Michael Jackson's "Thriller" hits 1 Billion views on YouTube

Thursday, 19 September, 2024 

McCreadie Andias 

Michael Jackson’s iconic “Thriller” short film has officially joined YouTube’s prestigious Billion Views Club, surpassing a remarkable one billion views since its upload on January 23, 1984. 

The song was the 7th and final single from his sixth studio album, Thriller. 

“Thriller” is now the fourth video in Michael’s catalog to achieve this milestone, alongside “Billie Jean,” which has 1.67 billion views, “Beat It,” (Official 4K Video)with 1. 093 billion views and “They Don’t Care About, (Brazil Version) Us.” with 1.17 billion views. 

This historic feat makes him the first artist from the 20th century to have four videos reach over a billion views.

The song was originally released by Epic Records on November 11, 1983 in the UK and directed by John Landis. It has long been hailed as one of the greatest music videos of all time. 

In 2017, the short film was restored in 4K and 3D, receiving a limited theatrical release in 2018, where it was shown before screenings of "The House with a Clock in Its Walls".

In 2022, to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the “Thriller” album, the remastered version was finally updated on YouTube, contributing to its surge in viewership.

The funk song features a repeating synthesizer bassline and lyrics and sound effects evoking horror films. It ends with a spoken-word sequence performed by the horror actor Vincent Price. 

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 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. 

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.

Next in line to potentially cross the billion-view mark is “Smooth Criminal,” although it, along with many of his other videos, has yet to receive an official 4K remaster.

Michael Jackson died On June 25, 2009, of cardiac arrest in Los Angeles, California, at age 50. 

15 years since his tragic death, The King of Pop's legacy and Music still lives on.