Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Climbs to No. 2 on the Hot 100 as Halloween Songs Surge

Michael Jackson's "Thriller" has reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, a new peak for the song. The chart dated Nov. 14, published on Monday, Nov. 9, moved it up from No. 20, and it is the highest it has ranked since its first run on the chart more than 42 years ago. Its previous best was No. 4, in March 1984.

The Hot 100 ranks the most popular songs in the United States each week, based on streams, sales and radio play. The figures come from Luminate, a data company that tracks music consumption, and this chart covers the week of Oct. 30 to Nov. 5, 2026. In that week, "Thriller" drew 17.4 million streams, up 87%. Its radio audience, the number of listeners reached by radio plays, was 11.3 million, up 172%. It also sold 4,000 copies, up 48%.

Close behind is Tame Impala and JENNIE's "Dracula," which rose to No. 3 from No. 5. That is a new high for the song. It logged 9.4 million streams, up 31%, and reached 62.6 million listeners through airplay. It also led Billboard's Radio Songs chart, which ranks songs by radio play, for an eighth straight week.

Several older songs also made a comeback. Ray Parker Jr.'s "Ghostbusters" re-entered at No. 12 with 11 million streams, up 87%. The song was No. 1 for three weeks in 1984. Bobby "Boris" Pickett and The Crypt-Kickers' "Monster Mash" came back at No. 13, also with 11 million streams. It had topped the Hot 100 for two weeks in October 1962, and this is its first return to the top 15 since 1973.

Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me" climbed to No. 14 from No. 39, with 11.4 million streams, up 81%. The track features backing vocals by Michael Jackson. It reached No. 2 in March 1984, and in that same month it shared the top 10 with "Thriller" for three weeks.

Two newer seasonal entries also stood out. "This Is Halloween" by The Citizens of Halloween rose to No. 21 from No. 41, with 9.8 million streams, up 60%. That beats its previous high of No. 26, set in 2025. Danny Elfman wrote the song for the 1993 film The Nightmare Before Christmas. Andrew Gold's "Spooky, Scary Skeletons (Undead Tombstone Remix)" debuted at No. 35 with 7.2 million streams, up 77%. The original came out in 1996, and the new entry puts Gold back in the top 40 for the first time since 1978, when "Thank You for Being a Friend" was a hit.

Wham!'s "Last Christmas" re-entered at No. 37 with 7.4 million streams, up 228%. The 1984 song reached No. 2 during the 2025 holiday season, which is its best showing so far.

What the numbers show, in plain terms, is that a lot of people pressed play. Each stream is a single listen on a streaming service, and each radio audience figure is a count of people reached by a station. Behind those counts are the songwriters, performers and rights holders who receive royalties when songs are played and bought. Each week's chart is a snapshot of one stretch of listening, so the next one could look very different.