The Lady in My Life. Thriller PYT. Human Nature Wanna Be Startin Somethin. Beat It. Billie Jean The Girl is Mine. Thriller (album) 1982 studio album by Michael Jackson With 32 million copies sold worldwide by the end of 1983, Thriller became the best-selling album of all time. It was the best-selling album of 1983 worldwide, and in 1984 it became the first album to become the best-selling in the United States for two years. It set industry standards with its songs, music videos, and promotional strategies influencing artists, record labels, producers, marketers, and choreographers. The success gave Jackson an unprecedented level of cultural significance for a black American, breaking racial barriers in popular music, earning him regular airplay on MTV and leading to a meeting with US President Ronald Reagan at the White House.
Thriller was among the first albums to use music videos as promotional tools; the videos for "Billie Jean", "Beat It" and "Thriller" are credited for transforming music videos into a serious art form. Background When Jackson turned 21 in August 1979, he hired John Branca as his manager. Cover.