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1[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thrillercover.png]]
2[[caption-width-right:350:''[[Creator/VincentPrice And though you fight to stay live, your body starts to shiver\
3For no mere mortal can resist the evil of the Thriller!]]'']]
4%%
5->''People always told me, "Be careful of what you do,\
6And don't go around breaking young girls' hearts"\
7And mother always told me, "Be careful of who you love,\
8And be careful of what you do, 'cause the lie becomes the truth"''
9-->-- "Billie Jean"
10
11''Thriller'' is the sixth studio album recorded by Music/MichaelJackson. It was released through Creator/EpicRecords on November 30, 1982.
12
13Continuing his collaboration with Music/QuincyJones, it went on to become the best-selling music album in history, selling over 34 million copies domestically and over 65 million copies worldwide; there's probably a copy of it nearby to your house. Seven of the nine tracks on the album were released as singles, with each one reaching the Top 10 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Three of the singles -- "Music/BillieJean", "Music/BeatIt" and "[[Music/MichaelJacksonsThriller Thriller]]" -- were accompanied by music videos that elevated the record to its iconic status and, by extension, defined the art of the music video medium itself.
14
15Officially, this album is the only original album certified by the RIAA as triple-''Diamond'' (more exactly, 34-times Platinum), with four singles listed as multi-Platinum. The album also went 13-times Platinum in the United Kingdom, earning Michael more worldwide certifications from one album and its singles than almost any other musician gets ''in their entire careers''.
16
17Although Jackson was already world-famous since the 1970s, and music videos already existed as a promotional tool, both he and the medium became a dominating force in the music industry. He broke down racial barriers via his Creator/{{MTV}} appearances, won eight [[UsefulNotes/GrammyAward Grammys]] including the 1984 Album of the Year, and even met then-US President UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan at the White House. Since 2007, "Thriller" has been included in the Library of Congress' UsefulNotes/NationalRecordingRegistry of "historically, culturally and aesthetically significant recordings". In 2009, the iconic music video in which Jackson dances with zombies was included in the National Film Preservation Board's UsefulNotes/NationalFilmRegistry for the same reasons.
18
19The album was re-issued in a 25th anniversary edition, ''Thriller 25'', on February 11, 2008. It added five remixes and one new song, "For All Time". A deluxe edition included a second disc with a second additional song ("Someone in the Dark"), various interviews and an instrumental version of the TitleTrack, as well as a DVD with the music videos from the album. Another reissue for its 40th anniversary, ''Thriller 40'' (released on November 18, 2022), features another bonus disc with a completely different tracklist, mostly consisting of unreleased songs and outtakes related to the album.
20----
21!! Tracklist:
22
23[[AC: Side One]]
24# "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" (6:02)
25# "Baby Be Mine" (4:20)
26# "The Girl Is Mine" (3:42)
27# "[[Music/MichaelJacksonsThriller Thriller]]" (5:57)
28
29[[AC: Side Two]]
30# "Music/BeatIt" (4:17)
31# "Music/BillieJean" (4:57)
32# "Human Nature" (4:05)
33# "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" (3:58)
34# "The Lady In My Life" (4:57)
35
36!!!Thriller 25 Outtakes:
37# "For All Time" (4:03)
38# "Someone in the Dark" (4:48)
39
40!!!Thriller 40 Outtakes:
41# "Got the Hots" (4:25)
42# "Who Do You Know?" (5:22)
43# "Carousel" (3:39)[[note]]A 1:49 excerpt of this song was previously featured on ''Thriller 25''.[[/note]]
44# "Behind the Mask" (5:00)[[note]]Early demo of the song, the most finalized version of which was previously featured in the ''Michael'' compilation album.[[/note]]
45# "Can't Get Outta the Rain" (4:06)
46# "The Toy" (3:04)
47# "Sunset Driver" (4:02)
48# "What a Lovely Way to Go" (3:55)
49# "She's Trouble" (4:12)
50
51----
52!!''I said, "you wanna be tropin' somethin':"''
53* AlbumFiller: Michael set out to avoid this, wanting to make an album where ''every'' song could potentially be a single. It paid off. That said, there has been some debate over the years as to whether the album has any "weak links", and if so, what they are:
54** Stephen Thomas Erlewine, in his review of the album for [=AllMusic=], accuses none other than the title track of this, claiming that it "saps the momentum".
