Forty-two years after its first chart run, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” is having the best week of its life. On the Billboard Hot 100, the main US singles chart, the song climbed to No. 2 on the chart dated Nov. 14, 2026. Billboard revealed the new chart on Monday, Nov. 9.
That’s the song we’re talking about here, not the album. And it’s the highest “Thriller” has ever gone on the Billboard Hot 100.
Back in 1984, “Thriller” topped out at No. 4. It never got higher. That may surprise you, since it’s one of the most famous songs Michael ever made. Now it has finally passed its old mark.
The chart site Ratings Game Music put it simply. The song is “establishing a new all-time peak” and “surpasses its original No. 4 peak.”
It also has some staying power. “Thriller” has now logged 28 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in total.
If it’s been a while since you sat through all of it, the original short film is the reason this song never really goes away.
Michael Jackson’s original “Thriller” short film from 1983
For anyone who doesn’t follow the charts, the Billboard Hot 100 is the big one. It ranks the most popular songs in the country each week, based on sales, streaming and radio play. Getting to No. 2 there in 2026, with a song from the early ’80s, is a very big deal.
So who’s sitting at No. 1?
Most people would guess a pop superstar. It’s a country singer.
The song holding “Thriller” off the top spot is “Choosin’ Texas” by Ella Langley. Billboard’s own headline said it plainly: “Ella Langley’s ‘Choosin’ Texas’ Holds Off Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ for 27th Week Atop Hot 100.”
Yes, you read that number right. Twenty-seven weeks.
That’s the most weeks any song has ever spent at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The runner-up on that list is Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” with 22. Whiskey Riff pointed out another record, too: “it is now the longest-running #1 hit by a female artist this century.”
So Michael isn’t up against just any song. He’s up against the longest-running No. 1 in the history of the chart.
There’s something kind of fun about the matchup. This week an early-’80s Michael Jackson classic is parked right behind a country hit that simply won’t let go of the top spot.
Here’s the song that’s keeping “Thriller” from No. 1, so you can hear what Michael is up against.
Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas,” the song at No. 1
Whether “Thriller” can finally get past it is anybody’s guess. The new chart comes out every week, and fans will be watching.
For now, Michael’s spooky classic has already done something it couldn’t manage back in 1984. It’s sitting higher on the Billboard Hot 100 than it ever has, with just one song between it and the very top.