1982Reputable sourceWell documented
Michael Jackson's Thriller
On the timeline · around 1982 · The Rock & Pop Era
What happened
Michael Jackson's album Thriller (1982) became the best-selling album of all time. Its cinematic videos put a Black artist into heavy rotation on MTV for the first time — 'Billie Jean' broke the network's unofficial color barrier in 1983 — and the 14-minute 'Thriller' video redefined the form.
Why it matters
Thriller showed the enormous crossover power of pop, helped desegregate MTV, and set a new standard for the album, the music video, and global superstardom that shaped the industry for decades.