Thriller 40th Anniversary

With Thriller, Michael Jackson Strived to Create an Album With Zero “B-Sides” or “Album Cuts”
August 22, 2024

In an interview with Ebony Magazine, Michael shares the inspiration behind making his Thriller album was the desire to have an album with no “b-sides” or album cuts: “I would always say to myself why can’t every one be like a hit song? Why can’t every song be so great that people would want to buy it or you could release it as a single, you know every one could be a single? So I always tried to strive for that and that was my purpose for the next album that I did.” Listen to Thriller 40 now. https://michaeljackson.lnk.to/Thriller40th
 
Where can Thriller 40 be streamed in Europe currently?
 
Was Billie Jean ever remastered?
technically yes by the same company that restored Prince's videos, but it looked horrendous & the estate never released it properly. I cant find the thread, but it was a specific company's examples page that showed it.

Yep.

 
this is a day late, but yesterday was the 40th anniversary of the first mtv vma awards. michael’s short film ‘thriller’ won 3; ‘best choreography, best overall performance, and most importantly, viewers choice.
I thought he would have won more. I also thought that ‘billie jean’ & ‘beat it’ would win awards. however, they missed the cut for nomination because they were released before may of 1983.
diana ross accepted michael’s awards as he didn’t attend.
 
thought it was appropriate to post this here. congratulations 🥳 hope the same happens for the short version, which is the one I watch.
Hope you don't mind but I have to post one more thing on this. I really wanted to post something on this thread but wasn't sure if it was appropriate, funnily enough! Plus, I was trying to be restrained, lol. I love this tweet from youtubemusic bc not only is it a nice colourful celebration but it invites people to watch the video.

youtubemusic, billboard, worldmusicaward, thernbtalk (to name just a few) all posted congratulations. In the meantime, MJE was posting about the anniversary of Bad 25 which, fair enough, it was a good product but, I dunno, just seemed like an odd choice to make. Y'know, maybe post about both of those things on the same day? It's not like there's a daily limit or anything! 🤨 🤷🏽‍♀️

Anyway ...



👏
@MJJSpotify2015
"I wanna thank @youtubemusic for acknowledging "Thriller" getting added to the 1 Billion club soon as it hit a billion viewes, thank you for not ignoring it like MTV did."
 
Last edited:
Nothing new but it's still lovely to see! Posted in Chart Watch, maybe needs to be here, also? :unsure:



**Obviously Thriller was written by Rod Temperton!

"He likely didn’t realize it at the time he wrote**👆 and recorded the song, but Michael Jackson crafted an annual smash with one of his most famous tracks. “Thriller” is one of a handful of cuts that return to a number of Billboard charts every year when Halloween spirit fills the air. The tune has become connected with the holiday, and people all around the world listen to the smash in huge numbers as fall begins.

While Halloween may be more than a month away, “Thriller” is already starting its comeback. The single returns to one tally in the U.S. this frame, and this may be just the beginning for the time-tested hit.

“Thriller” reappears on the R&B Digital Song Sales chart this frame. Jackson’s creepy favorite lands at No. 7 on Billboard’s list of the bestselling R&B-only tracks throughout the country.

Jackson’s song has already spent plenty of time on the R&B sales tally, and it will seemingly continue to add to its sum for years to come. The track has racked up 67 stays on the R&B Digital Song Sales list throughout its lifetime, which actually began long before the chart was introduced. It’s his longest-running win by months on the list.

“Thriller” is one of Jackson’s two No. 1s on the ranking. The bestselling single reached the peak position for the first time in November 2017, just after that year’s Halloween celebrations came to a close. His only other leader arrived in 2018, years after his death. He was credited on Drake’s “Don’t Matter to Me,” which debuted in first place in July
2018.
Jackson has scored half a dozen top 10 hits on the R&B Digital Song Sales chart throughout his career–and long after it. The tally now includes just 10 spaces, so any time a track lands on the list, it immediately becomes a top 10 smash–either for the first time, or, in the case of “Thriller,” again. Jackson has seen 15 tunes reach the roster, with several debuting when there was more real estate available.

