The late Michael Jackson continues to make music history fourteen years after his death. The King of Pop’s magnum opus has tallied a total of 600 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart.
Thriller, Michael Jackson’s sixth solo studio LP, rose 42 spots to No. 63 on the latest Billboard 200. The 1980s-era classic is just the 10th album to make it onto the weekly chart at least 600 times.
Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon remains the longest-charting album of all time (984 weeks). Albums by Bob Marley and the Wailers, Journey, Metallica, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Eminem, Bruno Mars, Guns N’ Roses and Nirvana also sit in the Top 10.
.@michaeljackson‘s ‘Thriller’ has now spent 600 total weeks on the #Billboard200 (No. 63 this week).
It’s the 10th album in history to reach the milestone.
— billboard charts (@billboardcharts) November 20, 2023
Thriller came out on November 29, 1982. It spent 37 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. That total puts Thriller in second place on the all-time list behind the West Side Story soundtrack (54 weeks) from 1961.
Michael Jackson also has five other No. 1 albums in his discography. 1987’s Bad, 1991’s Dangerous, 1995’s HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, 2001’s Invincible and 2009’s posthumous This Is It also peaked in the Billboard 200’s pole position.
Thriller hosts the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles “Billie Jean” and “Beat It.” The LP’s title track leveled off at the No. 4 slot. Four other Thriller tracks made it into the Hot 100’s Top 10 region. Michael Jackson currently has 13 career No. 1 songs on the Hot 100. Hip-Hop superstar Drake recently tied Jackson for fifth place on those rankings.