Michael Jackson Greatest Hits

Michael Jackson Overview

The Michael Jackson greatest hits is a summary of his music, rise to stardom and about his best-selling album in the history of the Pop era. H

Color Photo of Michael Jackson
Color Photo of Michael Jackson

e was born Michael Joseph Jackson on August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana. He died on June 25, 2009 of cardiac arrest in his Los Angeles home at the age of 50.

He is often referred to as the “King of Pop” or by his initials “MJ”. He is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records. He is the eighth child of the Jackson family; he debuted on the music scene with his brothers known as the “Jackson 5” at the age of six. They had their first four singles hit #1 on the Hot 100 chart which was a record until their sister Janet broke that with 5. In 1971, Jackson began his solo career.

Music Career

His first charted single on the Hot 100 Pop chart was “Got To Be There” #4, in 1971. He followed that with “Rockin’ Robin” #2 in 1972. This was a remake of Bobby Day’s single in 1958, also peaking at #2. His first single to make it to #1 was “Ben” in 1972. It was number one for 1 week.  In 1979, he produced the album called “Off The Wall” and it produced 4 top ten hits including 2 #1’s “Don’t Stop ‘til You Get Enough”, and “Rock with You”. This album eventually sold over 20 million copies worldwide.

Michael Jackson Billie Jean Cover Photo
Michael Jackson Billie Jean Cover Photo

Michael followed that successful album with “Thriller” in late 1982. This album became the best-selling album in the United States and the best-selling album of all-time worldwide. It sold over 29 million copies in the United States and when you include worldwide sales it is over 65 million. The album topped the Billboard 200 chart for 37 weeks and was in the top 10 for 80 consecutive weeks. It was the first album to have seven Billboard Hot 100 top ten singles, including “Billie Jean”, and “Beat It” which went to #1. The RIAA gave this album a double diamond status.  This album reached the top ten in over 30 national charts. It is certified Gold in eleven countries. After Michael’s death in 2009, it was re-released and sold over 1.27 million copies, making it the fourteenth best-selling album of 2009.

Michael Jackson’s last number one song was “You Are Not Alone” in 1995, for one week. His last top ten single was “You Rock My World” #10 in 2001. His last single to make the Hot 100 Pop chart was “One More Chance” #83 in 2003.

Music History

All told, Michael Jackson had 13 #1’s, 28 top 10, 32 top 20, and 38 top 40 hits. He also had 9 albums in the top 10. Billboard also ranked Michael Jackson the #1 artist from 1980-1989, #20 from 1990-1999, and the #7 artist of all-time from 1955-2010 on the Hot 100 chart. Michael also had 9 top ten albums. He received a Grammy for his album “Legend” 1993, Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010, and was voted into the R&R Hall of Fame in 2001.

On the Adult Contemporary chart, Michael had 2 #1’s, 12 Top 10, 14 Top 20, 24 Top 40 hits. He is ranked as the #45 artist of all-time from 1961-2001.

On the R&B charts, Michael had 13 #1’s, 32 Top 10, 38 Top 20, 41 Top 40 hits. He is ranked as the #2 artist from 1980-1989, the #32 artist from 1990-1999, and the #16 artist of all-time from 1942-2010.

Michael Jackson #1’s and Top Ten Singles

45 RPM Single Michael Jackson Billie Jean #1 7 Weeks
45 RPM Single Michael Jackson Billie Jean #1 7 Weeks

Below is a complete list of all of Michael Jackson’s number 1 hits in chronological order showing title, peak date, peak weeks at #1, #2, & #3 in (). All number one singles will be in bold.

Hot 100 Singles

  1. Got To Be There – October 30, 1971 #4
  2. Rockin’ Robin – March 11, 1972 #2 (2)
  3. Ben – October 14, 1972 #1 (1)
  4. Don’t Stop til You Get Enough – October 13, 1979 #1 (1)
  5. Rock With You – January 19, 1980 #1 (4)
  6. Off The Wall – February 16, 1980 #10
  7. She’s Out Of My Life – April 19, 1980 #10
  8. The Girl Is Mine – November 6, 1982 #2 (3)
  9. Billie Jean – March 5, 1983 #1 (7)
  10. Beat It – April 30, 1983 #1 (3)
  11. Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ – May 28, 1983 #5
  12. Human Nature – July 23, 1983 #7
  13. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) – October 6, 1983 #10
  14. Say Say Say – December 12, 1983 #1 (6)
  15. Thriller – February 11, 1984 – #4
  16. I Just Can’t Stop Loving You – September 19, 1987 #1 (1)
  17. Bad – October 24, 1983 #1 (2)
  18. The Way You Make Me Feel – January 23, 1988 #1 (1)
  19. Man In The Mirror – March 26, 1988#1  (2)
  20. Dirty Diana – July 2, 1983 #1 (1)
  21. Smooth Criminal – November 12, 1988 #7
  22. Black Or White – December 7, 1991 (7)
  23. Remember The Time – January 25, 1992 #3 (1)
  24. In The Closet – April 25, 1992 – #6
  25. Will You Be There – July 17, 1993 #7
  26. Scream – June 17, 1995 #5
  27. You’re Not Alone – September 2, 1995 #1 (1)
  28. You Rock My World – September 8, 2001 #10

