Is Thriller Still Thrilling over 40 Years Later?
With the spooky season approaching we know that Halloween songs will start to plague all forms of media. These songs that go viral every year are not new songs; however, they are older ones being recycled for the occasion. One of the many songs I can’t wait to hear is “Thriller” by Michael Jackson but that brings into question, is the song still a sensation or is it time to retire it?
The near 6-minute song by Jackson is coupled with the famous near 14-minute music video of the artist “dancing with the dead” in his red two piece outfit. Before the musical elements come into play, we see Jackson on a date with his girlfriend and revealing his true identity as a werewolf to her. He ends up chasing her through the woods and eventually catches up to her. At this moment it is revealed that the actual Michael Jackson is on a date at the movies with his girlfriend and they were just watching a film.
The music starts off with eerie sounds of howling that are then interrupted by the upbeat rhythm we all know once we hear it. We can see Jackson and his girlfriend walking in the street as he simultaneously dances until they reach their destination. As the video progresses, the couple passes a cemetery where the dead rise from the ground and surround them. Jackson and his girlfriend appear to be trapped when the video transitions into him being a zombie himself. This is where the notable choreographed flash mob takes place. Once Michael begins to sing again, we see him back in his human form, continuing to dance.
As the video draws to a close, Michael’s girlfriend seeks solace in an abandoned house but to no avail. The zombies find her and approach her but the viewer is in for another surprise. The home is not actually abandoned, and the girlfriend is not in danger. It is once Michael offers to take her home that he pans to the camera to reveal that the girl is in fact not safe as she once thought.
Now why does this matter? It matters because even though I know the song and the plot of the video I still sat down to watch all 14 minutes of it. This shows that the video and song is not in danger of getting old not simply because of the artist who made it, but because of the song being an iconic piece of popular culture. I did not feel inclined to skip any portion of the video but I did feel the urge to get up and do the flash mob dance. My response to the song is the same as it has been since I have first heard it, demonstrating its ability to live on for decades to come.
But is this response just my own? NO! McIntyre states that the song “Jakson’s creepy favorite lands at No. 7 on Billboard’s list of the bestselling R&B-only tracks throughout the country.” The article also talks about how the song has been on the sales list 67 times since its first release. Not only is the song “Thriller” getting traction but so is the album it belongs to. It is also said that “When adjusted for inflation, Thriller remains the highest-grossing album in history.” (Hansen).
Works Cited
Hansen, Rachel. “Thriller Record: Michael Jackson’s Groundbreaking Album Still Thrilling Today” SoundScapeHQ. SoundScapeHQ. Sept. 25, 2024. Retrieved from < https://soundscapehq.com/michael-jackson-thriller-record/> Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.
McIntyre, Hugh. “Michael Jackson’s Annual ‘Thriller’ Comeback Has Begun”. Forbes. Forbes Media LLC. Sept. 25, 2024. Retrieved from <https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2024/09/25/michael-jacksons-annual-thriller-comeback-has-begun/>Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.
Written by: Ta’Liyah Wiley