NETHERLANDS - JUNE 01: Photo of Michael JACKSON; Michael Jackson performing on stage at the ... [+]
Michael Jackson’s Thriller is more than 40 years old at this point. For the vast majority of albums, living on the charts for four decades–and then some–is an impossible dream. For Jackson’s masterpiece, that truth is only one part of the title’s current success story.
Thriller is climbing the Billboard charts once again this week. The set almost always appears on at least one or two rankings, and usually several at once. It’s not uncommon for the project to rise and fall, but its increases this time around are particularly notable.
On this week’s Billboard 200, the ranking of the most-consumed albums in the U.S., Thriller jumps 25 spaces. The title improves from No. 147 to No. 122 this frame. That’s a huge gain for a decades-old collection, and it shows that interest in the R&B and pop singles-packed set is still very strong.
Sales were largely to thank for Thriller’s thrilling climb. According to Luminate, Jackson’s album sold 2,615 copies last week in America. That’s a growth of more than 34% from the period before.
All those pure purchases of Thriller allow it to also surge up the Top Album Sales chart. That tally takes into account only actual purchases, while the Billboard 200 includes streaming and other forms of consumption. On this week’s Top Album Sales list, Jackson’s blockbuster shoots from No. 46 to No. 38.
Thriller is up slightly on the Top R&B Albums chart this week. The set grows from No. 18 to No. 15. Like the Billboard 200, Jackson’s massive commercial win can almost always be located on this tally.
At the same time, Thriller finds its way back to another, closely-related list. The studio effort reappears on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, coming in at No. 49–in second to last place. Sales of the title likely help explain how it was able to fall off this roster recently and mount a quick comeback.
