Michael Jackson’s catalog is one of the most lucrative and valuable in the music industry. The late superstar released dozens of singles that remain favorites among people all around the world, and his discography continues to generate huge sums of money to this day.
While Jackson may have spent decades as one of the most popular musicians on the planet, his performance on Billboard’s global charts is surprisingly lackluster. The tallies were introduced only a few years ago, long after his passing, and many years following most of his smashes tunes rising and falling on the charts.
Since Billboard instituted both the Billboard Global 200 and the Billboard Global Excl U.S., Jackson has collected just two posthumous hits. This frame, one of them is missing entirely, while the other climbs on both rankings simultaneously.
“Billie Jean” is a Hit to This Day
“Billie Jean” can be found once more on Billboard’s two tallies that measure the most popular individual tracks all around the world. The Billboard Global 200 includes sales and streams from (almost) every nation. The Billboard Global Excl U.S., however, shows what the rest of the planet is listening to, with consumption originating in the United States avoided entirely.
“Billie Jean” sits highest on that non-U.S. tally. It pushes just four spaces from No. 166 to No. 162 this time around.
Michael Jackson on the Billboard Global 200
While it doesn’t rise quite as high on the Billboard Global 200, where it settles at No. 171, “Billie Jean” does enjoy a greater leap on that list. It pushes half a dozen slots this time around.
The All-Time Peaks for “Billie Jean”
Between the two rankings, “Billie Jean” has risen higher on the Billboard Global Excl U.S. That’s the only ranking where Jackson’s cut has broken into the top 100, or the upper half, as it peaked at No. 96. So far, “Billie Jean” has climbed as high as No. 109 on the Billboard Global 200.
“Billie Jean” Vs. “Thriller”
While “Billie Jean” may be succeeding at the moment, it does not rank as Jackson’s biggest win on either of these charts. In the past, “Thriller” has outperformed the fellow Thriller album single. That cut, which becomes hugely popular again every October around Halloween, has thus far peaked at No. 60 on the Billboard Global Excl U.S. and a much higher No. 28 on the Billboard Global 200.