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Thriller (album)

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Thriller is the sixth studio album by American pop musician Michael Jackson. The album was released on November 30, 1982 by Epic Records as the follow up to the critically and commercially successful 1979 Off the Wall album. Thriller explores similar genres to those of Off the Wall, including funk, disco, soul, soft rock, jazz and pop. However, Thriller's lyrics deal with generally darker themes, including paranoia and the supernatural.

With a production budget of $750,000, recording sessions took place between April and November of 1982 at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California. Assisted by producer Quincy Jones, Jackson wrote four of Thriller's nine tracks. Following the release of the album's first single "The Girl Is Mine", some observers assumed Thriller would only be a minor hit record. With the release of the second single "Billie Jean", the album topped the charts in many countries. It reached number one in the US and the UK simultaneously, becoming the first album to do so. At its peak, the album was selling a million copies a week worldwide. In just over a year, Thriller became the best-selling album of all time. Sales are now estimated to be between 47–108 million copies worldwide. Seven of the album's nine songs were released as singles, and all reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album won a record-breaking seven Grammy Awards at the 1984 Grammys. Despite numerous five-star reviews, Thriller was not universally praised.

Thriller cemented Jackson as one of the predominant pop stars of the late 20th century, and enabled him to break down racial barriers via his appearances on MTV and meetings with President Ronald Reagan at the White House. The album was the first to use music videos as successful promotional tools—the videos for Thriller, "Billie Jean" and "Beat It" all received regular rotation on MTV. In 2001, a special edition issue of the album was released, which contains additional audio interviews, a demo recording and the song "Someone In the Dark", which was a Grammy-winning track from the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial storybook.[2] In 2008, the album was reissued again as Thriller 25, containing re-mixes that feature contemporary artists, a previously unreleased song and a DVD.

Thriller ranked number 20 on Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list in 2003, and was listed by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers at number three in their Definitive 200 Albums of All Time. Thriller was preserved by the Library of Congress to the National Recording Registry, as it was deemed "culturally significant".

Background

Jackson's previous album Off the Wall (1979) was a critical success and garnered generally favorable reviews.[3][4] It was also a commercial success, becoming the first album to generate four US top 10 hits, including the chart-topping singles "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Rock with You".[5] Off the Wall reached number three on the Billboard 200 and eventually sold over 15 million copies worldwide.[6][7]

The years between Off the Wall and Thriller were a transitional period for the singer, a time of increasing independence and struggles with his family. On August 29, 1979, when Jackson turned 21, he fired his father Joseph Jackson as his manager and replaced him with John Branca.[8] Jackson confided in Branca that he wanted to be "the biggest star in show business" and "the wealthiest". The singer was upset about what he perceived to be the under-performance of Off the Wall, stating, "It was totally unfair that it didn't get Record of the Year and it can never happen again."[9] He also felt undervalued by the music industry; when Jackson asked the publicist of Rolling Stone if they would be interested in doing a cover story on him, he declined, to which Jackson responded, "I've been told over and over that black people on the cover of magazines doesn't sell copies ... Just wait. Someday those magazines are going to be begging me for an interview. Maybe I'll give them one. And maybe I won't."[9] In 1980, Jackson secured the highest royalty rate in the music industry: 37% of wholesale album profit.[9]

In 1973, Jackson's father began a secret affair with a woman 20 years younger than him; the couple had a child in secret called Jon'Vonnie. In 1980, Joseph Jackson told his family of the affair and child. Jackson, already angry with his father over his childhood abuse, felt so betrayed that he fell out with Joseph Jackson for many years.[10] The period saw the singer become deeply unhappy; Jackson explained, "Even at home, I'm lonely. I sit in my room sometimes and cry. It's so hard to make friends ... I sometimes walk around the neighborhood at night, just hoping to find someone to talk to. But I just end up coming home."[11]

Recording

Jackson reunited with Off the Wall producer Quincy Jones for the album. The pair worked together on 300 songs, nine of which were eventually included.[12] Thriller was recorded between April and November in 1982, at a production budget of $750,000. Several members of the band Toto were also involved in the album's recording and production.[12] Jackson wrote four songs for the record: "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", "The Girl Is Mine" (with Paul McCartney), "Beat It" and "Billie Jean".[13] Unlike many artists, Jackson did not write these songs on paper. Instead, he would dictate into a sound recorder; when recording he would sing from memory.[14][15]

