The Exploration of Michael Jackson’s Thriller

With 1982's Thriller, Michael Jackson shattered stereotypes about music, race, and listeners. The record was a game-changer for mainstream music in the 20th century.

As shocking as it was inevitable, Michael Jackson's death on June 25, 2009, came only days before his mysterious comeback. No genre could contain the King of Pop because he created his own. He was a terrific showman in the pop, soul, and rock genres and a prisoner of loneliness and frenzied uneasiness in the disco and funk genres, embodying the Jekyll and Hyde image throughout his career. But if three names are forever associated with one another, it would be Michael, Jackson, and Thriller. The first album to be separate from its music videos is the best-selling album of all time (with 70 million units worldwide!). With Thriller's release on November 30, 1982, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 on February 26, 1983, Michael Jackson became a global sensation. Despite disco's popularity a few years earlier and its inclusion in Jackson's funky Off the Wall, the genre had lost some of its luster by the start of the 1980s. To unite the crowd, he sought a fresh musical direction. Audiences are always monochrome. This is why Thriller was the first album to gain universal acclaim from listeners worldwide.

Even though he was just 23 years old at the start of 1982, the eighth of the nine Jackson children had an impressive resume. Little Michael was only ten years old when he and his siblings gained the notice of Berry Gordy, the mind behind Motown, despite being raised by a Jehovah's Witness mother and a second-rate musician father (a physically and mentally violent domestic tyrant). A child prodigy, his early fame allowed him to flee from his abusive father and into the arms of the public. He had an unwavering voice, a breathtaking sense of rhythm, and a fantastic gift for dancing. The Jackson 5's hits—I Want You Back, ABC, The Love You Save, and I'll Be There—played one after another. At the same time, in 1972, Motown released Got to Be There, the first solo album by the future King of Pop.

When Michael Jackson's father got into a legal dispute with Motown's CEO, it forced the Jackson 5 to look for a new record label. In August of 1979, Michael's album Off the Wall was released on this label. This record marked the beginning of his second career after years of serving as Motown's protégé under the watchful eyes of his elders. It was an ambitious work that displayed his talent as a songwriter and performer with its superb songs, dynamic vocal range, and refined production. Off the Wall's bold experimentation with various musical genres showed its innovative eclecticism. Michael Jackson and producer Quincy Jones created a hybrid of raucous funk, soulful dance music, sparkling disco, and hypnotic pop.

However, only one candidate is at the top of everyone's list. You'll need to listen to Thriller. Once again, Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones collaborated on an album that came out the same year the compact disc was introduced to the public. It arrived when MTV gained popularity (despite having been present for barely a year), and Jackson hoped to connect with rock, pop, and funk listeners. However, the album's greatest strength was in its excellent tracks. 'When an album gets to Number One, everything starts with the songs,' Quincy would later add. He also told Rolling Stone in 2009, "Michael didn't create Thriller.  It takes a team to make an album. He wrote four songs and sang his ass off, but he didn't conceive it - that's not how an album works.” He credited Bruce Swedien and lyricist Rod Temperton, who had worked on Off the Wall. Making an album is a group effort. The duet with Paul McCartney, The Girl Is Mine, was released as a single on October 18, 1982, a month before the album was released. By reuniting with the ex-Beatle, Michael Jackson was a pioneer in erasing barriers of race and class race and class barriers, uniting the continents of North America and Europe, and erasing distinctions in musical styles. Epic Records and the whole team working on this project realized they were creating something unique.

Thriller's Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' was a fitting opener to continue the momentum from Off the Wall. The beat was just right, and longtime admirers of Michael's were pleased to hear a sample from Manu Dibango's Soul Makossa. Already less formulaic than his previous work, the lyrics demonstrated the young star's maturation and independence from his previous persona as a child star. The album's three most notable tracks—Thriller, Beat It, and Billie Jean—are arranged in a way that is at the album's emotional core. There are squeaky doors, werewolf howls, a minute-long orchestral overture (Michael's voice doesn't come in until then), and a speech from Vincent Price, star of horror films in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Beat It is a ferocious ultra-rapid rock tune, highlighted by Eddie Van Halen's pyrotechnic guitar solo. Taking inspiration from The Knack's My Sharona, producer Quincy Jones decided to put it front and center on the album. The album's signature song, Billie Jean, delves into the groupie incidents Michael and his brothers encountered when performing as the Jackson 5.

Thriller is not only the first album to be separate from its music videos but also a five-star musical tale. Who among us can sing the tunes of Thriller, Beat It, or Billie Jean without mental pictures of Michael Jackson flashing before our eyes? Blockbuster production values were used in the making of the videos, which was unprecedented in 1982. To get An American Werewolf in London director John Landis to helm the music video for Michael Jackson's hit Thriller, for example. However, the video didn't air until December 2, 1983, 13 minutes and 40 seconds later. As a result, Thriller's already record-breaking sales were boosted by purchasing over million VHS tapes. Michael and Michael Peters had a dance-off for Bob Giraldi's Beat It (alongside actual members of the Crips and Bloods). Some older viewers may be reminded of the Jets and the Sharks from West Side Story. MTV, at the time primarily a "white rock" network, aired the music video for Billie Jean before any other song by a black artist. Another account about the tremors generated by Thriller is that CBS chief Walter Yetnikoff had threatened MTV with divulging to the public their unwillingness to loop the video of a Black performer. Many choreographers and breakdancers may trace their inspiration for the moonwalk back to Michael Jackson's performance of Billie Jean, which is widely acknowledged as the first documented occurrence of the moonwalk.

It took Michael and Quincy another five years, but on August 31, 1987, with the release of the album Bad, they struck gold again. But Thriller still stands out from all other records in the popular imagination and the communal unconscious. An extraordinary record that altered the course of history. In light of all the praise it has received and continues to get, it is undeniably significant. This sixth solo album by the King of Pop will spend many more joyful days at the top of the pop music pantheon due to the impact it has had on artists all around the globe. There doesn't seem to be any other musician, phenomenon, or piece of art that can compare to it in terms of significance.