Still Startin' Something

As most of us know, I am a HUGE music fan, and this year marks the 25th anniversary of a seminal album, Michael Jackson's Thriller. Even though I was three at the time of it's release, I have heard it's influence on popular music my entire life. As a matter of fact, I can remember being scared senseless of the epic video that accompanied the album's title track. But, it's not only the title track that is a stand out on this masterpiece.

For those of you that may be asking,"Why Christopher, what made you decide to discuss this topic?", the credit goes to my students. I was in my classroom and one of my students read about the anniversary of the release in the newspaper. The reaction to the article by my student was, "Who the hell cares about Michael Jackson? He is a total freak."

My colleagues and I all shared a little laugh and started to explain the significance of the album. While it is true that Michael may no longer be the King of Pop, the streak of albums he had in the 1980's was nothing short of spectacular. Let's not forget that Thriller is still the best selling album of all time. On top of that, the album contained nine tracks, seven of which were top ten singles in the United States. That was an unprecedented amount then and now. Imagine if one of today's pop stars, say Justin Timberlake or Pink, released an album that saw 77% of it's singles reach the top ten in the singles charts. It simply wouldn't happen.

Personally, my favorite tracks would have to be "Wanna Be Sartin' Somethin'" and "Human Nature." They are both perfect examples of pop songs and along with "Billie Jean", "Beat It", "Thriller", "Girl Is Mine" and "Pretty Young Thing", which formed the seven top ten singles. Let's not forget that the video for "Billie Jean" was the first song by and African American artist to get heavy rotation on MTV. The video for "Billie Jean" proved to be just an appetizer for Jackson's next film endeavor.

Michael Jackson's "Thriller" proved to be a full fledged cultural phenomenon. The video was directed by Jon Landis, the master behind Trading Places, Animal House and The Blues Brothers, who collaborated with Jackson to create an original short length film. "Thriller" also featured makeup work by legendary effects artist Rick Baker. It was a smashing success and changed the way that music videos are made.

So, there you have it, my feelings on the album Thriller. While it my not be in my regular album rotation, I cannot deny it's ingenuity and staying power. So, if anyone wants a to listen to a blast from the past in pop music, you will not find a better listening experience.