Michael Jackson’s album Thriller celebrates its 40th anniversary today. The opportunity to come back to this hit machine and the impact that this legendary record had on the music industry.
On November 30, 1982, the whole world discovered ThrillerMichael Jackson’s mythical album, co-produced by Quincy Jones. Today, the best-selling opus internationally celebrates its 40th anniversary, the opportunity to return to one of the most essential creations in music. In total, this iconic creation of the King of Pop sold 70 million copies, including 32 million in the first year. Landmark record, and the artist’s sixth studio album following Off the Wall (1979), his musical impact is gigantic.
A record that changed the game in the music industry
Among the tubes, we find in particular Beat It, The Girl is Mine in duet with Paul McCartney, Billie John, Pretty Young Thingand of course Thriller. The album is a veritable machine for hits, but also for music videos, because if he revolutionized the world of music, Michael Jackson had a strong impact on his photography and his video. Without the legendary clips of Bob Giraldi or John Landis, the success would not have been the same.
However, it was necessary to jostle and fight to impose such formats on the American channel MTV, which did not wish to broadcast, at the time, clips of African-American artists. In addition, the first single unveiled, The Girl is Mine, had enjoyed relative success. We will have to wait for the broadcast of the clips Beat It et Billie John so that Thriller gaining popularity, before the arrival of the cult medium-length film directed by John Landis.
At the time, the clip project Thriller seems too ambitious. Michael Jackson wants to stretch the story and the song, thereby scaring the record company Columbia. Eventually, MTV will fund the project and give birth to one of the most iconic videos of all time. With Thrillereverything explodes, the plebiscite of the video, its number of passages on MTV, the aura of Michael Jackson… Its falsely lugubrious atmosphere, the virtuosity of the song, and the choreographies developed by Michael Peters offer the public one of the most memorable objects of pop culture.
From now on, the clips tell a story and feature their performers. They now represent a compulsory means of promotion for the biggest hits. Speaking of tubes by the way, Thriller by Michael Jackson is, even today, among the most emblematic of the music industry. It is the engine of the eponymous album, the turning point of the singer’s career, and a solid foundation of modern music.
