30 Years Ago Today ‘Thriller’ Changed Music Forever

On November 30th, 1982, a pop culture phenomenon the likes of which we will probably never see again, arrived in record stores. 

Michael Jackson's Thriller would go on to spend 37 weeks at number 1, and deliver 7 top 10 singles.   The amazing "Billie Jean", "Beat It", "Thriller", "The Girl Is Mine", "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", "PYT (Pretty Young Thing)" and "Human Nature" are still popular today.  At the 1984 Grammy Awards, Michael and Thriller won a total of 8 trophies.

Thriller also went on to become the best-selling album of all time.   The video for "Billie Jean" was the first by a black artist to ever be played on MTV.  And the John Landis directed video for "Thriller" became the standard by which all music videos were judged.  

Thriller's influence on today's singers cannot be overestimated.   From Justin Bieber to Beyonce, to Maroon 5, Ne-Yo to Bruno Mars, and just about every R&B and Hip Hop star out there today, there's probably no major artist who hasn't been shaped musically by Thriller.