November 30, 2012 marks the 30th anniversary of the release of the spectacular Michael Jackson Thriller album, which earned him his pop icon status by creating music that transcended genres and by also redefining the roles of music videos and dancing in popular music. No matter what else Jackson did, his musical legacy will always rest on the album Thriller.
10 thrilling facts;
- The album became the biggest selling of all time, with over 50 million copies sold worldwide (according to Guinness Book of World Records).
- Of the 9 songs issued on the album, 7 were released as singles, each one reaching the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. The most successful singles include Billie Jean, Beat It and Thriller
- Producer Quincy Jones wanted Billie Jean to be titled Not My Lover, so people wouldn't think the song was about Billie Jean King.
- The album's second single, Billie Jean, inspired the iconic dance move the "moonwalk", which spawned a mega dance craze and paved the way for more advanced break dancing.
- It took Eddie van Halen 15 minutes to come up with the guitar solo on Beat It.
- Real gang members were brought in to be extras in the Beat It video.
- Although Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' was one of the biggest singles off Thriller, no video was ever made for the song.
- Playboy centerfold Ola Ray (Miss June 1980) landed the part of Jackson's girlfriend in the Thriller video.
- This John Landis-directed video took the album from successful pop record to cultural icon. Casting the then-clean cut, scandal-free singer as a werewolf in this short film was a risk, but one that truly paid off.
- At the height of the song's popularity, MTV would run the 14-minute Thriller video twice an hour.
Remember The King of Pop and the album's anniversary by checking out SecondHandSongs extensive collection of Michael Jackson originals, covers, releases and videos here: Michael Jackson
As an entrée start with the magnificent Thriller video clip:
Last edit: 2012-11-29 14:58:12 UTC by Limbabwe