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On December 2, 1983, MTV aired the Michael Jackson Thriller video for the first time. I vivdly remember Jackson dancing with a horrific bunch of zombies and being TOTALLY blown away and maybe even a little freaked out!!!!!
However, the dancing by the zombies is pretty spectacular! (link to short version below) The young girl (victim) in the video, Ola Ray, is an American model and actress who appeared in the film, 10 to Midnight (link below). She modeled for Playboy and was the Playmate of the Month for the June 1980 issue. There were royalties issues regarding her participation in Thriller.
At the beginning of the video Jackson is wearing a red wool jacket with red and white knitted collar and cuffs and cream colored leather sleeves; I had one just like it in High School; actually, all the guys had them, it was the in thing.
12" vinyl single cover
cover photo by Douglas Kirkland
photo of cover by Styrous®
It was released as a single by Epic Records on January 23, 1984 as the seventh and final single from Jackson's sixth studio album of the same name.
Thriller is a mix of disco and funk. The song was produced by Quincy Jones and was written by Rod Temperton who wanted to write a theatrical song to suit Jackson's love of film. The music and lyrics evoke horror films, with sound effects such as thunder, footsteps and wind. It ends with a spoken-word sequence performed by horror actor Vincent Price. The scary music segments were coposed by Elmer Bernstein.
Temperton's first version was titled Starlight. 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
Michael's evolving persona".
Temperton considered several possible 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."
With the title settled, Temperton wrote lyrics within "a couple of hours". He envisioned a spoken-word sequence for the end of the song, 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. Temperton composed the words for Price's part in a taxi on the way to the studio on the day of recording.
12" vinyl single back cover detail
back cover photo by Douglas Kirkland
detail photo of back cover by Styrous®Thriller received positive reviews and became the album's seventh top-ten single on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number four. It is certified 7x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It is one of the best-selling singles of all time, having sold over 9 million copies worldwide. 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 charted on the Billboard Hot Digital Singles Chart at number two, and remained in the charts' top ten for three consecutive weeks.
Thriller won a Grammy Award. It is often cited as a pop culture phenomenon and a Halloween anthem. It appears on several of Jackson's greatest hits albums and has been covered by numerous artists. The Thriller music video was directed by John Landis and premiered on MTV on December 2, 1983. In the video, Jackson becomes a zombie and performs a dance routine with a horde of the undead. Many elements of the video have had a lasting impact on popular culture, such as the zombie dance and Jackson's red jacket, and it was the first music video inducted into the National Film Registry. It has been named the greatest video of all time by various publications and readers' polls.
Tracklist:
Side 1:
Side 1:
A Thriller 5:56
Side 2:
B Thriller (Instrumental) 5:56
Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – CBS Inc.
Copyright (c) – CBS Inc.
Produced For – Quincy Jones Productions
Mastered At – Allen Zentz Mastering
Pressed By – Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Carrollton, GA
Credits:
Co-producer – Michael Jackson
Mastered By [Runout Etching ❀] – Brian Gardner
Photography By – Douglas Kirkland
Producer – Quincy Jones
Written-By – R. Temperton*
Notes:
Special 12" Dance Single
Taken from the Epic LP "Thriller" (QE 38112)
© 1982, 1984 CBS Inc./℗ 1982 CBS Inc./Manufactured by Epic Records/CBS Inc.
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Barcode (Text): 0 7464-04961-1
Barcode (Scanned): 074640496110
Matrix / Runout (Side A, label): XSS 169545
Matrix / Runout (Side B, label): XSS 169546
Matrix / Runout (Side A & B, runout, etched): ❀
Matrix / Runout (Side A & B, runout, stamped): MASTERED AT ALLEN ZENTZ L.A., CALIF.
Matrix / Runout (Side A, runout, etched, variant 1): XSS-169545-1F B6 0G1
Matrix / Runout (Side B, runout, etched, variant 1): XSS-169546-1E D5 0G1
Matrix / Runout (Side A, runout, etched, variant 2): XSS-169545-1G G1
Matrix / Runout (Side B, runout, etched, variant 2): XSS-169546-1E G1
Michael Jackson – Thriller
Label: Epic – 49-04961
Format: Vinyl, 12", 33 ⅓ RPM, Single, Carrollton Pressing
Country: US
Released: 1984
Genre: Funk / Soul, Pop
Style: Rhythm & Blues, Disco
Label: Epic – 49-04961
Format: Vinyl, 12", 33 ⅓ RPM, Single, Carrollton Pressing
Country: US
Released: 1984
Genre: Funk / Soul, Pop
Style: Rhythm & Blues, Disco
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