Thriller (song)

"Thriller"
"Thriller"
	US 12-inch single
Single by Michael Jackson
from the album Thriller
B-side	"Things I Do for You"
Released	November 1983 (UK); January 23, 1984 (US);
Recorded	1982
Studio	Westlake (Los Angeles, California)
Genre	Disco; funk; Halloween;
Length	5:57 (album version); 4:37 (special edit); 4:05 (remixed short version); 5:04 ("Starlight" version);
Label	Epic
Songwriter(s)	Rod Temperton
Producer(s)	Quincy Jones
Michael Jackson singles chronology
Music video
	"Thriller" on YouTube

"Thriller" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson. It was released by Epic Records in November 1983 in the UK and on January 23, 1984, in the US, as the seventh and final single from his sixth studio album, Thriller.^[4]

"Thriller" is a funk song featuring a repeating synthesizer bassline and lyrics and sound effects evoking horror films. It ends with a spoken-word sequence performed by the horror actor Vincent Price. It was produced by Quincy Jones and written by Rod Temperton, who wanted to write a theatrical song to suit Jackson's love of film.

Jackson decided to release "Thriller" as a single after Thriller left the top of the Billboard 200 chart. The "Thriller" music video, directed by John Landis, has Jackson dancing with a horde of zombies. It has been named the greatest music video of all time by various publications and readers' polls, and doubled sales of Thriller, helping it become the best-selling album in history.

It was the album's seventh top-ten single on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number four. It reached number one in Belgium, France and Spain, and the top ten in many other countries. In the week of Jackson's death in 2009, it was Jackson's bestselling track in the US, with sales of 167,000 copies on the Billboard Hot Digital Tracks chart. It entered the Billboard Hot Digital Singles Chart at number two, and remained in the charts' top ten for three consecutive weeks. "Thriller" is certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America. It appears on several of Jackson's greatest-hits albums and has been covered by numerous artists. The song has returned to the Billboard Hot 100 chart multiple times due to its popularity around Halloween.

^ "New Singles (for the week ending November 11, 1983)" (PDF). Music Week: 30. November 5, 1983.
^ Semigran, Aly (February 7, 2011). "Michael Jackson's 'Thriller': Story Behind the 'Glee' Cover". MTV. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
^ Engel Bromwich, Jonah (October 25, 2018). "Who Actually Listens to Halloween Music?". The New York Times. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
^ McPhate, Tim (November 2, 2017). "Michael Jackson's "Thriller": For The Record". The Recording Academy. Retrieved November 17, 2019.

[MW-1] "New Singles (for the week ending November 11, 1983)" (PDF). Music Week: 30. November 5, 1983.

[2] Semigran, Aly (February 7, 2011). "Michael Jackson's 'Thriller': Story Behind the 'Glee' Cover". MTV. Retrieved September 17, 2023.

[3] Engel Bromwich, Jonah (October 25, 2018). "Who Actually Listens to Halloween Music?". The New York Times. Retrieved April 3, 2024.

[Academy-4] McPhate, Tim (November 2, 2017). "Michael Jackson's "Thriller": For The Record". The Recording Academy. Retrieved November 17, 2019.

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