“Thriller”, the best-selling album in history and Michael Jackson’s masterpiece

Michael Jackson He is one of the most important artists of all time, and in large part it is due to Thrillertheir sixth studio album and the best selling album of all timewith more than 100 million copies distributed around the world.

The artist, after sharing so many years with his brothers in The Jackson 5, He wanted to change the direction of his career.. He got together with his running mate, the producer Quincy Jones -with whom he had already recorded off the wallhis previous album – and dedicated himself to making his masterpiece.

The creation of “Thriller”, Michael Jackson’s musical pedestal

Jackson seemed to have been guided by the message of his first big hit as a solo artist. Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough or “Don’t stop until you have enough.” The singer’s album lasts 42 minutes, and he brought out his best weapons: danceable rhythms, iconic choruses and, of course, video clips.

The tiles that glowed when Michael walked on them, his choreographic battle against a gang, his conversion into a wolf and then into a zombie. Anyway, the references are endless, because Jackson had managed to fuse different artistic elements to create his own universe, but one that was for all his fans.

thriller michael jackson beat it.jpg

Obviously, the production was up to par. Jones managed to capture the essence of the artist, with catchy guitar riffs, synths in their infinite variables, beautiful horn arrangements and an incredible curation of rhythmic sounds..

Let’s move on to the songs. The album begins with Wanna be startin’ somethin’a continuation of his previous work that made clear Michael’s intentions, to continue with the electric Baby Be Mine and then the sweet The Girl Is Minea dream collaboration between him and Paul McCartney (then I would repay him with Say Say Saya song that appeared on Pipes of Peace, an album released by the former Beatle in 1983).

Once we have gone through exactly a third of the project, we arrive at the hits section: Thrillera song of the same name that was accompanied by the best video clip in history, marked an unprecedented musical atmosphere. The door that opens and creaks, the synthesizers that make way for the lyrics that immerse themselves in that fantastic and terrifying world created by Michael, to which is added the subsequent narration by the legendary Vincent Prince.

All of this concludes in the malevolent laughter that gives rise to the other two most famous cuts on the album: Beat Itthe rockiest song of all thanks to the intervention of Eddie Van Halen with his historic guitar solo. Behind that appears Billie Jeanan enigmatic, mysterious and attractive song. And with it, another audiovisual piece for history.

thriller michael jackson billie jean.jpg

The album closes with three other great songs. First comes Human Natureone of the most beautiful songs in Jackson’s repertoire, and later PYT (Pretty Young Thing)the infectious song that concludes with that iconic “question-answer”, between choruses and Michael’s improvisations, a resource that he would later use in several songs. Finally, all that path traveled lowers its intensity with The Lady In My Lifea beautiful ballad with an exquisite chord progression on which Jackson navigates through that sea of ​​love.

The album became a huge hit monster, although it mainly sings about that youthful infatuation. After all, Michael was only 25 years old when his destiny changed forever. The cover is not far behind either, despite not being entirely connected to the musical concept that Jackson shared. We will always recognize that man lying down in a pristine white suit.

thriller michael jackson.jpg

Not since The Beatles in the 1960s have we seen such an explosion. That November 30, 1982, Michael Jackson wrote a page that to this day is difficult to skip.