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Michael Jackson is the sort of legendary artist who will continue to inspire young artists for generations to come. Although “The King of Pop” sadly passed away in 2009 at the age of 50-years-old, his legacy and musical success continue to live on.
Jackson released his “Thriller” album almost 40 years ago which consisted of classic tracks such as “Beat It,” “Billy Jean,” and of course “Thriller.”
“Thriller” continues to be one of the most popular songs off the album and one of the most-watched music videos of all time. The “Thriller” music video was released a year after the album came out and changed the music video game forever. Earlier this week, Rolling Stone paid respect to Jackson by coming out with a “12 Thrilling Facts About Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ Video” article, since today marks the 38th anniversary of the 14-minute-long horror music video.
According to Rolling Stone, the mini-film cost half-a-million dollars to make and at the time was considered the most expensive video ever made. The “Thriller” music video is considered a coming-of-age story, according to the magazine.
“In adolescence, youngsters begin to grow hair in unexpected places, and parts of their anatomy swell and grow,” director John Landis explained, regarding the role of the werewolf metaphor. “Everyone experiences these physical transformations in their bodies and new, unfamiliar, sexual thoughts in their minds. No wonder we readily accept the concept of a literal metamorphosis,” he continued.
A lineup of legends attended the set of “Thriller,” such as Fred Astaire and Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis. Rolling Stone also mentioned that “Thriller’s” choreography was created by Michael Peters, who also was a part of Jackson’s “Beat It” music video where he played one of the gang members in the video. Another fact about the famous music video is that Jackson’s “Thriller” co-star Ola Ray, was a former Playboy Playmate who also appeared in the show, ‘Cheers,’ and in ‘Beverly Hills Cop II,’ according to Rolling Stone.