Thriller (song)

Infobox Single
Name = Thriller


Artist = Michael Jackson
from Album = Thriller
B-side =
Released = January 23, 1984
Format = 7", 12", CD single
Recorded = 1982–1983
Genre = Dance-pop/funk
Length = 5:57
Label = Epic Records
Writer = Rod Temperton
Producer = Quincy Jones
Certification =
Chart position = * #1 (France; Belgium)
* #3 (Denmark)
* #4 (U.S.; Australia)
* #10 (UK)
* #20 (Sweden)
* #21 (Germany)
Last single = "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)"
(1983)
This single = "Thriller"
(1984)
Next single = "I Just Can't Stop Loving You"
(1987)
Misc = Extra chronology
Artist = Michael Jackson's ""
Background = khaki
Last single = "One More Chance"
(2003)
This single = "Thriller"
(2006)
Next single = "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough"
(2006)Extra tracklisting
Album = Thriller
Type = studio
prev_track = "The Girl Is Mine"
prev_no = 3
this_track = "Thriller"
track_no = 4
next_track = "Beat It"
next_no = 5Extra tracklisting
Album = HIStory
Type = compilation
prev_track = "Man in the Mirror"
prev_no = 8
this_track = "Thriller"
track_no = 9
next_track = "Beat It"
next_no = 10

"Thriller" is an early 1984 hit single recorded by Michael Jackson for the Epic label. It reached #4 in the U.S. singles chart and #10 in the UK singles chart. On February 20, 2006, the single, as well as the video, was re-released as part of the "" package. The 14-minute video is regarded by many as the greatest music video of all-time, and the song itself is considered to be one of Jackson's signature songs.

ong information

Written by Rod Temperton, produced by Quincy Jones, choreographed by Jacques Gill and featuring a guest soliloquy from Vincent Price, "Thriller" is one of Jackson's signature songs, in no small part because of its music video. The original name for "Thriller" single was "Starlight Love." The single was included on Jackson's "Thriller" album, which was released on December 1, 1982 and was the final single pulled from it. A voice-over recording session of "Thriller" appears on the special edition version of the album, released in 2001. This session features additional verses of the rap performed by Vincent Price, which were removed from the final version of the song. This song is soon to be released on SingStar Pop Vol. 2. Fact|date=June 2008

Track listings

Original release

UK single

# "Thriller" (Special Edit) – 4:37
# "The Things I Do for You" (live with The Jacksons) – 3:39

U.S. single

# "Thriller" (Remixed Short Version) - 4:09
# "Can't Get Outta the Rain" – 4:02

"Visionary" single

;CD side
# "Thriller" (Remixed Short Version) - 4:09
# "Thriller" - 5:57

;DVD side
# "Thriller" (Music video)

Mixes

# Album version – 5:56
# Instrumental – 5:56
# Special Edit – 4:37
# Remixed Short Version – 4:09
# Single Edit w/Rap – 5:11
# Def Thrill Remix - 7:22
# Danny Tenaglia Remix (Unreleased)

Credits

* Written and composed by Rod Temperton
* Produced by Quincy Jones
* Featuring: rap by Vincent Price
* Synthesizers: Greg Philinganes, Rod Temperton and Brian Banks
* Synthesizer programming: Anthony Marinelli
* Guitar: David Williams
* Trumpet and flügelhorn: Jerry Hey
* Trumpet and flügelhorn: Gary Grant
* Saxophone and flute: Larry Williams
* Trombone: Bill Reichenbach
* Vocal, rhythm and synthesizer arrangement by Rod Temperton
* Horn arrangement by Jerry Hey
* Effects by Bruce Cannon and Bruce Swedien

ampled

The song (particularly Vincent Price's laughter at the end of the song) has been sampled in numerous songs:
* Biz Markie - "Muddfoot"
* Def Squad - "No Guest List"
* DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince - "Rhythm Trax — House Party Style"
* Large Professor - "Mad Scientist"
* N.W.A. - "100 Miles and Runnin'"
* The Prodigy - "The Way It Is"
* Public Enemy - "911 Is a Joke"
* Lidzlicious the Velvet Pole - "Thriller (Stanley Remix)"
* Kool Moe Dee - "Let's Go"
* Esham - "Closed Casket"
* Paul Hardcastle - "The Wizard"
* Busta Rhymes featuring Linkin Park - "We Made It"
* The Blue sang Thriller, Beat It and Smooth Criminal in their Guilty Tour.
* Quasimoto - "BullyShit"
* Three 6 Mafia - "They Bout To Find Yo Body"

Use in Popular Culture

* At the MTV Europe Music Awards 2007, Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton said that he wished he'd written Thriller.

