Nearly 13 years after it debuted on Billboard's R&B Digital Song Sales chart — and decades after its release — Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" hits No. 1. American Pop singer Michael Jackson (1958 - 2009) performs on stage at Madison Square Garden during the 'Bad Tour,' New York, New York, March 5, 1988. (Photo by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images)
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For decades, several of the singles taken from Michael Jackson's blockbuster album Thriller have been referred to as his biggest, his bestselling and his most popular. Perhaps the most famous of the bunch is "Billie Jean," though many fans may prefer the title track. "Billie Jean" is not just a hit in the singer-songwriter's catalog, but a generation-defining anthem. It's the cut that can more often than not be found on any of Billboard's charts, even during quieter times when it comes to the late musician's work.
Following an immense surge in popularity tied to his biopic, Michael – itself a major win at the box office – "Billie Jean" is one of 16 singles by Jackson that appear on any roster in America. Long after it ruled the Billboard Hot 100, the song finally climbs to No. 1 on a tally it had come close to conquering multiple times in the past, but somehow never managed to lead.
For the first time ever, "Billie Jean" sits at No. 1 on the R&B Digital Song Sales chart. The Billboard ranking focuses entirely on purchases of R&B tunes on platforms like iTunes, Amazon and more throughout the United States. 57 weeks into its tenure on the rundown, "Billie Jean" pushes from No. 2 to the summit.
Jackson has now sent three hits to No. 1 on the R&B Digital Song Sales chart. The first of the bunch was "Thriller," which launched on the list in November 2012 and made its way to the penthouse five years later. In the summer of 2018, Jackson doubled his rulers with the posthumous Drake collaboration "Don't Matter to Me." That cut opened at No. 1 and only spent a single turn in that space.
"Billie Jean" is one of Jackson's longest-running hits on the R&B Digital Song Sales chart, trailing only "Thriller," which has amassed 88 moments on the genre-specific roster. "Billie Jean" first arrived on the R&B tally in July 2013, and it needed nearly 13 years before it finally became the bestselling cut in that style in the nation.
This week, Jackson sees three of his most famous tunes establish new peak positions on the R&B Digital Song Sales chart. As "Billie Jean" rules over the ranking, "Beat It" is blocked from the summit by only one space. "Beat It" stalls at No. 2 – higher than it’s ever reached before – while "Human Nature" lifts to a new best showing of No. 4.
The R&B Digital Song Sales chart features just 10 spaces, and Jackson fills seven of them. In addition to the aforementioned "Billie Jean," "Beat It" and "Human Nature," "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," "Thriller," "Smooth Criminal" and "Bad" land at Nos. 7, 8, 9 and 10, respectively.
At the same time that "Billie Jean" soars higher than ever on the R&B Digital Song Sales chart, the track returns to its most impressive placement yet on several other rankings. "Billie Jean" misses out on leading the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales roster by one space. It's steady at No. 2, its all-time high, on the R&B Streaming Songs rundown, and keeps in third place on the Hot R&B Songs tally.
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