Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” climbs to a never-before-seen high on the U.K.’s streaming chart, though it remains his lowest-peaking tune on the tally. American singer, songwriter and dancer Michael Jackson on stage at the Hippodrome de Vincennes, during his “Dangerous World Tour”. (Photo by David Lefranc/Kipa/Sygma via Getty Images)
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Michael Jackson’s self-titled biopic, expectedly, became a huge win at the box office after arriving in theaters globally just a few days ago. The highly anticipated film will soon pass $100 million in the United States alone, and it has already earned $217 million all around the planet – and it’s just getting started.
Fittingly, Jackson is in the middle of a huge week on charts in many nations, including the United Kingdom, where his fandom remains especially fierce. One of the King of Pop’s most famous singles – his only song charting in the U.K. at the moment – reenters one tally and finds its way to a new all-time high on another one of the most competitive rosters published by the Official Charts Company.
Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” Reaches a New Chart High
“Billie Jean,” one of a number of smashes from Jackson’s celebrated Thriller album, moonwalks north on the Official Streaming chart, the U.K.’s rundown of the most-played cuts of any style and from any era on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and others. Last time around, “Billie Jean” sat at No. 85, which was up just a few slots from the period prior. Now it lands at No. 68, which marks a new high for the decades-old blockbuster.
“Billie Jean” Didn’t Hit the Streaming Chart Until 2024
“Billie Jean” has been a favorite among tens of millions of listeners all around the planet for years, but it didn’t appear on the Official Streaming chart until November 2024. Since then, it has racked up 12 stays on the 100-space tally, and those weeks have been spread across half a dozen distinct runs.
Michael Jackson Counts Only a Few Streaming Hits
“Billie Jean” marks Jackson’s most recent addition to the Official Streaming chart and only his fifth career placement. He first landed on the roster a decade prior, in July 2014, with “Love Never Felt So Good.” That year, he earned two smashes, as “Thriller” followed several months later.
Jackson didn’t score another new hit on the Official Streaming tally until 2018. Yet again, he racked up a pair of wins that year, as both “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” which credits Jackson as a soloist as well as The Jackson 5, and “Don’t Matter to Me,” a posthumous collaboration with Canadian hip-hop talent Drake, both became streaming successes for the first time.
Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” Trails His Other Hits
Even as “Billie Jean” climbs to a new peak, it remains Jackson’s worst performer on the Official Streaming chart. Its No. 68 high comes in five slots behind where “Love Never Felt So Good” stalled. Jackson nabbed just one top 10, “Don’t Matter to Me,” which nearly earned him a No. 1, although that duet stopped just short in second place.
“Billie Jean” Reenters the Official Singles Chart
As it surges to a never-before-seen high on the Official Streaming chart, “Billie Jean” also reenters the Official Singles tally, which looks at the most-consumed cuts in the U.K. The Official Singles list takes into account streams as well as sales, and this time around, “Billie Jean” breaks back in at No. 93.
Unlike on the Official Streaming tally, however, “Billie Jean” does not find its way to a new lofty position. In fact, it can’t, as it has already led the charge. “Billie Jean” first settled on the Official Singles chart in January 1983, and the cut required only about a month before it earned its only turn at No. 1.
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, BRUNEI – JULY, 1996: American singer, songwriter, and dancer Michael Jackson (1958-2009) performs on stage during a concert for the 50th birthday of Hassanal Bolkiah, the Sultan of Brunei circa July, 1996 at the Jerudong Park Amphitheatre in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. (Photo by Bill Nation/Sygma via Getty Images)
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It’s only been a few months since the generation- and career-defining tune was last counted among the 100 most successful in the U.K. “Billie Jean” enjoyed a three-week run on the Official Singles chart in November 2025.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2026/04/28/michael-jacksons-classic-smash-dances-to-a-new-chart-peak/
