| Thriller 40 | ||||
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| Released | November 18, 2022 | |||
| Recorded | 1979–1982 | |||
| Studio | Westlake (Los Angeles) | |||
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| Michael Jackson chronology | ||||
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Thriller 40 is the 40th-anniversary edition reissue of Thriller (1982), the sixth album by the American singer Michael Jackson. It was released on November 18, 2022, by Epic, Legacy Recordings and MJJ Productions. Thriller 40 is the third reissue of Thriller, following the 2001 special edition and Thriller 25 (2008). [1]
Jackson released his sixth studio album, Thriller , on November 30, 1982. With sales estimated to be over 70 million copies worldwide, [nb 1] [7] [8] [9] Thriller became the world's best-selling album of all time; the album was the first in history to yield seven top-ten singles. The success of Thriller put Jackson into the dominating position of pop music, becoming an international pop-cultural icon. [10]
The American singer Maxwell performed "The Lady in My Life" at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards. [11] He said, "I'm feeling honored to be here, honored to be able to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Thriller. I've been up since six in the morning trying to get everything together and, you know, just want to do right — it's Michael Jackson. There's nobody better, nobody greater, so I just want to do it well." [12]
Several other activities were planned before the release of Thriller 40. [13] On October 4, music journalist and filmmaker Nelson George announced he was directing a documentary on the making of Thriller, which will include never-before-seen footage. [14]
On November 1, the Michael Jackson Estate and Sony Music launched a worldwide campaign to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the album Thriller, featuring Fan Event Parties, Immersive Experience to be held in two countries: Düsseldorf, Germany on November 10–13 and New York on November 18–20 and there will be an event filming that will be part of Thriller 40 documentary on November 30. [15]
On November 14, Sony Music released the 4K version of Jackson's "Beat It" music video on YouTube. [16] A 4K remaster of the "Thriller" short film also appeared on iTunes and Tidal, though it was removed shortly after. On November 17, the 4K remastered "Thriller" short film was released on YouTube.
Thriller 40 includes the original demo for Jackson's song "Behind the Mask" (which was previously reworked for the 2010 posthumous album Michael ), [17] the original demo for "Thriller" ("Starlight"); a demo of "Best of Joy" (released on the Michael album) titled "The Toy" (intended for the 1982 Richard Pryor film of the same name); the previously unreleased songs "She's Trouble", "What a Lovely Way to Go" and "Who Do You Know", and the tracks "Got the Hots" (first released as a bonus track on the Japanese edition of Thriller 25 and several editions of King of Pop ), "Carousel" (a shorter version was included on the 2001 special edition), "Can't Get Outta the Rain" (released in 2008 as part of the 3-CD edition of The Essential Michael Jackson ) and "Sunset Driver" (released in 2004 on The Ultimate Collection ).[ citation needed ]
Announced on May 16, 2022, by the Estate of Michael Jackson, Thriller 40 is the twelfth release by Sony and/or Motown since the death of Jackson in 2009. This edition was mastered for loudness by Brian Gardner.
