Michael Jackson’s impact on pop music history is impossible to overstate. The 1982 album “Thriller,” the singer’s career-defining release, has sold 28 million albums in the U.S. according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), making it the top-selling studio album in the U.S. of all time. (Only an Eagles greatest-hits collection has sold more.) “Thriller” topped the Billboard 200 chart for 37 weeks, the second-longest run at No. 1 of any album in history.
Over the course of his solo career, Jackson charted 47 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, 13 of which went to No. 1. As part of the Jackson 5, he earned an additional four No. 1 Hot 100 hits.
His “Thriller” album was the first to spawn seven top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart while his 1987 follow-up album, “Bad,” became the first to see five of its singles reach No. 1. Jackson was also the first act to ever debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100 with “You Are Not Alone” on Sept. 2, 1995.
His last studio project, 2001’s “Invincible,” has sold 2.1 million copies in the U.S. according to Nielsen SoundScan. The set’s first single, “You Rock My World,” became the entertainer’s final top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. He is the only solo artist to notch top 10s on the Hot 100 in each of the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and ’00s.
His catalog of albums continues to sell strongly. Since “Thriller” was reissued in February 2008 in a special deluxe edition, it has sold 774,000 copies in the U.S. according to Nielsen SoundScan. The album re-entered Billboard’s Top Pop Catalog chart at No. 1 with 166,000 sold in its first week. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), it was the 32nd biggest selling album in the world last year and the ninth best seller for Sony Music.
MICHAEL JACKSON’S TOP 10 ALBUMS ON THE BILLBOARD 200 CHART
Title – Peak Position (Debut Date; Label)
Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5* – No. 5 – (January 17, 1970; Motown)
ABC* – No. 4 (June 06, 1970 Motown)
Third Album* – No. 4 (September 26, 1970; Motown)
Lookin’ Through the Windows* – No. 7 (June 03, 1972; Motown)
Ben – No. 5 (August 26, 1972; Motown)
Off the Wall – No. 3 (September 01, 1979; Motown)
Triumph** – No. 10 (October 18, 1980; Epic)
Thriller – No. 1 (37 weeks) (December 25, 1982; Epic)
Victory** – No. 4 (July 21, 1984; Epic)
Bad – No. 1 (6 weeks) (September 26, 1987; Epic)
Dangerous – No. 1 (4 weeks) (December 14, 1991; Epic)
History: Past, Present and Future – Book 1 – No. 1 (2 weeks) (July 08, 1995;
Epic)
Invincible – No. 1 (November 17, 2001; Epic)
* The Jackson 5
** The Jacksons
MICHAEL JACKSON’S TOP 10 SINGLES ON THE BILLBOARD HOT 100 CHART
Title – Peak Position (Debut Date; Label)
I Want You Back* – No. 1 (November 15, 1969; Motown)
ABC* – No. 1 (2 weeks) (March 14, 1970; Motown)
The Love You Save* – No. 1 (2 weeks) (May 30, 1970; Motown)
I’ll Be There* – No. 1 (5 weeks) (September 19, 1970; Motown)
Mama’s Pearl* – No. 2 (January 30, 1971; Motown)
Never Can Say Goodbye* – No. 2 (April 03, 1971; Motown)
Got To Be There – No. 4 (October 30, 1971; Motown)
Sugar Daddy* – No. 10 (December 11, 1971; Motown)
Rockin’ Robin – No. 2 (March 11, 1972; Motown)
Ben – No. 1 (August 05, 1972; Motown)
Dancing Machine* – No. 2 (March 16, 1974; Motown)
Enjoy Yourself** – No. 6 (November 13, 1976; Epic)
Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)** – No. 7 (February 17, 1979; Epic)
Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough – No. 1 (July 28, 1979; Epic)
Rock With You – No. 1 (4 weeks) (November 03, 1979; Epic)
Off the Wall – No. 10 (February 16, 1980; Epic)
She’s Out of My Life – No. 10 (April 19, 1980; Epic)
The Girl Is Mine (Michael Jackson/Paul McCartney) – No. 2 (November 06, 1982; Epic)
Billie Jean – No. 1 (7 weeks) (January 22, 1983; Epic)
Beat It – No. 1 (3 weeks) (February 26, 1983; Epic)
Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ – No. 5 (May 28, 1983; Epic)
Human Nature – No. 7 (July 23, 1983; Epic)
P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) – No. 10 (October 08, 1983; Epic)
Say Say Say (Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson) – No. 1 (6 weeks) (October 15, 1983; Columbia)
Thriller – No. 4 (February 11, 1984; Epic)
State of Shock** – No. 3 (June 30, 1984; Epic)
I Just Can’t Stop Loving You (with Siedah Garrett) – No. 1 (August 08, 1987; Epic)
Bad – No. 1 (2 weeks) (September 19, 1987; Epic)
The Way You Make Me Feel – No. 1 (November 21, 1987; Epic)
Man In The Mirror – No. 1 (2 weeks) (February 06, 1988; Epic)
Dirty Diana – No. 1 (May 07, 1988; Epic)
Smooth Criminal – No. 7 (November 12, 1988; Epic)
Black Or White – No. 1 (7 weeks) (November 23, 1991; Epic)
Remember the Time – No. 3 (January 25, 1992; Epic)
In The Closet – No. 6 (April 25, 1992; Epic)
Will You Be There – No. 7 (July 17, 1993; Epic)
Scream/Childhood (Michael Jackson & Janet Jackson) – No. 5 (June 17, 1995; Epic)
You Are Not Alone – No. 1 (September 02, 1995; Epic)
You Rock My World – No. 10 (September 08, 2001; Epic)
* The Jackson 5
** The Jacksons
Here’s an overview of Jackon’s multi-decade history on the Billboard charts.
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