The relationship between Jackson and Jones became strained during the album's recording. Jackson spent much of his time rehearsing dance steps alone.[15] When the album's nine songs were completed, both Jones and Jackson were unhappy with the result and remixed every song, spending a week on each.[15] Jones believed that "Billie Jean" was not strong enough to be included on the record, but Jackson disagreed and kept it. Jones told Jackson that Thriller would be unlikely to sell successfully like Off the Wall had, because the market had since weakened. In response, Jackson threatened to cancel the album's release.[12]

Jackson rarely commented on the work's recording and only gave a few interviews. In one rare interview, he said that he was inspired to create an album where "every song was a killer" and focused the basis of Thriller as to ask, "Why can't every one be like a hit song?".[16] Jones and songwriter Rod Temperton gave detailed accounts of what occurred for the 2001 reissue of the album. Jones discussed "Billie Jean" and why it was so personal to Jackson, who struggled to deal with a number of obsessed fans. Jones wanted the long introduction on the song to be shortened; however, Jackson insisted it remain because it made him want to dance.[13] Jones and Jackson were determined to make a rock song that would appeal to all tastes and spent weeks looking for a suitable guitarist for the song "Beat It", a song Jackson wrote and played drums on. Eventually, they found Eddie Van Halen of the rock band Van Halen.[13][15]

When Rod Temperton wrote the song "Thriller", he originally wanted to call it "Starlight" or "Midnight Man" but settled on it because he felt the name had merchandising potential.[15] Always wanting a notable person to recite the closing lyrics, Temperton brought in actor Vincent Price, who completed his part in just two takes. Temperton wrote the spoken portion in a taxi on the way to the recording studio. Jones and Temperton said that some recordings were left off the final cut because they did not have the "edginess" of other album tracks.[13]

Music

Template:Sound sample box align right Template:Multi-listen start Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen end Template:Sample box end According to Steve Huey of Allmusic, Thriller refined the strengths of Jackson's previous album Off the Wall; the dance and rock tracks were more aggressive, while the pop tunes and ballads were softer and more soulful.[17] Notable tracks include the ballads "The Lady in My Life", "Human Nature", and "The Girl Is Mine"; the funk pieces "Billie Jean" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"; and the disco set "Baby Be Mine" and "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)".[17][18][19][20] "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was written a few years prior to 1982 and has a similar sound to the material on Off The Wall. The song is accompanied by a bass and percussion background. Journalist and biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli commented that the song's centrepiece, a climaxing Swahili chant, gave the song an international flavour.[21] "The Girl Is Mine" tells of two friends' fight over a woman, arguing over who loves her more.[21] "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)", credited to James Ingram and Quincy Jones, and "Lady in My Life" by Rod Temperton, both gave the album a stronger R&B direction; the latter song was described as "the closest Jackson has come to crooning a sexy, soulful ballad after his Motown years" by Taraborrelli.[21]

Despite the light pop flavour of these two records, The New York Times' Jon Pareles observes Thriller, more so than Off the Wall, displayed foreshadowings of the contradictory thematic elements that would come to characterize Jackson's later work.[22] Christopher Connelly of Rolling Stone magazine argues that with Thriller, Jackson would begin his long association with the subliminal theme of paranoia and darker imagery.[20] This is evident on the songs "Billie Jean" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", Stephen Erlewine of Allmusic observed.[19] In "Billie Jean", Jackson sings about an obsessive fan who alleges he has fathered a child of hers; in "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" he argues against gossips and the media.[17][20] The anti-gang-violence "Beat It" became a homage to West Side Story, and was Jackson's first successful rock cross-over piece.[17][23] Jackson later said of "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. You don't have to die to prove you're a man".[21] The title track would begin Jackson's interest with the theme of the supernatural, a topic he would revisit in the future.[17] Taraborrelli describes "Human Nature" as the most moody and introspective song on the record, with the lyrics, "Looking out, across the morning, the City's heart begins to beat, reaching out, I touch her shoulder, I'm dreaming of the street".[21]

Release and reception

Thriller was released on November 30, 1982, to high sales. It reached number one in the US and the UK simultaneously, becoming the first album to do so.[24] During its peak, the record had worldwide sales of one million copies a week.[25] Thriller was accompanied by the release of seven singles, including "The Girl Is Mine"; the pop duet led some to believe that the album would be a disappointment. Others suggested that Jackson was attempting to attract a white audience.[21]"The Girl Is Mine" was followed by the hit single "Billie Jean", which made Thriller a chart-topper.[26][27] Success continued with the single "Beat It", which featured guitarists Eddie Van Halen and Steve Lukather.[28] The title track "Thriller" was released as a single and also became a hit internationally.[21]

