Michael Jackson Thriller Presentation

The album I have chosen to look at is Michael Jackson’s groundbreaking Thriller - produced in 1982 by legendary Funk, R&B, Pop and Soul producer Quincy Jones (other artists feature Marvin Gaye, Lionel Hampton, and Stevie Wonder) and released by American label Epic Records.

Thriller easily surpasses the critically well acclaimed album Off The Wall album (Jackson’s fifth studio album released back in 1979) and still, it remains top of today's current chart status as the best selling album of all time. The album featured at No. 20 out of the top 500 greatest albums of all time listed in Rolling Stones Magazine and reached No. 3 in the top 200 definitive album catalogue documented by The National Association of Recording Merchandisers. The album was also nominated for a record breaking seven Grammy awards in 1984! 

It just goes to show that pubic awareness and recognition was no mean feat for this album!


In my opinon I believe that this album made more of an impact on society than any other album for it's time and I shall explain why. 


Popular music in the 80's quickly became characterized by the sounds of technology i.e. the extensive use of electronic instruments such as Synthesizers and Keyboards. Bands like Queen, as well as artists such as Prince, Madonna and many others have all pushed these elements within the realms of popular music which has inlfuenced newer, progressive rock bands like The Darkness and Muse. Without a doubt, Michael Jackson wrote simply breathtaking music coverring disco, pop ballad and not to mention soul. Some of us can't often hear how diverse each composition behind Thriller stretches yet the vast amount of genre's that the album does in fact cover is so incredible that it has taken the sound of pop music up towards a greater level of sound and expression.

We can also recall the significant racial conflicts which stood between white and black audiences across the US back in the early 80's. This of course had a big impact on black people and Michael Jackson was undoubtedly offended. 

The clear message from the album is that "it don't matter if you're black or white". With this realisation, Thriller tore down the racial epidemic that had been brought on by MTV and societies harsh cultural nature making Michael Jackson's music, as well his own image, stand out much more earning him highly respectable praise all across the world.

All in all there are some very famous names who have played on most of the tracks throughout the albums entirety. Just to point a few, Jeff Porcaro - the original drummer from the band Toto - plays on "The Girl is Mine", "Beat it" and "Human Nature". There's also Ndugu Chancler, a legendary session drummer who's well known for working with Jazz Funk artists as Stanley Clarke, Herbie Hancock, John Lee Hooker and Donna Summer. He plays on the songs "Baby Be Mine", "Billie Jean" and "P.Y.T" (Pretty Young Thing). 


Some of the other musicians featured on the album are:


Greg Phillinganes - Synthesizer/Rhodes
David Williams - Guitar
Louis Johnson - Bass
Jerry Hay - Trumpet/ Flugelhorn.


As well as being a truely outstanding performer, Michael Jackson was also a very talented artist. Two tracks on the album - "The Girl is Mine" and "Thriller" - even have there only little cartoon drawings featured beside the lyrics inside the albums inlay booklet.


This is the cartoon drawing for "The Girl is Mine"
 

And this is the cartoon drawing for "Thriller"

Some of Michael Jackson's other drawings that are currently featured on www.michaeljacksonart.com in the artistically inspiring gallery look like this:

01 "Wanna Be Startin' Something" 

This song relates to the media and the general public who had started arguments which were considered unnecessary and uncalled for. It maintains that attitude throughout and one of the main reasons why it stands out so much is because we can quite easily take the meaning of it and see it happening in every day life.

Michael Jackson has performed this song many times over the past ten years and there is one show in particular I really like called:  

Live in Tokyo - Bad Tour - 1987. 

The amount of energy and dynamic content he expressed on stage was absolutely amazing, the tempo is also ridiculously fast compared to the album track. You could see him with a group of dancers dancing a very sexy routine making the whole experience look very dramatic and theatrical. The reaction of the crowd was quite extraordinary to say the least and you could quite easily tell that the crowd genuinely loving the pop sensations dance moves.

