Michael Jackson's Song 'Thriller' Essay

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Introduction

This paper catalogs Michael Jackson's music because he was the greatest pop musician known to humankind. His prowess was attributed to his unique voice, extraordinary dancing, and acting skill, and the way he used his talent to revolutionize the music industry from classic music to little-known pop music. Apart from indicating how great Michael Jackson was, this paper will explore his work find out the ideas behind some of his greatest hit songs, and unravel the meaning of his song Thriller.

Released on 30th November 1982, Thriller became the best-selling pop album of all time with album sales of over 66 million versions. Directed by John Landis the music Thriller has recurrently been voted the most prominent music from Michael Jackson albums. Michael Jackson's songs are interesting because their ideas are derived from varied concepts and not precise subjects. From the selected video Thriller, Michael Jackson's personality seems to be taking varied directions; this makes me curious to know what drove Michael Jackson to sing and perform this type of song that has sold 65 million copies within the United States alone.

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      • The day in music. (2018, September 4). Michael Jackson - Thriller, The Video [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.thisdayinmusic.com/liner-notes/Thriller -the-video/.

The author identifies that before the video became a hit, the audio was already a classic with a horror thrill when played. The song mashed up a vivid video, gruesome lyrics, and creepy side effects. Though the video peaked at number 4 among the hottest 100 songs, the legacy lies in the amazing 14-minute video that resembles a mini-movie.

Michael Jackson’s Thriller showed the scope of what quality music can do in inspiring listeners and viewers alike. This music in particular acts as an inspiration to a host of artists, music directors, and choreographers to up their game and introduce new features like zombies and creepy sounds just to bring a new dimension to music.

      • Internet Movie Database. (1983, December 14). Michael Jackson: Thriller (Video 1983) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088263/.

The article seeks to explain that Michael Jackson's Thriller album was crafted owing to enormous ambitions. After the release of ‘Off the Wall’ a classic song as well, Michael Jackson sought to publish a song that would make him the greatest music star of all time. The article further explains that the album was created to appeal to various audiences and nearly every music format varying from pop, R&B, and rock. More importantly, the video release dominated to break genre and cultural barriers and revolutionized the music industry.

      • Jackson, M. (2008). Michael Jackson -Thriller. The Thriller 25th Anniversary Book: overwhelming Celebrating the Biggest Selling Album of All Time (pp. 45-48). North America: University of Toronto library system.

The book suggests that the record sales and billboard performance were awesome; the song became a record-breaking album in United States history plus over 28 million albums sold. Within a short period after the launch, Thriller went head to head with the Eagles Collection the premier overall domestic title in the 1970s. On the Billboard chart, this track became the first-ever music to stay at the number one position for more than 38 weeks ahead of over 250 other tracks. At the yearly Grammy Awards, Michael Jackson’s Thriller collected five awards while Michael Jackson himself won six awards for the unsurpassed recording.

      • Jones, J. D. (2005). Michael Jackson-Thriller. In Michael Jackson, the King of Pop: The Big Picture: the Music! The Man! The Legend! The Interviews: An Anthology (pp. 13-15). Amber Books Publishing.

This evidence goes on to indicate, that notwithstanding the album being prevalent among all ages and genres, the song did not become iconic until the publication of the music video. To create a catchy and amazing video Michael Jackson appointed John Landis to guide the entire production. The 14-minute long video which portrayed Michael Jackson as a Jehovah’s Witness begins with a short announcement that wishes to emphasize the film was in no way ratifying any faith related to cult. Upon release, the video seized the imagination of everybody with the exciting makeup of the actors and the use of unusual effects. At the apex of the sale, the video would play two times per hour on MTV leading to the opening win of a music video prize.

      • Kirkland, D. (2011). Michael Jackson – Thriller. In Michael Jackson: The Making of Thriller (pp. 23-26). North America: University of Toronto library system.

The article questions the view that a brief documentary was published immediately after the track was released to showcase the efforts the entire crew went through to make such an amazing music video. After its publication, the entire album was added to the Library of National Recording Registry and reserved for cultural values. For the first time in history, Thriller became the first music video to be added to the platform.

      • Mercer, K. (2016). Monster Metaphors: Notes on Michael Jackson's ‘Thriller ’. Michael Jackson-Thriller, 27(1), 26-43.

The evidence indicates that despite Michael Jackson’s death in 2009, the album endures to remain the most ubiquitous track of all time. The best music media outlets, for instance, MTV and Rolling Stone Magazine categorized the album as number two in all-time best-selling hit in the 1970s. The song achieved fame because of its exceptional melody and introspective lyrics.

      • Michael Jackson's greatest music 'Thriller '. (2008). In M. Jackson (Ed.), the Thriller 25th Anniversary Book: Celebrating the Biggest Selling Album of All Time (pp. 35-39). Retrieved fromhttp://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20111107091948292.

The author justifies Thriller as petrified and changed Michael Jackson's life for good. After the release, he transformed into a freak and tragic public figure taking over his genius life that was loved by many. Despite these challenges, the author acknowledges that Thriller attained gold standards in the entertainment industry and undoubtedly will never topple from the standards set.

      • Vibenius, B. A. (2011). Thriller: A Cruel Picture (Thriller — en grym film). 100 Cult Films, 203-204.

The video emphasizes that creating both the lyrics and the video of Thriller needed additional thought and devotion. The production team took six months to compile everything and come up with an award-winning mini-movie video and lyrics. The good work paid off after every listener acknowledged that Thriller was fine musically. The melody hit the sweet genre of soul and was well-composed and entertaining. Despite all the praises, Michael Jackson still had a feeling that the music did not get the reception he had anticipated and this left many with mouths wide a gap. Last but certainly not least, Thriller was the sixth album produced by Michael Jackson and surfaced to be the best selling of all time, seven out of nine of the songs in the album attained the top ten in national chart lists with Thriller entering the Guinness Book of records as highest seller music providing racial harmony and gathering the most amount of money for a solitary performing artist. In three decades, no other musician or music accomplished to attain this record high.

References

  1. The day in music. (2018, September 4). Michael Jackson - Thriller, The Video [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.thisdayinmusic.com/liner-notes/Thriller -the-video/
  2. Internet Movie Database. (1983, December 14). Michael Jackson: Thriller (Video 1983) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088263/
  3. Jackson, M. (2008). Michael Jackson -Thriller. The Thriller 25th Anniversary Book: Celebrating the Biggest Selling Album of All Time (pp. 45-48). North America: University of Toronto library system.
  4. Jones, J. D. (2005). Michael Jackson-Thriller. In Michael Jackson, the King of Pop: The Big Picture: the Music! The Man! The Legend! The Interviews: An Anthology (pp. 13-15). Amber Books Publishing.
  5. Kirkland, D. (2011). Michael Jackson – Thriller. In Michael Jackson: The Making of Thriller (pp. 23-26). North America: University of Toronto library system.
  6. Mercer, K. (2016). Monster Metaphors: Notes on Michael Jackson's ‘Thriller ’. Michael Jackson-Thriller, 27(1), 26-43.
  7. Michael Jackson's greatest music 'Thriller '. (2008). In M. Jackson (Ed.), the Thriller 25th Anniversary Book: Celebrating the Biggest Selling Album of All Time (pp. 35-39). Retrieved from http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20111107091948292
  8. Vilnius, B. A. (2011). Thriller: A Cruel Picture (Thriller — en grym film). 100 Cult Films, 203-204.

 

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