NEWS
Mariah Carey
Dennis LeupoldHow quickly a year goes by. Michael Jackson's "Thriller" leads a rush of Halloween songs on the Nov. 13-dated Billboard Global 200 at No. 28, just as the holiday music season begins to jingle with the re-entry of Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" at No. 105.
The tracking week for this week's charts spanned Oct. 29 through Nov. 4, thus, encompassing the final three days leading up to and including Halloween.
Blasting 109-28 on the Global 200, "Thriller" drew 22.1 million streams (up 105%) and sold 8,800 downloads (up 78%) around the world in the tracking week, according to MRC Data. Notably, that's a nearly 30% stronger streaming showing than last year, when the zombie-terror classic scared up 17 million streams (up 95%) during Halloween week, hitting its initial high of No. 51.
Of course, it's not an apples-to-apples (or apple cider …) comparison; since Halloween falls on a different day of the week each year, the portion of the tracking week most devoted to spooky listening ebbs and flows year-to-year. In 2020, the corresponding Friday-Thursday tracking week covered Oct. 30-Nov. 5.
Similarly, Rockwell's "Someone's Watching Me" hits No. 35 (18.5 million streams) despite not appearing on the chart at all in 2020 (when it logged 5.6 million Halloween-week streams), while Ray Parker, Jr.'s "Ghostbusters" ranks at No. 46 (14.4 million) after reaching No. 119 last year (9.6 million). Additionally, Bobby "Boris" Pickett and the Crypt-Keepers creep to No. 54 with "Monster Mash" (11.8 million; No. 89 high in 2020, 10 million); Andrew Gold's "Spooky, Scary Skeletons" debuts at No. 120 (5.6 million last year); and AC/DC's "Highway to Hell" is No. 142 (10.4 million; No. 160 in 2020, 9.7 million).
Of the seven Halloween-themed songs on the Global 200, four make the Global Excl. U.S. chart, all at lower positions than on the worldwide tally. "Thriller" is No. 60, "Someone's Watching Me" is No. 77, "Ghostbusters" is No. 151 and "Highway to Hell" rounds out the list at No. 183.
Meanwhile, Carey's ever-dominant "Christmas" ushers in the Yuletide season on Billboard's global charts. The song re-enters the Global 200 at No. 105 with 11.7 million streams and 2,600 sold in the tracking week, up 128% and 256%, respectively. Continuing with our year-over-year comparisons, the song started its chart ascent the same week in 2020 (on the Nov. 14 tally), although at No. 139 with 11.1 million streams. Its 2021 mid-chart re-entry will likely be followed in the coming weeks by classics from Brenda Lee, Burl Ives, Wham! and a sleighful of others.
Just as Halloween songs fare better on the latest Global 200 than on the Global Excl. U.S. ranking, the same goes for Christmas titles. Over the 2020-21 season, 93 holiday-themed songs appeared on the Global 200, including the entire top nine songs on the Jan. 2 chart, with Carey's carol at No. 1 for four weeks. On the Global Excl. U.S. list, however, 52 such songs charted, including five of the Jan. 2 top 10 and Carey reigning for one week. And as "Christmas" debuts mid-chart on the Global 200, it is so far shy of the Global Excl. U.S. tally, likely to re-enter next week.
NEWS
Lola Young has joined forces with Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) to release a new T shirt for the charity’s Lifelines collection.
The shirt supports CALM’s suicide prevention work, with proceeds helping to fund vital resources such as its helpline and CALMzone mental health app.
CALM introduced the Lifelines range last year, with Fontaines D.C., Blossoms and Inhaler also contributing their own designs to the collection.
Young’s design includes the words, “There’s a flicker of light. There’s always morning after the night”, taken from her track ‘Flicker Of Light’.
“I wrote this song about realising there is hope. I have often felt like there isn’t, but there is always a reason to keep going,” Young said. “That’s even when you don’t want to get out of bed, you do, and that is amazing, and you’re still here, and you’re still alive, and if anything, that’s something to be proud of.”
CALM CEO Simon Gunning also shared his appreciation for the collaboration, saying: “We couldn’t be more grateful to Lola for supporting ‘Lifelines’ and showing just how powerful music can be as a force for good.”
Priced at £30, the T shirts come in both standard and boxy fits and are available to purchase here.
Young has regularly spoken about her experiences with mental health. She returned to performing earlier this year after calling off her 2025 tour because of exhaustion. The decision followed her collapse during a performance in New York City. During her time away, she later discussed receiving support for addiction and attending AA meetings as part of her recovery.
In an interview with NME in May, Young explained that she believes “all healing journeys are never ending”, although she is now “definitely in a much better place”. She also said she feels “excited and ready to perform and to release music”.
Reflecting on the encouragement she received after publicly discussing those challenges, Young said: “My fans inspire me in the same way I hope to inspire them. I feel like I’ve never tried to be especially honest… it just comes very naturally to me.”
“I don’t really have any other choice but to be honest, so if people connect to that, and that’s amazing.”
Several musicians have also applauded the ‘Messy’ singer for honestly addressing the pressure placed on touring performers. Lily Allen said she was “in awe” of the BRIT and Grammy winner, while Victoria Canal credited Young with bringing greater attention to the damaging impact demanding tour schedules can have on artists’ mental wellbeing.
When NME asked whether musicians were beginning to establish firmer boundaries around their health, Young replied: “I never intended it to start a movement, but I hope that it does in some way.”