Here is a Youtube link to the video:

Song Analysis:

The song is in the key of E Major running a through a simple chord progression which ends on D Minor after a Coda repeat. The drums play a kind of funky 80's disco groove programmed and set to run around repetedly (kind of like an ostinato) with Louis Johnson's deep soudning bass guitar accompanying. The drums and bass guitar ultimately lay down the rhythm with a great feel that’s catchy and distinctive. David Williams plays funky, upbeat notes on the guitar and he holds the strings down firmly to make each note sound jagged. A lot of guitarists use this technique for playing Rock music, Funk and even Motown. Later on he adds an eight bar solo which sounds a bit tedious but it does work in some kind of bizarre fashion.

With the vocals there are some occasional call and response methods used to draw the attention of the listener,

you can also tell where the vocals have been over dubbed gaining a consistent harmony which openly stands out

during the 3rd chorus leading into the following verse. The vocals instigate the main melody and if you listen

closely you can hear an instrument called a Lyricon playing in the background adding flare to the choruses and it

gives the song a slight sensation of Pop mixed with Jazz. 


Elsewhere, the rest of the harmonies are created with a Synth playing bright major chords during the verses and half way through the choruses. I personally like how this stands out in the middle of each verse and chorus and I think that the warm clarities fill up the atmosphere really well. In terms of tonality and texture they both set a mood which again is very intense and exciting. Again referring to the live version, the build up on it’s own at the start of the song is epic enough to make you want to get up close and listen and it is indeed very sly and seductive.

02 "Baby Be Mine"

My favorite song on the album.  


This one is more of a pop ballad. The theme is an 80’s disco, there’s magic in the air and he’s calling for the girl he wants more than anything. The way Michael Jackson sings this song is so loveresque and it’s as if he’s talking directly to the person he loves. To be able to write a song like this you really have to open up and make it true and that’s exactly what he’s done, producing a love song that shines and still remains a favorite amongst nearly every 
Michael Jackson fan out there today.


Here is the song:





Song Analysis:

This is the only song on the album that starts with a drum intro. Interestingly the intro looses it’s timing when Jeff Porcaro plays a roll down the toms but then he eases the timing back kicking into the main groove. Note that the song remains in 4/4 afterwards however it caught my attention straight away because he cleverly disguises the '1' of the next measure so it feels like the song has been pulled back slightly.


Here is my interpretation of Jeff Porcaro's drum intro:

Here you could count the intro in 9/8 and link all the 32nd notes together in one bar before the main groove sets in.

Or alternatively you could think of it in 4/4 right from the beginning and group the last four 32nd notes together to make one complete bar of 4/32 again before the main groove sets in. 

The harmony again is played on the Synth with a counter melody played over the top of it on the same instrument. The guitar plays some funky flat chords with a wah wah effect added and the rhythm flows nice and simple with the drums and bass guitar swinging a little bit. The rhythm is perfect for the song allowing the vocal melody to accent lyrical phrases during the verses and choruses. The texture is much smoother and very dreamy with all the ambient sounds gently covering everything, plus with more than one melody playing it sounds even more irresistible. 

The last thing to point out is a key change which happens during the 3rd to last chorus. This is where the tonality changes and it works nicely giving an uplifting sensation to finish the song appropriately.

03 "The Girl is Mine"

“The Girl is Mine” is a song Michael Jackson wrote with Beatles Paul McCartney and it was the first single released from the album. Quincy Jones had originally persuaded Jackson to write a song about two people fighting over one girl and this inspired him to sing the first melodic idea which came in to his head. The song was then later recorded in LA’s Westlake Studios by Quincy Jones and  both Jackson and McCartney sang between one another.

Here is the song:

Song Analysis:

Everything sounds soft and mellow and the song has a very gentle texture that carries on so effortlessly. From the intro it’s like you can see the stars shining in the sky - a little effect noise brought on by adding keys. The song is popular amongst guitars especially because it’s great to play acoustically and the vocal melody is so easy to follow.

