Some songs get a nostalgia bump and fade. Michael Jackson's"Thriller"just kept climbing. According to That Grape Juice, it jumped from No. 20 all the way to No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart dated November 14 — higher than it has ever been.
The climb
Here's the part that stopped me:"Thriller"had topped out at No. 4, and that was back in March 1984. The report says the song never reached No. 1 on the Hot 100, so this is as close as it has come. It didn't take the top spot this time either — Ella Langley's"Choosin' Texas"held No. 1.
The album side of it
It isn't only the single. The"Thriller"album rose to No. 2 on the Billboard 200, its highest placement since 1984. And the report notes that last year's resurgence took the song to No. 10, which made Jackson the first artist with Hot 100 Top 10 hits across six decades.
Why it lands
More than four decades after release, the song is at its highest Hot 100 position. Think about what it takes for a track to sit near the top of the chart that long after it came out — and to beat its own peak while doing it. That's not a nostalgia wave, at least not by the numbers. That's a song people are still choosing.
What it means for listeners here
If you're driving around with the radio on, you've probably heard"Thriller"more than once lately — it's the time of year for it. Here's what I wonder: does a chart run like this change how you hear it? Does knowing it's at No. 2 make you turn it up, or does it already get turned up no matter what the chart says?
Which version of"Thriller"gets you every time — the song or the album deep cut?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.