#2 Thriller by Michael Jackson
The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time
- 2025 Album Rank
- 2
- 2011 Album Rank
- 7
- Total Points
- 2851
- Year Released
- 1982
- Billboard 200 Chart Peak
- 1
- Weeks at #1
- 37
- RIAA Sales Certification
- 34,000,000 (Multi Platinum)
- Buy Album
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Thriller Album Details
Released on November 30, 1982, Thriller is the best-selling album of all time and a defining moment in both pop music and global culture. Produced by Quincy Jones and co-written by Jackson and a team of elite songwriters, the album blends pop, rock, funk, soul, and R&B with cinematic flair and cutting-edge studio production. With seven of its nine tracks becoming hit singles, Thriller reshaped the commercial expectations of pop albums and transformed Jackson into a global superstar.
The album includes timeless tracks such as Billie Jean, Beat It, Wanna Be Startin' Somethin', and the title track Thriller, which became a cultural phenomenon with its groundbreaking music video directed by John Landis. The album's sound, precision, and ambition remain benchmarks in pop production.
Other Michael Jackson albums on the chart: Off the Wall.
Interesting Facts about Thriller
- Jackson pushed himself vocally on Wanna Be Startin' Somethin', which includes an extended chant in the outro ("Mama-say mama-sa ma-ma-coo-sa") taken from Manu Dibango's 1972 track Soul Makossa. A copyright dispute followed but was eventually settled out of court.
- Billie Jean was based on a real-life experience where Jackson was accused of fathering a fan's child. He insisted on keeping the track's minimalist bass-driven arrangement, which Quincy Jones initially felt was too sparse.
- The drum sound on Billie Jean was achieved using a Linn LM-1 drum machine and heavy compression, but Jackson also reportedly danced on a wooden platform during takes to create an ambient mic rhythm feel.
- Beat It featured Eddie Van Halen's blistering guitar solo, recorded for free as a favor. Van Halen reportedly rearranged parts of the song during the session without asking, but Jackson and Jones were thrilled with the result.
- The spoken-word segment in Thriller was performed by horror legend Vincent Price in just two takes. An extended version of his monologue exists but was not used on the album.
- Jackson wrote Human Nature after Toto's Steve Porcaro played him a demo intended for his own band. The song's dreamy synth textures and tender vocals brought balance to the album's dynamic flow.
- The Girl Is Mine, a duet with Paul McCartney, was the album's first single, a soft choice that some critics initially questioned. However, its commercial success helped ease listeners into the rest of the album's broader sonic palette.
- The iconic music video for Thriller was nearly scrapped due to religious pressure from Jehovah's Witness leaders, who disapproved of its supernatural themes. Jackson insisted on adding a disclaimer at the start of the video disavowing belief in the occult.
- Michael Jackson's performance of Billie Jean during the 1983 Motown 25 special (complete with the debut of the moonwalk) ignited global frenzy and sent Thriller's sales skyrocketing.
- Jackson and Jones reportedly recorded over 30 songs for the album. Some notable outtakes include Nite Line, Carousel (which briefly appeared on early pressings), and the unreleased Got the Hots. Many of these tracks were later released as bonus content on reissues or in archival box sets.
- The album won a record-breaking 8 Grammy Awards in 1984, including Album of the Year, cementing Jackson's dominance in both critical and commercial spheres.
- The Thriller album redefined the album-tour-video synergy. The accompanying tour, although officially tied to the Victory album with The Jacksons, featured many Thriller tracks and was a showcase for Jackson's rising solo dominance.
- Thriller spent 37 weeks at number one on the Billboard Top 200 chart which is the most of any album on this list. Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, which stayed at the top for 31 weeks, is second on the list for most weeks at number one.
- Thriller is only one of three albums, in the pre-streaming era, to ever have seven songs reach the top ten of Billboards Hot 100 chart. The other two are Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. and his sister Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814.
- The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008 for its cultural and historical significance.
Thriller Tracklist
- Wanna Be Startin' Somethin
- Baby Be Mine
- The Girl is Mine - Reached #2 on the Billboard's Hot 100 chart
- Thriller - Reached #4 on the Billboard's Hot 100 chart
- Beat It - Reached #1 on the Billboard's Hot 100 chart. Won the Grammy award for Record of the Year in 1984.
- Billie Jean - Reached #1 on the Billboard's Hot 100 chart
- Human Nature - Reached #7 on the Billboard's Hot 100 chart
- P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) - Reached #10 on the Billboard's Hot 100 chart
- The Lady in My Life
