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"Thriller" is a song by Michael Jackson released as the fourth track from his 1982 album of the same name. It was released as a single on November 5, 1983, serving as the seventh single from the album. It is largely considered to be one of Michael's signature songs.[1]

The recording of the demo to "Thriller", called "Starlight" was released in 2022 as part of Thriller 40.

Background[]

The song first started off as "Starlight" and was written in early 1982 by Rod Temperton who previously worked with Jackson on Off the Wall. The original idea was to write a song befitting of Jackson's love of cinema and his evolving persona. Quincy Jones who produced the song thought that the song itself should be the album's title track, but that "Starlight" was a weak title.

"I woke up, and I just said this word… Something in my head just said, this is the title. You could visualize it on the top of the Billboard charts. You could see the merchandising for this one word, how it jumped off the page as 'Thriller"."
— Rod Temperton

Once the song's title was settled upon, Temperton supposedly wrote the entire lyrics in just "a couple of hours". The bridge is spoken by the horror movie actor, Vincent Price.

Short film[]

The song recieved a revolutionary short film directed by John Landis. It features Jackson and Ola Ray who plays his girlfriend. The clip includes some of the artist's most iconic dance moves.

Before the music video's release, Jackson, who at the time was a Jehovah's Witness, was accused of spreading demonology. Due to this, John Branca suggested to Michael that a disclaimer is included in the clip's intro, that it doesn't reflect Michael's views.

"Due to my strong personal convictions, I wish to stress that this film in no way endorses a belief in the occult."
— Michael Jackson in the "Thriller" short film, 1983

During an interview for the Awake! magazine, Michael stated: "I just intended to do a good, fun short film, not to purposely bring to the screen something to scare people or to do anything bad. I want to do what's right. I would never do anything like that again."[2]

Live performances[]

Jackson performed "Thriller" throughout all of his solo concert tours. For all of them, he would wear the iconic red leather jacket. Sometimes Michael would sometimes wear a green jacket, although rarely. Additionally, during the show in Amsterdam in 1996, a different, red jacket with white outlines made its debut. However, it wouldn't ever make another appearence again.[3] The last performance took place during the This Is It rehearsals on June 24, 2009, less than 24 hours before the King of Pop died.

Charts[]

The song debuted on the Hot 100 in the United States in February 1984 at #20 – the chart's highest new entry in 13 years (John Lennon’s "Imagine" also debuted at #20 in 1971). Despite this achievement, the song only peaked at #4 in March 1984, but gave Michael his seventh top ten hit from Thriller – a new record from one album.

Ironically, the second and third highest debuting songs on the Hot 100 in the 1980s, both of which involved Michael Jackson - "Say Say Say" (debuting at #26) and "We Are the World" (debuting at #21) - did manage to be #1 songs.

On the Billboard R&B singles chart in the United States, it peaked at #3, and barely made the top ten in the United Kingdom's pop chart, peaking at #10, and managed to enjoy an 18-week run on that nation's Top 75 chart. In Canada, the song peaked at #3, while the song went to #1 in Belgium, France and Spain.

RIAA Platinum Record (USA million seller).

Lyrics[]

[Verse 1]
It's close to midnight
And something evil's lurking in the dark
Under the moonlight
You see a sight that almost stops your heart
You try to scream
But terror takes the sound before you make it
You start to freeze
As horror looks you right between the eyes
You're paralyzed

[Chorus]
'Cause this is thriller, thriller night
And no one's gonna save you
From the beast about to strike
You know it's thriller, thriller night
You're fighting for your life inside a killer
Thriller tonight, yeah
Ooh

[Verse 2]
You hear the door slam
And realize there's nowhere left to run
You feel the cold hand
And wonder if you'll ever see the sun
You close your eyes
And hope that this is just imagination (Girl)
But all the while
You hear a creature creepin’ up behind
You're out of time

[Chorus]
'Cause this is thriller, thriller night
There ain't no second chance
Against the thing with forty eyes, girl
Thriller (Ooh), thriller night
You're fighting for your life
Inside a killer, thriller tonight

[Bridge]
Night creatures call
And the dead start to walk in their masquerade
There's no escaping the jaws of the alien this time
(They're open wide)
This is the end of your life, ooh

[Verse 3]
They're out to get you
There's demons closing in on every side (Ooh)
They will possess you
Unless you change that number on your dial
Now is the time
For you and I to cuddle close together, yeah
All through the night
I'll save you from the terror on the screen
I'll make you see

