Michael Jackson’s Career-Changing Album Reaches New Peaks On Several Charts

BusinessHollywood & EntertainmentMichael Jackson’s Career-Changing Album Reaches New Peaks On Several ChartsByHugh McIntyre,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Hugh McIntyre covers music, with a focus on the global charts.Follow AuthorMay 23, 2026, 08:00am EDTMichael Jackson's Off the Wall, which changed the trajectory of his career and ensure his solo superstardom, climb to new peaks on several Billboard charts. VARIOUS, VARIOUS - JUNE 25: Michael Jackson performs at the 12th Annual MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on September 7, 1995. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)WireImageSeveral weeks into a renaissance on the charts, many of Michael Jackson's albums continue to perform extremely well. Titles like Thriller and compilations such as Number Ones and The Essential Michael Jackson remain major winners, but at this point, long after his namesake biopic Michael first debuted in movie theaters all around the world, almost none of his full-lengths are close to reaching new peaks. That is, except for one. Off the Wall rises on nearly every tally where it carves out space this period and establishes a new high on several of them simultaneously.Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall Rises to New PeaksOff the Wall can be found on five rosters published by Billboard, and it steps up on all but one. Jackson's fifth solo album surges from No. 9 to No. 7 on the Vinyl Albums tally and from No. 13 to No. 11 on the Top Album Sales list. Off the Wall has never reached those spaces before, and the decades-old project establishes exciting new highs four weeks into its time on the vinyl-only rundown, and 32 weeks into its tenure on Billboard's look at the bestselling EPs and full-lengths in the country.Off the Wall Climbs on Several Billboard ChartsIn addition to the aforementioned rankings, where Off the Wall sits higher than ever before, Jackson's masterpiece also leaps up bot...