Surrounded by a cloud of staggering statistics — the biggest-selling album in history, over 40 million copies shifted on first release, a million copies a month through early 1983, and seven hit singles from just nine tracks — Thriller is an album that can be difficult to hear clearly through its own mythology. Produced with meticulous precision by Quincy Jones, it fuses pop, rock, and R&B into a machine-tooled, painstakingly crafted whole, where not a single note is out of place.
The undisputed masterpieces here are many: the hyperkinetic funk of “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’,” the airbrushed rock of “Beat It” featuring Eddie Van Halen’s guitar solo spliced from 50 different takes, and the irresistible “Billie Jean,” whose creeping electronic bassline burrows under your skin and refuses to leave. “Human Nature” is a digital ballad of such quiet beauty that Miles Davis himself covered it. Flawed but phenomenal, Thriller remains a landmark of pop craftsmanship that no amount of myth or controversy can diminish.
“I feel I was chosen as an instrument to just give music and love and harmony to the world.”
Michael Jackson, 1993
Track Listing: Michael Jackson – Thriller (1982)
| # | Title | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ | 6:02 |
| 02 | Baby Be Mine | 4:20 |
| 03 | The Girl Is Mine | 3:42 |
| 04 | Thriller | 5:57 |
| 05 | Beat It | 4:17 |
| 06 | Billie Jean | 4:57 |
| 07 | Human Nature | 4:05 |
| 08 | P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) | 3:58 |
| 09 | The Lady in My Life | 4:57 |