How Michael Jackson’s Thriller Changed Music History
The revolution of music forever and the official crowning of Jackson as the King of Pop began on November 30, 1982. Thriller exploded onto the global music industry, and there was no looking back. The album broke more records than we care to count, and the songs became instant classics that fans could not get enough of. From this point on, the music industry would never be the same.
The album, released beneath CBS Records subsidiary label Epic, and produced by Jackson and the legendary Quincy Jones. was his sixth studio album. It is classic Michael from beginning to end, as fans are treated to such unforgettable tracks as “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’”, “Baby Be Mine”, “The Girl Is Mine”, “Thriller”, “Beat It”, “Billie Jean”, “Human Nature”, “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” and “The Lady In My Life”. This was the year that the music industry would be forever changed. This is the sound and impact of “Thriller”.
The impact of Thriller on the music industry cannot be overstated in terms of sales and cultural influence. The record industry of the day was mired in a sales slump that had seen revenues and profits decline. Undeterred, while it defied all expectations and went on to become a commercial juggernaut. Thriller sold 40 million copies within its first year and 110 million copies worldwide, making it and remains the best-selling studio album of all time. It did so on the strength of seven singles and seven top-ten singles as well. The album clocked in at 42 minutes and 19 seconds and was released under the R&B genre.
The Success of the Songs
One of the massive keys to the the album’s success was the success of the songs themselves. The album produced several smash singles that thrilled and captivated fans the world over. The first single from the album was The Girl Is Mine, a duet with Paul McCartney. The song was met with lukewarm reviews from critics but reached number 2 on the Billboard charts. It was the perfect setup for the subsequent releases, “Billie Jean” and “Beat It.”
Billie Jean and Beat It became instant hits and added to the laundry list of awards Jackson was already racking up. The two songs topped the music charts as did the iconic videos for both. Beat It and Billie Jean had an added impact that went beyond the music industry. They were the first two videos by a black artist to enter heavy rotation on MTV. Jackson’s music had broken through the color lines of pop music and so had his image.
His music had a unifying affect beyond color. Jackson’s unforgettable videos and performances had people glued to their television screens. He had a flair for performance and a talent for storytelling expressed in song that was mesmerizing. The huge TV audiences that turned in to watch Jackson, such as the Motown 25th Anniversary TV special when he first performed the moonwalk, only confirmed the world’s fascination with a true pop phenomenon.
Jackson’s music and performances had the rare power to bring diverse groups of people together around his music.Jackson had broadened his fan base to people of all races and cultures. Black artists finally got the platform they deserved and were even the focus of pop music. Jackson’s success opened doors and broke down barriers for the artists who would follow.
en sales and cultural impact. The album received overwhelming praise from critics and seemed to clinch just as many awards and accolades.
During the Grammy Awards in 1984, Thriller was nominated in twelve different categories, ultimately winning eight awards. It received recognition for its singles, winning Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for “Beat It,” Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song for “Billie Jean,” and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for “The Girl Is Mine.” It was also lauded as Album of the Year, not just for Jones, but for Jackson, as well.
The album received numerous awards and honors outside of the Grammy Awards. In 1984, the Guinness Book of World Records declared Thriller the world’s best-selling album of all time, because of course it did. And, in 2011, twenty-seven years after its initial release, Thriller is still the best selling studio album in the United States according to the Recording Industry Association of America.
Legacy and Cultural Impact
The ramifications of Thriller dissuaded after its release Forty-two years ago. The album has continued to serve as a source of inspiration for generation after generation of artists. While its video for “Billie Jean” and other music videos like are nothing less than iconic, it “changed the course of how artists related to their videos” and helped to create the polished and narrative driven visuals fans continue to gobble up.
The album — and “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” and “Thriller” music videos — changed the game in terms of music, storytelling and production. Other artists were allowed to see the visual medium as just another way to continue their creativity. Watch the Beastie Boys — any early 1980s MTV music videos they funked up. Lady Gaga’s visual album videos. Kanye West’s Saturday Night Live performances when he took the stage with so much visual clutter. Without Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” we’d have none of it.522 It also re-integrated black music and culture into the mainstream. The rise of the album and chart-topping singles validated a second generation of R&B and soul artists who led a diversifying of pop music.
Here’s why the whole black music industry took a time out the day Michael Jackson died. It’s hard to explain, The band? A once successful African-American rock band? Black kids playing + singing along? It made no sense.
Except for the expansive pop culture world Michael Jackson lived in; it was one he changed forever. Surely the “Thriller” album — breaking the 20 million mark of the first album ever produced — means it was the true, dopest ever. If for no other reason that the one suggested by Stevie Wonder, “When the Jackson 5 first came out, I never knew that it was a black group until I saw them on television.”
