"That's criminal": Internet outraged as Billboard ranks Michael Jackson's "Thriller" 22nd biggest Halloween song of all time

Billboard has ranked Michael Jackson's "Thriller," one of the most beloved Halloween songs, at No. 22 on its list of the Biggest Halloween Songs of All Time. The decision has sparked a wave of outrage across social media. Fans are arguing that no other song features the vibe of Halloween quite like "Thriller." One such netizen said:

"Ranked 22nd? That’s criminal. Thriller is Halloween. The song didn’t just set the mood, it invented it. Every zombie dance, every fake fog machine owes Michael royalties."

Ratty

@PhilipsRatty

Ranked 22nd? That’s criminal. Thriller is Halloween. The song didn’t just set the mood, it invented it. Every zombie dance, every fake fog machine owes Michael royalties.

Notably, Billboard placed Michael Jackson's Thriller 22nd, which is below songs like Bobby "Boris" Pickett's "Monster Mash" (No. 1) and Ray Parker Jr.'s "Ghostbusters" (No. 2).

Internet reactions to Billboard ranking Michael Jackson's "Thriller" 22nd biggest Halloween song of all time

Pop Crave took to its official X (formerly Twitter) page to announce that,

"“Thriller” by Michael Jackson has been ranked the 22nd biggest Halloween song of all time by Billboard."

Fans were notably quick to gather under the comments of the X post as they penned their views on Michael Jackson's Thriller ranking. Below are some of their reactions:

"Whoever came up with this ranking needs to be shot out of a cannon into the sun. The only runner-up to Thriller as the biggest Halloween song is Monster Mash and that is a FAR AWAY 2nd place", commented a netizen.

"This list is crazy, heres the top 5 Halloween song according to them: "Monster Mash" - Bobby "Boris" Pickett. "Ghostbusters" - Ray Parker Jr. "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" - Charlie Daniels Band. "The Blob" - The Five Blobs. "Poison Ivy" - The Coasters", noted another.

"Michael Jackson personally requested Vincent Price to do the narration. Jackson grew up a massive fan of classic horror movies and wanted Price, the "King of Horror," to give the track that old-school, chilling gravitas.", penned a third.

Others also chimed in:

"How is it not number one when it helped the Thriller album reach number 1 all time in albums sold? It quite literally is on the number 1 album all time meaning it's the most famous , well known Halloween song of all time. That means they put 21 inferior selling songs ahead of him", wrote a fan.

"I have never even heard of 1/2 of these songs above Thriller on Billboard's list. Billboard must be run by aliens bc how have they missed that every year Halloween is celebrated around the world with Thriller? Billboard, Rolling Stone, etc continue to disrespect Michael Jackson 👎", opined another.

"Because there are viral TikTok's and videos, movie clips, and everything of people singing Ghostbusters and doing the dance......... I'm joking. It does not matter what billboard says, they can gaslight the country all they want, EVERYONE KNOWS Thriller is the Halloween anthem", commented a third.

Michael Jackson's Thriller is the best-selling album of all time. It was certified 34x platinum in the U.S. and sold over 100 million copies globally. The record was released on November 30, 1982. Thriller produced seven Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100:

• “The Girl Is Mine” (No. 2)
• “Billie Jean” (No. 1, seven weeks)
• “Beat It” (No. 1, three weeks)
• “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” (No. 5)
• “Human Nature” (No. 7)
• “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” (No. 10)
• “Thriller” (No. 4)

Taylor Swift recently tied Michael Jackson's record for 13 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, and also surpassed him in total weeks spent at No. 1.

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