Thriller (song)
"Thriller" is a song by the American singer Michael Jackson. It was released by Epic Records in November 1983 in the UK and on January 23, 1984, in the U.S., as the seventh and final single from his sixth studio album, Thriller.[3]
| "Thriller" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
US 12-inch single | ||||
| Single by Michael Jackson | ||||
| from the album Thriller | ||||
| B-side | "Things I Do for You" | |||
| Released | November 1983 (UK)[1] January 23, 1984 (U.S.)[2] | |||
| Recorded | 1982 | |||
| Studio | Westlake (Los Angeles, California) | |||
| Genre | Disco · funk | |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Rod Temperton | |||
| Producer(s) | Quincy Jones | |||
| Michael Jackson singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Thriller" on YouTube | ||||
"Thriller" is a funk song in the key of C♯ minor 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, has Jackson dancing with a horde of zombies. 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 Belgium, France and Spain, and 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.
Composition edit
"Thriller" is a disco-funk song written in the key of C-sharp minor[5] The introduction features sound effects such as a creaking door, thunder, feet walking on wooden planks, winds and howling wolves.[6]
Writing edit
"Thriller" was written by the English songwriter Rod Temperton, who had previously written "Rock with You" and "Off the Wall" for Jackson's 1979 album Off the Wall.[7] Temperton wanted to write something theatrical to suit Jackson's love of film.[8] He improvised with bass and drum patterns until he developed the bassline that runs through the song, then wrote a chord progression that built to a climax.[8] He recalled: "I wanted it to build and build – a bit like stretching an elastic band throughout the tune to heighten suspense."[8]
Temperton's first version was titled "Starlight", with the chorus lyric: "Give me some starlight / Starlight sun".[9] The production team, led by Quincy Jones, felt the song should be the title track, but that "Starlight" was not a strong album title. Instead, they wanted something "mysterious" to match Jackson's "evolving persona".[8] Temperton considered several titles, including "Midnight Man", which Jones felt was "going in the right direction". Finally, he conceived "Thriller", but worried that it was "a crap word to sing ... It sounded terrible! However, we got Michael to spit it into the microphone a few times and it worked."[8]
With the title decided, Temperton wrote lyrics within "a couple of hours".[8] He envisioned a spoken-word sequence for the ending, but did not know what form it should take. It was decided to have a famous voice from the horror genre perform it, and Jones' then-wife, Peggy Lipton, suggested her friend Vincent Price.[6] Temperton composed the words for Price's part in a taxi on the way to the studio on the day of recording.[6]
Recording edit
Along with the rest of the album, "Thriller" was recorded over eight weeks in 1982.[10] It was recorded at Westlake Recording Studios on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles, California.[6] The engineer Bruce Swedien had Jackson record his vocals in different approaches, doubling takes and recording at different distances from the microphone. Some background vocals were recorded in the Westlake shower stall.[6]
The bassline was performed on an ARP 2600 synthesizer, and the verse pads were performed on a Roland Jupiter-8 layered with a Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 and a Yamaha CS-80.[11] The percussion was created with a LinnDrum drum machine modified with sound chips from two other drum machines: a snare hi-hat and congas from an LM-1 and a clap from a TR-808. "Thriller" also features Rhodes piano performed by Greg Phillinganes and guitar performed by David Williams.[12]
To record the wolf howls, Swedien set up tape recorders up around his Great Dane in a barn overnight, but the dog never howled. Instead, Jackson recorded the howls himself.[13] For the creaking doors, Swedien rented doors designed for sound effects from the Universal Studios Lot and recorded the hinges.[13] Price recorded his part in two takes; Jones, acknowledging that doing a voice-over for a song is difficult, praised Price and described his takes as "fabulous".[6]
Release edit
The album Thriller was released in November 1982 on Epic Records and spent months at the top of the Billboard 200.[14] "Thriller" was not initially planned for release as a single, as Epic saw it as a novelty song.[15] The Epic executive Walter Yetnikoff asked: "Who wants a single about monsters?"[14]
By mid-1983, sales of the album had begun to decline. Jackson, who was "obsessive" about his sales figures,[14] urged Yetnikoff and another Epic executive, Larry Stessel, to help conceive a plan to return the album to the top of the charts. Jackson's manager Frank DiLeo suggested releasing "Thriller", backed by a new music video.[14][16] It was the final single from the album, released in January 1984.[15]
Alternative versions of "Thriller", including the "Starlight" demo, were released on the anniversary reissue Thriller 40 (2022).[17]
Music video edit