The album was mostly well received by critics. Praise came from a four-star Rolling Stone review by Christopher Connelly, who described Thriller as "a zesty LP" with a "harrowing, dark message". It was later ranked number 20 on the Rolling Stone' 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, beating many five-star albums.[20] Despite the positive response, the title track came under the strongest criticism; Rolling Stone expressed a negative sentiment towards "Thriller", believing it "degenerated into silly camp". They also expressed confusion at the choice of using Vincent Price over Count Floyd for the concluding rap.[20] The New York Times gave a positive review of the album, dedicating a large amount of coverage to the song "Human Nature". The publication believed it to be the most "striking" song on the record, expanding; "this is a haunting, brooding ballad by Steve Porcaro and John Bettis with an irresistible chorus and it should be an enormous hit". Concluding their review The New York Times added; "there are other hits here, too, lots of them. Best of all, with a pervasive confidence infusing the album as a whole, Thriller suggests that Mr. Jackson's evolution as an artist is far from finished".[29]

Robert Christgau published a positive A− graded overview of the album just a few days before its release. He acknowledged that there were "fillers" on the record but still labeled it "almost classic". He expressed the opinion that "Beat It" was the album's best track, calling it "the triumph and the thriller", but criticized "The Girl Is Mine" as "Michael's worst idea since 'Ben'". He was of the opinion that the collaboration did not work well, but still praised it for "getting interracial love on the radio".[30] A year after the album's release, Time summed up the three main singles from the album, saying, "The pulse of America and much of the rest of the world moves irregularly, beating in time to the tough strut of "Billie Jean", the asphalt aria of "Beat It", the supremely cool chills of "Thriller".[25] Conversely, in a Melody Maker publication, Paolo Hewitt stated "[t]his is not a good LP"; in his opinion there were only "two songs worthy of mention". "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was praised as an "exciting", "uptempo electro-funk song", as was "Billie Jean". Hewitt's stance was that as a whole, the album could only be described as "bland", particularly the closing tracks. He summed up: "Jackson seems to have lost his talent for turning gross into gold".[1]

The album won a record-breaking seven Grammy Awards in 1984, including Album of the Year.[31] That same year, Jackson also won eight American Music Awards, the Special Award of Merit and three MTV Video Music Awards.[32]

Thriller was recognized as the world's best-selling album on February 7, 1984, when it was inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records.[33] It is one of only three albums to remain in the top ten of the Billboard 200 for a full year, and spent 37 weeks at number one out of the 80 consecutive weeks it was in the top ten. The album was also the first of three to have seven Billboard Hot 100 top ten singles, and was the only album to be the best-seller of two years (1983–1984) in the US. Thriller was certified 27x platinum in 2005 by the Recording Industry Association of America,[34] giving it Double Diamond Award status in the US.[35] The album topped the charts in many countries, and sold 3.7 million copies in the UK.[35][36] Still popular today, Thriller sells an estimated 130,000 copies in the US per year; it reached number two in the US Catalog charts in February 2003 and number 39 in the UK in March 2007.[32] The album is cited as having sold between 47 and 108 million copies worldwide; the Guinness Book of World Records lists Thriller as having sold 65 million copies as of 2007.[37][38][39][40]

Influence and legacy

Music industry

Blender called Jackson the "late twentieth century pre-eminent pop icon"; The New York Times called him a "musical phenomenon", commenting that "in the world of pop music, there is Michael Jackson and there is everybody else".[41][42] Jackson changed the way the industry functioned: as an artistic entity and a financial, profitable organisation. His attorney John Branca noted that Jackson had the highest royalty rate in the music industry at that point; approximately $2 for every album sold. He was also making record-breaking profit from compact discs and the sale of The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller, a documentary produced by Jackson and John Landis. Funded by MTV, the documentary sold over 350,000 copies in a few months of sale. Thriller raised the importance of albums, but multiple hits also changed notions about the number of successful singles that could be released from one record.[43] The era saw the arrival of novelties like the Michael Jackson doll, that appeared in stores in May 1984 at a price of $12.[25] Thriller retains a position in American culture; biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli explains, "At some point, Thriller stopped selling like a leisure item—like a magazine, a toy, tickets to a hit movie—and started selling like a household staple."[44]

