In a career that spanned almost all 50 years of his life, Michael Jackson became a mainstay on the Billboard charts, evolving from a child star into a global phenomenon and an undisputed legend.
His dominance on the Billboard Hot 100 reflects his record-breaking career: As a solo artist, 13 of his singles reached No. 1 – tied with Drake for the most by a male artist in history – and an additional four songs by the Jackson 5, with Michael on lead vocals, topped the chart.
Jackson first gained major recognition as the lead singer of family band the Jackson 5 with his siblings Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon and Tito, who notched massive hits for Motown off the bat. By age 12, the earliest instance of Jackson’s record-shattering capabilities emerged: The Jackson 5 became the first act to have their first four Hot 100 entries all reach No. 1. Parallel to his siblings’ success, Michael scored solo hits – including Hot 100 champ “Ben” – through the 1970s.
Although 1979’s Quincy Jones-produced Off the Wall was his fifth album, its bold creative direction positioned a then-21-year-old Michael as a fully-formed artist who would soon claim the King of Pop crown. The follow-up, 1982’s Thriller, is widely considered the best-selling album of all time and spent an astonishing 37 weeks atop the Billboard 200 – a record for an album by a single artist. In another first, th album’s seven singles all reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, with two, the immortal “Billie Jean” and “Beat It,” topping the chart.
While Thriller showed Jackson at unprecedented commercial heights, the superstar continued to make Hot 100 history with subsequent projects. 1987’s Bad produced a record five No. 1 singles, a mark unmatched by any album until 2011, and “You Are Not Alone” in 1995, became the first song to ever debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100. Though his chart power had waned at the time of his death in 2009, posthumous releases with his musical descendants still generate buzz collaborations: 2014’s “Love Never Felt So Good (with Justin Timberlake) and a featured credit on Drake’s 2018 track “Don’t Matter to Me,” which samples an unreleased Jackson song, both reached No. 9.
To review Jackson’s nearly half-century of Hot 100 impact, here’s a review of the late icon’s 50 biggest hits on the Hot 100. The list comprises his solo catalog as well as material by the Jackson 5 and The Jacksons.
Michael Jackson’s Biggest Hot 100 Hits ranking is based on weekly performance on the Hot 100 (from its inception on Aug. 4, 1958, through April 28, 2026). Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at lower spots earning the least. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, eras are weighted differently to account for chart turnover rates during various periods.
