Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ Album Makes Billboard History As Title Track Soars Into Hot 100’s Top 10 Over 40 Years After Release

If Michael Jackson‘s posthumous earnings annually outpacing most active music stars isn’t enough to cement his uncompromising positioning as the reigning King of Pop, the historic Billboard stats attached to his magnum opus album ‘Thriller‘ should do the trick.

‘Thriller,’ which peaked at #4 at the height of its Billboard popularity in 1984, moonwalked to #10 on this week’s Hot 100.

Here are the numbers that powered the placement.

Streaming = 14 million U.S.-based streams

Digital sales = 3,000 sold

Radio airplay = 9.3 million audience impressions

Much like Mariah Carey‘s ‘All I Want for Christmas‘ during the holiday season, Jackson’s 1982 classic ‘Thriller’ has long been christened the official song for Halloween.

Seeing a notable uptick in streams and downloads around October 31 every year, this year’s increase in digital activity was so high it pushed the song back into the Hot 100’s top 10.

In doing so, MJ becomes the first artist to ever land a top 10 hit on the all-genre singles chart in six distinct decades (’70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, 2000s, ‘10s, and ‘20s).

Look below to see who joins him on this week’s updated TGJ Chart Check.

Hot 100 This Week

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The ‘Thriller’ domination doesn’t stop on the Hot 100, however.

This week, the tune’s like-titled parent project – already the best-selling album of all time – soared to #16 on the current Billboard 200 in its 703rd week of charting on the tally.

In doing so, Jackson becomes the first Black artist to see a studio album chart for over 700 weeks.

Among all projects released by Black artists, only Bob Marley and the Wailers’ greatest hits compilation ‘Legend‘ can boast surpassing the milestone as it’s enjoyed a whopping 912 weeks of charting.

Billboard 200 This Week

[photo source: Billboard]