Thirty years ago, in a bleak winter of record sales, an album was released by Michael Jackson that would change the music business in ways that no one could have imagined. That album was Thriller, and the date was November 30, 1982. By the summer of 1983, there were not too many people in the United States, or the world, that did not own a copy of this record.
I, like lots of others, grew up seeing Michael Jackson and his brothers performing on television throughout the 70s. But I don't think anyone could have foreseen the success and influence that Jackson would have from 1982 until his death in 2009. Before leaving Motown Records for Epic Records, Jackson made four solo albums. In 1979, he released Off The Wall, which produced a few hits (Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough, Rock With You). With the release of these singles and a few others, Jackson was getting airplay on R&B as well as Top 40 radio stations at the same time, which was unheard of at the time. So by the time that Thriller was released three years later, there was no question of the album being pushed towards all audiences.
The first single from Thriller was The Girl is Mine, a duet with Paul McCartney. Sales were okay, but it wasn't until the release of next two singles, Billie Jean and Beat It, that sales of the album really took off. Thriller initially entered the charts at Number 11 at the end of December. After ten weeks, it made its way to Number One, and stayed there for 37 nonconsecutive weeks.
Throughout 1983, a combination of factors catapulted the album and Michael Jackson into a pop culture phenomenon. The first was his appearance on the Motown 25th Anniversary Special, where he performed Billie Jean and did his now-famous moonwalk. I clearly remember watching that special and being amazed and impressed by Jackson's skills as an entertainer. I knew while I was watching this performance that I was watching something very special. If you watch the video, you will see how electrifying it was. As soon as the first beats of the song started, the audience was on their feet and stayed there. The place really went crazy when he moonwalked across the stage. It was a spectacular performance!
The second event was the release of the Thriller video. MTV was still in its infancy then (and was actually showing music videos!), and there was great competition with other networks to get the exclusive rights to show the video for the first time. MTV ended up paying $1 million for those rights. More than a year after the release of the album, on December 3, 1983, the video made its premiere on MTV. The anticipation was incredible. I can remember discussing it with my friends and making plans to go to a friend's house to watch it, because my family didn't have MTV at the time. My friends and I were amazed. We had never seen anything like it. The story, the dancing, the makeup -- no one had put that much effort into a music video before, as far as I can remember. And at 14 minutes, it was basically a short film.
I recently listened to the entire Thriller album, which I haven't done in a very long time. While it doesn't hold up as well as some albums have over the years, it still is a remarkable record for the influence it had on American culture and the recording industry.
Some facts about Thriller and Michael Jackson:
- It is the number one selling album of all time
- All seven singles (which was twice as many as normally released) made it into the top 10 charts
- First African American artist to get repeated airplay on MTV because of Thriller
- Influenced dozens of today's recording artists
While Michael Jackson went on to make news out of his personal life, he should never be forgotten for his influence on pop culture and music. That influence also includes a spoof of Eat It by Weird Al Yankovic!
"Remembering Michael Jackson as 'Thriller' turns 30" -- Quincy Jones, producer of the album, recalls what it was like creating it.
"How 'Thriller' Changed the Music Business" -- A Billboard article on the influence of the album.
"‘Thriller’ video remains a classic 25 years later" -- A look at the iconic video from NBC's Today Show.
"Artists Reflect on Michael Jackson" -- Artists, young and old, talk about the influence of Michael Jackson, after his death in 2009.
Books about Michael Jackson
Performance Videos by Michael Jackson
CDs by Michael Jackson
-- Post by Tracy
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