[Chorus]
That this is thriller, thriller night
'Cause I can thrill you more
Than any ghoul would ever dare try
Thriller (Ooh), thriller night
So let me hold you tight
And share a killer, thriller, chiller
Thriller, here tonight
'Cause this is thriller, thriller night
Girl, I can thrill you more
Than any ghoul would ever dare try
Thriller (Ooh), thriller night
So let me hold you tight
And share a killer, thriller (Ow)

[Outro]
I'm gonna thrill you tonight
Darkness falls across the land
The midnight hour is close at hand
Creatures crawl in search of blood
To terrorize y'all's neighborhood (I'm gonna thrill you tonight)
And whosoever shall be found
Without the soul for getting down
Must stand and face the hounds of hell
And rot inside a corpse's shell
I'm gonna thrill you tonight
Thriller, ooh, babe (Thriller)
I'm gonna thrill you tonight (Thriller night)
Thriller, oh, darling (Oh, baby)
I'm gonna thrill you tonight (Thriller)
Ooh, babe (Thriller night)
I'm gonna thrill you tonight (Thriller)
Oh, darling (Oh, baby)
Thriller night, babe (Thriller night, babe)
Ooh
The foulest stench is in the air
The funk of forty thousand years (Thriller night, thriller)
And grisly ghouls from every tomb
Are closing in to seal your doom
And though you fight to stay alive
Your body starts to shiver (I'm gonna thrill you tonight)
For no mere mortal can resist
The evil of the thriller

[Verse 1]
There's indication
That someone else is standing on the ground
Across the nation
There's always people trying to pull you down
Now is the time
For us to spend this evening close together
Deep in the night
We're holding on to someone else's dream
Girl, can't you see?

[Chorus]
We need some starlight, starlight sun
There ain't no second chance
We got to make it while we can
You'll need the starlight, some starlight sun
I need you by my side you give me
Starlight, starlight, starlight, yeah

[Verse 2]
They're out to get you
There ain't no issue, you're acting like a fool
Love can possess you
And make you see that heart is gonna move
High in the night
This magic's gonna keep us close together, yeah
We'll start to fly
'Cause this is the beginning of your life
Baby, tonight

[Chorus 2]
Give me some starlight, starlight sun
With this, the only chance
We've got to make it while we can
You'll need the starlight, starlight sun
I need you by my side so give me
Starlight, starlight, starlight

[Bridge]
Light up the world, let the love start take charge of this masquerade
Take your delivery and show me that this is no lie
Give me your starlight tonight

[Verse 1]
There's indication
That someone else is standing on the ground
Across the nation
There's always people trying to pull you down
Now is the time
For us to spend this evening close together
Deep in the night
We're holding on to someone else's dream
Girl, can't you see

[Chorus]
We need some starlight, starlight sun
There ain't no second chance
We've got to make it while we can
You'll need the starlight, starlight sun
I need you by my side so give me
Starlight, starlight
Starlight, starlight sun
There ain't no second chance
We've got to make it while we can
You'll need the starlight, starlight sun
I need you by my side so give me
Starlight, starlight
Starlight, starlight sun
There ain't no second chance
We've got to make it while we can
You'll need the starlight, starlight sun
I need you by my side so give me
Starlight, starlight, starlight

[Outro]
Give me, give me that sun
Give me, give me that sun
Give me, give me that sun, ooh yeah
Give me, give me that sun, ooh babe
Give me, give me that sun, we can't be together
Give me, give me that sun, starlight sun
Give me, give me that sun
Give me, give me that sun, ooh babe
Starlight (starlight)
Starlight (starlight)
Starlight (starlight)
Starlight (starlight)
Starlight
Starlight
Starlight

Gallery[]


Trivia[]

  • The song started the trend of Jackson making Halloween themed songs. Others being "Ghosts", "Is It Scary", "Threatened" and more.
  • A part of the session with Vincent Price was released on Thriller 25.[5]
  • Years prior to its release, "Starlight" had previously leaked online.[6]
  • In the Mega Drive/Genesis version of Michael Jackson's Moonwalker, "Thriller" doesn't actually appear in the video game as a level background music, but if the player does the dance move in stages 3 (Woods) and 5-3 (The enemy hideout), Michael will do some dance moves from "Thriller", and a part of the song plays once he dances. This only happens in the REV00 version of the game.
  • In 2017, a Steve Aoki remix of "Thriller" was released in order to promote the Scream compilation album.[7]

References[]