Gil Friesen, President of A&M Records, said, "The whole industry has a stake in this success".[25] Time magazine explained that "the fallout from Thriller has given the [music] business its best years since the heady days of 1978, when it had an estimated total domestic revenue of $4.1 billion".[25] Time summed up Thriller's impact as a "restoration of confidence" for an industry bordering on "the ruins of punk and the chic regions of synthesizer pop". The publication described Jackson's influence at that point as, "Star of records, radio, rock video. A one-man rescue team for the music business. A songwriter who sets the beat for a decade. A dancer with the fanciest feet on the street. A singer who cuts across all boundaries of taste and style and color too".[25]

Music videos and racial equality

Before the success of Thriller, many felt Jackson had struggled to get MTV airing because he was black.[41] In an effort to get Jackson on the air, CBS Records President Walter Yetnikoff pressured MTV and said, "I'm not going to give you any more videos and I'm going to go public and fucking tell them about the fact you don't want to play music by a black guy".[41] This stance persuaded MTV to start showing "Billie Jean" and later "Beat It", which led to a lengthy partnership with Jackson and helped other black music artists gain recognition.[45] The popularity of his videos aired on MTV, such as "Beat It" and "Billie Jean", helped to put the relatively young channel "on the map", and MTV's focus shifted in favour of pop and R&B.[45][46]

Jackson in the revolutionary Thriller video

Jackson transformed the medium of music video into an art form and a promotional tool through complex story lines, dance routines, special effects, and famous cameo appearances.[17] When the 14-minute-long Thriller video aired, MTV ran it twice an hour to meet demand.[47] The short film marked an increase in scale for music videos and has been named the best music video ever.[43] The popularity of the video sent the album back to number one in the album chart, but Jackson's label did not support the release of the third music video from the album. They were already pleased with its success, so Jackson convinced MTV to fund the project.[47][15] Author, music critic and journalist Nelson George wrote in 2004, "It's difficult to hear the songs from Thriller and disengage them from the videos. For most of us the images define the songs. In fact it could be argued that Michael is the first artist of the MTV age to have an entire album so intimately connected in the public imagination with its imagery".[48] Short films like Thriller largely remained unique to Jackson, while the group dance sequence in "Beat It" has been frequently imitated.[13] The choreography in Thriller has become a part of global pop culture, replicated everywhere from Bollywood to prisons in the Philippines.[49][50]

Jackson's success was unusual for a black artist in the 1980s, but his popularity saw him become one of the first to have a replica doll made in his image.[51] According to The Washington Post, Thriller paved the way for other African-American artists such as Prince.[52] "The Girl Is Mine" was credited for getting interracial love on the radio.[53] Time 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".[25]

Contemporary appeal

Contemporary critics continue to view the albums in a positive light some two decades later. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic gave the album a full five stars and wrote that the record had something that would interest everyone. He commented that it showcased harder funk and rock while remaining "undeniably fun". He went on to compliment "Billie Jean" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" and said, "The record's two best songs: 'Billie Jean, ...and the delirious 'Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'', the freshest funk on the album [but] the most claustrophobic, scariest track Jackson ever recorded." He believed it to be an improvement on Jackson's previous album. Allmusic was critical of the title track, calling it "ridiculous" and having the effect of "arriving in the middle of the record and sucking out its momentum".[19] Slant Magazine also gave the album five stars and, like the reviews by Allmusic and the original review by Rolling Stone, paid particular compliment to the lyrics of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'".[18]

Nelson George believes that "Michael has educated R. Kelly, Usher, Justin Timberlake and countless others with Thriller as a textbook".[54] As a sign of the album's longevity, in 2003 Thriller was ranked at number 20 on the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, and was listed by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers at number three of the Definitive 200 Albums of All Time.[55][56] In 2008, 25 years after its release, the record was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and, a few weeks later, was among 25 recordings preserved by the Library of Congress to the National Recording Registry as "culturally significant".[57][58]

Thriller was reissued in 2001 with additional material in an album called Thriller: Special Edition. The original tracks were re-mastered, along with a new booklet and additional material. The bonus material included the song "Someone In the Dark", "Carousel", and Jackson's original "Billie Jean" demo, as well as audio interviews with Jones and Temperton discussing the recording of the album.[13][59]

Epic Records announced the release of the album Thriller 25 in a press release on November 30, 2007; Jackson served as executive producer.[35] Released on February 11, 2008, Thriller 25 appeared on CD and vinyl with seven bonus tracks, a new song called "For All Time", Vincent Price's voice-over, and five re-mixes featuring American artists Fergie, will.i.am, Kanye West, and Akon.[35][60][61] It also included a DVD featuring three award-winning music videos, the Emmy-nominated Motown 25 "Billie Jean" performance, and a booklet with a message from Jackson.[35] The ballad "For All Time" supposedly dates from 1982, but is often credited as being from Dangerous sessions.[62] Two singles were released from the reissue: "The Girl Is Mine 2008" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008".

