Madonna and Michael Jackson: A Rare Top 10 Chart Convergence

Madonna and Michael Jackson: A Rare Top 10 Chart Convergence

Madonna's latest studio album, CONFESSIONS II, has debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, joining Michael Jackson's Thriller, which falls to No. 8. This marks only the second time that Madonna and Jackson have both appeared in the top 10 simultaneously, with the last occurrence being nearly 25 years ago.

The two music icons previously shared the top 10 on the Dec. 1, 2001 chart, with Jackson's Invincible at No. 4 and Madonna's GHV2: Greatest Hits Volume 2 at No. 7. While they almost crossed paths in the 1980s, spending a combined 57 weeks at No. 1, they narrowly missed each other by a single week.

Despite their prolific chart histories, Madonna and Jackson have rarely overlapped in the top 10, especially in the '80s when they dominated the charts. Their major new albums were often not released close to each other, with only four instances of them releasing top 10-charting albums within six months of each other.

Madonna's self-titled debut album marked her first of 24 top 10s, while Jackson's Thriller had already left the top 10 by the time Madonna entered it. Jackson went on to chart four more top 10s before his passing in 2009, with four more posthumous top 10s. The infrequent overlap of their album releases has contributed to their limited appearances in the top 10 together over the years.