Make no mistake: No matter what else was going on in 1984’s musical landscape, it was still very much Michael Jackson’s world.
His sixth solo album had been out since the end of 1982, but it was truly an indefatigable juggernaut the likes of which the world had literally never seen. It first rose to #1 on Billboard’s album chart the final week of February 1983. It would then spend 22 weeks on top of the album chart before year’s end, becoming the year’s top LP.
And as the year went on, the tracklist began to read like a “greatest hits” package. Consider this list of songs, all originating from this one album, and where they peaked on the pop chart:
“The Girl Is Mine” (#2)
“Billie Jean” (#1 for 7 weeks)
“Beat It” (#1 for 3 weeks)
“Wanna Be Startin’ Something” (#5)
“Human Nature” (#7)
“P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” (#10)
Keep in mind that not only did all of those songs hit those peaks in 1983, but he ended the year on top of the chart again thanks to his second duet with Paul McCartney, “Say Say Say,” released from McCartney’s album Pipes Of Peace.
Factor in his debut of the “moonwalk” during a Motown anniversary TV special and Jackson was the most talked-about artist of 1983. And the craziest part was… he wasn’t done.
He wanted to release one more single from his generational smash of an album, the title track, and he wanted to do something truly special visually. He had already broken color barriers on MTV with the clips for “Billie Jean” and “Beat It” but hadn’t made music videos for any of the next three hits. So he wanted to end the album’s run with a gory splash.
Enlisting John Landis, the big-time Hollywood director who had recently given the world the modern horror classic An American Werewolf In London, Jackson wanted to star in his own fright-filled epic for the spooky single he was about to unleash on the world. The 25-minute clip was an instant classic filled with top-notch makeup and special effects and, of course, choreography, all anchored by MJ’s boyish charm.
But none of it would have worked if the song hadn’t been on point. And it has become one of the most memorable of Jackson’s career, recharting each year around Halloween as people can’t get through Spooky Season without adding it to their streaming playlists.
At the time of its release, I would say Jackson’s label waited a little too long to drop the single into stores. Epic Records viewed the song as a “novelty track” and didn’t see the vision initially.
The video’s massive hype changed their minds but that was all winding down when an edited version of the song (brutally excising one of the recording’s highlights – the “rap” and iconic closing evil laughter by classic horror actor Vincent Price) was finally released on 45.
It had one of the highest debuts of the decade, entering the Hot 100 all the way up at #20, but it only peaked at #4. Contrast that with its performance on radio airplay charts, where it had become Jackson’s third chart-topper from the album weeks earlier.
Even in one of the greatest careers in pop music history, it’s a standout, and I’m ranking it my #6 song of a very stacked year: “Thriller” by Michael Jackson.