November 30, 1982: I wasn’t born until 10 years later, so I wasn’t around to see the release and impact of one of the greatest albums of all time. That album is Michael Jackson’s sophomore album, Thriller. When an artist has a successful debut album, media experts and fans alike worry that the artist will suffer from the sophomore slump. Jackson definitely didn’t suffer from that. In fact, he catapulted himself into superstar status with this album. Of course, it wasn’t like Jackson wasn’t already known by the world because of his success with The Jackson 5. Jackson just proved that he could stand on his own two feet with Thriller. 

The single and video for the title track alone are iconic figures in music history. The video for Thriller wasn’t even a video, but a mini movie. This hadn’t been done before with music videos. Jackson became the blueprint and the forefather for this sub genre of music videos. After Thriller, music artists started to make mini movies instead of typical music videos and it still happens today. Now if I’m being honest, I have to say that the Thriller video scared me when I first saw it as a child and it still scares me a little today. On the other hand, I love the choreography and try to watch the video at least once every Halloween.

The album was incredibly successful and still remains the best selling album of all time. That’s very impressive considering that it only has 9 tracks. Nowadays, 9 tracks seems like it’s not enough, but it was certainly enough for Michael Jackson. Even though I wasn’t around for Thriller mania, I still love this album to pieces and understand how this album changed the music industry forever.

Now, the most important questions: What are my favorite track and favorite music video from this album?

For favorite track on the album I’m gonna go with a song that wasn’t released as a single (Gasp! Shocking, right?). My favorite track from Thriller is “The Lady in My Life” It’s a smooth, slow, r&b jam. Fans didn’t always get this side of Michael Jackson. That’s part of what I love about it. It also shows him at a vulnerable place, because at one point he’s singing about wanting his lover to stay with him. We didn’t always hear Jackson beg. The music itself is fantastic, and so are Jackson’s vocals on this track. You may have heard the music before because it was sampled by LL Cool J and Boyz II Men on their 1995 hit “Hey Lover”.

For favorite music video, once again I’m not going with the obvious choice. My choice is “Beat It”. I love this video so much because it’s gritty, very 80s and just plain cool. The choreography is wonderful and it’s just so kick-butt. My favorite part of the video is during the guitar solo when the rival gangs are about to battle, and Michael comes in and plays peacemaker. He’s basically like, “Guys don’t fight it out. Let’s dance it out.” Then they all join together and dance. I love it! If only all of the world’s problems could be solved through dance.

What is your favorite track from Thriller? Favorite music video? Let us know in the comments below!

~Kayla

Kayla works at Squirrel Hill as a Clerk, so when you come up to the customer services desk you might see her face! When she’s not at the library she enjoys reading, watching TV & listening to music. You might also find her at your local Starbucks, because she loves her Frappuccinos.