The company also announced additional releases of the original album by audiophile reissue label Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab on both stereo Super Audio CD and LP, limited to 40,000 numbered copies. [18] [19] The latter portion of the announcement was later credited by The Washington Post journalist Geoff Edgers with fueling public skepticism towards Mobile Fidelity that culminated in a subsequent controversy over them using Direct Stream Digital files in vinyl releases that were marketed as coming directly from analog master tapes. [20] The company also surprise released 360 Reality Audio and Dolby Atmos versions of the original album on Amazon Music and Apple Music respectively on the same day as Thriller 40. [21]
A 90-minute documentary film titled Thriller 40 directed by Nelson George celebrating the 40th anniversary of Thriller was released in the United States on December 2, 2023, airing on Showtime and later appeared on Paramount+ only for Showtime subscribers. Internationally it debuted the same day in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Latin America and South Korea. [22] [23] On October 27, 2023, the Michael Jackson estate released a trailer for the Thriller 40 documentary film. [22]
In the United States, as per Billboard 's rule, Thriller 40 is regarded as the same album as Thriller and re-entered the Billboard 200 albums chart at number seven. The album sold a combined total of about 37,000 copies in the first week in the US. [24] The album charted at number 16 in its second week of the release, selling 18,000 (down 35%). [25]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" | Michael Jackson |
| 6:02 |
| 2. | "Baby Be Mine" | Rod Temperton | Jones | 4:20 |
| 3. | "The Girl Is Mine" (with Paul McCartney) | Jackson |
| 3:42 |
| 4. | "Thriller" | Temperton | Jones | 5:57 |
| 5. | "Beat It" | Jackson |
| 4:18 |
| 6. | "Billie Jean" | Jackson |
| 4:54 |
| 7. | "Human Nature" | Jones | 4:06 | |
| 8. | "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" |
| Jones | 3:59 |
| 9. | "The Lady in My Life" | Temperton | Jones | 4:59 |
| Total length: | 42:16 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Starlight" | Temperton | Jones | 5:04 |
| 2. | "Got the Hots" (Demo) | Temperton | Jones | 4:25 |
| 3. | "Who Do You Know" (Demo) | Jackson | Jackson | 5:23 |
| 4. | "Carousel" (Full Version) | Jones | 3:39 | |
| 5. | "Behind the Mask" (Mike's Mix, Demo) |
| Jackson | 5:01 |
| 6. | "Can't Get Outta the Rain" |
|
| 4:06 |
| 7. | "The Toy" (Demo) | Jackson | Jackson | 3:04 |
| 8. | "Sunset Driver" (Demo) | Jackson | Jackson | 4:03 |
| 9. | "What a Lovely Way to Go" (Demo) | Jackson | Jackson | 3:55 |
| 10. | "She's Trouble" (Demo) |
| Jones | 4:13 |
| Total length: | 42:53 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20. | "Billie Jean" (Home Demo from 1981) | Jackson | Jackson | 2:20 |
| 21. | "Billie Jean" (Long Version) | Jackson |
| 6:20 |
| 22. | "Billie Jean 2008" (Kanye West mix) | Jackson |
| 4:35 |
| 23. | "Beat It" (Demo) | Jackson | Jackson | 2:03 |
| 24. | "Beat It 2008" (with Fergie) | Jackson |
| 4:11 |
| 25. | "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" (Demo) | Jackson | Jackson | 5:43 |
| 26. | "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" (Tommy D's Main Mix) | Jackson |
| 7:40 |
| 27. | "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008" (with Akon) |
|
| 4:14 |
| 28. | "Human Nature" (7" Remix) |
| Jones | 3:45 |
| 29. | "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" (Demo Version) |
| Jackson | 3:46 |
| 30. | "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) 2008" (with will.i.am) |
|
| 4:21 |
| 31. | "The Girl Is Mine 2008" (with will.i.am) |
|
| 3:10 |
| 32. | "Thriller" (7" Special Edit) | Temperton | Jones | 4:37 |
| 33. | "Thriller" (Def Thriller Mix) | Temperton | 7:22 | |
| 34. | "Thriller Megamix" |
|
| 9:14 |
| Total length: | 73:21 | |||
Total duration: 158:30
Notes
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
| Region | Date | Label | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Various | November 18, 2022 |
Thriller is the sixth studio album by the American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson, released on November 29, 1982, by Epic Records. It was produced by Quincy Jones, who previously worked with Jackson on his album Off the Wall (1979). Jackson wanted to create an album where "every song was a killer". With the ongoing backlash against disco music at the time, he moved in a new musical direction, resulting in a mix of pop, post-disco, rock, funk, synth-pop, and R&B sounds, and darker themes. Paul McCartney is the first credited appearance of a featured artist on a Jackson album. Recording took place from April to November 1982 at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California, with a budget of $750,000.
Bad is the seventh studio album by the American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson. It was released on August 31, 1987, by Epic Records. Written and recorded between 1985 and 1987, Bad was Jackson's third and final collaboration with the producer Quincy Jones. Primarily featuring pop, dance, and R&B, as well as elements of funk, soul, jazz, rock, and hard rock, Bad incorporated new recording technology, including digital synthesizers. Jackson co-produced and composed all but two tracks, as the lyrical themes include self-improvement, romance, world peace, media bias, paranoia, and racial profiling. The album features appearances from Siedah Garrett and Stevie Wonder.
