Stephen Thompson
Stories
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Remembering Alfa Anderson, the voice behind 'Le Freak' and 'Good Times'
Alfa Anderson sang on some of Chic's most memorable hits, including "Le Freak," "Good Times," and "My Forbidden Lover." She died on Dec. 17 at 78.
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Music
The season of Christmas songs is here. Will the classics make room for anything new?
'Tis the season for a handful of familiar Christmas songs to monopolize the top spots on the Billboard pop chart. But a few newer songs are making a play to join the annual holiday jukebox.
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Music
Will a song ever again become a holiday fixture like 'All I Want for Christmas is You?'
This year marks 30 years since the release of Mariah Carey's hit, "All I Want for Christmas is You." But have any other pop singles been able to enter the holiday music canon since?
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Music
Black Friday sends Taylor Swift back to the top of the charts
Stephen Thompson looks at the biggest songs and albums of the week, and digs into the stories and trends beyond the Top 10.
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When Kendrick Lamar claimed the top-5 spots, it sent Shaboozey down to No. 6
Kendrick Lamar's new album "GNX" is not only No. 1 in the country, five of its songs hold down the top-five spots on the singles charts.
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Music
The rise of Gracie Abrams
In recent months, the list of the nation's top songs has been remarkably unchanging, but this week saw the arrival of a new one by Gracie Abrams.
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National
Quincy Jones, pop mastermind and 'Thriller' producer, dies At 91
The production wizard behind Michael Jackson's Thriller won 28 Grammy awards during a career that spanned more than 70 years as a performer, songwriter, producer and music executive.
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Music
An anti-anxiety playlist for Election Day (or after)
Some song recommendations to ease anxiety and help with jitters around Election Day.
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Music
‘How it will end is how it will end,’ but The Cure isn’t over, yet
The Cure's first album in 16 years, Songs of a Lost World, is thematically dark, but sonically rich and inviting. Still, though, Robert Smith says there's so much more to come.
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4 albums debut in the Top 10. Jelly Roll leads the pack with his first No. 1
Powerhouse names lingered around the top of Billboard’s albums chart all summer: Taylor Swift, Morgan Wallen -- crowding out new entries. But this week brings an embarrassment of riches.