In terms of structure, the song is in AABA format - meaning Verse / Verse / Chorus / Verse. Traditionally when a song is written in AABA, what you hear being sang in the verses is the main thing that stands out and it repeats itself until the music changes and yet another section musically separates the verses (which would be the bridge). Here there's way less dynamic content than there usually is with the rest of the songs on the album. The rhythm remains steady and moves along at a nice, easy pace with some gentle open hi hats played by Jeff Porcaro. The harmonies and vocal melodies you can hear with contrasting vocal parts during the bridge making a nice heavenly sound to catch the listener in the perfect moment.

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04 "Thriller"

Now we come to the album’s title track. The theme for Michael Jackson's Thriller is taking us back to the early 1950’s when horror movies were becoming vastly popular in America. Just to point out two horror films in particular:

The House of Wax (1953)

Dracula (1953)

 
These were two iconic horror films back in the 50's which scared the living daylights out of a lot of people.  


"Thriller" demonstartes a sensational amount of film making. No one could've predicted Michael Jackson coming up with a better for something none other than a music video. Originally he didn't intend to create a movie which would be too frightening, instead he wanted to produce something that he knew would be fullfilling and entertaining. He also states at the beginning of the film that it in no way does his work ethic inspire the occult.


"Thriller" is a lot of fun to watch. I personally love the scenes where the undead have risen and start dancing and I really like the casual twist to finish off the 14 minute piece. A lot of clothing, prostheitc make-up and choreograpy was put in to this film making and society had evidently latched on to what was possible if you put your mind to it. The music industry and film making industry has grown considerably since the video was released with a large number of theatrical videos and film screenplays becoming quite big and famous. 


Quincy Jones once stated a funny, memorable quite:

"Okay guys, we're here to save the recording industry"

I think they pretty much did.


Here are some screenshots taken from the "Thriller" video:

Song Analysis:


Thriller is the busiest song in terms of the arrangement and the amount of electronic sounds duplicated. A lot of careful layering went in to the process of building up the track's technological sound effects so that nothing would end up clashing with other instruments. The vocals are sang very well sustaining each note right before the harmony sets in with the vocal melody during the chorus emphasizing the title with two mixed, counter vocal melodies singing at the same time.


The halloween intro (or at least thats how I would describe it) is the perfect way to open up the song setting the mood with some very creepy textures and spooky feels. You can kind of sense an image of whats going on in the intro, you're out in the cold, a full moon's lit up in the sky and you can hear the cry of wolves howling in the cold wind. It's a clever idea for a shivering intro before the Thriller hook with the brass section playing the melody on Trumpet, Trombone and Sax. There's a lot of brass instruments involved and they build up the tension allowing moments of suspense before coming up to another section of the song. This is commonly known as a rise and fall technique (crescendo, decrescendo etc.). The guitar still has that funky, melodic motif and you can hear the guitar playing mainly during each verse behind the systematic rhythm of the bass guitar.


The rap part is done by Vincent Price talking very frighteningly to the listenner whilst manipulating scary lines with freakishly unsatisfying words. The one thing that makes this sound really creepy is a church organ playing a rising chord harmony underneath till everything drops out of the talking rap part. 


Finally, just when you think you've heard it all, Vincent Price cuts the music with a loud halloween, acapella style laugh...scary!

05 "Beat It"

"Beat it" is described by many people to be a song about defeat and courage as well as a song about conflict and public demand. It feels like there's quite an angry presence behind it when you're listenning to it which can strongly be related to Michael Jackson's sheer dislike of mental violence which he sets in motion throughout the music video.


The video was filmed on Los Angeles's 5th Street where we see gangs of crips and bloods starting fights in down town streets and alleyways. Michael dances his way out into the street and he stops the whole situation from deteriating further by luring everyone around him into another one of his lovingly eager, synchronized dance routines. What Michael does towards the end of the video had quite big impact on society becauseit showed him sepearting two major rivalrys and blending both cultures together.

