Michael Jackson - Thriller (1982)

Album: Thriller

Artist: Michael Jackson

Release: 30 November 1982

Format: Album

Version: Standard Edition
Label: Epic
Archive: .MP3 / 320kpbs / 101MB

Thriller is the sixth studio album by American singer Michael Jackson, released on November 30, 1982 by Epic Records. Thriller became Jackson's first number one album on the Billboard Top LPs & Tapes chart. It produced seven singles: "The Girl Is Mine", "Billie Jean", "Beat It", "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' ", "Human Nature", "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)", and "Thriller". All the singles reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, setting the record for the most top 10 singles from an album, with "Beat It" and "Billie Jean" reaching number one on the chart. Michael Jackson's Thriller, the "Thriller" music video, was premiered to great anticipation in December 1983 and played regularly on MTV, which also increased the sales of the album. It spent a record 37 weeks at number one on the Billboard 200, from February 26, 1983 to April 14, 1984, and has spent 400 weeks on the chart and counting.

By the end of 1983, Thriller became the best-selling album of all time, having sold 32 million copies. It was the best-selling album worldwide of 1983, and was also the best-selling album in the United States in 1983 and 1984, making it the first album to be the country's best-selling for two years. The album's success set the standard for the music industry with its songs, music videos and promotion strategies influencing artists, record labels, producers, marketers and choreographers. The album broke racial barriers in popular music, enabling Jackson's appearances on MTV and meeting with President Ronald Reagan at the White House. It was one of the first to use music videos as successful promotional tools, and the videos for the songs "Billie Jean" and "Beat It" and the short film Michael Jackson's Thriller all received regular rotation on MTV and are credited for transforming music videos into a serious art form, with the latter also popularizing short films in the music industry.

Thriller remains the best-selling album of all time, with sales of 66 million copies worldwide. It is the second-best-selling album in the United States and was the first to reach 30× Platinum or 3× Diamond. As of February 2017, it has sold 33 million certified album-equivalent units in the US. It won a record-breaking eight Grammy Awards at the 1984 Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, while "Beat It" won Record of the Year. Jackson also won a record-breaking eight American Music Awards at the 1984 American Music Awards.

LEAD SINGLE:

TRACKLIST:

1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
2. Baby Be Mine
3. The Girl Is Mine
4. Thriller
5. Beat It
6. Billie Jean
7. Human Nature
8. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
9. The Lady In My Life