Discography
Studio albums
Got to Be ThereBenMusic & MeForever, Michael Off the WallThrillerBadDangerousHIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book IInvincible
Other albums
Farewell My Summer LoveBlood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the MixThe Ultimate CollectionThriller 25MichaelBad 25XscapeScreamThriller 40
Singles
"Got to Be There" • "Rockin' Robin" • "I Wanna Be Where You Are" • "Ain't No Sunshine" • "Ben" • "With a Child's Heart" • "Music & Me" • "We're Almost There" • "Just a Little Bit of You" • "You Can't Win" • "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" • "Rock with You" • "Off the Wall" • "She's Out of My Life" • "Girlfriend" • "One Day in Your Life" • "The Girl is Mine" • "Billie Jean" • "Beat It" • "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" • "Human Nature" • "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" • "Thriller" • "Happy" • "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" • "Bad" • "The Way You Make Me Feel" • "Man in the Mirror" • "Dirty Diana" • "Another Part of Me" • "Smooth Criminal" • "Leave Me Alone" • "Liberian Girl" • "Black or White" • "Remember the Time" • "In the Closet" • "Jam" • "Who Is It" • "Heal the World" • "Give In to Me" • "Will You Be There" • "Gone Too Soon" • "Scream/Childhood" • "You Are Not Alone" • "Earth Song" • "They Don't Care About Us" • "Stranger in Moscow" • "Blood on the Dance Floor" • "HIStory/Ghosts" • "Smile" • "You Rock My World" • "Butterflies" • "Cry" • "What More Can I Give" • "One More Chance" • "The Girl is Mine 2008" • "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008" • "Hold My Hand" • "Mind Is the Magic" • "Hollywood Tonight" • "Behind the Mask" • "(I Like) The Way You Love Me" • "Love Never Felt So Good" • "A Place with No Name" • "Blood on the Dance Floor X Dangerous (The White Panda Mash-Up)"
Promotional singles
"Speed Demon" • "Someone Put Your Hand Out" • "This Time Around" • "Is It Scary" • "Speechless" • "Unbreakable" • "Cheater" • "This Is It"
Non-single songs
"Girl Don't Take Your Love from Me" • "In Our Small Way" • "Wings of My Love" • "Maria (You Were the Only One)" • "Love Is Here and Now You're Gone" • "You've Got a Friend" • "Greatest Show on Earth" • "People Make the World go Round" • "We've Got a Good Thing Going" • "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" • "My Girl" • "What Goes Around Comes Around" • "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day" • "You Can Cry on My Shoulder" • "Up Again" • "All the Things You Are" • "Too Young" • "Doggin' Around" • "Euphoria" • "Morning Glow" • "Johnny Raven" • "Take Me Back" • "Cinderella Stay Awhile" • "We've Got Forever" • "You Are There" • "Dapper Dan" • "Dear Michael" • "I'll Come Home To You" • "Workin' Day and Night" • "Get on the Floor" • "I Can't Help It" • "It's The Falling In Love" • "Burn This Disco Out" • "Someone in the Dark" • "Baby Be Mine" • "The Lady In My Life" • "Just Good Friends" • "Why You Wanna Trip on Me" • "She Drives Me Wild" • "Can't Let Her Get Away" • "Keep the Faith" • "Dangerous" • "D.S." • "Money" • "Come Together" • "Tabloid Junkie" • "2 Bad" • "Little Susie / Pie Jesu" • "On the Line" • "Morphine" • "Superfly Sister" • "Carousel" • "Streetwalker" • "Fly Away" • "Heartbreaker" • "Invincible" • "Break of Dawn" • "Heaven Can Wait" • "2000 Watts" • "You Are My Life" • "Privacy" • "Don't Walk Away" • "The Lost Children" • "Whatever Happens" • "Threatened" • "Shout" • "Sunset Driver" • "Scared of the Moon" • "We Are Here to Change the World" • "Monkey Business" • "Fall Again" • "In the Back" • "Beautiful Girl" • "We've Had Enough" • "For All Time" • "Got the Hots" • "Best of Joy" • "(I Can't Make It) Another Day" • "Much Too Soon" • "Don't Be Messin' 'Round" • "I'm So Blue" • "Abortion Papers" • "Free" • "Price of Fame" • "Al Capone" • "Chicago" • "Loving You" • "Slave to the Rhythm" • "Do You Know Where Your Children Are" • "Blue Gangsta" • "Xscape" • "Starlight" • "Who Do You Know" • "The Toy" • "What a Lovely Way to Go" • "She's Trouble"
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