55** WebVideo/ToddInTheShadows is among those who claim the follow-up ''Music/{{Bad}}'' to be the superior album, specifically ''because'' it has less filler than ''Thriller'' does.
56* AndStarring: Horror movie icon Creator/VincentPrice during "Thriller" and Music/PaulMcCartney duets with Michael in "The Girl is Mine."
57* ArtisticLicenseHistory: "''The funk of forty-thousand years''" from "Thriller" is a wonderful lyric, but has a lot of fridge logic in that it pretty much exceeds human civilization – longer than any surviving tomb could stand.
58* ContinuityNod: Billie Jean is name-dropped during "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'."
59* CrossOver: Music/PaulMcCartney duets with Michael during "The Girl is Mine". Both singers had belonged to groups that had their own animated series.
60* CuteKitten: As [[https://personaunesp.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/1.jpg the gatefold cover]] and [[https://lastfm.freetls.fastly.net/i/u/770x0/4f2653a9a17342f8a67e6d034371a446.jpg the 2001 slipcase]] show, Jackson was with a tiger cub while shooting the cover (it even matches the leopard handkerchief in his outfit).
61* DarkerAndEdgier: Compared to Jackson's previous joyful dance output, the three Top 10 hit singles of ''Thriller'' are paranoid songs about escaping from stuff in the dark ("Thriller"), street gangs ("Beat It") and a woman claiming that Jackson fathered her child ("Billie Jean"), respectively.
62* ElectronicSpeechImpediment: Squeaky voices near the end of "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)."
63* EpicInstrumentalOpener: The 12" release of "Billie Jean" features a lengthy 42-second instrumental intro before the song proper begins. Jackson intended for this to be the version on the album, but producer Quincy Jones chose to cut the intro down to just 27 seconds (to Jackson's protest), both to increase the song's accessibility and because a test acetate of the album with the full song came back sounding horrible due to technical constraints.
64* EpicRocking: "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" is just over six minutes long.[[note]]And it was ''still'' abridged for the album, albeit only slightly. See the 12" single of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" for the uncut song, which runs 6:30.[[/note]] The TitleTrack is three seconds off the six minute mark.
65* EvilLaugh: The title track ends with Vincent Price doing one of the most iconic ones in modern music history.
66* FaceOnTheCover: Michael, in close-up, sitting up on the floor.
67* FaceRevealingTurn: The music video for "Thriller" ends with Jackson turning towards the camera, revealing yellow cat eyes and revealing that he was the same werecat from the ShowWithinAShow.
68* FranchiseCodifier: Although Jackson's solo career saw success early on, much of his early output was very much rooted in standard 70's pop, with brief forays into Philly soul and {{disco}}. It wasn't until this album when Jackson solidified his iconic blend of R&B and post-disco, creating the template that he'd build off of for the remainder of his career.
69* GenreRoulette: Pop, soul, funk, and R&B. "Beat It" has an electric guitar solo by [[Music/VanHalen Eddie Van Halen]], which brought in countless rock fans. In retrospect, the album also has shades of [[ElectronicMusic EDM]] and HipHop (see UnbuiltTrope).
70* GrowOldWithMe: "The Lady in My Life."
71--> ''And even when we're old and grey''
72--> ''You'll always be the lady in my life''
73* HairTriggerTemper: "Beat It."
74--> ''The fire's in their eyes and their words are really clear''
75* InMyLanguageThatSoundsLike: The lyric of "Billie Jean", "the kid is not my son" could be easily [[{{Mondegreen}} misheard]] by Spanish-language speakers as "¿tú quieres una manzana?" ("Do you want an apple?")
76* LetsDuet: "The Girl is Mine," between Michael and Music/PaulMcCartney. Jackson would return the favor by appearing on [=McCartney's=] own single "Say Say Say" the following year.
77* LongestSongGoesFirst: The 6:02 "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", the only track on the album to surpass six minutes, serves as the opener.
78* LyricalDissonance: "Billie Jean," an upbeat dance tune about a girl claiming that Jackson is the father of her child.
