About The Song
“Thriller” is a song by the American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson. It was released by Epic Records on November 11, 1983 in the UK and on January 23, 1984, in the US, as the seventh and final single from his sixth studio album, Thriller.
“Thriller” is a disco song featuring a repeating synthesizer bassline and lyrics and sound effects evoking horror films. It includes a spoken-word sequence performed by the horror actor Vincent Price which begins at the 6:31 mark on the music video and 4:25 in the album version. It was produced by Quincy Jones and written by Rod Temperton, who wanted to write a theatrical song to suit Jackson’s love of film.
Jackson decided to release “Thriller” as a single after Thriller left the top of the Billboard 200 chart. The “Thriller” music video, directed by John Landis, depicts Jackson turning into a zombie and dancing with a horde of them. It has been named the greatest music video of all time by various publications and readers’ polls, and doubled sales of Thriller, helping it become the best-selling album in history.
It was the album’s seventh top-ten single on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number four. It reached number one in Flanders, France and Portugal and Spain, and reached the top ten in many other countries. In the week of Jackson’s death in 2009, it was Jackson’s bestselling track in the US, with sales of 167,000 copies on the Billboard Hot Digital Tracks chart. It entered the Billboard Hot Digital Singles Chart at number two, and remained in the charts’ top ten for three consecutive weeks. “Thriller” is certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America. It appears on several of Jackson’s greatest-hits albums and has been covered by numerous artists. The song has returned to the Billboard Hot 100 chart multiple times due to its popularity around Halloween and is one of the bestselling singles of all time.
“Thriller” is a disco-funk song. It was written by the English songwriter Rod Temperton, who had previously written “Rock with You” and “Off the Wall” for Jackson’s 1979 album Off the Wall. Temperton wanted to write something theatrical to suit Jackson’s love of film. He improvised with bass and drum patterns until he developed the bassline that runs through the song, then wrote a chord progression that built to a climax. He recalled: “I wanted it to build and build – a bit like stretching an elastic band throughout the tune to heighten suspense.”
Along with the rest of the album, “Thriller” was recorded over eight weeks in 1982. It was recorded at Westlake Recording Studios on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. The engineer Bruce Swedien had Jackson record his vocals in different approaches, doubling takes and recording at different distances from the microphone. Some background vocals were recorded in the studio’s shower stall.
“Thriller” entered the Billboard Hot 100 charts at number 20. It reached number seven the following week, number five the next, and peaked the next week at number four, where it stayed for two weeks. It finished as the #78 single on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the 1984.
“Thriller” charted at number 19 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart. On March 10, 1984, it reached its peak at number 3. “Thriller” debuted on the UK Singles Chart on November 19, 1983, at number 24, and the following week peaked at number ten; it appeared on the chart for 52 weeks. Beginning on February 5, 1984, “Thriller” peaked on the French Singles Chart at number one and topped the chart for four consecutive weeks. “Thriller” also topped the Belgian VRT Top 30 Chart for two weeks in January 1984.
Video
Lyric
 It’s close to midnight
And something evil’s lurking in the dark
Under the moonlight
You see a sight that almost stops your heart
You try to scream
But terror takes the sound before you make it
You start to freeze
As horror looks you right between the eyes
You’re paralyzed
‘Cause this is thriller, thriller night
And no one’s gonna save you from the beast about to strike
You know it’s thriller, thriller night
You’re fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller tonight, yeah
Ooh, ooh
You hear the door slam
And realize there’s nowhere left to run
You feel the cold hand
And wonder if you’ll ever see the sun
You close your eyes
And hope that this is just imagination
Girl, but all the while
You hear a creature creepin’ up behind
You’re out of time
‘Cause this is thriller, thriller night
There ain’t no second chance against the thing with forty eyes, girl
Thriller, thriller night
You’re fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller tonight
Night creatures call
And the dead start to walk in their masquerade
There’s no escaping the jaws of the alien this time (they’re open wide)
This is the end of your life, ooh
They’re out to get you
There’s demons closin’ in on every side
They will possess you
Unless you change that number on your dial
Now is the time
For you and I to cuddle close together, yeah
All through the night
I’ll save you from the terror on the screen
I’ll make you see
That this is thriller, thriller night
‘Cause I can thrill you more than any ghoul would ever dare try
Thriller, thriller night
So let me hold you tight and share a killer, thriller
Chiller, thriller here tonight
‘Cause this is thriller, thriller night
Girl, I can thrill you more than any ghoul would ever dare try
Thriller, thriller night
So let me hold you tight and share a killer, thriller, ow
I’m gonna thrill you tonight
Darkness falls across the land
The midnight hour is close at hand
Creatures crawl in search of blood
To terrorize y’all’s neighborhood (I’m gonna thrill you tonight)
And whosoever shall be found
Without the soul for getting down
Must stand and face the hounds of hell
And rot inside a corpse’s shell
I’m gonna thrill you tonight
Thriller, ooh baby (thriller)
I’m gonna thrill you tonight (thriller night)
Thriller, all night, oh baby
I’m gonna thrill you tonight
Thriller, thriller night (oh baby)
I’m gonna thrill you tonight
Thriller, all night (oh baby)
Thriller night, babe (thriller night, babe), ooh
The foulest stench is in the air
The funk of forty thousand years
And grizzly ghouls from every tomb
Are closing in to seal your doom
And though you fight to stay alive
Your body starts to shiver
For no mere mortal can resist
The evil of the thriller