“Sweeney said that on a year-to-year basis, the most requested arrangements reflect the pop charts — or at least the pop charts from 2009, since there is a lag time in writing versions of top pop hits that will be suitable for 76 trombones and however many flutes, trumpets or saxes are on hand. But the marching band charts differ from the pop charts in at least one respect: They are more accepting of older songs. For instance, even though Hal Leonard Music has sold arrangements of Michael Jackson songs like “”Thriller”” and Jackson 5 hits like “”I Want You Back”” and “”ABC”” for the past decade, the King of Pop's death last year has pushed those songs back to the top of the sales list, Sweeney said. “”We're getting a lot of interest in Jackson's music this year,”” he said. “”But his music has always done well.”” The lag time between a song becoming a hit on the radio and its transfer to the marching band circuit means Sweeney doesn't always get surprised, but he admitted he was caught off guard by how the comedy-drama TV series “”Glee”” has affected sales — especially since it focuses on a show choir, not a marching band. “”'Glee' has brought back a certain nostalgia for some of the songs that are played on the show, such as 'Don't Stop Believing,'”” he said. “”That was a huge crossover we hadn't expected.”“”
