The Essential Michael Jackson

Following Jackson's death on June 25, the album sold 102,000 units in the US on the chart week ending July 1, 2009. The following week the album sold 125,000 units in the US on the chart week ending July 8, 2009 and was the third biggest-selling album of the week. In the UK, where the album had peaked at number two in 2005, it reached number one for seven consecutive weeks from the weeks ending July 11, 2009 to August 22, 2009, dethroning Jackson's own album, Number Ones, which topped the chart the week ending July 4, 2009. The album has been certified 5× platinum in the United States 9× Platinum in Australia and 7× Platinum in the United Kingdom with worldwide sales estimated around 6 million copies. ==Track listing==

North American version • Tracks 1–3 performed by The Jackson 5. • Tracks 7–9 and 14 performed by The Jacksons. American limited-edition 3.0 bonus disc European and international version • Tracks 1–3 performed by The Jackson 5. • Tracks 7–8 and 13 performed by The Jacksons. Japanese version • Tracks 1–3 performed by The Jackson 5. • Tracks 7–8 and 13 performed by The Jacksons. Qobuz.com Studio Masters (digital version; 24bit/96kHz) • Tracks 1–3 performed by The Jackson 5. • Tracks 7–9 and 14 performed by The Jacksons. • All attempted recreation of single edits are restored to actual single versions on digital edition with the exception of "Off the Wall", which is a further edit of UK 7" remix and "Will You Be There", which is a radio edit with newly added string intro. Both versions are exclusive to this release. • "Enjoy Yourself", "Blame It on the Boogie", "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough", and "Black or White" are restored to their album length on the digital edition. • The uncut version of "The Lady in My Life" was announced on Legacy Recordings' website to be released on 2008's 3.0 edition bonus disc, but eventually omitted for unknown reasons. However, this version is previously available on the 2002 compilation The Songs of Rod Temperton, which has become a much sought-after item among Jackson collectors upon release, despite the fact that the version on the compilation is an inferior tape transfer with heavy, irreparable distortion due to tape degradation. • A UK-exclusive edition of this compilation was renamed as The Hits (with the same font as the five-album box set The Collection) and given a colorized version of the cover in 2009. == Charts ==

Weekly charts Year-end charts Decade-end charts ==Certifications and sales==