In 2008 Black Eyed Peas member Will.i.am and singer Fergie made a remix of the song and named it "Beat It 2008".

Here is the remixed version:

Fall Out Boy were originally given permission to remix the track as well back in 2008 with John Mayer. Their own interpretation made it sound a hell of a lot louder and heavier.


This is Fall Out Boy's version of the song "Beat it":

Song Analysis:


A synclavier part is used to open up the song. This part was arranged by Tom Bahler and Greg Smith creating a dark and strange sensation. When Jeff Porcaro starts playing the main groove he immediately changes the feel of the song turning it into something much more cataclysmic and funky with a short, dynamic handclap accented on the fourth beat of each bar.


"Beat It" is a rock song made possible by the edgy guitar riff played by Paul Jackson. Steve Lukather later adds a short rhythm guitar part playing major chords that sound heavy and distorted to go with the main riff. This adds a cool, driving element to the song and it sounds very much like some guitar parts used in Def Leppard and Alice Cooper's music. 


The solo was played by Eddie Van halen and this acts as a bridge responding to the songs sudden drop in intensity. He plays an outstanding solo where every other instrument, including the drums and bass, are kept simple so that he had a continuous rhyhm to follow.

There's quite a lot of call and response techniques used with vocals throughout choruses. When Michael Jackson sings the line "beat it!" you can hear the backing harmonies shout out "beat it!". This happens again towards the end of each chorus but slightly differently. Michael sings "beat it" and the vocals respond on beat '3'. When he does the same thing again the vocals respond sooner on beat '2' rather than beat '3' and this repeats one more time before the verses. If you listen closely as well there is faint soprano voice singing in the background and you can hear it towards the end of each chorus. 


The harmony is controlled by the backing vocals as well as the Synth playing chords behind every other instrument. The Synth harmony also raises during the choruses and it does this so that the instrument can rightfully accompany Michael's vocal melody when he increases his pitch. 

06 "Billie Jean"

"Billie Jean" I think is one of the hottest songs on the album despite the trouble it went through to be produced on the album.


Peoples interpretation of the lyrics are sometimes met with confusion and uncertainty but its perfectly clear who he's referring to. When Michael Jackson was in the process of writing Billie Jean he thought about playing with The Jackson 5 back in the 60's, remembering the girls who would sweet talk him outside of the clubs. 


The song is written in present tense which is how a lot of people tend to write songs looking back on love moments. Some people belive that the song is weak because of the simple instrumentation. I disagree with this and I think the song works just because it's simple and it provides the best lyrical hook out of all the songs on the album.

Here is a video of Michael Jackson singing "Billie Jean" in Bucharest back in 1992:

Song Analysis:


Ndugu Chancler provides the perfect rhythmic ostinato for this song playing the simplest drumbeat anyone can think of which is just 8th notes on the hi hat, snare drum on beats '2' and '4' and bass drum on beats '1' and '3'. 


Louis Johnson adds a great rhythm playing bass stabs followed by and up and down bass line. The percussion element featured in this song is a shaker playing in unison with the hi hat. The effectiveness of this is that it makes the hi hat sound louder and more prominent. 


Rhythmically and harmonically everything stays pretty much same, except in certain places like during the pre-chorus. We can hear the the harmony raise and drop back down until the next set of verses where a secondary synth harmony is played on top. Jerry Hey and Jeremy Lubbock conduct a large string section to go with the uptight edgy feel of each chorus section leading into the verses which adds drama and texture to the outcome of the song. The funky element stays with the guitar playing throughout the choruses and the bridge. The eight bar solo is also a detrimental part added to the arrangement loosening up the feel of everything and providing the perfect change from the songs repetitive dance pop motifs. 


Melodically, this is where everything stands out. Michaels vocal hiccups and stutters sometimes have a tendency to interrupt the main melody but these are just signature things that he does. I think without his falsetto voice producing so many counterpart, syncopated melody lines the song might sound a little bit empty and lyrically the song needs that bit of excitement drawn from Michael's cheeky words and sounds.

