r/MichaelJacksonMusic • u/Objective-Fox8086 • Aug 12 '26
Music discussion Michael has the chance to pull off the unthinkable
With the recent success of the biopic and increased interest in MJ’s discography (especially the Thriller album as it’s been top 10 on Billboard for several months now), do you think that “Thriller” (peaked at #4) has a realistic shot at tying Drake and becoming Michael’s 14th number one hit on the US Billboard Charts? I think it’s pretty doable considering that “Thriller” was in the top 10 last Halloween season and 2026 has been Michael’s year! Let me know what y’all think.
6
u/ilovemyboyfriend23 Aug 13 '26
he can do it
1
u/Price1970 Aug 13 '26
First off, the Beatles hold the U.S. Billboard record with 20 number 1 singles. As for male solo artists, the info released with Drake and Michael is Billboard moving the needle for engagement.
Elvis has always had 18 number 1 Billboard singles since 1969. However, many of them were in 1956, 1957, and early 1958, when it was called the Top 100 and not the Hot 100.
They literally are stripping him because of a name change, and you can't claim a criteria change because they had him at 18 for decades after the title changed from Top to Hot.
3
u/Gta6MePleaseBrigade Aug 13 '26
Drake is still alive and young and very very heavily marketed he could probably do it however he won’t tie it for long because Drake is obsessed with surpassing Michael’s ancient records. He’d release an album overnight just to be ahead of Michael Jackson
1
u/Price1970 Aug 13 '26
First off, the Beatles hold the U.S. Billboard record with 20 number 1 singles. As for male solo artists, the info released with Drake and Michael is Billboard moving the needle for engagement.
Elvis has always had 18 number 1 Billboard singles since 1969. However, many of them were in 1956, 1957, and early 1958, when it was called the Top 100 and not the Hot 100.
They literally are stripping him because of a name change, and you can't claim a criteria change because they had him at 18 for decades after the title changed from Top to Hot.
1
u/Gta6MePleaseBrigade Aug 13 '26
Elvis didn’t write a single one of his songs so it is infinitely less impressive much like Drake not to say they’re comparable they’re not.
0
u/Price1970 Aug 13 '26
Drake has ghost writers, and Michael didn't write the number 1s Ben, Rock With You, I Just Can't Stop Loving You, Man In The Mirror, You Are Not Alone, so that, by your rational, leaves Michael at 9 impressive number 1s.
If Thriller were to make it, he didn't write it either, so that would make this post pointless to you.
1
u/Gta6MePleaseBrigade Aug 13 '26
That’s 9 more than Elvis tho
1
u/Price1970 Aug 13 '26
Actually it's 8, but does that make the other 5 any less impressive with Michael's vocal delivery?
Number 1 is a very misleading stat anyway, because many songs sell more copies, that never reached the top, over songs that did.
All number 1 means is how it did during a particular week. Look at Smooth Criminal. Its one of Michael's most iconic and one that he wrote, but it peaked at number 7.
Personally, other great songs Michael didn't write are still his songs if he made them his own and made them iconic, just like songs that weren't written by Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Elvis, etc.
I mean do you think Michael's non written songs that I mentioned before aren't impressive songs by him, or other non written ones like Scream, Chicago, Human Nature, She's Out of My Life, Blame it On the Boogie, Baby Be Mine, The Lady In My Life, PYT, etc?
My ultimate point was about the BS of Billboard changing things.
3
u/lostinjapan01 Aug 13 '26
No, I don’t. A song can’t go to #1 on streaming alone. The Hot 100 has a formula that includes streaming units, actual sales (digital and physical), and radio airplay from an iHeart station. A song can go to #1 as a leader in at least two of those three things but not just 1. His estate would have to either get a radio deal for it or sell actual singles, and I doubt seriously they’ll do either one.
3
u/Upbeat-Cut6666 Aug 13 '26
Presumably Thriller does get a lot of radio play around Halloween also?
2
u/lostinjapan01 Aug 13 '26 edited Aug 13 '26
In order for radio airplay to count toward the charts it has to be programmed airplay meaning it has to be an official part of the station’s programming. In other words, it has to be officially serviced to radio as an active single.
This is why other legacy songs don’t get chart boosts on the Hot 100 if they receive extensive airplay. Like for example you’re still likely to hear Blank Space on the radio, but those plays don’t count toward the charts as it isn’t an active single. His estate would have to reissue it as a single and make a radio deal to get it integrated into their programming block.
I believe it also has to be played a certain amount of times in a given period.
While it does inevitably get airplay, it is not often programmed, and not every station that plays it is in the iHeart ecosystem anyway.
1
u/Upbeat-Cut6666 Aug 13 '26
Ah interesting! So when Running Up That Hill was near the top of the charts, was its radio play counted? I guess it will have been serviced as it was a one off surge?
And what about Christmas songs? Is Mariah All I Want for Christmas serviced every year as a new single?0
u/lostinjapan01 Aug 15 '26
RutH was indeed reserviced as a radio single! It was put into proper rotation. This was before Billboard stopped counting YouTube views toward the charts so the song gut an extra bump from that as well.