Thriller 25 was a commercial success and did particularly well as a reissue. It peaked at number one in eight countries and Europe. It peaked at number two in the US, number three in the UK and reached the top 10 in over 30 national charts. It was certified Gold in 11 countries including the UK, received a 2x Gold certification in France and received platinum certification in Poland.[63][64][65] In the US, Thriller 25 was the second best-selling album of its release week, selling 166,000 copies, 14,000 short of reaching the number one position. It was ineligible for the Billboard 200 chart as a re-release, but stayed on the Pop Catalog Charts at number one for 10 weeks, the best sales on that chart since December 1996.[66][67][68][69] This was Jackson's best launch since Invincible in 2001; in 12 weeks the album had sold 556,000 copies in the US and three million copies worldwide.[66][70]

Track listing

All songs written by Michael Jackson, except where noted.

  1. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" – 6:02
  2. "Baby Be Mine" (Rod Temperton) – 4:20
  3. "The Girl Is Mine" – 3:42
  4. "Thriller" (Temperton) – 5:57
  5. "Beat It" – 4:17
  6. "Billie Jean" – 4:57
  7. "Human Nature" (John Bettis, Steve Porcaro) – 4:05
  8. "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" (James Ingram, Quincy Jones) – 3:58
  9. "The Lady in My Life" (Temperton) – 4:12

Personnel

See also

References

  • George, Nelson (2004). Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection booklet. Sony BMG.
  • Taraborrelli, J. Randy (2004). The Magic and the Madness. Terra Alta, WV: Headline. ISBN 0-330-42005-4.

