4 Huge Songs From the 80s That Posthumously Reemerged Onto the Charts

There are plenty of popular songs that have stood the test of time. Here are four hits that have posthumously entered the charts after the deaths of their singers.

“Purple Rain” by Prince

In May of 2016, this song hit No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, just two positions shy of its 1984 peak. As Prince once explained, “Purple Rain” is meant to be a metaphor for the end of the world and clinging to what matters most in difficult times.

“When there’s blood in the sky… red and blue = purple,” he once shared. “Purple rain pertains to the end of the world and being with the one you love and letting your faith/God guide you through the purple rain.”

“Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson

“Billie Jean” was just one of many songs that reentered the charts after Jackson died in 2009. More recently, though, in May 2026, the song reached No. 1 on the Global 200 chart, making Jackson the first artist to reach No. 1 on this chart, having died before its creation.

“Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie

After David Bowie passed away in 2016, this Queen collaboration became his highest-charting song to re-enter the charts, peaking at No. 45 on the Billboard charts.

As Queen musician Brian May once shared, “Under Pressure” wasn’t the easiest collaboration, but Bowie’s lyrics were what made the song “significant.”

“It was hard, because you had four very precocious boys and David, who was precocious enough for all of us,” he shared in an interview. “David took over the song lyrically. Looking back, it’s a great song, but it should have been mixed differently. Freddie and David had a fierce battle over that. It’s a significant song because of David and its lyrical content.”

“I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston

In 2012, following Houston’s death, a series of songs from her Whitney: The Greatest Hits album reentered the music charts. This song reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, while other songs like “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” followed closely behind at No. 35.

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