Michael Jackson’s number 1 songs spent a total of 37 weeks in the #1 position.

Adult Contemporary Top Ten Hits

This is a complete list of all of Michael Jackson’s top ten hits on the Adult Contemporary chart with number one songs in bold and weeks at #1 & #2 in ().

  1. Ben – September 2, 1972 #3
  2. She’s Out Of My Life – April 26, 1980 #4
  3. The Girl Is Mine – December 25, 1982 #1 (4)
  4. Billie Jean – February 12, 1983 #9
  5. Human Nature – July 23, 1983 #2 (4)
  6. Say Say Say – October 15, 1983 #3
  7. I Just Can’t Stop Loving You – August 29, 1987 #1 (3)
  8. The Way You Make Me Feel – December 5, 1987 #9
  9. Man In The Mirror – February 13, 1988 #2 (1)
  10. Heal The World – December 5, 1992 #9
  11. Will You Be There – July 17, 1993 #5
  12. You Are Not Alone – August 12, 1995 #7

R&B Singles

This is a complete list of all of Michael Jackson’s top ten hits on the R&B chart with number one songs in bold and weeks at #1, #2, & #3 in (), listed in chronological order. #1 singles are listed by peak date, all others the date the single debut on the R&B chart.

  1. Got To Be There – November 6, 1971 #4
  2. Rockin’ Robin – March 18, 1972 #2 (1)
  3. I Wanna Be Where You Are – June 3, 1972 #2 (2)
  4. Ben – August 19, 1972 #5
  5. We’re Almost There – March 1, 1975 #7
  6. Just A Little Bit Of You – May 24, 1975 #4
  7. Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough – September 8, 1979 #1 (5)
  8. Rock With You – January 5, 1980 #1 (6)
  9. Off The Wall – February 23, 1980 #5
  10. The Girl Is Mine – January 18, 1983 #1 (3)
  11. Billie Jean – February 12, 1983 #1 (9)
  12. Beat It – May 21, 1983 #1 (1)
  13. Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ – June 4, 1983 #5
  14. Say, Say, Say – October 22, 1983 #2 (4)
  15. Thriller – February 18, 1984 #3 (2)
  16. I Just Can’t Stop Loving You – September 19, 1987 #1 (1)
  17. Bad – October 17, 1987 #1 (3)
  18. The Way You Make Me Feel – December 26, 1987 #1 (4)
  19. Man In The Mirror – March 26, 1988 #1 (1)
  20. Get It – April 23, 1988 #4
  21. Dirty Diana – April 30. 1988 #5
  22. Another Part Of Me – September 17, 1988 #1 (1)
  23. Smooth Criminal – November 12, 1988 #2 (2)
  24. Black Or White – November 23, 1991 #3 (1)
  25. Remember The Time – March 7, 1992 #1 (2)
  26. In The Closet – June 27, 1992 #1 (1)
  27. Jam – July 11, 1992 #3 (1)
  28. Who Is It – April 10, 1993 #6
  29. Scream – June 17, 1995 #2 (1)
  30. You Are Not Alone – September 2, 1995 #1 (4)
  31. Butterflies – November 3, 2001 #2 (5)

Michael Jackson’s number ones spent a total of 41 weeks in the #1 position.

Shop Michael Jackson Greatest Hits

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Now you can own twelve of Michael Jackson’s #1 hits on CD. The title of the CD is The Essential Michael JacksonThe Essential Michael Jackson which has two CD’s with 38 of his greatest hits. The only #1 song not on the album is “Say Say Say”. The set includes 3 selections from the Jackson 5 and they are all #1 hits going back to the early 70’s. This collection also contains many of his top ten hits.

Now, you can shop for individual Michael Jackson Greatest Hits by clicking on the link. You will be taken to the Amazon Try Prime Digital Music page where you can download any individual song of Michael Jackson for a small fee.

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