Album |
|
|
MICHAEL
JACKSON teamed up with Quincy Jones
again to work on his second Epic solo album
Thriller, originally to be titled Starlight.
The album produced seven hit singles, four of
which Michael had written ('Wanna Be Startin'
Somethin'', 'The Girl Is Mine', 'Beat It' and
'Billie Jean') and went on to become the most
successful album of all time.
The first single released off the album, a duet
with Paul McCartney - 'The Girl Is Mine', released
October '82 quickly sold a million copies. Two
months later the album was released and by the
year's end Thriller had sold over 1 million copies.
On February 21st 1983, after the release of the
singles 'Billie Jean' and 'Beat It', Thriller
went to number 1 on the Pop Album chart.
In March the 'Billie Jean' video was added to
MTV's playlist, as was 'Beat It' a month later.
The TV channel had previously largely ignored
black artists, so this is seen as a major breakthrough.
On the night of 16th May 1983 Michael, for the
first time ever, did a solo performance of 'Billie
Jean' at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. 50 million
Americans watched Michael moonwalk across the
stage for the first time when NBC broadcast the
two hour special 'Motown 25: Yesterday, Today,
Forever', and following his stunning performance,
sales of Thriller went through the roof.
 When
the 14-minute film 'Thriller' debuted on MTV on
December 2nd 1983, the Thriller album had already
sold more than 10 million copies. The video was
groundbreaking and 'Thriller' is today seen at
the most important clip in music video history.
After the release of the 'Thriller' video and
'The Making Of Michael Jackson's Thriller' people
began to buy the album all over again, and in
1984 Thriller was listed in the Guiness Book of
World Records as the best selling album in history.
Thriller
generated a truckload of honors, and is still
today, almost 20 years after its release, the
biggest selling album of all time.
Worldwide
Sales Totals: 51 million
-
Peaked at number 1 one the Black Albums Chart
- Peaked
at number 1 on the Pop Albums Chart, held its
position at number 1 for 37 weeks and remained
on the chart for 122 weeks
- Peaked
at number 1 on the Top 100 Albums Chart, held
its position at number 1 for 8 weeks in four
different periods and remained on the chart
for 168 week
|
Singles |
|
|
|
Videos |
|
|
 |
- Billie
Jean
(released 1983)
-
Directed by
Steve Barron
|
 |
-
-
Beat
It (released 1983)
-
Directed
by Bob Giraldi
|
 |
-
-
Thriller
(released 1983)
-
Directed
by John Landis
|
-
|
Awards |
|
|
|
AWARD:
|
CATEGORY:
|
YEAR:
|
|
Black
Gold Awards:
|
Top Male Vocalist
Best
Video Performance, 'Beat It'
Best
Single of the Year, 'Billie Jean'
Best
Album, 'Thriller'
|
1983 |
|
Billboard
Awards:
|
Pop Artist of the Year
Black Artist of the Year
Pop Album of the Year, 'Thriller'
Pop Album Artist
Pop Singles Artist
Pop Male Album Artist
Pop Male Singles Artist
Black Album Artist
Black Singles Artist
Black Album, 'Thriller'
Dance/Disco Artist
Dance/Disco 12" LP, "Billie Jean'
Dance/Disco 12" LP, 'Beat It' |
1983 |
|
Billboard
Video Awards:
|
Best Overall Video, 'Beat It'
Best Performanceby a Male Artist
Best Use Of Video To Enhance Artist's Image,
'Beat It'
Best Use Of Video To Enhance Artist's Song,
'Beat It'
Best Choreography, "Beat It" |
1983 |
|
Cashbox: |
Number
One Male Artist
Top Pop Single, 'Billie Jean'
Top Male-Singles Artist
Top Black Album
Top Pop Album
Top Black Male Artist