The music video for "Thriller" references numerous horror films,[14] and stars Jackson performing a dance routine with a horde of the undead.[14] It was directed by the horror director John Landis and written by Landis and Jackson. Jackson contacted Landis after seeing his film An American Werewolf in London. The pair conceived a 13-minute short film with a budget much larger than previous music videos. Jackson's record company refused to finance it, believing Thriller had peaked, so a making-of documentary, Making Michael Jackson's Thriller, was produced to receive financing from television networks.[14]
Michael Jackson's Thriller premiered on MTV on December 2, 1983.[18] It was launched to great anticipation and played regularly on MTV.[18] It doubled sales of Thriller, and the documentary sold over a million copies, becoming the bestselling videotape at the time.[14] It is credited for transforming music videos into a serious art form, breaking down racial barriers in popular entertainment, and popularizing the making-of documentary format.[19]
Many elements have had a lasting impact on popular culture, such as the zombie dance and Jackson's red jacket, designed by Landis' wife Deborah Nadoolman.[19] Fans worldwide re-enact its zombie dance and it remains popular on YouTube. The Library of Congress described it as "the most famous music video of all time". In 2009, it became the first music video inducted into the National Film Registry as "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant.[14]
Chart performance edit
"Thriller" entered the Billboard Hot 100 charts at number 20.[20] It reached number seven the following week,[21] number five the next, and peaked the next week at number four, where it stayed for two weeks.[22][23] It finished as the #78 single on Billboard's Hot 100 for the 1984.[24]
"Thriller" charted at number 19 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart.[25] On March 10, 1984, it reached its peak at number 3.[26] "Thriller" debuted on the UK Singles Chart on November 19, 1983, at number 24, and the following week peaked at number ten; it appeared on the chart for 52 weeks.[27] Beginning on February 5, 1984, "Thriller" peaked on the French Singles Chart at number one and topped the chart for four consecutive weeks.[28] "Thriller" also topped the Belgian VRT Top 30 Chart for two weeks in January 1984.[29]
Following Jackson's death in 2009, his music surged in popularity.[30] In the week of his death, "Thriller" was Jackson's best-selling track in the US, with sales of 167,000 copies on the Billboard Hot Digital Singles Chart.[30] On July 11, 2009, "Thriller" charted on the Billboard Hot Digital Singles Chart at number two (its peak), and the song remained in the charts' top ten for three consecutive weeks.[31] In the United Kingdom, the song charted at number 23 the week of Jackson's death.[32] The following week, the song reached its peak at number 12 on the UK Single Chart.[27] On July 12, 2009, "Thriller" peaked at number two on the Italian Singles Chart[33] and was later certified gold by the Federation of the Italian Music Industry.[34] "Thriller" reached at number three on the Australian ARIA Chart and Swiss Singles Chart and topped the Spanish Singles Charts for one week.[35] The song also placed within the top ten on the German Singles Chart, Norwegian Singles Chart and Irish Singles Chart, at number nine, number seven and number eight respectively.[35] "Thriller" also landed at number 25 on the Danish Singles Chart.[36] In the third week of July "Thriller" peaked at number 11 in Finland.[37]
"Thriller" has returned to the Billboard Hot 100 chart multiple times due to its popularity around Halloween. It re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 in October 2013 at number 42,[38] number 31 in November 2018,[39] and number 19 in November 2021, its highest placement since 1984.[40] This gave Jackson at least one top-20 hit across seven consecutive decades from 1969 on the Billboard Hot 100.[40]
"Thriller" was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America on December 4, 1989, for sales of over one million physical units in the U.S.[41][42] As of August 2016, the song had sold 4,024,398 copies in the US.[43] By August 2022, it had sold a further 10 million download copies in the US.[44][45]
"Thriller" reached number one on three different Billboard charts the week of November 8, 2023, more than a decade after Jackson's death. Those charts included: R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs, R&B Streaming Songs and R&B Digital Song Sales charts.[46]
Critical reception edit
Ashley Lasimone, of AOL's Spinner.com, noted that it "became a signature for Jackson" and described "the groove of its bassline, paired with Michael's killer vocals and sleek moves" as having "produced a frighteningly great single."[47] Jon Pareles of The New York Times noted that "'Billie Jean', 'Beat It', 'Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' ' and "the movie in the song 'Thriller'", were the songs, unlike the "fluff" "P.Y.T.", that were "the hits that made Thriller a world-beater; along with Mr. Jackson's stage and video presence, listeners must have identified with his willingness to admit terror."[48] Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times described "Thriller" as "adequately groovy" with a "funked-out beat" and lyrics "seemingly lifted from some little kid's 'scary storybook'".[49][50]
Personnel edit
- Written and composed by Rod Temperton
- Produced by Quincy Jones
- Michael Jackson: lead and background vocals, LinnDrum drum machine
- Rod Temperton and Brian Banks: synthesizers