Number Ones is a greatest hits album by American singer Michael Jackson. It was released on November 18, 2003, by Epic Records. Number Ones was Jackson's first standalone compilation album with Epic Records, after the release of the first disc of HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I in 1995. The album included Jackson's singles that reportedly reached number 1 in charts around the world, hence the album's name. Number Ones also features the last original single released during Jackson's lifetime, "One More Chance", released four days after the release of the album.
"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" is a song by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson recorded for his sixth studio album Thriller (1982). It is the opening track of the album and was released as its fourth single on May 9, 1983, by Epic Records. It was written and co-produced by Jackson and produced by Quincy Jones. The lyrics pertain to strangers spreading rumors to start an argument for no good reason. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" evokes the disco sound of Jackson's previous studio album, Off the Wall, released in 1979. The song is characterized by a complex rhythm arrangement and a distinctive horn arrangement.
"Thriller" is a song by the American singer Michael Jackson. It was released by Epic Records on November 11, 1983 in the United Kingdom and on January 23, 1984, in the United States, as the seventh and final single from his sixth studio album Thriller.
American singer Michael Jackson (1958–2009) released ten studio albums, five soundtrack albums, fifty-five compilation albums, ten video albums and seven remix albums. Since his death, two albums of unreleased tracks have been posthumously released. Jackson made his debut in 1964 at the age of five with The Jackson 5, who were prominent performers during the 1970s. Jackson is one of the best-selling music artists in history with over 500 million records sold worldwide. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Jackson has sold 89 million certified albums in the United States.
"Human Nature" is a song performed by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson, and the fifth single from his sixth solo album, Thriller. The track was produced by Quincy Jones and performed by some band members of Toto with Jackson providing vocals.
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures ever. Over a four-decade career, his world record music achievements and publicized personal life made him a global figure. Through songs, stages, and fashion, he proliferated visual performance for singers in pop music, and popularized street dance moves including the moonwalk, the robot, and the anti-gravity lean. Jackson has an extensive fandom, which includes impersonators around the world.
"Beat It" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson from his sixth studio album, Thriller (1982). It was written and composed by Jackson, produced by Quincy Jones, and co-produced by Jackson. Jones encouraged Jackson to include a rock song on the album. Jackson later said: "I wanted to write a song, the type of song that I would buy if I were to buy a rock song... and I wanted the children to really enjoy it—the school children as well as the college students." It includes a guitar solo by Eddie Van Halen.
Dangerous is the eighth studio album by American singer Michael Jackson. It was released by Epic Records on November 26, 1991, more than four years after Jackson's previous album, Bad (1987). Co-produced by Jackson, Bill Bottrell, Teddy Riley, and Bruce Swedien, the album was Jackson's first since Forever, Michael (1975) without longtime collaborator Quincy Jones. Guest appearances include Heavy D, Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, Slash and Wreckx-n-Effect. The album incorporates new jack swing, a popular genre at the time, R&B and pop. Elements of industrial, funk, hip hop, electronic, gospel, classical and rock are also present. Jackson wrote or co-wrote 12 of the album's 14 songs, discussing topics like racism, poverty, romance, self-improvement, multiculturalism and the welfare of children and the world.
Off the Wall is the fifth studio album by the American singer Michael Jackson, released on August 10, 1979, by Epic Records. It was Jackson's first album released through Epic Records, and the first produced by Quincy Jones, whom he met while working on the 1978 film The Wiz. Several critics observed that Off the Wall was crafted from disco, pop, funk, R&B, soft rock and Broadway ballads. Its lyrical themes include escapism, liberation, loneliness, hedonism and romance. The album features songwriting contributions from Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Rod Temperton, Tom Bahler, and David Foster, alongside three tracks penned by Jackson himself.
