Hi, my name is Richard D’Orazi and welcome to D’Orazi Hit Parade! As my motto says, this website is dedicated to giving you the stories and analysis behind the hits in music. Every piece of music no matter your opinion has an interesting story behind them and this site is my way of sharing them. I carry an encyclopedic knowledge of modern popular music and I use it to write essay like reviews of hit songs and albums from the ’50s to today. I also review music related films and documentaries if I feel like it.
Music has been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember anything. I grew up hearing music from my family to the classic rock and pop of my parent’s time to the hits of the day my sister listened to at the time. A lot of these memories helped to develop my own interest in music. Along the way, I also began learning guitar at 14 performing many times in high school and in my university’s jazz band.
Starting in high school, I began developing my critical views of music by discovering many online music critics and following the Billboard Hot 100. From there, I’ve become a big chart nerd knowing all the ins and outs of how songs actually get popular as well as which songs have hit #1 and all the fun chart trivia. Now I get to express my views through this website.
Here are the columns I’m currently doing:
In The Ones of the ‘10s, I review every single that hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the 2010s. Eventually, I’ll work my way into the ‘20s and review whatever’s currently #1. This was my initial inspiration for creating this site as the 2010s were ending and thought what better way to begin the new decade than look back at the past one. The 2010s was the decade I grew up and came of age in so it’s fun getting to write about all the hits I heard during my formative decade as well as give you the stories behind each song.
In The Best Sellers, I review the best selling albums in the United States from every year since 1956.
In Random Tracks, I review a random hit song that’s charted on the Billboard Hot 100 from anypoint in the chart’s history going from its beginning in 1958.
In Party Like It’s 1999, I reviewed the #1 hit songs of my birth year 1999 in honor of my birthday in June. And I’ll also be reviewing other hit songs from ’99 in conjuction with Random Reviews.
Lastly, a big thank you to everyone who has supported this site! Hope you all enjoy what my website has to offer! Feel free to comment whether it’s sharing a memory or a thought on what I’m reviewing just as long as it is respectful. If you like what you see, subscribe to my site with your email address and you’ll instantly get notified about every new post!
-Richard D’Orazi
D’Orazi Hit Parade 