- Greg Phillinganes: synthesizers, Rhodes piano
- Anthony Marinelli: synthesizer programming
- David Williams: guitar
- Jerry Hey, Gary Grant: trumpets, flugelhorns
- Larry Williams: saxophone, flute
- Bill Reichenbach: trombone
- Vocal, rhythm and synthesizer arrangement by Rod Temperton
- Horn arrangement by Jerry Hey
- Effects by Bruce Cannon and Bruce Swedien
- Featuring: Narration by Vincent Price (Not featured on original edited single version)
Charts edit
Weekly charts edit
| Chart (1983–1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[51] | 4 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[52] | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles[53] | 3 |
| Finland (Suomen virallinen singlelista)[54] | 7 |
| Finland Jukebox (Suomen virallinen singlelista)[54] | 3 |
| France (SNEP)[28] | 1 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[55] | 4 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[56] | 3 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[57] | 4 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[58] | 6 |
| Portugal (AFP)[59] | 1 |
| South Africa (Springbok)[60] | 26 |
| Spain (AFYVE)[61] | 1 |
| UK (Official Charts Company)[27] | 10 |
| US Cashbox[62] | 4 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[63] | 4 |
| US Billboard Hot Black Singles[64][26] | 3 |
| US Billboard Adult Contemporary[65] | 24 |
| US Billboard Album Rock Tracks[64][26] | 42 |
| US Radio & Records CHR/Pop Airplay Chart[66] | 1 |
| West Germany (Official German Charts)[67] | 9 |
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| France (SNEP)[68] | 35 |
| Germany (Media Control Charts)[35] | 9 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[55] | 8 |
| Italy (FIMI)[69] | 5 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[57] | 34 |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[35] | 1 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[35] | 3 |
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[70] | 20 |
| UK (Official Charts Company)[27] | 57 |
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[71] | 55 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[72] | 13 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[73] | 53 |
| UK (Official Charts Company)[27] | 35 |
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[74] | 3 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[71] | 5 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Back Catalogue Singles Flanders)[75] | 3 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 30 Back Catalogue Singles Wallonia)[76] | 2 |
| Denmark (Tracklisten)[36] | 25 |
| Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[77] | 16 |
| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[78] | 11 |
| France (SNEP)[79] | 3 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[35] | 8 |
| Italy (FIMI)[69] | 2 |
| Japan Singles Top 100 (Oricon)[35] | 41 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[57] | 9 |
| New Zealand (RIANZ)[35] | 12 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[72] | 7 |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[70] | 1 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[80] | 10 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[73] | 3 |
| UK (Official Charts Company)[27] | 12 |
| US Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[81] | 2 |
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[70] | 12 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[73] | 68 |
| UK (Official Charts Company)[27] | 68 |
| Chart (2012) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| France (SNEP)[68] | 143 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[55] | 30 |
| UK (Official Charts Company)[27] | 49 |
| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| France (SNEP)[68] | 159 |
| UK (Official Charts Company)[27] | 48 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[82] | 42 |
| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| France (SNEP)[68] | 152 |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[70] | 38 |
| UK (Official Charts Company)[27] | 57 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[83] | 35 |
| Chart (2015) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| France (SNEP)[68] | 145 |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[70] | 48 |
| UK (Official Charts Company)[27] | 61 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[84] | 45 |
| Chart (2016) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| France (SNEP)[68] | 164 |
| UK (Official Charts Company)[27] | 62 |
| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| France (SNEP)[68] | 46 |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[70] | 32 |
| UK (Official Charts Company) | 34 |
| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[85] | 25 |
| UK (Official Charts Company) | 63 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[86][87] | 31 |
| Chart (2019) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[88] | 44 |
| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Global 200[89] | 51 |
| UK (Official Charts Company) | 57 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[90] | 48 |
| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[91] | 16 |
| Global 200 (Billboard)[92] | 28 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[93] | 40 |
| UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[94] | 3 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[95][96] | 19 |
