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How was it when the Thriller music video came out?

tsw_gnaget

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Okay I was born 1992 so I missed out most of Michaels prime years as I either was not born, or still was a child. I wasn't even born when the Thriller album was released..
But one thing I've always thought about, since I saw the Thriller music video for the first time, was how amazing it must have been the day it was premiered..

Especially when I've seen documentaries where ther said that basically THE WHOLE WORLD was awaiting the premiere of this amazing music video. Recently Swedish national tv re-broadcasted the 1983 music programme that was the first in Sweden to show the Thriller video. They had put it late at night as an "Extra-scheduled programme" due to the horror of the music video.

So I'm just wondering for all those people who grew up during the 80s.. Was there really that much hype before the video came out? And most of all... How did you feel the second after you saw the premiere?


http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid29318074001?bclid=18584191&bctid=14208675
 
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hi i am a long time MJ fan i watched MJ from the time he first appeared on the Ed Sullivan show until he became a superstar,,,,,,,
yes there was lots and lots of hype on the Thriller video premier,,,,,,,
and it was well anticipated, it was a big hit as u well know
it was exciting, different approacxh to a video song and everyone was talking about it for weeks,,

those were his best years for me as a fan i will miss him and his music
 
what ppl dont understand,the 80s was the blockbuster era, in the uk u only had 4 channels, so in the uk when a mj video came out,the whole country watched in sync.

those days where so diff compared to now.
 
OMG YES!! It was a time in my life I'll never forget. Amazing! Nothing...NOTHING I will ever do in my life will compare to the overwhelming joy and inspiration I had back then.

Let's see, in 1983...I was 11..1984 12...I remember when it first came out, we used to rush home every night after school to watch it. They had a variety of 'video' shows, MTV, Much Music, Friday Night Videos etc.. They also used to play 'Thrilller' multiple times during the day, so if you missed it at 4:00 p.m., Much Music would play it at 5:00 p.m....then 6:00...I mean, NOONE could get enough of Michael.

You couldn't go anywhere without seeing guys wearing 'Beat It' and 'Thriller Jackets,' the hair and those 'Ray Bans'...God, I miss those days soooo much. *sigh* And the posters of Michael....they'd sell them everywhere...even in the supermarkets near the milk..lol.

That whole era was truly amazing. :wub:

1983-84...will always be the best years of my life.
 
When it premiered, I was at home watching it with my future husband (now sorta ex - haha). We had planned to watch and were looking forward to it - turned off all the lights for atmosphere. We were completely blown away - lol! We taped it on VHS and I still have that original tape. No idea if it would still play?
 
I remember that day well, I think it was a Saturday although I maybe mistaken, and at the tender age of seven I was scared faecesless of zombies and werewolves so I didnt watch it, although my Mum was hooked on it totally.

When I did see it I thought this is incredible, and I still do to this day.

British Television didnt know what hit it, heck the whole World didnt know what hit it.
 
I asked my mom about this awhile ago. I was born in '88 and I remember watching Black or White and Remember the Time when they premiered, even though I was so young and those were pretty big events (at least in my household), so I can imagine how big Thriller was. My mom said she and my aunt rushed to their friend's house because she was one of the only people on their street with cable. Apparently the video played every 30 mins or every hour or something like that on MTV so they stayed up all night waiting to see the video as many times as they could lol.
 
I was 6yrs old when Thriller came out if I am not mistaken, and let me tell you I about broke my neck to get infront of the tv to see the world premiere. My entire neighborhood was quiet because everyone was in a state of shock watching this video.. Everyone one of my friends can remember where they were when Thriller came on for the first time.. lol
 
I wish I was born in that era.
Sadly I was born in 1994. What a bummer...
Ah well, Thriller still amazes me. My Michael. :wub:
 
I was 9 years old when the Thriller video came out. It made me so scared, I couldn't sleep of it that night. I still remember this as if it happened yesterday.
 
I live in Los Angeles and my Uncle called me from Chicago and told me that I had to see Thriller and that I was going to love it. He wouldn't tell me anything about the video, he just kept saying to are going to be blown away. He was right.
 
MJK said:
I was 9 years old when the Thriller video came out. It made me so scared, I couldn't sleep of it that night. I still remember this as if it happened yesterday.
Click to expand...

I was ten and I remember watching it in the UK and I had nightmares about it so much that I didn't really get in to Mikes stuff until 'Bad'
 
You guys were so lucky to have seen the Thriller video when it first came out. I was born in early January of 1980. So I was 3 when the Thriller video first came out. So I was too young to remember it. It wasn't until sometime in the early 90s when I saw the Thriller video for the first time. And I just totally love the video the second I had saw it.
 
