Michael Jackson and Madonna Are Back on the Hot 100 at the Same Time for the First Time in 22 Years

Michael Jackson and Madonna are sharing space on the Billboard Hot 100 again, driven by different kinds of comeback energy: a new biopic for Jackson and a fresh collaboration with Sabrina Carpenter for Madonna.

Jackson is back with four classics on the chart thanks to the release of Michael, which premiered April 24 and has continued to draw moviegoers. On the May 16 Hot 100, “Billie Jean” jumps 38-17. Also reentering are “Human Nature” at No. 29, “Beat It” at No. 32 and “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” at No. 42.

Those titles come with familiar history. “Billie Jean” and “Beat It” each reached No. 1 in 1983, for seven weeks and three weeks, respectively. “Human Nature” got to No. 7 that same year. “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” spent one week at No. 1 in 1979, becoming Jackson’s second solo leader out of 13.

The chart gains are being powered by streaming. According to Luminate, in the week of May 1-7, the songs drew 12.7 million, 9.8 million, 9.5 million and 8.5 million chart-eligible U.S. streams, up 35%, 57%, 37% and 35% respectively.

Madonna returns at No. 74 with “Bring Your Love,” her new duet with Sabrina Carpenter. Released April 30, the track opens with 4.1 million streams, 6.6 million airplay audience impressions and 3,000 sold.

The last time Jackson and Madonna appeared on the Hot 100 together was more than 22 years ago. On the Jan. 3, 2004 chart, Madonna sat at No. 83 with “Me Against the Music,” her collaboration with Britney Spears, while Jackson held No. 100 with “One More Chance.”

The two have crossed paths on the chart many times before. They first appeared on the Hot 100 in the same week on Oct. 29, 1983, when Madonna debuted at No. 88 with “Holiday.” That week, Jackson had two entries: “Say Say Say,” with Paul McCartney, at No. 11 and “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” at No. 23. That span now covers 42 years, six months and two weeks of simultaneous chart presence.

They were also both in the Hot 100’s top 10 for two months in 1985. For three of those weeks, Madonna had two songs in the tier, alongside “We Are the World,” which Jackson co-wrote and on which he shared the vocal spotlight. For four weeks during that stretch, Madonna’s “Crazy for You” and “We Are the World” held the top two positions, with “Crazy for You” pushing the charity single out of No. 1.

In October 1987, they were again near the top together. Jackson’s “Bad” was No. 1, while Madonna’s “Causing a Commotion” peaked at No. 2. As Paul Grein noted in Billboard’s Chart Beat column that week, Jackson had tied Madonna for the most No. 1 singles of the 1980s at that point, with six each. By the end of the decade, Jackson finished with nine No. 1s, while Madonna, Phil Collins and Whitney Houston were tied for second with seven.

Additional reporting by Keith Caulfield