Thriller is the sixth studio album by the famous American singer Michael Jackson. It was released on November 29, 1982, by Epic Records. The album was produced by Quincy Jones, who had also worked with Jackson on his earlier album, Off the Wall, in 1979. Michael Jackson wanted to make an album where "every song was a killer hit." At the time, disco music was becoming less popular. So, Jackson explored new sounds, mixing pop, post-disco, rock, funk, and R&B.

Thriller became a huge success. It was Jackson's first album to reach number one on the US Billboard charts. It stayed at number one for a record 37 weeks! Seven songs from the album were released as singles: "The Girl Is Mine", "Billie Jean", "Beat It", "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", "Human Nature", "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)", and "Thriller". All of these songs made it into the top 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. "Beat It" and "Billie Jean" even reached number one.

After Jackson performed "Billie Jean" on the Motown 25 TV special, he showed off his famous moonwalk dance. This made album sales go way up, selling a million copies worldwide each week! The music video for "Thriller" came out in December 1983 and was played a lot on MTV, which also helped sales.

By the end of 1983, Thriller had sold 32 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling album of all time. Guinness World Records confirmed this on February 7, 1984. It was the best-selling album of 1983 globally. In 1984, it became the first album to be the best-seller in the United States for two years in a row.

Thriller changed the music industry with its songs, music videos, and how it was promoted. It influenced many artists, record labels, and choreographers. The album's success made Michael Jackson incredibly famous, especially for a black American artist. It helped break down racial barriers in popular music. He got regular airplay on MTV and even met US President Ronald Reagan at the White House. The music videos for "Billie Jean," "Beat It," and "Thriller" are known for turning music videos into a serious art form.

Today, Thriller is still the best-selling album of all time, with 70 million copies sold worldwide. In the United States, it's the best-selling album that isn't a collection of songs. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it 34 times platinum in 2021. The album won a record-breaking eight Grammy Awards at the 1984 Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. Michael Jackson also won a record-breaking eight American Music Awards in 1984. Thriller is often listed as one of the greatest albums ever made. In 2008, it was added to the Grammy Hall of Fame and the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

Creating a Hit Album
Making the Music
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Creating a Hit Album

Michael Jackson's previous album, Off the Wall (1979), was very popular and sold 10 million copies. After that album, Jackson wanted to become even more independent. He also wanted to be the biggest and richest star in show business. He felt that Off the Wall should have won a Grammy Award for Record of the Year. He also felt that the music industry didn't value black artists enough. In 1980, when Rolling Stone magazine didn't want to feature him on their cover, Jackson said, "Just wait. Some day those magazines are going to be begging me for an interview."

For his next album, Jackson had a clear goal: he wanted "every song to be a killer." He was tired of albums that had only "one good song, and the rest were like B-sides." He wanted every song to be so good that people would want to buy it as a single. This was his main purpose for creating Thriller.

Making the Music

Recording the Songs

Thriller was the second Michael Jackson album produced by Quincy Jones.

Michael Jackson worked again with Quincy Jones, who had produced Off the Wall. They worked on 30 songs, but only nine of them made it onto the Thriller album. The recording happened at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California. The album cost $750,000 to make.

Recording started on April 14, 1982, with Jackson and Paul McCartney recording "The Girl Is Mine." The album was finished on November 8, 1982. Some members of the band Toto also helped with the recording. Michael Jackson wrote four songs for the album: "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", "The Girl Is Mine", "Beat It", and "Billie Jean". He didn't write his songs on paper. Instead, he would speak or sing them into a sound recorder and then remember them when it was time to record.

After the album was finished, both Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson weren't completely happy with it. So, they went back and remixed every song, spending a whole week on each one.

"Beat It" features guitar work from Eddie Van Halen.

The song "Billie Jean" was very personal to Jackson because he had dealt with obsessed fans. Quincy Jones wanted to make the long introduction shorter, but Jackson insisted it stay. He said it made him want to dance. Because disco music was losing popularity, they wanted to try a different musical style from his previous album. Jones and Jackson decided to create a rock song that everyone would enjoy. They spent weeks looking for the right guitarist for "Beat It." Finally, they found Steve Lukather from Toto to play the rhythm guitar and Eddie Van Halen from the band Van Halen to play the guitar solo.

When Rod Temperton wrote the song "Thriller", he first thought of calling it "Starlight" or "Midnight Man." But he chose "Thriller" because he felt it would be great for selling merchandise. For the spooky spoken part at the end of "Thriller," Jones brought in actor Vincent Price. Price recorded his lines in just two takes!

Music and Song Meanings

Thriller includes different music styles like post-disco, funk, pop, and rock. The dance and rock songs are more energetic, while the pop songs and slow ballads are softer and more soulful. The album has ballads like "Human Nature" and "The Girl Is Mine." It also has funk songs like "Billie Jean" and "Wanna Be Startin' Something'."

"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" ends with an African-inspired chant, which gives the song an international feel. "The Girl Is Mine" is about two friends arguing over who loves a woman more. The songs on the album have different speeds, from slower ones like "The Girl is Mine" to faster ones like "Beat It."

Some songs on Thriller touch on themes like being watched or having supernatural elements. This can be heard in "Billie Jean," "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," and the title track "Thriller." In "Billie Jean," Jackson sings about an obsessed fan who claims he is the father of her child. In "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," he sings about media gossip. For "Billie Jean," Jackson sang some parts through a six-foot cardboard tube to get a special sound. The song starts with a long introduction featuring bass and drums. "Thriller" includes spooky sound effects like creaking doors, thunder, footsteps, wind, and howling dogs.

The song "Beat It" is about avoiding gang violence and was inspired by the musical West Side Story. It was Jackson's first successful rock song. Jackson later said about "Beat It," "the point is no one has to be the tough guy, you can walk away from a fight and still be a man." "Human Nature," co-written by Steve Porcaro from the band Toto, is a thoughtful and emotional song.

By the late 1970s, Michael Jackson was known as an amazing singer. Critics described his voice as "extraordinarily beautiful." He could sing very low, but he often preferred to sing higher because pop singers can create more style with a higher range. Jackson also used a "vocal hiccup" in his singing, which he had started using earlier in his career. This hiccup, like a gasp for air, was used to show emotion, whether it was excitement, sadness, or fear.

Album Cover Art

The cover for Thriller shows Michael Jackson wearing a white suit. This suit belonged to the photographer, Dick Zimmerman. The album cover opens up to show a picture of a tiger cub near Jackson's leg. According to the photographer, Jackson kept the cub away from his face because he was worried it might scratch him. Another picture from the same photo shoot, where Jackson is hugging the cub, was used for the 2001 special edition of Thriller.

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The official album cover for Thriller.

Thriller (album) facts for kids

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