Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” Music Video Surpasses 1 Billion Views on YouTube

Perfect timing with Halloween coming up soon. Michael Jackson’s iconic song “Thriller” has reached a new milestone, with its music video surpassing 1 billion views on YouTube.

With this record, the “King of Pop” joined the “Billion Views Club” with his fourth music video, following “Beat It”, “Billie Jean”, and “They Don’t Care About Us”. This achievement solidifies Michael Jackson’s status as one of the most influential and enduring artists of all time.

The music video for “Thriller” was directed by John Landis and features a 13-minute narration by classic horror film guru Vincent Price. The video first aired on MTV in December 1983 and has since become a cultural phenomenon.

The video begins with Michael Jackson watching a horror movie on a date, eventually transforming into a terrifying full moon night, leading to the now-famous dance scene with monsters and zombies. After its release as a single in 1984, the song reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number three on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

After Michael Jackson’s death in 2009, the song re-entered the Billboard charts, reaching number two on the Hot Digital Songs. That same year, the video became the first music video to be inscribed in the United States Library of Congress’ National Film Registry as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

“Thriller” is also the most downloaded Halloween-themed hit of all time, according to Nielsen SoundScan data. Since its release 40 years ago, the “Thriller” music video has frequently appeared in pop culture, most notably in the 2004 romantic comedy film “13 Love 30”, in which Jennifer Garner’s character livens up an otherwise boring party with the choreography to “Thriller”.