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Chart Beat

‘Thriller,’ ‘Monster Mash’ & ‘Ghostbusters’ Return to Hot 100 After Halloween

Plus, "This Is Halloween" debuts.

Michael Jackson "THRILLER"

Michael Jackson "THRILLER"

MCA/Universal / Courtesy of Everett Collection

Halloween hits are back on the latest Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated Nov. 11) thanks to annual gains for spooky songs around the Oct. 31 holiday.

Among such ear candy, Michael Jackson’s classic “Thriller” is the highest Halloween-sparked reentry at No. 21 with 14.5 million U.S. streams (up 163%), 10.9 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 464%) and 5,000 downloads (up 102%) for Oct. 27-Nov. 2, according to Luminate. This is the sixth consecutive year in which “Thriller” has reentered the Hot 100. It peaked at No. 4 during its initial chart run in 1984.


Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers’ “Monster Mash” follows at No. 38 with 11.9 million streams (up 213%), 4.4 million radio impressions (up 1,923%) and 4,000 sold (up 82%). This is the third consecutive season that the graveyard smash has revisited the chart. It spent two weeks at No. 1 during its original run in 1962. It’s the sixth time that “Monster Mash” has ranked on the Hot 100 overall; it debuted in September 1962 and, zombielike, reappeared in 1970 and 1973, and has now returned in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

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The Citizens of Halloween’s “This Is Halloween” from Tim Burton’s classic 1993 stop-motion animated film, The Nightmare Before Christmas, debuts at No. 41 on the Hot 100. It’s the first Hot 100 appearance for the act and the first song from the soundtrack to reach the Hot 100. The song debuts with 12.4 million streams (up 152%), 511,000 in airplay audience (up 815%) and 3,000 sold (up 58%).

Meanwhile, The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack jumps from No. 54 to No. 25 on the Billboard 200 with 25,000 equivalent album units (up 61%). The collection reached No. 22 last year, a new high. On the Soundtracks chart, the set rebounds for a fourth total week at No. 1.

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Finally, Ray Parker Jr.’s “Ghostbusters” reenters the Hot 100 at No. 45 with 11.1 million streams (up 168%), 5.9 million radio impressions (up 1,484%) and 4,000 sold (up 97%). This is the third consecutive year that the song has returned to the survey, thanks to Halloween gains. The theme to the 1984 blockbuster film of the same name spent three weeks at No. 1 during its original chart run that year.

This article was originally published by Billboard U.S.

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EMPIRE's Tina Davis (left) and Girl Connected's Lola Plaku at Conversations with the Pros at Toronto Metropolitan University in Toronto on March 28, 2025.
Courtesy of Girl Connected

EMPIRE's Tina Davis (left) and Girl Connected's Lola Plaku at Conversations with the Pros at Toronto Metropolitan University in Toronto on March 28, 2025.

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EMPIRE President Tina Davis Gives Strategic Advice to Women in Music at Girl Connected's New Speaker Series

On Friday (March 28), the president of EMPIRE, the Bay Area-independent label and music company, came to Toronto for Conversation with the Pros offering tangible advice to the mentorship program's community. Davis also spoke to Billboard Canada about her impressive journey in the industry.

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On Friday (March 28), Tina Davis, president of EMPIRE, sat down with Girl Connected founder and music industry veteran Lola Plaku at Toronto Metropolitan University for the first in-person Canadian edition of Conversations with the Pros (Billboard Canada was a supporting partner). The series brings in inspiring music industry figures from Girl Connected's international network to talk about their journeys and offer actionable information and advice to help the budding music professionals develop their skills and reach the next level of their careers.

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