Thriller 25 is the 25th-anniversary edition reissue of Thriller (1982), the sixth studio album by the American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson. The original album has sold 70 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling album of all time. Thriller 25 was released by Sony BMG's reissue division, Legacy Recordings. Along with the original material, the reissue contains remixes, new material, a DVD and collaborations with contemporary artists. Thriller 25 was one of the last recorded works released during Jackson's lifetime, and the last he was extensively involved with, as Jackson co-produced all of the newly remixed tracks.
Michael Jackson's This Is It is a posthumous two-disc soundtrack album by American singer Michael Jackson. Released by MJJ Music on October 26, 2009, This Is It features previously released music, as well as six previously unreleased recordings by Jackson. This Is It was released to coincide with the theatrical release of Michael Jackson's This Is It, a concert film documenting Jackson's rehearsals for the This Is It concert series at the O2 Arena in London. This Is It is the sixth album to be released by Sony and Motown/Universal since Jackson's death on June 25, 2009.
Michael is the first posthumous album by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson. It was released on December 10, 2010, by Epic Records and Sony Music Entertainment. Michael is the first release of all-new Michael Jackson material since Invincible in 2001 and the seventh overall release since Jackson's death in 2009. The album was produced by Theron "Neff-U" Feemster, John McClain, Giorgio Tuinfort, Teddy Riley, and Brad Buxer, among others, and features guest performances by Akon and Lenny Kravitz.
"Behind the Mask" is a 1979 song by the Japanese synth-pop group Yellow Magic Orchestra. The composer, Ryuichi Sakamoto, wrote the first version for a television commercial. A new version with lyrics by Chris Mosdell was released on the 1979 Yellow Magic Orchestra album Solid State Survivor. In the US and the UK, "Behind the Mask" was released as a single from the 1980 album X∞Multiplies.
Immortal is a remix album of music originally recorded by American recording artist Michael Jackson, released on November 18, 2011, by Epic Records. The album is also a soundtrack to Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour, which debuted on October 2, 2011, in Montreal. It was preceded by the release of the title track in the form of a megamix: "Immortal Megamix: "Can You Feel It" / "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" / "Billie Jean" / "Black or White" which features the songs: "Can You Feel It", "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough", "Billie Jean" and "Black or White".
Bad 25 is the 25th anniversary edition reissue of American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson's seventh studio album Bad (1987). This is the second album by Jackson re-released on its 25th anniversary, the first being Thriller 25 (2008). Bad has sold 35 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time. Bad 25 was released on September 18, 2012, with co-operation with Epic, Legacy Recordings and MJJ Productions. Along with the original album, Bad 25 contains demo recordings recorded during the Bad era, with the deluxe edition also containing a live CD and DVD of Live at Wembley July 16, 1988, Jackson's performance at Wembley Stadium in the United Kingdom during his Bad world tour.
Xscape is the second posthumous album by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson. It was released on May 9, 2014, by Epic Records, MJJ Music and Sony Music Entertainment, four years after the release of Michael (2010). L.A. Reid, chairman of Epic Records, curated and served as executive producer for the album, enlisting Timbaland to lead a team of record producers, including Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon, Rodney Jerkins, Stargate, and John McClain, to remix and "contemporize" eight selected tracks, which were originally recorded between 1983 and 1999. The standard version of Xscape features the eight reworked tracks, while the deluxe version also includes the original versions of the songs, a bonus remix, and two videos.
Thriller 40 is a 2023 documentary film about the 40th anniversary of Michael Jackson's 1982 album Thriller. The film, directed by Nelson George, was released in the United States on December 2, 2023. It aired on Showtime and was streamed on Paramount+ only for Showtime subscribers. Internationally, it debuted the same day in the U.K., Australia, Canada, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Latin America, and South Korea. On October 27, 2023, the trailer for the documentary was released. A 40th-anniversary edition reissue of Thriller (1982) of the same title was released in 2022.
Immersive audio mixes of Thriller are now available at various DSPs, including 360 Reality Audio on Amazon, Spatial Audio on Apple Music, mixed by Şerban Ghenea from the original masters for immersive audio, with the immersive mixes by John Hanes.
