Thriller is the sixth studio album by American singer Michael Jackson, released on November 30, 1982.
It explores genres similar to Jackson's previous album, Off the Wall, including pop, post-disco, rock and funk. Recording sessions took place from April to November 1982 at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, USA. Quincy Jones produced the album and Jackson wrote four of its nine songs, the other songwriting credits being shared among Rod Temperton, Steve Porcaro, John Bettis, James Ingram and Quincy Jones.
It produced seven 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 which reached the top 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Among the numerous artists who contributed to tracks on the album, notable were singer James Ingram, guitarist Eddie Van Halen, drummer Jeff Porcaro and actor Vincent Price who performed a voice over for the title track.
Thriller broke racial barriers in pop music, enabling Jackson's appearances on MTV and meeting with President Ronald Reagan at the White House. The album was one of the first to use music videos as successful promotional tools, and the videos for the songs "Thriller", "Billie Jean", and "Beat It" all received regular rotation on MTV.
For a black artist in the 1980's up to that point, Jackson's success was unprecedented. According to The Washington Post, Thriller paved the way for other African-American artists to achieve mainstream recognition, such as Prince. Robert Christgau credited "The Girl Is Mine", a duet performed with Sir Paul McCartney, for giving radio exposure to the idea of interracial love. Time magazine noted, "Jackson is the biggest thing since the Beatles. He is the hottest single phenomenon since Elvis Presley. He just may be the most popular black singer ever".
Within a year of its release Thriller became – and remains to this day – the world's best-selling album, with estimated sales of 66 million copies.
Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy
This article is from our news archive. As a result pictures or videos originally associated with it may have been removed and some of the content may no longer be accurate or relevant.
AudlemOnline is powered by our active community.
Please send us your news and views using the button below:
Email: editor@audlem.org