As the single “Thriller” begins to gain momentum, the album with which it shares its name is on the rise as well. The Thriller full-length gains nearly 2% in consumption (according to Luminate), which helps the set push forward five spots on the Billboard 200. The set is also up four rungs on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums tally, making a home at No. 44 this frame."





 
this is the first part of a new youtube series called ‘thriller forever🤩💜
oh, I enjoyed that. I disagreed with the statement about 1982 being a bleak year for pop music. Maybe it was in the US, that's not how I remember it for the UK. But it was a really nice walk down memory lane. Good editing, fabulous images of Michael. 🥰
 
Hope you don't mind but I have to post one more thing on this. I really wanted to post something on this thread but wasn't sure if it was appropriate, funnily enough! Plus, I was trying to be restrained, lol. I love this tweet from youtubemusic bc not only is it a nice colourful celebration but it invites people to watch the video.

youtubemusic, billboard, worldmusicaward, thernbtalk (to name just a few) all posted congratulations. In the meantime, MJE was posting about the anniversary of Bad 25 which, fair enough, it was a good product but, I dunno, just seemed like an odd choice to make. Y'know, maybe post about both of those things on the same day? It's not like there's a daily limit or anything! 🤨 🤷🏽‍♀️

Anyway ...



👏
@MJJSpotify2015
"I wanna thank @youtubemusic for acknowledging "Thriller" getting added to the 1 Billion club soon as it hit a billion viewes, thank you for not ignoring it like MTV did."
I can’t help but think that the motown 25 performance of ‘billie jean’ would also have a billion views, if it was uploaded to the official youtube channel. instead we have multiple uploads in various quality, that are eventually taken down. it’s a shame because it’s his most important performance.
 
I can’t help but think that the motown 25 performance of ‘billie jean’ would also have a billion views, if it was uploaded to the official youtube channel. instead we have multiple uploads in various quality, that are eventually taken down. it’s a shame because it’s his most important performance.
It's a bit of a mess, isn't it? Makes no sense to me. Motown 25 is such an iconic tv moment and, I agree, it's an immensely important part of Michael's story. I'll never understand MJE. 🤷🏽‍♀️
 
the latest instalment of the ‘thriller forever’ series by ‘the detail’. this is hands down my favourite yet. it reinforces the fact that ‘billie jean’ is my favourite video & performance 💜does anyone else think that this documentary should have its own thread, to make it easier to find?
 
the second episode is out. it’s worth the watch for the second half of the video alone. it covers my favourite song ‘wanna be startin somethin’ in the best way I’ve ever heard 💜💜
I love how the first 4 singles released from ‘thriller’ were the ones that michael wrote himself:

the girl is mine’
‘billie jean’💜
‘beat it’💜
‘wanna be startin somethin
💜💜

did anyone else notice that?
 
the latest instalment of the ‘thriller forever’ series by ‘the detail’. this is hands down my favourite yet. it reinforces the fact that ‘billie jean’ is my favourite video & performance 💜does anyone else think that this documentary should have its own thread, to make it easier to find?
The thumbnail is confusing the hell outta me. It looks like MJ, but it also doesn’t. Help.
 
Ain't we in the 42nd Anniversary of the album by now?
Yes, but it's unstoppable, lol :D

Cross-posting:


"October is a huge month for Michael Jackson. The late musician’s “Thriller” and the album with which it shares its name always soar on the Billboard charts, as consumption of the tune and the project both explode around Halloween. As millions of listeners continue to press play on the smash, another one of the legend’s most famous tracks is also on the rise.

“Billie Jean” climbs on both of Billboard’s global rankings this frame. On one of them, the single even manages to rise higher than ever before.

On the current edition of the Billboard Global Excl. US, “Billie Jean” improves from No. 148 to No. 145. That’s a new all-time peak for the decades-old single.

At the same time that it reaches a new high on the Billboard Global Excl. US, which removes all listening data from the United States, “Billie Jean” is gaining ground on the tally’s accompanying list. Jackson’s bestseller lifts more than 20 rungs on the Billboard Global 200, as it vaults from No. 174 to No. 152. That’s not a new best showing though, as the cut has previously surged as high as No. 137.

“Billie Jean” ranks as one of Jackson’s two career wins on the global rankings, which were established years after his death. The single has yet to match the lofty placement of “Thriller,” which has entered the top 100 on both charts, but it does stand out as the musician’s longest-running winner. “Billie Jean” has lived on the Billboard Global Excl. US for 48 weeks, compared to the four frames that “Thriller” has managed so far ..."
 
Back
Top