Notes

  1. ^ a b Maker, Melody (1982). "Thriller Review". Uncut Presents NME Originals 80's (2005): p. 68. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  2. ^ "Grammy Award Winners". The Recording Academy. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
  3. ^ Erlewine, Stephen. "Off the Wall Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-06-15.
  4. ^ Holden, Stephen (1979-11-01). "Off the Wall : Michael Jackson". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2008-07-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ George, p. 37–38
  6. ^ "The RS 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" ("#68: Off the wall"), Rolling Stone (2003-11-18).
  7. ^ Taraborrelli, p. 610–612
  8. ^ Taraborrelli, p. 190
  9. ^ a b c Taraborrelli, p. 191
  10. ^ Taraborrelli, p. 196
  11. ^ Taraborrelli, p. 206
  12. ^ a b c Taraborrelli, p. 220–221
  13. ^ a b c d e f Jackson, Michael. Thriller Special Edition Audio.
  14. ^ Taraborrelli, p. 209–210
  15. ^ a b c d e f "Michael Jackson's Monster Smash". The Daily Telegraph. 2007-11-25. Retrieved 2008-04-20. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ Ebony Magazine: Michael: 25 Years After Thriller, December 2007, pg. 97–98
  17. ^ a b c d e f Huey, Steve. "Michael Jackson - Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2006-11-11.
  18. ^ a b Henderson, Eric (2003). "Michael Jackson:Thriller". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2008-06-15. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ a b c Erlewine, Stephen (2007-02-19). "Thriller Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-06-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ a b c d e Connelly, Christopher (1983-01-28). "Michael Jackson : Thriller". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2008-06-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  21. ^ a b c d e f g Taraborrelli, p. 223–225
  22. ^ Pareles, Jon (September 1987). "Critic's Notebook; How Good Is Jackson's 'Bad'?". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-04-19. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  23. ^ "Michael Jackson: Biography". The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. 2004. Retrieved 2008-02-14. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  24. ^ Taraborrelli, p. 227
  25. ^ a b c d e f g Cocks, Jay (March 1984). "Why He's a Thriller". Time. Retrieved 2007-03-17. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  26. ^ "Sold On Song Top 100". British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2008-04-05.
  27. ^ "Sold On Song". British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2008-04-05.
  28. ^ "Sessions". Steve Lukather. 2006. Retrieved 2008-04-05.
  29. ^ Rockwell, John (1982-12-19). "Michael Jackson's Thriller': Superb Job". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-07-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  30. ^ Christgau, Robert (1982-12-28). "Christgau's Consumer Guide, Dec 28th, 1982". Robert Christgau.com. Retrieved 2008-07-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  31. ^ Guinness World Records. Guinness World Records 2007. ISBN 1-904994-12-1.
  32. ^ a b Jackson, Michael. Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection booklet.
  33. ^ Taraborrelli, p. 482 (pictures)
  34. ^ "Gold and Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2008-04-08.
  35. ^ a b c d e "Sony announce Thriller 25". Reuters. 2007-11-30. Retrieved 2008-04-17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  36. ^ Day, Elizabeth (2008-03-16). "The whole world in his hands". The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-04-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  37. ^ George, p. 53
  38. ^ White, Jim (2007-03-12). "Michael Jackson's Thriller is old hat". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2008-05-10. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  39. ^ "Michael Jackson Opens Up". CBS Broadcasting Inc. (CBS). 2007-11-06. Retrieved 2008-04-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  40. ^ Winterman, Denise (2007-11-30). "Thrills and spills and record breaks". British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2008-04-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  41. ^ a b c "Michael Jackson, "Billy Jean:". Blender. October 2005. Retrieved 2007-04-11. Cite error: The named reference "blender" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  42. ^ "Michael Jackson At 25: A Musical Phenomenon". The New York Times. January 1984. Retrieved 2007-05-15. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); line feed character in |publisher= at position 15 (help)
  43. ^ a b "Michael Jackson". VH1. 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-22. Cite error: The named reference "vh1" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  44. ^ Taraborrelli, p. 226
  45. ^ a b Gundersen, Edna. "music videos changing places". USA Today. Retrieved 2008-04-06. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  46. ^ "Why Are Michael Jackson's Fans So Devoted?". ABC News. 2005-02-23. Retrieved 2007-04-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  47. ^ a b Taraborrelli, p. 270–271
  48. ^ Cite error: The named reference Nelson George overview 23 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  49. ^ "1500 Prisoners Perform Thriller Dance". The Wrong Advices. 2007-07-21. Retrieved 2008-04-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  50. ^ "Jacko goes bollywood". TMZ.com. 2006-10-03. Retrieved 2008-04-08. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  51. ^ Taraborrelli, p. 191
  52. ^ Harrington, Richard (October 1988). "Prince & Michael Jackson: Two Paths to the Top of Pop". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-05-21. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  53. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: Artist 932". Robert Christgau.com. Retrieved 2008-06-27.
  54. ^ George, p. 24
  55. ^ "20) Thriller". Rolling Stone. 2003-11-03. Retrieved 2008-04-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  56. ^ "Definitive 200". The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. 2007. Retrieved 2008-04-08.
  57. ^ "2008 Grammy Hall of Fame" (PDF). The Recording Academy. 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-05.
  58. ^ "Thriller, Joni Mitchell album make the cut for US recording registry". CBC News. 2008-05-14. Retrieved 2008-05-14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  59. ^ Jackson, Michael. Thriller Special Edition booklet.
  60. ^ "Kanye West, Will. I.Am On New Edition Of Michael Jackson's Thriller". MTV (Music Television). Retrieved 2007-12-07.
  61. ^ "Kanye, Akon Help Jackson Revisit 'Thriller'". Billboard. 2007-12-30. Retrieved 2008-06-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  62. ^ Paphides, Pete (2008-02-08). "Michael Jackson: Thriller 25". The Times. Retrieved 2008-04-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
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  65. ^ "Michael Jackson Thriller 25". ultratop.be. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
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  69. ^ "US fans shun CD". British Broadcasting Corporation. 2005-07-30. Retrieved 2008-04-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  70. ^ Friedman, Roger (2008-05-16). "Jacko: Neverland East in Upstate New York". Fox News Channel. Retrieved 2008-05-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
Preceded by Billboard 200 number-one album
February 26 – June 24, 1983
July 9–22, 1983
September 10–16, 1983
December 24, 1983 – April 20, 1984 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
"Lies" / "Beach Culture" by Thompson Twins
 Hot Dance Club Play number one single (all cuts)
January 22, 1983 		Succeeded by
Preceded by UK Albums Chart number one album
March 5–11, 1983
March 19–25, 1983
May 21, 1983 – June 24, 1983
January 28, 1984 – February 3, 1984 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
1983 The Hot Ones by Various Artists
 Australian Kent Music Report number-one album
June 13–19, 1983
June 27 – July 10, 1983
January 23 – March 4, 1984
March 19 – April 1, 1984 		Succeeded by
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