The Harrisong Edition

<p>In the 1960s, the Beatles were defined by the success of the Lennon-McCartney songwriting partnership. But in the digital era, we discovered that the Fab Four’s most popular song wasn’t written by John <em>or</em> Paul. In fact, it had never been a chart hit—it wasn’t even released as a single.</p> <p>Today on Hit Parade: Chris Molanphy shines a light on “Here Comes the Sun,” the George Harrison deep cut from <em>Abbey Road</em> that, in the streaming era, has emerged as the most enduring—and most popular—Beatles song of all time.</p> <p>For more about “stealth hits,” listen to Hit Parade’s episode on <a href="https://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/hit_parade/2018/01/how_does_a_b_side_become_a_chart_topping_hit.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">B-sides that improbably become classics</a> and read Chris’s Slate column about the <a href="https://slate.com/culture/2023/12/brenda-lee-rockin-around-christmas-tree-billboard-100.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">surprising dominance of this holiday song.</a></p> <p>Get more Hit Parade with Slate Plus! Join for bonus episodes of "The Bridge" and ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe directly from the Hit Parade show page on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hit-parade-music-history-and-music-trivia/id1291058235" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a> or <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/4GqbdfOT9Je4nEp5BqnGit" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Spotify</a>. Or, visit <a href="https://slate.com/podcast-plus?utm_medium=link&amp;utm_campaign=plus_pod&amp;utm_content=Hit_Parade&amp;utm_source=episode_summary" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">slate.com/hitparadeplus</a> to get access wherever you listen.</p> <p>Podcast production by Joel Meyer.&nbsp;</p><p>Need to set up your Slate Plus feed? If you subscribed through Slate.com, check out our <a href="https://slate.com/podcastfaqs#plusbenefits" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FAQ</a> at slate.com/podcastfaqs for easy instructions. Members subscribed via Apple Podcasts get automatic access—no setup required.</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>