The ’80s were alive with the sound of music, but it’s neither Whitney Houston nor George Michael who can lay claim to being the artist with the most No. 1 hits of the decade. That accolade belongs to the King of Pop himself: Michael Jackson.
Houston floored the world with No. 1 hits such as “Greatest Love of All” and “Saving All My Love for You,” while Michael did much the same with “Careless Whisper” and “Faith.” Yet it was Jackson, alongside other big moments in the 1980s, who so completely and unforgettably dominated the Billboard Hot 100. A seemingly never-ending stream of hits such as “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” “Bad,” and “Man in the Mirror” all climbed to the top spot, bringing his tally to an astonishing nine No. 1 hits during the decade.
Which was the song that had the longest streak at No. 1, though? That would be the rhythmic “Billie Jean” — off the 1982 album “Thriller” — which sat for seven weeks in pole position and lingered on the chart for 25 weeks overall, while Jackson’s 1983 live performance of the song was legendary. And in the same year, “Say Say Say” — which is a memorable collaboration between MJ and Paul McCartney from the latter’s 1983 album “Pipes of Peace” — hung around at No. 1 for six weeks. Not too shabby, eh?
Michael Jackson’s Thriller never hit the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100
Despite Michael Jackson’s costly “Thriller” music video and the song itself being absolutely iconic, the title track off the 1982 album failed to secure the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. It only managed to peak at No. 4, though it hung around on the chart for 21 weeks.
To be fair, “Thriller” was released as the last single from that famous album, so it arrived on the charts well over a year after the record’s release. Also, there’s something to be said about the fact that “Thriller” plays better if you’re watching the music video to go along with it. You simply have to do the moves along with MJ and the ghoul squad to have the full experience.
Even if “Thriller” didn’t hit the No. 1 spot at the time, it still went diamond in the U.S., eventually selling over 10 million copies. That’s not all, though. Immediately following Jackson’s death in June 2009, “Thriller” became the top-selling digital track of the week in the U.S., pushing 167,000 sales. Who needs a No. 1 hit with those numbers?