Thriller (song)

For other songs, see Thriller (disambiguation) § Music.

"Thriller"
US 12-inch single
Single by Michael Jackson
from the album Thriller
Released
  • November 11, 1983 (1983-11-11) (UK)[1]
  • January 23, 1984 (1984-01-23) (US)[2]
Recorded1982
StudioWestlake (Los Angeles, California)
Genre
Length
  • 5:57 (album version)
  • 5:13 (2003 Edit)
  • 4:37 (special edit)
  • 4:05 (remixed short version)
  • 5:04 ("Starlight" version)
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)Rod Temperton
Producer(s)Quincy Jones
Michael Jackson singles chronology
"Say Say Say"
(1983) 		"Thriller"
(1983) 		"Farewell My Summer Love"
(1984)
Music video
"Thriller" on YouTube

"Thriller" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson. It was released by Epic Records on November 11, 1983 in the UK and on January 23, 1984, in the US, as the seventh and final single from his sixth studio album, Thriller.[4]

"Thriller" is a funk song featuring a repeating synthesizer bassline and lyrics and sound effects evoking horror films. It ends with a spoken-word sequence performed by the horror actor Vincent Price. It was produced by Quincy Jones and written by Rod Temperton, who wanted to write a theatrical song to suit Jackson's love of film.

Jackson decided to release "Thriller" as a single after Thriller left the top of the Billboard 200 chart. The "Thriller" music video, directed by John Landis, depicts Jackson turning into a zombie and dancing with a horde of them. It has been named the greatest music video of all time by various publications and readers' polls, and doubled sales of Thriller, helping it become the best-selling album in history.

It was the album's seventh top-ten single on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number four. It reached number one in Flanders, France and Portugal and Spain, and reached the top ten in many other countries. In the week of Jackson's death in 2009, it was Jackson's bestselling track in the US, with sales of 167,000 copies on the Billboard Hot Digital Tracks chart. It entered the Billboard Hot Digital Singles Chart at number two, and remained in the charts' top ten for three consecutive weeks. "Thriller" is certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America. It appears on several of Jackson's greatest-hits albums and has been covered by numerous artists. The song has returned to the Billboard Hot 100 chart multiple times due to its popularity around Halloween and is one of the bestselling singles of all time. Thriller is widely considered one of the most popular songs of all time, having been played in even the most remote corners of the world. [5][6][7]

"Thriller"
Jackson's song "Thriller", released as a single in 1984; Nelson George wrote that it uses cinematic sound effects, horror film motifs, and vocal trickery to convey a sense of danger.[8]
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  1. ^ "New Singles (for the week ending November 11, 1983)" (PDF). Music Week: 30. November 5, 1983. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 13, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  2. ^ Semigran, Aly (February 7, 2011). "Michael Jackson's 'Thriller': Story Behind the 'Glee' Cover". MTV. Archived from the original on August 14, 2022. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  3. ^ Engel Bromwich, Jonah (October 25, 2018). "Who Actually Listens to Halloween Music?". The New York Times. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  4. ^ McPhate, Tim (November 2, 2017). "Michael Jackson's "Thriller": For The Record". The Recording Academy. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  5. ^ Ostler, Maggie. "Island Concerts-Island Names -Pitcairn Island Log #7 – The Barque Picton Castle". Retrieved September 30, 2024. We had two "concert" nights at Pitcairn again at the public square, one with each watch. For weeks before our arrival, crew had been practicing their acts. It closed with the choreographed dance from Michael Jackson's Thriller video
  6. ^ Kerr, Jim; Squibb, Shirley (September 30, 2014). "Performing Arts Show - Tristen De Cunha (Most remote island on earth)". www.tristandc.com. Retrieved September 30, 2024. The school put on a performing arts show for the Agulhas visitors and islanders on 30th September. Many islanders were involved in off loading the Agulhas II but parents were allowed to attend the show at 5.30 pm. The show started with a dance to Thriller, zombies appeared from all directions and danced with Nathan Swain, the island's Michael Jackson lookalike.
  7. ^ Jeannin, Marine (July 3, 2024). "Michael Jackson, 'the country's child' celebrated in a Côte d'Ivoire village". Lea Monde. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  8. ^ George 2004, p. 23.