On 30th November 1982, Michael Jackson’s sixth album Thriller was released .... and 30 years later .... it still remains the planet’s bestselling album of all time !! Today on its 30th anniversary, the internet has gone viral with reviews, reminiscences, and PhD worthy discourses of Thriller’s effect on popular culture .... after all, for an album that launched the MTV generation .... it equally holds the present YouTube generation in thrall !! Here is our tribute to the greatest thriller of all times ... the album Thriller ... and our favourite songs from the album :)

 

Thriller, the song is the seventh and final single from the album Thriller ... this funk disco song with its sound effects, such as a creaking door, thunder, feet walking on wooden planks, winds and real howling of a desert coyote ... with a Zombie – filled video, directed by John Landis ... and with a ghoulish voice over by horror film artist Vincent Price ... is like a visually and vocally animated Halloween story book !! According to The Telegraph’s columnist Marc Lee’s 2009 interview of music video director, John Landis ... The purpose of Thriller, in Landis's mind, was "to give Michael some balls". The female presence in Jackson's two previous videos was virtually zero, "so I said I want to get a pretty girl, and I want you to relate to each other sexually. And he went, 'OK.' "He was agreeable to everything, even when I wrote that line where he says to the girl, 'I'm not like other guys.' I warned him, 'Mike, this is a laugh line.' He said, 'Why?' And I said, 'Because, Michael, you are... unusual, and people will laugh and interpret it any way they want to.'" The next potential problem arose with Ola Ray, the actress Landis wanted to play Jackson's girlfriend. "We found out she had been a Playboy playmate. Oh, Jesus Christ! I went to Michael and told him and said, 'Can I hire her?' He said, 'Sure', though I don't think he even knew what I was talking about." ..... LOL ... Since premiering as a music video on MTV in December 1983, it's been referenced in films, TV shows, video games and many other venues ... it has thrilled choreographer and dance instructor Ines Markeljevic into organizing Thrill the World .... an annual worldwide simultaneous dance of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”, every October, since 2006 !!! ... on their YouTube website ... they have even posted instructional step by step videos on the Thriller dance !! ....

 

A prison in Cebu, Philippines became famous after releasing a YouTube video where its inmates reenacted and performed the "Thriller" dance under the supervision of jail warden Byron Garcia ... the video has garnered more than 50 million views !!

The zombie song-and-lurch remains as popular as ever because of a growing interest in learning the dance steps to perform at wedding receptions, school programs, civic flash mobs ... who can forget the Hulk ( Mark Ruffalo) and Electra’s ( Jennifer Garner ) thrilling sequence in the movie 13 going on 30 ??

 

(hiccup) She was more like a beauty queen ... from a movie scene ... ahh .. I said don't mind, but what do you mean I am the one ? .... (hiccup) Who will dance ... on the floor ... in the round .... (hiccup) She said I am the one ..... who will dance ... on the floor ... in the round ..... She told me her name was Billie Jean ..... As she caused a scene ..... Then every head turned with eyes that dreamed of beiiiiing the one .... (hiccup)Who will dance ... on the floor .... in the round .... People always told me ... be careful of what you do ..... aah ... And don't go around breaking young girls' hearts .....heyyy ... And mother always told me .... be careful of who you love .... And be careful of what you do .... cause the lie becomes the truth ..... hey heyyyy .... Billie Jean is not my lover ..... (hiccup)She's just a girl ..... who claims that .... I am the one .... oh yayyyy ... But the kid is not my son .... owwwww ... (hiccup) She says I am the one .... oh yeahhhh .... but the kid is not my son ....

Billie Jean is the second single from the album Thriller .... This Dance-Pop R&B song was written and composed by Michael Jackson with his female fans in mind .... MJ was already a superstar and celebrity by this time and frequently faced delusional female fans like “Billie Jean” , an obsessive fan who alleges he has fathered her child in the lyrics .... There is hardly any music lover in the world that cannot recognize the song in the first four drum beats followed by that distinctive repetitive bass line .... laced with MJ’s signature vocal hiccups !!

On March 25, 1983, MJ performed "Billie Jean" to critical and popular acclaim .... Staged at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, near Los Angeles, Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever was a celebration of Motown Records' twenty-fifth anniversary.... MJ wore black pants, leather penny loafers, a black sequin jacket, and a single white rhinestone glove .... To begin his performance, Jackson snapped a fedora hat to his head ... and struck a pose—his right hand on his hat and his left leg bent .... He then threw the hat aside and lip synced to "Billie Jean” ..... During a musical interlude, the singer executed a move which many claim to have sealed his status as a pop icon .... Jackson glided backwards to perform the moonwalk ...... before he spun on his heels and landed En Pointe on his toes ....... It was the first time Jackson had performed the moonwalk in public ..... he had practiced it in his kitchen prior to the show !!!!!

30th Anniversary concert , Live at Madison Square Garden, Sept 2001

MJ’s 30th Anniversary concert to celebrate his 30th year as a solo performer, in Madison Square Garden in 2001 : He walked onto the stage with a suitcase ... took out his black jacket with the white armband ... put on his black fedora .... and then his white rhinestone glove ....... the crowd went berserk .... then with one snap of his fingers the spotlight came on .... and though he had turned white and plastic by this time ..... Elizabeth Taylor and Macaulay Culkin approved from the sidelines .... and all that we know as classic MJ was recorded for posterity in this Billy Jean performance !!

 

And yesssss ... who can forget Scottish Bhangra group Tigerstyle's song called "Nachna Aunda Nei" .... a remix of "Billie Jean" and "Under Pressure" by Queen and David Bowie, featuring Kaka Bhaniawala with covering vocals ..... “Baanh farh ke nachan nu jee karda .... ki kariye ... nachna aunda nei “.... i want to hold your hands and dance .... but what to do ... i don’t know how to dance ... Michael Jackson Punjabi ishtyyyylleeee :D ... here are the complete lyrics if you are interested !!