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| :: About Thriller
by Michael Jackson:: |
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Thriller is the sixth
studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson.
The album was released on November 30, 1982 by Epic Records
as the follow-up to Jackson's critically and commercially
successful 1979 album Off the Wall. Thriller explores similar
genres to those of Off the Wall, including funk, disco, soul,
R&B, and pop. Thriller's lyrics deal with themes including
paranoia and the supernatural.
Jackson's previous album Off the Wall (1979) was a critical
success and received generally favorable reviews. It was also
a commercial success, eventually selling over 20 million copies
worldwide.
The years between Off the Wall and Thriller were a transitional
period for the singer, a time of increasing independence and
struggles with his family. In 1973, Jackson's father Joseph
began a secret affair with a woman 20 years younger than he;
the couple had a child in secret. In 1980, Joseph told his
family of the affair and child. Michael, already angry with
his father over his childhood abuse, felt so betrayed that
he fell out with Joseph for many years. The period saw the
singer become deeply unhappy; Jackson explained, "Even at
home, I'm lonely. I sit in my room sometimes and cry. It's
so hard to make friends ... I sometimes walk around the neighborhood
at night, just hoping to find someone to talk to. But I just
end up coming home." When Jackson turned 21 in August 1979,
he fired Joseph as his manager and replaced him with John
Branca.
When Rod Temperton wrote the song "Thriller", he originally
wanted to call it "Starlight" or "Midnight Man" but settled
on "Thriller" because he felt the name had merchandising potential.
Always wanting a notable person to recite the closing lyrics,
Temperton brought in actor Vincent Price, who completed his
part in just two takes. Temperton wrote the spoken portion
in a taxi on the way to the recording studio. Jones and Temperton
said that some recordings were left off the final cut because
they did not have the "edginess" of other album tracks. |
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