Michael Jackson’s Classic Reaches A New Peak On Multiple Charts

Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” jumps to No. 87 on the Billboard Global 200, scoring its highest placement yet more than 40 years after its release. Michael Jackson performing at the Democratic National Committee’s “A Night at the Apollo” voter registration drive & fund-raiser at The Apollo Theater in New York City. April 24, 2002. Photo: Evan Agostini/Getty Images

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For more than 40 years, “Billie Jean” has been regarded as one of Michael Jackson’s best songs and certainly one of his most commercially successful. That’s saying a lot when it comes to a musician whose catalog is known as one of the most lucrative of all time. Many years after it became one of the biggest hits of its era, “Billie Jean” remains a standout in Jackson’s catalog and American recorded music.

Fans of the late, great powerhouse are still buying and streaming the tune in huge numbers every day, and amazingly, “Billie Jean” manages to enjoy its biggest week ever on multiple Billboard charts at the moment — more than 40 years after it was initially promoted.

“Billie Jean” Reaches Two Years on the Global Chart

“Billie Jean” currently appears on four Billboard charts, and the track climbs to a never-before-seen high on half of them. “Billie Jean” dances from No. 106 to No. 87 on the Billboard Global 200. Jackson’s smash soars to a new peak 104 weeks — exactly two years — into its life on the ranking of the most consumed songs all around the planet.

The song nearly reaches a new high on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. as it ascends from No. 127 to No. 98. In the 91 frames it has spent on that roster, which operates in much the same way as the Billboard Global 200 except all streams and sales from American consumers are not factored into the chart’s methodology, “Billie Jean” misses its all-time best showing by just two spots.

“Billie Jean” Soars to a New Peak on the R&B List

The Thriller classic is also in the midst of a very exciting moment on the R&B Streaming Songs chart. “Billie Jean” returns to that roster at No. 12, which now marks its loftiest placement ever on Billboard’s list that looks only at the most-played R&B cuts around the country. Somewhat surprisingly, “Billie Jean” has only spent four weeks anywhere on the tally.

Michael Jackson’s New Posthumous Hit

On the R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs chart, which is longer and slightly more competitive than the R&B Streaming Songs tally, “Billie Jean” establishes a high point as it arrives at No. 23. The cut posthumously earns Jackson his seventh appearance on the roster.