Thriller

FROM : Original track listing of the Thriller album (1982)

RELEASE DATE : November 30, 1982 (album version)

Released November 5, 1983 (U.K.)
January 23, 1984 (U.S.)

LENGHT : 5:57 (album version)

LABEL : Epic CBS Records (now Sony Music)

RECORDING DATES : April 14, 1982 to November 8, 1982.

STUDIOS : Westlake Recording Studios (Los Angeles, California)

SONGWRITER(S) : Rod Temperton

PRODUCER(S) : Quincy Jones

RECORDING ENGINEER : Bruce Swedien

LEAD VOCALS : Michael Jackson

BACKING VOCALS : Michael Jackson

RAP : Vincent Price

MUSICIANS :
Michael Jackson: lead and background vocals, Linn LM-1 drum machine
Rod Temperton and Brian Banks: synthesizers
Greg Phillinganes: Roland Jupiter-8 synthesizer, Minimoog synth bass, Rhodes piano, pipe organ
Anthony Marinelli: synthesizer programming
David Williams: guitar
Jerry Hey, Gary Grant: trumpets, flugelhorns
Larry Williams: saxophone, flute
Bill Reichenbach: trombone
Vocal, rhythm and synthesizer arrangement by Rod Temperton
Horn arrangement by Jerry Hey
Effects by Bruce Cannon and Bruce Swedien

ALTERNATIVE VERSIONS*

*Worked by MJ during his lifetime. Covers and remixes by other artists are not included.

-Starlight : Temperton’s first version of Thriller was titled “Starlight”, with the chorus lyric: “Give me some starlight / Starlight sun”. Remains unreleased.

-Thriller (Video soundtrack version) : mix done for the short film. Remains unreleased.

-Vincent Price excerpt from Thriller Voice-Over Session” Temperton Jones 0:24 : released on Thriller 25 on February 8, 2008.

LIVE PERFORMANCES BY MICHAEL JACKSON :

-Bad World Tour : 1987-1989

-Dangerous World Tour : 1992-1993

-History World Tour : 1996-1997

-The song was rehearsed for Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration in 2001 but not performed.

-The song was rehearsed for the planned This Is It concerts in June 2009 and some footage appear in the “This Is It” movie released in 2009.

SHORT FILM :

Music video directed by John Landis

Date of shooting : October 11-20, 1983

Date of premiere : December 2, 1983

Official release : Released on VHS in 1983 (Making of Thriller), on DVD in 1995 (History), in 2003 (Number Ones) and in 2010 (Vision) and on Michael’ You Tube official page.

PEAK ON HOT 100 BILLBOARD : 4

DID YOU KNOW THAT?

“Thriller” was the final single released from the album. It was not initially planned for release, as Jackson’s record label, Epic, saw it as a novelty song; the Epic executive Walter Yetnikoff asked, “Who wants a single about monsters?”. By mid-1983, sales of Thriller began to decline. Jackson, who was “obsessive” about his sales figures, urged Yetnikoff and executive Larry Stessel to help conceive a plan to return the album to the top of the charts. Jackson’s manager Frank DiLeo suggested releasing “Thriller”, backed by a new music video.