79* LyricalTic:
80--> ''A-hi-hi-hiiii''
81* MichaelJacksonsThrillerParody: Trope Namer.
82* OneWordTitle: "Thriller."
83* PepTalkSong: "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'":
84--> ''So keep your head up high and scream out to the world\
85 I know I am someone\
86 And let the truth unfurl\
87 No-one can hurt me now\
88 Because you know what's true\
89 Yes, I believe in me\
90 So you believe in you''
91* ProperlyParanoid: "Thriller," "Billie Jean" and "Beat It" marked a change in Jackson's lyrics. While his earlier albums where all cheery dance songs or sad break-up songs he started to move into more paranoid songs.
92* QuarrelingSong: "The Girl is Mine," where Michael and Paul quarrel over the same girl.
93* RunningGag: The same ''"ooh..."'' voice sample shows up on three songs in a row: "Billie Jean," "Human Nature," and "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)."
94* SelfBackingVocalist: On most of the songs Michael is backed by his own vocals.
95* SharpDressedMan: Michael's white suit in the cover. Which amusingly, was the photographer's own!
96* SillyLoveSongs: "Baby Be Mine," "The Girl is Mine," "Human Nature," "P.Y.T.," and "The Lady in My Life."
97* SingerNameDrop: "The Girl is Mine."
98--> '''Paul''': Michael, we're not going to fight about this. \
99'''Michael''': Paul, I think I told you. I'm a lover, not a fighter.
100* SpecialGuest:
101** Music/PaulMcCartney duets with Jackson on "The Girl is Mine."
102** [[Music/VanHalen Eddie van Halen]] provides the guitar solo in "Beat It".
103** Creator/VincentPrice performs the rap bridge on "Thriller."
104** Prior Music/QuincyJones collaborator James Ingram performs backing vocals on "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" and "P.Y.T." (which he also co-wrote), also providing keyboards, handclaps, and musical arrangements on the latter song.
105* SpokenWordInMusic: Vincent Price's lines in "Thriller" are spoken.
106* StalkerWithACrush: "Billie Jean".
107* StrugglingSingleMother: Alluded to in "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'":
108-->''If you can't feed your baby''\
109''Then don't have a baby''\
110''And don't think maybe''\
111''If you can't feed your baby''\
112''You'll be always tryin[='=]''\
113''To stop that child from cryin[='=]''\
114''Hustlin', stealin', lyin[='=]''\
115''Now baby's slowly dyin[='=]''
116* {{Supergroup}}: The performers on "Beat It," arguably: among them are Jackson on vocals, three members of Music/{{Toto}} on guitar, synthesizer and drums (Steve Lukather, Steve Porcaro and Jeff Porcaro, respectively), and [[Music/VanHalen Eddie van Halen]] performing the guitar solo.
117* UpdatedRerelease: As it happened to several of his other records, this album got several re-releases during Jackson's lifetime and after his passing:
118** In 2001, to promote what would be Jackson's last studio album ''Music/{{Invincible}}''. This "Special Edition" contained several audio interviews with Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton, the 1981 home demo of "Billie Jean," "Someone in the Dark" (taken from the ''[[Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial E.T.]]'' soundtrack) and an unreleased demo excerpt recorded during the album's sessions, "Carousel."
119** In 2008 for its 25th anniversary. This version titled "Thriller 25" contained the original tracks plus an excerpt from the voice-over by Creator/VincentPrice from "Thriller," remixes with guest appearances by will.i.am, Fergie, Akon and Kanye West and an outtake from the album's sessions, "For All Time." (The Japanese edition also contained yet another outtake titled "Got the Hots.")
120** In 2009, for the box set titled "The Collection."
121** In 2013, in the iTunes-exclusive collection "The Indispensable Collection."
122** In preparation for the album's 40th anniversary, a new edition including both the original record plus a second disc with several unreleased demos was released on November 18, 2022.
123* UnbuiltTrope: To several flavors of ElectronicMusic and HipHop, especially SynthPop. While not a pure example of the genres itself, ''Thriller'''s pioneering use of synthetic audio, vocal manipulation, and sampling heavily influenced their origin and/or evolution.
124* AWildRapperAppears: Vincent Price technically counts showing up for the "Thriller Rap" that appears at the end of the song.

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