard's iconic singles chart, the Hot 100. So for this week's B-Side, DJ Louie is joined by chart analyst, cultural critic and host of Slate's podcast Hit Parade to talk the 60 year history of the chart, the way its metrics have evolved over time, what role having hits on the Hot 100 plays in a pop star's mythology and legacy, whether or not we can compare current hits like this week's #1 "Break My Soul" to past ones given how Billboard's methodology has been altered to fit new data and music-consuming ecosystems, some weird kinks that have prevented massive hits like "I'm a Slave 4 U" from reaching to the top of the charts, and what fixes Chris might make to improve the Hot 100, still our best tool for measuring a hit record.
Listen to Chris Molanphy's podcast Hit Parade
Check out Chris' last appearance on Pop Pantheon, discussing The Supremes and Diana Ross
Tickets to DJ Louie's Pop Party, Gorgeous Gorgeous, on 8/12 in Downtown Los Angeles!
Join the Pop Pantheon Discord!
Follow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram
Follow DJ Louie XIV on Twitter
Follow Pop Pantheon on Instagram
2 Listeners
03/03/22 • 84 min
Pop critic, chart analyst, writer of Slate's "Why Is This Song No. 1?", and host of the podcast Hit Parade, Chris Molanphy, joins DJ Louie for the first of a two-part series on American Icon, Diana Ross. First, Louis and Chris set the stage by discussing how the phrases "pop" and "pop star" came into form in the late 1950s, the establishment of the teenager as a target market group for music and the birth of the "teen idol". They then discuss Diana Ross' backstory growing up in the burgeoning Detroit music scene, how the formation of the predecessor to The Supremes, The Primettes, dovetailed with the creation of her future-label-boss-turned-husband Berry Gordy's Motown Records, why Motown and "the Motown Sound" were so transformational in the pop music landscape in the late '50s and early '60s, and how a popular wave of pre-Supremes girl groups like The Shangri-Las and The Marvelettes functioned as musicians and stars in this period. Next, Louie and Chris walk through The Supremes signing with Gordy, their flop first album and Diana being promoted to permanent front-woman, their historic collaboration with storied producers and songwriters Holland-Dozier-Holland, their smash second album, Where Did Our Love Go? and subsequent astounding run of hits through the middle and end of the '60s, how their music evolved with the times, the inherent radicalism of a group of black women becoming the most popular pop act in the world, what makes Diana's star quality and voice to singular, and how Gordy positioned her for eventual solo stardom, often at the expense of the other girls in the group.
Join us next week for Part 2, which will cover Diana's solo career!
Send questions about this episode, the Pantheon, pop stars in general or whatever else is on your mind to [email protected]
Join the Pop Pantheon Discord Monday 3/7 at 8PM ET / 5PM PT!
Check Out Louie's The Supremes Essentials Playlist
Follow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram
Follow DJ Louie XIV on Twitter
Follow Pop Pantheon on Instagram
1 Listener
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Beyoncé dropped two singles plus announced her new album! Usher performed at the Super Bowl Halftime Show! Variety's Steven J. Horowitz joins Louie and Russ to discuss it all, plus a new music speed round featuring Justin Timberlake, Kacey Musgraves & Ice Spice.
To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier.
1 Listener
12/12/23 • 11 min
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Nicki Minaj dropped her long-awaited fifth studio album, Pink Friday 2, last Friday. But is it a worthy follow-up to her legendary debut, 2010's Pink Friday? Hung Up's Hunter Harris joins DJ Louie to break it all down: what's good on this record, what's not and whether albums—this one or any other in her discography— are useful formats for Nicki's unique genius.
To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive at least three episodes of the show per month, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier.
1 Listener
12/18/23 • 9 min
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Tate McRae has, to some, been on the rise for the past few years. To many, she became the pop starlet of the moment overnight with her viral hit "Greedy". On the occasion of her sophomore album, Think Later, released a couple weeks ago, Louie and Russ came together to talk everything Tate: How she's metamorphosed over her ascent, what's clicked with "Greedy" and how that's reflected (or not) in the rest the album, and what Tate's sudden catapulting to the top says about the current state of pop stardom.
To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive at least three episodes of the show per month, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier.
1 Listener
Hard Candy is a Sweet Spot in Madonna's Late Period (with Miles Marshall Lewis) (Patreon Preview)
Pop Pantheon
01/03/24 • 8 min
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Louie and guest Miles Marshall Lewis look back Madonna's 11th studio album, 2008's Hard Candy, an album where the Queen of Pop uncharacteristically played catch-up with her pop star progeny, enlisting Timabland, Justin Timberlake and Pharrell to help get her music back in American radio's good graces. The gambit only minorly paid off. The album received mixed reviews and while lead single "4 Minutes (feat. Justin Timberlake" reached the top ten, the album was middling performer commercially. But how has it aged? And how does it stack up again other latter period Madonna albums? Louie and Miles dive into all this and more.
To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier.
1 Listener
How Has Lady Gaga's Chromatica Held Up? (with Matthew Perpetua & Molly Mary O'Brien) (Patreon Rerun)
Pop Pantheon
12/28/23 • 61 min
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
In a rerun of an episode from Pop Pantheon: All Access published back in May, Fluxblog's Matthew Perpetua & host of the And Introducing podcast Molly Mary O'Brien join DJ Louie to look back on three years of Chromatica: How they absorbed it when it dropped in the context of May 2020, how it sounds to them now, what's happening aesthetically and thematically on the songs, where it stacks up against in Gaga's catalog and what it says about her status in the pop firmament of the 2020s.
To hear more bonus content like this, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier.
1 Listener
The Grammys Still Have a Problem with Black Women (with Variety's Chris Willman) (Patreon Preview)
Pop Pantheon
02/05/24 • 7 min
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, it’s been 25 years since a Black woman won Album of the Year. If neither Beyonce or SZA can do it, who can? Louie + Russ ponder that question with Variety’s Chris Willman as they walk through the good, the bad + the infuriating from the 2024 Grammys.
To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier.
1 Listener
How Dua Lipa's Future Nostalgia Made Her a Main Pop Girl (with Pitchfork's Anna Gaca) (Patreon Preview)
Pop Pantheon
01/22/24 • 14 min
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, when it came out in 2020 at the height of Covid19 lockdown, Dua Lipa's sophomore album Future Nostalgia made her a superstar. Now, nearly four years later and on the eve of a new Dua era, Senior Editor at Pitchfork Anna Gaca, who reviewed the album when it dropped, is here to talk about the record, how it's held up, how Dua's dance revival set the terms for pop and where it all positions her in the pop landscape as she verges on new music.
To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier.
1 Listener
Show more best episodes
Show more best episodes
FAQ
How many episodes does Pop Pantheon have?
Pop Pantheon currently has 234 episodes available.
What topics does Pop Pantheon cover?
The podcast is about Pop Culture, Music, Pop, Podcasts and Music Commentary.
What is the average episode length on Pop Pantheon?
The average episode length on Pop Pantheon is 67 minutes.
How often are episodes of Pop Pantheon released?
Episodes of Pop Pantheon are typically released every 5 days, 20 hours.
When was the first episode of Pop Pantheon?
The first episode of Pop Pantheon was released on Mar 8, 2021.
Show more FAQ
Show more FAQ