More than 40 years after its release, “Billie Jean” still tops Billboard’s global charts

WASHINGTON — “Billie Jean” is back Billboard charts, It is more than forty years since its release.

With the release of the big-budget Michael Jackson biopic “Michael,” this classic song from the 1982 “Thriller” album has experienced a resurgence in popularity. Starring Jaafar Jackson as the King of Pop, the film follows Michael Jackson’s early career through his Bad album.

The film dominated the box office for four consecutive weeks after its release.

The song climbed from No. 65 just three weeks ago to more than 51 million global streams in a single week, according to industry data and analytics firm Luminate, and currently sits at No. 1. The company provides insights into changes in music listener behavior.

“Billie Jean” also set a new record for the longest time at No. 1 on the Global Billboard 200 chart, spending its 144th consecutive week at the top. It beat out Djo’s “End of Beginning,” which topped the charts in January’s 94th week, driven by the “Stranger Things” finale.

When first released, “Billie Jean” spent seven weeks on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The biopic also spurred other songs by the King of Pop, who died in 2009.

“Beat It”, also from the “Thriller” album, reached the top five on the Global 200 chart and has been played 39.6 million times worldwide. Upon its release, it topped the Hot 100 chart for three weeks.

During the film’s opening weekend, the number of plays of Michael Jackson’s works in the United States surged 95% compared with the same period the previous weekend.

CNN Newsource contributed to this report.