"Thriller" is an early 1984 hit single recorded by Michael Jackson for the Epic label. It reached #4 in the U.S. singles chart and #10 in the UK singles chart. On February 20, 2006, the single, as well as the video, was re-released as part of the Visionary: The Video Singles package. The 14-minute video clip is regarded by some as the greatest music video of all time and the song itself is considered one of Jackson's signature songs. Written by Rod Temperton, produced by Quincy Jones, and featuring a guest soliloquy from Vincent Price, "Thriller" is one of Jackson's signature songs, in no small part because of its music video. The original name for "Thriller" single was "Starlight Love." The single was included on Jackson's Thriller album, which was released on December 1, 1982 and was the final single pulled from it. A voice-over recording session of "Thriller" appears on the special edition version of the album, released in 2001. This session features additional verses of the rap performed by Vincent Price, which were removed from the final version of the song. This song is soon to be released on SingStar Pop Vol. 2.
Thriller (album):
Thriller is the sixth studio album by American pop singer Michael Jackson. It was released on November 30, 1982 by Epic Records, quickly becoming the best selling album of all time with sales between 45 and 108 million copies worldwide. Seven of the nine songs on the album went on to be top 10 singles. Thriller cemented Jackson as the predominant pop star of the late 20th century, enabling him to break down racial barriers by appearing on MTV and visiting the U.S. President at the White House. The album was the first to use music videos as successful promotional tools, with the videos for "Thriller", "Billie Jean" and "Beat It", all receiving regular rotation on MTV. The album itself also received overwhelmingly positive reviews, with All Music Guide giving it a perfect score. Thriller won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year as well as six others, and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008. As a sign of the album's longevity, in 2003 Thriller was ranked number 20 on the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All time list and was listed by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers at number 3 of the Definitive 200 Albums of All Time. Thriller is preserved by the Library of Congress to the National Recording Registry as "culturally significant". In 2001, the album was reissued as Thriller: Special Edition, which contained additional audio interviews, a demo recording and the song "Someone In the Dark", featured on the Grammy-winning E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial storybook, a record that won Jackson a Grammy for "Best Album for Children".[2] In 2008, the album was reissued again as Thriller 25, which contained remixes featuring contemporary artists, a previously unreleased song and a DVD. Thriller was recorded between April and November 1982, at a production budget of $750,000, with several members of the band Toto.[3] It was the second Jackson album produced with Quincy Jones,[4] and the pair worked together on 300 songs for the album, of which nine were eventually used.[5] Jackson wrote four of Thriller's songs: "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", "The Girl Is Mine" (with Paul McCartney), "Beat It", and "Billie Jean".[6] Unlike many artists, Jackson did not write his songs on paper, instead dictating them into a sound recorder and when recording, singing from memory rather than written words off paper.[7] The relationship between Jackson and Quincy Jones became strained during recording, with Jackson spending much of his time rehearsing dance steps alone.[7] When the album's nine songs were completed, Jackson was unhappy with the result and remixed every song. When he was satisfied with a song he would call it "Smelly Jelly" and never cursed, instead he would call something "smelly". Jones believed that "Billie Jean" was not strong enough to be included on the record, but Jackson disagreed and kept it. Jones told Jackson that Thriller was unlikely to sell successfully like his previous solo album, Off the Wall, because the market had since weakened. In response, Jackson threatened to cancel the album's release. Jackson himself rarely commented on the work's recording, only giving a few interviews a decade. However he said that he was inspired to create an album where "every song was a killer" and focused the basis of Thriller as to ask "Why can't every one be like a hit song?".[9] Jones and Rod Temperton, however, gave detailed accounts of what occurred for the 2001 reissue of the album. Jones discussed "Billie Jean" and why it was so personal to Jackson, who struggled to deal with a number of obsessed fans. Jones wanted the long introduction on the song to be shortened, however Jackson insisted it remain because it made him want to dance.
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