Michael Jackson: The King of Halloween Hits

Halloween Sends ‘Thriller’ and Other Spooky Classics Back Up the Charts

Halloween season is here and with it comes a major spike in streams and sales for some of the most iconic spooky hits of all time. Songs like “Ghostbusters” by Ray Parker Jr. and Rockwell’s “Somebody’s Watching Me” are once again haunting playlists, but the King of Pop reigns supreme.

Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” has moonwalked its way back to the top, reclaiming the number one spot on both the R&B Digital Song Sales and R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales charts. According to Billboard, the Halloween classic sold over 1,000 copies in the most recent tracking week a 63% increase from the week before.

The momentum doesn’t stop there. Jackson’s legendary Thriller album, already one of the best-selling records of all time, is climbing multiple Billboard charts once again. Meanwhile, fellow Thriller-era smash “Billie Jean” is also rising making its way back into the R&B Streaming Songs chart and nearing the upper half of Billboard’s global rankings.

More than 40 years after its release, “Thriller” remains a cultural phenomenon a song and video that continue to define Halloween’s soundtrack year after year.