Thriller (Michael Jackson album)

Thriller is an album by Michael Jackson. It was released in 1982 and is the biggest selling album of all time.^[1] Seven singles were released from the album. It won eight Grammy Awards, the most anyone has won at once.^[2]

Thriller
Studio album by Michael Jackson
Released	November 30, 1982 (1982-11-30)
Recorded	April 14 – November 8, 1982
Studio	Westlake Recording Studios (Los Angeles, California)
Genre	Pop funk R&B
Length	42:19
Label	Epic CBS
Producer	Quincy Jones (also exec.) Michael Jackson (co.)
Michael Jackson chronology
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) Thriller (1982) 18 Greatest Hits (1983)
Singles from Thriller
"The Girl Is Mine" Released: October 18, 1982 "Billie Jean" Released: January 2, 1983 "Beat It" Released: February 14, 1983 "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" Released: May 8, 1983 "Human Nature" Released: July 3, 1983 "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" Released: September 19, 1983 "Thriller" Released: January 23, 1984

In 1979 Jackson released Off the Wall. It was very successful. However Jackson was not happy. At the 1980 Grammys he won one Grammy from the album. It was the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for the single "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". Jackson said that "It was totally unfair that it didn't get Record of the Year and it can never happen again". When Jackson made Thriller he wanted it to be more successful than Off the Wall. Thriller won Record of the Year.

In October 2001 a special edition of the album was released. It has an extra twelve tracks.

Thriller 25

In 2008 twenty-five years after its release the album was released again as Thriller 25. It had seven extra songs: a new song, "For All Time", five remixes with Fergie, will.i.am, Kanye West, and Akon, and a clip from Vincent Price's spoken bit in the song "Thriller". Jackson was the album's executive producer. Jackson died in 2009. This made people buy more of his music. In 2009 Thriller sold 1.27 million copies in the US. This made it the 14th best-selling album of the year.^[3]

Thriller 25th Anniversary: The Book, Celebrating the Biggest Selling Album of All Time was published.

Singles

"The Girl Is Mine" was released as the album's first single. It reached number two in the Billboard 100. By 1985, it had sold 1.3 million copies.

"Billie Jean" was released as the second single. It was number one in the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain and Switzerland. It won two Grammy Awards.

The album's third single "Beat It" reached number one in the Billboard 100. It won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year and Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. It also won two American Music Awards.

"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" reached number five in the Billboard 100. The song was nominated for "Best R&B Song" at the 1984 Grammy Awards. "Billie Jean" won the award instead.^[4]

"Human Nature" was released as the fifth single. It reached number seven in the Hot 100.

"P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing)" was Thriller's sixth single. It reached number ten in the Hot 100.

Track listing

1. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" (Michael Jackson) – 6:02
2. "Baby Be Mine" (Rod Temperton) – 4:20
3. "The Girl Is Mine" (featuring Paul McCartney) (Jackson) – 3:42
4. "Thriller" (Temperton) – 5:57
5. "Beat It" (Jackson) – 4:19
6. "Billie Jean" (Jackson) – 4:54
7. "Human Nature" (Steve Porcaro, John Bettis) – 4:05
8. "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" (James Ingram, Quincy Jones) – 3:58
9. "The Lady in My Life" (Temperton) – 4:59

References

1. "Arts and Media/Pop Stars/Best-selling Album". 17 May 2006. Archived from the original on 17 May 2006. Retrieved 11 November 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
2. "Flashback: Michael Jackson's historic Grammy triumph for 'Thriller' | Gold Derby | Los Angeles Times". Archived from the original on 2011-11-04. Retrieved 2013-11-11.
3. "Taylor Swift Edges Susan Boyle For 2009's Top-Selling Album". Billboard.
4. "Rock On The Net: 26th Annual Grammy Awards - 1984". rockonthenet.com.