07 "Human Nature"

 

"Human Nature" is one of the most memorable pop ballads of the 1980's next to Nik Kershaw's "Wouldn't it be Good", "Lady on the Phone" and some of Toto's classics. The song had also inspired "Looking Back Over My Shoulder" written by Mike & the Mechanics in 1994.


Here is Michael Jackson singing the song live in Japan back in 1987:
















Song Analysis:


"Human Nature" places the most delicate texture you could ever wish for into effect. Layered with beautiful Synth harmonies, percussion instruments and Michael's gentle vocal melody, the song makes you feel calm and relaxed with it's flowing and drifiting sensation. It's also interesting to hear how the the melody changes during the second extended chorus. Michael sings an octave higher reaching a tenor key, he then drops his voice back down before entering the next verse. This part is accompanied nicely by a counterpart melody played on the Synth and it happens again later in the song before fading out slowly.

08 P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing)

"Pretty Young Thing" was the forgettable link to the albums rapid track by track hitlist. Unlike other songs featured on the album, P.Y.T didn't seem to have that spark. Nevertheless, the song earned respectable praise from critics who described it as a "jazzy R&B number" as well as a "frizzy funk piece". 


There are also plenty of famous people in the Pop, R&B and Hip Hop world who have coverred it. 


Monica ("All Eyes On Me") sang it, Kanye West sampled certain parts of the song to use in one of his own tracks called "Good Life", Donnel James sang the song on Bleeks M.A.D.E album and T-Pain and Robin Thicke have re-arranged there own version of it to go on Quincy Jones's new album which is currently entitled Q: Soul Bossa Nostra.


Here is the song:





Song Analysis:


Ndugu Chanceler yet again lays down the perfect drum beat to enhance the rhythm of the track with Louis Johnson playing electric bass and Greg Phillinganes adding synth harmony. The song deffinately has that party vibe which you can feel happening with the textures right from the start. The dynamic handclaps clapping on beats '2' and '4' during the verses and choruses add fun and joy to the songs party nature. 


The keyboard adds a quirky little motif in the choruses putting the disco pop element into place and this is where Michael's vocal melody starts to sound very sexy and exciting. During the bridge, LaToya Jackson does a corresponding call and response harmony with Michael which is the perfect thing to liven up any crowd in a live situation and to make you want to sing out loud. 


I think the heavy guitar part added in the bridge before the vocal harmonies is unnessecary but at least the song doesn't lose it lively sensation and it fades out slowly with Michael singing the main line.

09 "The Lady in my Life"

What better way to finish the album than with a song about the lady in my life?
  

Like "Baby Be Mine", "Lady in my Life" has a very smooth texture and soft sounds which are kept in place with the delicate instrumentation applied to each section of the song.

  
Here is a video of Stanly Jordan performing an instrumental version of "Lady in my Life" in New York:





Song Analysis:


The intro opens with Jeff Porcaro playing on the ride cymbal and we can hear the synth occupying the harmony as well as the guitar and rhodes bringing the melody line down. What I like about this song is how everything sounds sweet and mystical and how little things happen here and there. Again it's another song which has that floaty sensation and keeps you calm and relaxed and I think thats what most of the songs on this album have ended up doing. 


When Michael's vocal melody creeps in, the rhythm begins to guide him effortlessly. At this point the dynamics are the key thing and as the song enters the first chorus the dynamics pick up slightly. The second verse onward adds a more funky upbeat element to the song accompanied with the straight groove played on the drums. This allows the harmony to improvise and mix in better with the vocal melody. 


The bridge is the best part of the song in terms of the enhanced rhythm, Louis Johnson puts in some bass twangs and Jeff Porcaro follows them with accented hi hats. At the same time Michaels improvises his melody around the rhythm with some backing harmonies to enhance his part. This carries on till the tone of the song falls back down and everything fades out slowly. It's the perfect song to end with and it's clear that the music stays entirely passionate throughout.