As anticipation builds around the newly-released trailer for Michael, the Michael Jackson biopic, fans are flocking back to the King of Pop’s music catalog to revisit the songs and visuals that made him a global icon long before the streaming era existed.
Michael Jackson’s artistry has always lived at the intersection of music, film, and spectacle and YouTube’s streaming numbers continue to prove it. To understand which classics still command the biggest digital listeners today, BLACK ENTERPRISE looked at his top-streamed videos on YouTube and here’s what we learned.
Billie Jean
“Billie Jean,” Michael Jackson’s iconic 1982 hit, features a memorable bassline and a video that teases the moonwalk. The official video surpassed 1 billion views on YouTube by June 2021, making it his most-viewed video (approx. 1.96 billion views), according to YouTube stats.
Beat It
“Beat It,” a 1983 genre-blending anthem by Michael Jackson, mixes pop and rock with a star-studded video where a young Wesley Snipes has a cameo as a dancer. The official 4K version surpassed one billion views on YouTube, making it the second highest streaming MJ video online with about 1.23 billion views.
They Don’t Care About Us (Brazil version)
“They Don’t Care About Us” is a socially-conscious track that came out in 1995. The video, directed by Spike Lee and filmed in Brazil, also surpassed one billion YouTube views in April 2023. The song currently holds the third spot in Michael Jackson’s YouTube catalog with 1.22 billion views.
Smooth Criminal
“Smooth Criminal,” is a 1987 hit that features Michael Jackson’s iconic “lean.” The music video segment from the film Moonwalker album extended the video. In October 2024, the official video crossed the 1 billion mark on YouTube, making it the fourth most viewed video on MJ’s YouTube/Vevo channel with around 1.12 billion views.
Thriller
“Thriller,” the legendary 1983 short-film style video by Jackson, surpassed 1 billion YouTube views on Sept. 19, 2024, on his official YouTube channel, rounding out the top five of his most-streamed videos.
Bad (Shortened Version)
“Bad” (shortened version) by Jackson is the 1987 title track from the Michael Jackson album. The shortened “Bad” video is a version for YouTube. The “Bad” video sits at 522 million views.
RELATED CONTENT: Michael Jackson Fans Can’t ‘Get Enough’ Of The Trailer For ‘Michael’ Biopic