Top Black Male-Singles Artist
Top Black Single, 'Billie Jean' |
1983
|
|
Rolling Stone: |
-
Readers Poll - #1 Artist of the Year
- Readers Poll - #1 Soul Artist
- Readers Poll - #1 Video, 'Beat It'
- Readers Poll - #1 Producer (with Quincy
Jones)
- Critics Poll - #1 Artist of the Year
- Critics Poll - #1 Video, 'Beat It'
- Critics Poll - #1 Male Vocalist
- Critics Poll - #1 Soul Artist |
1983 |
|
Australia: |
Album of the Year
Single of the Year |
1983 |
|
Brazil:
|
International
Artist of the Year |
1983 |
| Greece:
|
Record
of the Year |
1983 |
| Holland:
|
Album
of the Year |
1983 |
| Italy:
|
Artist
of the Year |
1983 |
| Japan: |
Artist
of the Year
Best Male Vocalist
Album of the Year |
1983 |
| Spain:
|
Most
Important Foreign Album |
1983 |
| United
Kingdom: |
Album of the Year
Artist of the Year |
1983 |
| American
Music Awards: 8 awards |
-
Special Award Of Merit
- Favorite Male Vocalist-Pop/Rock
- Favorite Single-Pop/Rock, 'Billie Jean'
- Favorite Album-Pop/Rock, 'Thriller'
- Favorite Video-Pop/Rock, 'Beat It'
- Favorite Album-Soul/R&B, 'Thriller'
- Favorite Male Vocalist-Soul/R&B
- Favorite Video-Soul/R&B, 'Beat It' |
1984
|
| American
Video Awards: |
Best Long Form Video
Best Home Video |
1984
|
| Billboard
Awards: |
Top
Album |
1984
|
| Canadian
Black Music Awards: |
Top
International Album, 'Thriller'
Top International Single, 'Billie Jean'
Top Male Vocalist
Entertainer of the Year |
1984 |
| Crystal
Globe Awards: |
Exceeding
Sales Past 5 Million |
1984 |
Grammy
Awards:
(a record 8 awards won by an artist in one
year; a record 12 nominations) |
Producer
Of The Year (with Quincy Jones), 'Thriller'
Album Of The Year, 'Thriller'
Record Of The Year, 'Beat It'
Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, 'Beat It'
Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, 'Billie Jean'
Best New R&B Song, 'Billie Jean'
Best Male Pop Performance
(Best Recording For Children, 'E.T. The Extra
Terrestrial' Album, narration by M. Jackson)
|
1984 |
| Guiness
Book Of Records: |
Best
Selling Album Of All Time, 'Thriller' |
1984 |
| Hotel
Royal Plaza: |
Presentation
Casement '37 Gold & Platinum Discs' |
1984 |
|
MTV Awards: |
Best Overall Video, 'Thriller'
Best Choreography, 'Thriller'
Viewers Choice Award, 'Thriller' |
1984 |
| People's
Choice Awards: |
Best
All Around Entertainer Of The Year
Favorite Video of the Year, 'Thriller'
|
1984 |
| NARM:
Gift Of Music Award: |
Best
Selling Album 'Thriller'
Best selling Single 'Billie Jean'
Best Home Video, "The Making Of Thriller'
|
1984 |
| Presidential
Special Achievement Award: |
presented
by U.S. President Ronald Regan to Michael
Jackson at the White House in recognition
of his contribution to the nation's campaign
against drunk driving - 'Beat It' was used
in the ads. |
1984 |
| Grammy
Awards: |
Best
Home Video, 'The Making Of Thriller'
Voted "Hero of Young America" in a special
poll (World Almanac and Book of Facts 1985)
|
1989 |
| MTV
Awards: |
Video
Vanguard Award, 'Thriller' - The Greatest
Video In The History Of The World |
1989 |
| Rolling
Stone Magazine: |
Video
Of The Decade, 'Thriller' |
1989 |
| Music
Video Producers' Hall of Fame: |
Thriller
video is inducted |
1991 |
| Billboard
Music Awards |
Commemoration
of 10th anniversary of Thriller, the biggest
selling album of all time |
1992 |
| World
Music Awards: |
Best
Selling Record Of All Time, 'Thriller'
|
1996 |
| TV
Guide |
Greatest
Music Video Ever, Thriller |
1999 |
<<
BACK
|