Television

* In the "South Park" episode "Pinkeye", members of the town are turned into zombies. Chef (as a zombie) sings part of the song, but with different lyrics. The show would later spoof the Thriller video again for a brief moment in "The Jeffersons", which was a full episode spoofing Michael Jackson.
* In an episode of Animaniacs, the character Buttons deters a horde of zombies from his young charge by imitating the dance from the music video.
* In a sketch on "Chappelle's Show", Dave Chappelle is being interviewed to be a part of the jury in the Michael Jackson child molestation case. When asked if he believed Jackson was guilty, he replied, "No man. He made "Thriller". ("repeats with emphasis") "Thriller"!"
* In "The Super Mario Bros. Super Show" episode "Count Koopula", during the scene where the Koopas become were-turtles, the song "Thriller" plays.
* In a SoBe Life Water commercial shown during Super Bowl XLII, Naomi Campbell and a group of lizards perform the zombie dance from the Thriller music video.
* In an episode of the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, the town people's brains are eaten by a large asteroid alien. A musical breaks out in which the 'zombie' members of the town do the Thriller dance.
* The dance crew Kaba Modern danced to the song on America's Best Dance Crew's celebration of the album's 25th anniversary.
* In Stephen Chow's 2001 comedy Shaolin Soccer, a spoof of the Thriller dance appears in a scene for the extended director's cut of the film.
* In The Simpsons episode Treehouse of Horror III Bart and Lisa raise the dead in the segment "Dial Z for Zombies". While Bart casts the spell he wears Michael Jackson's record album cover Thriller (album) on his head, in a direct reference to the music video in which Jackson dances with zombies.
*In the Family Guy episode Meet the Quagmires, wherein Peter returns to the eighties, Cleveland is wearing the outfit from the video.
*In the Chowder episode "Sleep Eater", a similar song plays.

Music

* The band Fall Out Boy gives several respects to the song. In their "Dance, Dance" video, bassist Pete Wentz starts to do the dance in the music video. Also, they have a song called "Thriller", but just the title is a nod to this song.
* The New Found Glory song "Hit Or Miss" contains the lyric, "Remember the time we realized 'Thriller' was our favorite song?"
* Vincent Price's soliloquy is parodied in The Aquabats' song "Fashion Zombies!" as "Darkness falls across the land. The midnight hour is close at hand. Creatures crawl in search of blood to accessorize their black zipper hood. And monster children with monster faces are looking for love in all the wrong places."
* British singer and former Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown covered this song on the b-side of his single Golden Gaze.
* The song was also covered by death metal band Ten Masked Men, ending with laughter from Salacious Crumb.
* Pop girl group Girl Authority covered the song for their EP "Halloween Party Songs".
*Beatfreakz's music video for "Somebody's Watching Me" (2006) parodies Vincent Price's intro, the choreography, and Michael's appearance.
* Bob Sinclair's music video for Rock This Party (Everybody Dance Now) (2006) imitates several wellknown music videos, including "Thriller".
* The band Gorillaz also paid tribute to Thriller's choregraphy in the video of their song "Clint Eastwood (song)" (2001). At 2min40s, you can see the zombie-gorillas do the famous shoulder mouvement that Jackson did with his zombies during the dance number of Thriller.
* On Australian radio station Triple M, Shaddup Your Face singer Joe Dolce covered the song in a comedic way, putting in his own lyrics.
* An A'cappella version of the « Thriller » song has been sung and recorded by [http://www.myspace.com/francoismacre François Macré] , using 64 audio tracks (non-commercial project, in free listening on [http://www.myspace.com/francoismacre MySpace] ).

Dance

* The song was danced by numerous Filipino prisoners at CPDRC (Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center) as a morning exercise (a successful video is available on Youtube).
* The dance crew Kaba Modern danced to the song on America's Best Dance Crew's celebration of the album's 25th anniversary.
*In the semi-finals of Britain's Got Talent, the dance group Signature danced to Thriller.

Literature

* The name of the One Piece story arc, Thriller Bark, is most likely inspired by this song. The arc featured a ship full of zombies and at one point they were seen dancing around the mansion, although not to the song. Thriller Bark also featured many other Michael Jackson tributes.The song was used in Big Brother for their Thriller Dance Task

ee also

* Thriller (music video)