'Thriller' at 25(ish)

Legacy Recordings this week released a 25th-anniversary edition of Michael Jackson's "Thriller," the best-selling albums of all time with nearly 105 million copies sold worldwide.

Legacy is a few months late (the original "Thriller" came out in November 1982), but it's a milestone worth marking nonetheless, mainly because of one central question: What made "Thriller" such a phenomenon?

Yes, fine, it's totally awesome. In fact, it's one of the first cassette tapes I can remember having. But "Purple Rain" by Prince and "Born in the U.S.A." by Bruce Springsteen (both released in June 1984) were pretty awesome, too, and to my ears, each holds up better all these years later.

So how did "Thriller" become such a cultural touchstone?

There are a few reasons.

First, "Thriller" is pure pop. Produced by Quincy Jones, the songs are crisp, distinctive and catchy, and their easy accessibility made for wide appeal. "They just sound good," says my friend Harold, a musical omnivore just as likely to listen to Mr. Bungle, Billie Holiday or Run DMC. "Thriller" is also fluffy and innocent, with none of the socio-political allegory of Springsteen or sexual overtones of Prince. Hell, "Billie Jean" is basically 5 minutes about having not slept with a woman, which runs counter to everything Prince stood for at the time. And rivalries are rarely as affectionate as "The Girl is Mine," Jackson's duet with Paul McCartney — you get the feeling neither of them much cares about winning her affections.

Second, there were the videos. MTV was in its infancy then and still afraid of black people, and Jackson's videos — the long-form horror-movie homage for "Thriller," the light-up floor tile thing for "Billie Jean" and the gang-war-averted theme of "Beat It" — were revolutionary. Not only did they put a non-white face on the fledgling music channel, they made music videos an essential promotional tool of the '80s and '90s.

Third, Michael Jackson had yet to become weird. He wasn't far removed from the cute little kid fronting his family band, the Jackson 5, and he hadn't yet exiled himself to the Neverland Ranch or made out awkwardly with Lisa Marie Presley. Teenage girls were still in love with Michael circa "Thriller," which marked the apex of the potential he showed from a very young age, before it drained away in a wash of plastic surgery, pet chimps and unsettling legal allegations.

All those elements (and others, probably) combined to elevate a really good (er, totally awesome) album into something more. "Thriller" made made Jackson a mega-star, spawning seven Top 10 hits from a 9-song track list. Naturally, that changed the way major labels thought about the relationship between albums and singles, which looks more like a mixed blessing with the benefit of hindsight. It's probably even fair to say that "Purple Rain" wouldn't have become as big a hit without "Thriller" having first cleared the way.

Still, the album sounds dated to me now, like an artifact of an era that has become prized largely for its pop-culture kitsch. Good music rarely goes out of style, but maybe "Thriller" is the exception that proves the rule. 

Comments

[sjb]

Who seals a time capsule in 1982 and then opens it 5 years later? ("Ooh, a can of Like cola! And it's still cold!")

[Josh]

"Girl is Mine" has got to be one of the worst songs ever recorded. (I like the idea that 7-year old Josh knew who Michael Jackson was, but needed his mom to tell him who the white guy was.) (I also thought of "You Can't Hurry Love" as a Phil Collins song, until corrected by said mom.)

As I continue to add nothing to this conversation ... there's a moment on Saved By The Bell in which the girls are fantasizing (well, it was Saturday morning, so let's say "chatting") about their dream date for the big Pumpkin Dance or whatever that week's plot was, and Lisa -- the black one -- says Michael Jackson would be hers.

Ah, comedy. Sure, Prince and Bruce Springsteen were great in 1982, but did they ever get references on Saved By The Bell? ... Googling ... Nothing! Thus, our time capsule from 1982, opened in 1987, should have Jackson and not Prince. Or Springsteen. It should also have that jingle, "I like the Sprite in you!"

[critics+cynics]

Will you be my valentine?

Eric replies: Sure, why not?

[Ken]

Hey Eric,

I agree that 'Thriller' sounds a bit dated. I'm actually more of an 'Off the Wall' guy myself, though I admit I enjoy both albums. I hate to be a self-promoter, but I actually just wrote feature on MJ for the website I used to blog for. It starts with a bio and moves into an annotated discography, 'ultimate playlist,' and video retrospective. If anyone is interested: http://www.ugo.com/music/michael-jackson/?cur=Bio

[Richard]

Does Justin Timberlake sound dated?

If he stole any more vocal chops from MJ he'd get sued.

[sjb]

I dunno, just because an album sounds dated, does that really make it less of a groundbreaker? Thriller pretty much set the tone for the early-to-mid 80s, so doesn't it make sense that the tone it set would be that of quintessential 80s pop?

All I'm saying is put that sucker in a time capsule slated to crack in 2082 and you could carbon date it right back to 1982... which is not necessarily a bad thing for a record that defined -- at least in part -- an era.

Eric replies: I'm not saying it's not groundbreaking, just that for all its innovation and pop-cultural importance, there's other stuff from that era I'd rather listen to.