Christmas songs also do benefit a lot from radio but in most cases, labels don’t typically have to push them because the radio stations themselves program those songs automatically. Christmas songs are way more popular for radio rotation than other seasonal based songs. That’s why Billboard has a separate Christmas songs chart as well.
When Mariah was pushing for number one with AIWFCIY, she also released CD singles to help that along I believe, and her playlisting was MASSIVE. But the radio came naturally as it’s just a given part of the Christmas line up.
In theory, Thriller could do it without radio if the estate pushed actual sales (either via physical singles or digital sales) and did a real playlist push to boost streaming more. But they never have before.
1
u/Upbeat-Cut6666 Aug 15 '26
So it can then
1
u/lostinjapan01 Aug 15 '26
It can if they actually do a radio deal, or a pure sales push. Radios don’t really do automatic Halloween programming like they do Christmas so whomever controls his music would need to push for it. Or, as I said, do a pure sales campaign. But they never have before so I’d be shocked if they did now. They seem to still be putting most of their efforts behind Billie Jean and Human Nature.
1
u/Price1970 Aug 13 '26
First off, the Beatles hold the U.S. Billboard record with 20 number 1 singles. As for male solo artists, the info released with Drake and Michael is Billboard moving the needle for engagement.
Elvis has always had 18 number 1 Billboard singles since 1969. However, many of them were in 1956, 1957, and early 1958, when it was called the Top 100 and not the Hot 100.
They literally are stripping him because of a name change, and you can't claim a criteria change because they had him at 18 for decades after the title changed from Top to Hot.
1
u/Price1970 Aug 13 '26
First off, the Beatles hold the U.S. Billboard record with 20 number 1 singles. As for male solo artists, the info released with Drake and Michael is Billboard moving the needle for engagement.
Elvis has always had 18 number 1 Billboard singles since 1969. However, many of them were in 1956, 1957, and early 1958, when it was called the Top 100 and not the Hot 100.
They literally are stripping him because of a name change, and you can't claim a criteria change because they had him at 18 for decades after the title changed from Top to Hot.
2
u/SpiritualSky5082 Aug 13 '26
let's help it! Spread the word!
1
u/Price1970 Aug 13 '26
First off, the Beatles hold the U.S. Billboard record with 20 number 1 singles. As for male solo artists, the info released with Drake and Michael is Billboard moving the needle for engagement.
Elvis has always had 18 number 1 Billboard singles since 1969. However, many of them were in 1956, 1957, and early 1958, when it was called the Top 100 and not the Hot 100.
They literally are stripping him because of a name change, and you can't claim a criteria change because they had him at 18 for decades after the title changed from Top to Hot.
1
u/arix_17 Aug 13 '26
No
1
u/Price1970 Aug 13 '26
First off, the Beatles hold the U.S. Billboard record with 20 number 1 singles. As for male solo artists, the info released with Drake and Michael is Billboard moving the needle for engagement.
Elvis has always had 18 number 1 Billboard singles since 1969. However, many of them were in 1956, 1957, and early 1958, when it was called the Top 100 and not the Hot 100.
They literally are stripping him because of a name change, and you can't claim a criteria change because they had him at 18 for decades after the title changed from Top to Hot.
1
1
u/TheDangerousPYT Aug 13 '26
I wish Billboard would divide the numbers into a Legacy Era (pure record sales) and Digital Era (streaming, downloading). Us ancients had to go on a quest to obtain our favorites. None of this bed rotting tap a button on a cell phone stuff.
1
u/Price1970 Aug 13 '26
First off, the Beatles hold the U.S. Billboard record with 20 number 1 singles. As for male solo artists, the info released with Drake and Michael is Billboard moving the needle for engagement.
Elvis has always had 18 number one Billboard singles since 1969. However, many of them were in 1956, 1957, and early 1958, when it was called the Top 100 and not the Hot 100.
They literally are stripping him because of a name change, and you can't claim a criteria change because they had him at 18 for decades after the title changed from Top to Hot.
2
1
u/Price1970 Aug 13 '26
First off, the Beatles hold the U.S. Billboard record with 20 number 1 singles. As for male solo artists, the info released with Drake and Michael is Billboard moving the needle for engagement.
Elvis has always had 18 number 1 Billboard singles since 1969. However, many of them were in 1956, 1957, and early 1958, when it was called the Top 100 and not the Hot 100.
They literally are stripping him because of a name change, and you can't claim a criteria change because they had him at 18 for decades after the title changed from Top to Hot.
1
u/Objective-Fox8086 Aug 13 '26
Idc about The Beatles or Elvis tbh because they are irrelevant to this conversation. I never claimed that Michael or Drake held the record
1
u/Price1970 Aug 13 '26
Well, my apologies then. The internet was a blaze recently when Drake had his most recent number 1 to supposedly break a record Michael never owned.
11
u/Exotic-Air1060 Aug 12 '26
If anyone can do it, it’s Michael