How a 43-year-old song beat hits by BTS, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, and Rihanna to become number 1 song in the world

A song released in 1983 has now taken the number 1 spot on the Billboard Global 200 chart, beating recent hits by BTS and Justin Bieber.

At a time when streaming numbers have replaced album sales in determining music's popularity worldwide, the Billboard Global 200 chart has emerged as one of the most accurate metrics for measuring the most popular music. The chart collates the top songs globally in any given week, so it is no surprise that the top music stars of the current day and age dominate it. But last week, something unusual happened. A song from 1983, performed by a singer who died 17 years ago, topped the chart, beating recent hits from BTS and Justin Bieber, no less.

Michael Jackson's Billie Jean is ruling the charts again.

The 1983 song that is topping Billboard Global 200

In May 2026, Michael Jackson’s iconic 1983 hit, Billie Jean, from his milestone album, Thriller, reached the number one spot on Billboard Global 200. The song has been on the chart for 144 weeks, but before May 2026, it had never entered the top 5, let alone been at the top. This sudden surge is due to the renewed focus on the late King of Pop after the release of his biopic, Michael. The film has grossed $700 million worldwide, catapulting several songs of the late singer to the top of global streaming charts. Billie Jean, prominently featured in the promos and trailer, received the most attention and reached the top of the Billboard charts.

With 18 million copies worldwide, Billie Jean is one of the highest-selling singles of all time and Michael Jackson's most popular song. Upon release in 1983, it reached number one in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, Switzerland and Belgium, and the top ten in many other countries. Its success helped Thriller become the best-selling album of all time.

Billie Jean beats modern hits

Billie Jean was originally released in 1983 and reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100. But because the Global 200 chart launched decades later, in the streaming era, the song never topped it. Yet, it has now, in 2026. The song displaced Justin Bieber’s Beauty and a Beat at the top spot, while also beating the second-placed Swim by K-pop group BTS. Taylor Swift’s highest-ranked song, The Fate of Ophelia, is not even in the top 10 as of May 2026.

Michael Jackson’s renewed popularity

Michael's success has made the late singer’s music a fad once again for a whole new generation. While Billie Jean is number 1 on Billboard Global 200, several of his other songs are ranked high, too. Beat It, also from Thriller, is at #5, while Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough and Human Nature from his debut album Off The Wall are just outside the top 10. Smooth Criminal, from the singer’s 1987 album Bad, rounds up the top 25.