Michael Jackson: Thriller

By: Duane Pretzer, Jason Coleman, Saif Musleh, Hayley Gallerini, and Aracely Camacho

Narrative

When looking at the full scale of pop culture and its many influences across the world, no artist, performer, or singer comes close to touching Michael Jackson in terms of his flashy style, iconic voice, and signature dance moves. Starting his career in the spotlight as a young boy, he made his voice known through his spot in the Jackson 5, becoming one of the most influential and well-known Motown singers in 1965. Michael would soon look to expand his music career and start as a solo artist, making albums and single hits such as Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), and one of his most popular and influential albums to date: Thriller (1982).

A Michael Jackson Classic: Thriller

Thriller is one of, if not THE most iconic album he’s ever made to date, not only shaking the music industry, raising the bar tremendously for other music artists of the time, and in the future, but affecting the way songs are presented to fans across the world even in the present. Michael Jackson’s Thriller commonly goes hand-in-hand with his iconic music video, known for its in-depth choreography, elaborate dance routine, and story-like display that left his fans star struck. His album is also extremely well-known for its appeal to Halloween and the month of October, giving it an iconic place in Halloween tradition for its zombie and werewolf theme and undeniably spooky atmosphere.

**A picture taken during the filming of the Thriller music video, known for its spooky atmosphere and eye-catching dance routine.**

The Sounds of Thriller

Billie Jean (1982): This song reached number one across multiple top 100 charts when it was initially released. This song is also associated with Michael Jackson’s first live performance of his iconic dance move, the moonwalk.

Beat It (1982): This song also played a pivotal role in Michael’s Thriller album, winning two Grammy Awards for “Record of the Year” and a Presidential Humanitarian Award for its usage in public service commercials.

Thriller (1982): If not one of Michael’s most iconic songs to date, and the poster child of his album, Thriller. This song was known for its popular music video and amazingly explosive popularity, even today.

Billie Jean Music Video

**https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi_XLOBDo_Y**

Beat It Music Video

**https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRdxUFDoQe0**

Thriller Music Video

**https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnqjkJTMaA**

Contribution to Pop Culture

**The image above shows Michael Jackson with his signature diamond jeweled gloves that he normally wore on stage during live performances.**

**The image above shows Michael Jackson performing one of his most iconic dance moves: the moonwalk.**

Not only was Michael Jackson a revolution across the airwaves of the radio, but he was also an influencer across all aspects of pop culture, changing perceptions around the world with some of his most iconic identifiers to his dazzling personality, including the moonwalk, his gravity-defying lean in “Smooth Criminal”, his iconic outfits in his “Thriller” and “Bad” albums, and even his signature Diamond Jewel Glove.

News Article

**https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/**

The image above was taken from The Rolling Stone: 500 Greatest Albums List (2003), with Michael Jackson’s album “Thriller” claiming the number 20 spot.

Twitter Feed

According to Michael Jackson’s Twitter page of this year in February, Michael Jackson’s Thriller album was inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records as “The Best Selling Album of All Time.”

**Twitter post taken from Michael Jackson's managed account, posted on February 8, 2021.**

Michael Jackson is so influential even after his passing, with millions of people still worshipping him as the King of Pop.

**Twitter post showing artwork made out of popular-brand soda cans, glorifying the legacy of Michael Jackson.**

**Twitter post talking about Michael Jackson's impact on the music industry, even long after his passing.**

**Twitter post reflecting on the day Michael Jackson's Thriller won eight Grammy's in one night.**

**Twitter post showing appreciation for Michael Jackson and his previous Grammy's performance.**

Michael's Legacy in Images

**Michael performing live on stage, showing both his stylish flair and energetic vocals.**

**The image above shows one of many of Michael's signature dance moves, often perceived as if he's superhuman.**

**Image of Michael Jackson performing his iconic 45 degree lean, first seen in his music video for the song "Smooth Criminal".**

**Michael Jackson in another one of his signature outfits, performing on stage with his flashy style.**

**Image taken during the filming of the Thriller music video, showing the dance performers dressed in their zombie outfits and Michael in his signature red jumpsuit.**

Conclusion

Over the course of his life and musical career, Michael Jackson has shown time and time again he is a force of change, creativity, and revolution not only through the pop culture lens, but through the way music is presented, produced, recorded, and spread across the world. Being dubbed the King of Pop, having one of the most best-selling albums of all time (Thriller), and engraving himself into music history, Michael Jackson had an explosively successful career, and he definitely showed it through his iconic style and voice which is still praised today.

**https://wealthygorilla.com/best-selling-albums/**

Sources

Catton, P. (2020, December 09). 10 of Michael Jackson's most iconic moments. Retrieved March 03, 2021, from https://www.biography.com/news/michael-jackson-iconic-moments

Hebblethwaite, P. (2013, November 21). How Michael Jackson's Thriller changed music videos for ever.

Retrieved March 03, 2021, from https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/nov/21/michael-jackson-thriller-changed-music-videos

Mamo, H. (2020, February 12). Here are the lyrics to Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'. Retrieved March 03, 2021, from https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/lyrics/8543163/michael-jackson-thriller-lyrics

McIntyre, M. (2021, February 05). The 20 best-selling albums of all time. Retrieved March 05, 2021, from https://wealthygorilla.com/best-selling-albums/

Rolling Stone. (2020, September 22). 500 greatest albums of all time. Retrieved March 03, 2021, from https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/