I came along just in time for The Thriller era. I was not living in the US at the time but it was a big thing in my country. Infact it was big all around the world.

It was pure magic, you just was so excited and happy. I remember seeing beat it and thinking it was so awesome, that was my favorite video. I am sooo gratefull that I got to live around that time.
 
We didnt have MTV in those days in UK so it was on terrestrial tv. They put the full length one on and I think it had to be shown after midnight. I remember before it was on everyone was talking about it, the excitement was electrifying.

I wasnt scared just awestruck. I think at that point everybody wanted to be Michael Jackson, it grabbed the attention of those who had never been into him.

It was a part of history.
 
pamarella said:
I live in Los Angeles and my Uncle called me from Chicago and told me that I had to see Thriller and that I was going to love it. He wouldn't tell me anything about the video, he just kept saying to are going to be blown away. He was right.
Click to expand...

The best video ever.

I remember when we had cable and MTV was all the rave. Those were the days!!
 
Everyone loved Thriller, even those who didn't normally like Michael. Everyone was talking about it. There were no downloads so you had to watch it whenever you could. We didn't have a video player in our house so I couldn't get the video. I had to stay up really late (they would not show Thriller in the day or evening as it was deemed too scary) and watch this one special they did on music which contained the video.
 
It was the first time I had ever seen Michael. I was 4....but I am pretty sure you could get cable tv?? Because I remember the tv guy would come round to get the money and he would always give me an MTV sticker...and the channel would play the video quite a few times a day.

Thriller was the start of my MJ obssesion :D
 
damn, I wish I lived in the 80s :( I wish to experienced all that... I just can't imagine how HUGE it was...
 
Some areas in the UK had cable in the early 80's but very few.

Until 1982 in the UK there were only 3 channels and they all shut off at midnight.
 
I *LOVE* hearing these stories!! Please keep telling them! :)

I'm really lucky to have my mother. She likes Michael and lived through his eras (she's 4 years younger than him) and none of the "controversy" ever damaged her absolute love for the feeling of excitement that came with his short films.
Anyway, she told me when Thriller first came out the first thing you said to someone was "OMG HAVE YOU SEEN THRILLER YET?!" and everyone was in state of awe about him/the film. I wish I could have experienced that. :(

Also, on the CNN coverage of the memorial, I remember a reporter talking to a man in Gary (I think) an he (the man) was saying how when an MJ short came out they showed it on tv in the classroom like it was the moon landing :p
 
I wasn't even born when thriller premiered but when i was like 5 or 6, my mother made me watch all MJ short films and since then, i am a big fan. Firstly, i was very very scared to even watch thriller with my eyes open but later on I started dancing to it. The video and the dance is addicting, seriously.
 
I remember when the BAD video came out...
OMG it was HUGGGGEEE! It was on prime time telly even in the Eastern Block in Europe...and it was on national TV (we only had 1 channel back then)
it was HUUGGEEE! We didnt even know what he was singing (didnt realize he was singing) it was a movie!
and when MOONWALKER came out...OMG...that was a family event...
and when the Smooth Criminal video was aired....I remember every second of it...


I have seen Thriller sometime 1986ish...and didnt like it..I was scared to death! My parents were really upset (I couldnt sleep...all those zombies...and that "mean" smile of his in the end..).....yack...not something for 8year old I guess just before bed time...


God bless him for the magic he gave...truly unique
 
I wish I had been alive to experience all of this, but at least I am grateful for being able to live in the same era as him :)
 
I was only 5 so my memory of it is pretty hazy.We didn't have cable but I thibk channel 4 showed at 11 o clock at night? My Dad taped it for me and I got to watch it the next day.

In those days My Dad had to leave the Thriller album on at night or I wouldn't go to sleep.I used to drift off every night listening to that album.I couldn't get enough of Mj,I danced like him at school discos (people actually formed circles around me) I wore the leather jacket,I had everything published about him,all the vhs tapes,all the posters,I was obsessive.

By the time of the Bad tour I was still too young to go down to England for the concert,but I made sure a programme was brought back for me.I almost wore it out reading it!

Happy days.
 
Nice thread. During 'thriller-era' we didn't get MTV yet, so one time it was shown, the entire clip on the music-programm: 'Toppop'. At that time we had only 2 channels. So you knew everyone in the country had seen the clip, so that's the only thing you could talk about, the next morning in school.
But they showed the entire clip only once because the music-show only aired for half an hour.
 
I was born in 82!!!! needless to say, i don't remember the premier. lol
 
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