Michael Jackson

The King of Pop has been returning to the charts every year thanks to a spooky classic. Image: @forbes/ X

How did this Michael Jackson song return to the charts after 40 years?

One of Michael Jackson’s timeless tracks has made its seasonal return to the Hot 100, and no. 1 on the Billboard charts.

Michael Jackson

The King of Pop has been returning to the charts every year thanks to a spooky classic. Image: @forbes/ X

“Thriller” has established a tradition of reappearing on the Hot 100 music chart during the Halloween season. This time, the spooky classic reclaims the No. 21 spot, a remarkable achievement for a 40-year-old song.

While this is a respectable comeback for “Thriller,” it could have achieved even greater success were it not for the recent release of a new album by one of the music industry’s biggest stars.

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The King and Queen of Pop

In the current week, Taylor Swift is dominating the Hot 100 chart, which ranks the most-consumed songs in the US. Her latest album, “1989 (Taylor’s Version),” has secured the top position on the US’ Billboard 200 chart, with over 1.6 million equivalent units sold.

This success, fueled by hundreds of millions of streams, has propelled all the album’s tracks to higher positions on the Hot 100.

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Taylor Swift has introduced 11 new songs onto the chart, outpacing “Thriller.” Additionally, her previously released track, “Wildest Dreams (Taylor’s Version),” has achieved a new peak at No. 19. If Swift’s album had been released a bit earlier or later, “Thriller” might have snuck into the Top 10.

As it continues to hold a special place in the hearts of many and garners increasing streams every Halloween, “Thriller”‘s chart position on the Hot 100 may rise in the future.

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An enduring chart topper

Meanwhile, “Thriller” returned to the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s R&B Digital Song Sales chart in the US last week, demonstrating its enduring popularity.

It has now spent a total of six weeks at the top spot throughout its years of availability, regularly adding to that sum each Halloween season.

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“Thriller” also ranks at No. 11 on the Digital Song Sales chart, and it is one of only two No. 1 hits Jackson has achieved on the R&B Digital Song Sales chart, primarily due to the chart’s introduction after his peak years.

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