Thriller (song)

This article is about the Thriller song. For the music video, see Thriller (music video). For the album, see Thriller (album).

"Thriller"
Song

"Thriller" is an early 1984 hit single recorded by Michael Jackson for the Epic label. It reached #4 in the U.S. singles chart and #10 in the UK singles chart. On February 20, 2006, the single, as well as the video, was re-released as part of the Visionary: The Video Singles package. The 14-minute video clip is regarded by some as the greatest music video of all time and the song itself is considered one of Jackson's signature songs.

Song information

Written by Rod Temperton, produced by Quincy Jones, and featuring a guest soliloquy from Vincent Price, "Thriller" is one of Jackson's signature songs, in no small part because of its music video. The original name for "Thriller" single was "Starlight Love." The single was included on Jackson's Thriller album, which was released on December 1, 1982 and was the final single pulled from it. A voice-over recording session of "Thriller" Guitarist Slash appears on the special edition version of the album, released in 2001. This session features additional verses of the rap performed by Vincent Price, which were removed from the final version of the song. This song is soon to be released on SingStar Pop Vol. 2

Track listings

Original release

UK single

1. "Thriller" (single edit) – 4:37
2. "The Things I Do for You" (live with The Jacksons) – 3:39

U.S. single

1. "Thriller" (Remixed short version) - 4:09
2. "Can't Get Outta the Rain" – 4:02

Visionary single

CD side

1. "Thriller" (Remixed short version) - 4:09
2. "Thriller" - 5:57

DVD side

1. "Thriller" (Music video)

Mixes

1. Album version – 5:56
2. Instrumental – 5:56
3. 7" edit – 4:37
4. Remixed short version – 4:09
5. Single edit w/Rap – 5:11
6. 1982 Def Remix - 7:22
7. Danny Tenaglia Remix (Unreleased)

Credits

• Written and composed by Rod Temperton
• Produced by Quincy Jones
• Featuring: rap by Vincent Price
• Synthesizers: Greg Philinganes, Rod Temperton and Brian Banks
• Synthesizer programming: Anthony Marinelli
• Guitar: David Williams
• Trumpet and flügelhorn: Jerry Hey
• Trumpet and flügelhorn: Gary Grant
• Saxophone and flute: Larry Williams
• Trombone: Bill Reichenbach
• Vocal, rhythm and synthesizer arrangement by Rod Temperton
• Horn arrangement by Jerry Hey
• Effects by Bruce Cannon and Bruce Swedien

Sampled

The song (particularly Vincent Price's laughter at the end of the song) has been sampled in numerous songs:

• Biz Markie - "Muddfoot"
• Def Squad - "No Guest List"
• DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince - "Rhythm Trax — House Party Style"
• Large Professor - "Mad Scientist"
• N.W.A. - "100 Miles and Runnin'"
• The Prodigy - "The Way It Is"
• Public Enemy - "911 Is a Joke"
• Lidzlicious the Velvet Pole - "Thriller (Stanley Remix)"
• Kool Moe Dee - "Let's Go"
• Esham - "Closed Casket"
• Paul Hardcastle - "The Wizard"
• Busta Rhymes featuring Linkin Park - "We Made It"

Use in Popular Culture

• At the MTV Europe Music Awards 2007, Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton said that he wished he'd written Thriller.

Television

• In the South Park episode "Pinkeye", members of the town are turned into zombies. Chef (as a zombie) sings part of the song, but with different lyrics. The show would later spoof the Thriller video again for a brief moment in "The Jeffersons", which was a full episode spoofing Michael Jackson.
• In an episode of Animaniacs, the character Buttons deters a horde of zombies from his young charge by imitating the dance from the music video.
• In a sketch on Chappelle's Show, Dave Chappelle is being interviewed to be a part of the jury in the Michael Jackson child molestation case. When asked if he believed Jackson was guilty, he replied, "No man. He made Thriller. (repeats with emphasis) Thriller!"
• In The Super Mario Bros. Super Show episode "Count Koopula", during the scene where the Koopas become were-turtles, the song Thriller plays.
• In a SoBe Life Water commercial shown during Super Bowl XLII, Naomi Campbell and a group of lizards perform the zombie dance from the Thriller music video.
• In an episode of the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, the town people's brains are eaten by a large asteroid alien. A musical breaks out in which the 'zombie' members of the town do the Thriller dance.
• The dance crew Kaba Modern danced to the song on America's Best Dance Crew's celebration of the album's 25th anniversary.
• In Stephen Chow's 2001 comedy Shaolin Soccer, a spoof of the Thriller dance appears in a scene for the extended director's cut of the film.

Music

• The band Fall Out Boy gives several respects to the song. In their "Dance, Dance" video, bassist Pete Wentz starts to do the dance in the music video. Also, they have a song called "Thriller", but just the title is a nod to this song.
• The New Found Glory song "Hit Or Miss" contains the lyric, "Remember the time we realized 'Thriller' was our favorite song?"
• Vincent Price's soliloquy is parodied in The Aquabats' song "Fashion Zombies!" as "Darkness falls across the land. The midnight hour is close at hand. Creatures crawl in search of blood to accessorize their black zipper hood. And monster children with monster faces are looking for love in all the wrong places."
• British singer and former Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown covered this song on the b-side of his single Golden Gaze.
• The song was also covered by death metal band Ten Masked Men, ending with laughter from Salacious Crumb.
• Pop girl group Girl Authority covered the song for their EP Halloween Party Songs.
• Beatfreakz's music video for Somebody's Watching Me parodies Vincent Price's intro, the choreography, and Michael's appearance.
• The band Gorillaz also pay tribute to Thriller's choregraphy in the video of their song "Clint Eastwood". At 2min40s, you can see the zombie-gorillas do the famous shoulder mouvement that Jackson did with his zombies during the dance number of Thriller.
• On Australian radio station Triple M, Shaddup Your Face singer Joe Dolce covered the song in a comedic way, putting in his own lyrics.

Dance

• The song was danced by numerous Filipino prisoners at CPDRC (Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center) as a morning exercise.
• The dance crew Kaba Modern danced to the song on America's Best Dance Crew's celebration of the album's 25th anniversary.
• In the semi-finals of Britains got talent, the dance group signature danced to thriller

Literature

• The name of the latest One Piece story arc, Thriller Bark, is most likely inspired by this song. The arc featured a ship full of zombies and at one point they were seen dancing around the mansion, although not to the song. Thriller Bark also featured many other Michael Jackson tributes.

See also

• Thriller (music video)

External links

• Michael Jackson "Thriller" Collection