| US Billboard Digital Songs Sales[97] | 9 |
| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[98] | 25 |
| Global 200[99] | 37 |
| UK (Official Charts Company) | 41 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[100] | 26 |
Year-end charts edit
Certifications edit
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[110] | 6× Platinum | 420,000‡ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[111] | Platinum | 90,000‡ |
| France (SNEP)[112] | Platinum | 1,000,000* |
| Germany (BVMI)[113] | Gold | 250,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI)[114] | Platinum | 30,000‡ |
| Japan (RIAJ)[115] Full-length ringtone | Platinum | 250,000* |
| Mexico (AMPROFON)[116] | 4× Platinum+Gold | 270,000‡ |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[117] | 2× Platinum | 100,000* |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[118] Digital sales since 2004 | 2× Platinum | 1,200,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[119] other release | Gold | 500,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[120] | Diamond | 10,000,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[121] Mastertone | Gold | 500,000* |
| * Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
See also edit
References edit
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- ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
- ^ "Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Leads Halloween Treats on Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
- ^ "The Hot 100, Week of November 13, 2021". Billboard. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
- ^ "Digital Song Sales Chart, Week of November 13, 2021". Billboard. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
- ^ "Canadian Hot 100, Week of November 12, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
- ^ "The Global 200, Week of November 12, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
- ^ "The Hot 100, Week of November 12, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
- ^ "Canadian Hot 100, Week of November 11, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "The Global 200, Week of November 11, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "The Hot 100, Week of November 11, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "Kent Music Report No 548 – 31 December 1984 > National Top 100 Singles for 1984". Kent Music Report. Retrieved January 23, 2023 – via Imgur.com.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1984". Ultratop. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
- ^ "Årslista Singlar – År 2009" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
- ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2009 – hitparade.ch". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
- ^ "Charts Plus Year end 2009" (PDF). Charts Plus. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2021 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
- ^ "Danish single certifications – Michael Jackson – Thriller". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
- ^ "French single certifications – Michael Jackson – Thriller" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved November 28, 2022. Select MICHAEL JACKSON and click OK.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Michael Jackson; 'Thriller')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
- ^ "Italian single certifications – Michael Jackson – Thriller" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select "2014" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Thriller" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
- ^ "Japanese ringtone certifications – Michael Jackson – Thriller" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved December 30, 2020. Select 2009年11月 on the drop-down menu
- ^ "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved November 28, 2022. Type Michael Jackson in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Thriller in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
- ^ "Spanish single certifications – Michael Jackson – Thriller". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España.
- ^ "British single certifications – Michael Jackson – Thriller". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ "British single certifications – Michael Jackson – Thriller". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ "American single certifications – Michael Jackson – Thriller". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ "American ringtone certifications – Michael Jackson – Thriller". Recording Industry Association of America.
- Bibliography
- Brooks, Darren (2002). Michael Jackson: An Exceptional Journey. Chrome Dreams. ISBN 1-84240-178-5.
- George, Nelson (2004). Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection (booklet). Sony BMG.
- Grant, Adrian (2009). Michael Jackson: The Visual Documentary. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-1-84938-261-8.
- Jones, Jel (2005). Michael Jackson, the King of Pop: The Big Picture: the Music! the Man! the Legend! the Interviews!. Amber Books Publishing. ISBN 0-9749779-0-X.
- Taraborrelli, J. Randy (2004). The Magic and the Madness. Terra Alta, WV: Headline. ISBN 0-330-42005-4.
- Halstead, Craig (2003). Michael Jackson The Solo Years. On-Line Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7552-0091-7.
External links edit
- Michael Jackson - Thriller on YouTube