Michael Jackson makes Hot 100 history as “Thriller” returns to the top 10, helping the late star reach the uppermost tier in a sixth decade as a soloist — a chart first. Michael Jackson (Photo by KMazur/WireImage)
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This week’s Billboard charts are dotted with tracks that are now forever entangled with Halloween. Americans love a single they can connect with a certain time of the year, and Halloween, with its parties and weeks-long exciting lead-up, is now a major moment in the music industry for a select few tunes that have a creepy theme or that address monsters, anything with the night, or a subject that could be considered scary.
The biggest of the bunch is Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” which is not just a hit at the moment, but one of the biggest songs in America. As “Thriller” finds its way back to the highest region on the most competitive songs tally in the nation, the late powerhouse makes history.
“Thriller” Returns to the Hot 100’s Top 10
“Thriller” rockets up the Hot 100, Billboard’s roster of the most consumed songs in the United States. This frame, the decades-old cut jumps from No. 32 to No. 10, finding its way back to the most competitive space on the list.
Michael Jackson’s Expands His Chart Run by Another Decade
Billboard notes that as “Thriller” sits at No. 10, Jackson becomes the first musician to appear inside the Hot 100’s highest tier in six different decades. He began his run under his own name in the 1970s, and he has spent at least one stint somewhere between Nos. 1 and 10 on the Hot 100 in each decade since then.
Drake Helped Michael Jackson Make History
Amazingly, in the most recent two decades, Jackson has earned his moment inside the Hot 100’s top 10 posthumously. He first did so in 2018 when he was credited on Drake’s “Don’t Matter to Me.” That tune, featured on the rapper’s album Scorpion, peaked at No. 9 on the Hot 100.
Now, while “Thriller” isn’t new to the top 10, it does help him find his way to that space for the first time in the 2020s decade. The song peaked at No. 4 when it was initially promoted as a single from the album of the same name in the mid-’80s.
LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 30: Drake speaks onstage during Drake’s Till Death Do Us Part rap battle on October 30, 2021 in Long Beach, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
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Jackson passed away unexpectedly due to an accidental overdose in 2009 at the age of 50.
The Jackson 5 Started Michael Jackson’s Hot 100 Run
Jackson’s historic run stretches into yet another decade when his work with the Jackson 5 is included. The singer got his start as the youngest member of the sibling group, which, according to Billboard, first broke into the Hot 100’s top 10 in December 1969. That means that between his solo work and the music he made as part of the troupe — and both while he was alive and since he has passed — Jackson has appeared inside the Hot 100’s uppermost arena across seven different decades. That is also a first among all musical acts.
Michael Jackson Passes Famed Crooner Andy Williams
Before this week, Jackson was matched with late crooner Andy Williams, as both had managed to occupy space inside the Hot 100’s top 10 in at least one period throughout five decades. Williams has also benefited from holiday listening – but certainly not Halloween – as his Christmas tune “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” shoots back into the upper reaches of the Hot 100 every December, spurred on by even-more-impressive streams, sales and radio airplay spikes than “Thriller” is enjoying at the moment.
“Thriller” Sits at No. 1 on Multiple Billboard Charts at Once
VARIOUS, VARIOUS – JUNE 25: Michael Jackson performs in concert circa 1986. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)
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“Thriller” appears on double-digit Billboard charts this frame. Halloween fell on a Friday in 2025, which is the beginning of a new tracking period in the music industry. That benefits Jackson, as streams and sales — and even radio play — connected to his smash were grandest at the outset of a new frame.
“Thriller” currently appears inside the top 10 on nine different tallies, only missing the uppermost arena on both of Billboard’s global rosters. “Thriller” even manages to lead the charge on four lists at once – the R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs, R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales, R&B Streaming Songs, and R&B Digital Song Sales charts – as it overperforms when it comes to both plays on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, as well as purchases on iTunes, Amazon, and other download storefronts.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2025/11/14/michael-jackson-becomes-the-first-artist-to-manage-an-incredible-hot-100-feat/
