Michael Jackson’s hit biopic has boosted his catalog of hits, but it’s a deep cut that went viral that helped him capture an all-time chart record.
After becoming popular on social media, “Chicago,” from The King of Pop’s posthumous 2014 album Xscape, has now debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #30. That makes Michael the first artist ever to have at least one new song debut on the Hot 100 in every decade since the ’70s.
He sent 11 songs into the chart in that decade, according to Billboard, followed by 20 songs in the ’80s. He then had 12 in the ’90s, four in the 2000s, four in the 2010s and now one in the 2020s.
“Chicago” is now so popular that it’s currently the singer’s second-highest-charting song on the Hot 100, after “Billie Jean,” which is at #19.
Xscape, which was released five years after Michael’s passing, spun off two chart hits in 2014: “Love Never Felt So Good” featuring Justin Timberlake and “Slave to the Rhythm.” “Chicago” was never a single.
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