13 minutes and 42 seconds of pure history was filmed in 1982 with the famous song, Thriller by Michael Jackson.

This song was extended into a short film-like music video and has surpassed 1 billion streams on YouTube since then. With over 7.7 million likes, many people around the world have loved this video. 

When Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” debuted on MTV on December 2, 1983, it changed the music video industry forever. This famous music video has been recognized as one of the greatest music videos of all time, so much so that even the accompanying “Making Michael Jackson’s Thriller” behind-the-scenes documentary won the 1984 Grammy for Best Video Album.  

Jackson’s commercial success (meaning advertising himself) wasn’t a necessity considering he had released other singles that were very popular at the time. Success and acceptance wasn’t as important when filming Thriller, experimenting and opportunity was. Michael Jackson had told his director, John Landis he wanted to dress as a monster just for the fun of it, which was perfectly fine considering they weren’t too worried about the popularity and viral aspect of this video.

As soon as the video begins, there is a warning label claiming, “Due to my strong personal convictions, I wish to stress that this film in no way endorses a belief in the occult.” Most people were confused but for those who know, At the time “Thriller” was filmed, MJ was a 5-foot, 7-inch tall, 100-pound, 25-year-old, superstar, who was just as dedicated to his career as he was to being a practicing Jehovah’s Witness. His beliefs , among other things, stated that he avoid at all costs from swearing and premarital intimacy.  

Once the video had been released it instantly went viral on MTV, one of the most popular networks at the time. This video is still viewed every year by new and old generations. With YouTube being a major streaming site it is never hard to find this iconic video. Just type in “Thriller by Michael Jackson” and you can enjoy this classic as well!