For the first of nine short films for the “Bad” album, Michael Jackson enlists acclaimed filmmaker and director Martin Scorsese and together they create an epic 18-minute tale of urban and racial challenges in the 1980s inspired by the real life story of Edmund Perry. The «Bad» recording is the second of five consecutive No.1 singles from the album making Michael the first artist to achieve this milestone and in 2014 Rolling Stone ranked this short film second on a list of Michaels 20 greatest short films.
Chorus:
Because Im bad, Im bad come on
You know Im bad, Im bad come on, you know
You know Im bad, Im bad come on, you know
And the whole world has to
Answer right now
Just to tell you once again
Whos bad
Michael Jacksons 14-minute short film «Thriller» revolutionized the music video genre forever. Hailed as the greatest music video of all time by MTV, VH1, Rolling Stone and others, «Thriller,» directed by John Landis, is also the only music video selected to be included in the Library of Congress prestigious National Film Registry.
Written by Rod Temperton
Produced by Quincy Jones for Quincy Jones Productions
From the album Thriller, released November 30, 1982
Released as a single January 23, 1984
THE SHORT FILM
Director: John Landis
Primary Production Location: Los Angeles, California
Michael Jacksons short film for «Thriller» was the third of three short films produced for recordings from Thriller, which continues its reign as the biggest selling album of all time with worldwide sales in excess of 105 million as of June 1, 2016 and in December 2015 became the first ever album to be awarded triple diamond status (i.e.: sales in excess of 30 million) by the RIAA for US sales alone. The «Thriller» single reached No. 1 in four countries in 1984, topping the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart as well as charts in Spain, France and Belgium. The song peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Thriller the first album to feature seven Top 10 singles. The Recording Industry Association of America certified «Thriller» Gold and Platinum on December 4, 1989.
The groundbreaking short films for the Thriller album, starting with «Billie Jean,» following up with «Beat It» and culminating with the epic, nearly 14-minute «Thriller,» truly expanded the possibilities of «music video» as art form. «I wanted something that would glue you to the set, something youd want to watch over and over,» Michael wrote in his 1988 memoir Moonwalk. «I wanted to be a pioneer in this relatively new medium and make the best short music movies we could make.»
In the short films extended prologue, Michaels moonlit date with his girlfriend (played by model Ola Ray) is interrupted by his sudden transformation into a howling werewolf. While the «real» Michael and Ola, observing the scene in a movie theater, walk home from the their date, Michael teases her by singing the verses of «Thriller.»
Lyrics:
Its close to midnight
Something evils lurking from the dark
Under the moonlight
You see a sight that almost stops your heart
You try to scream
But terror takes the sound before you make it
You start to freeze
As horror looks you right between your eyes
Youre paralyzed
Cause this is thriller
Thriller night
And no ones gonna save you
From the beast about to strike
You know its thriller
Thriller night
Youre fighting for your life
Inside a killer thriller tonight, yeah
Chorus:
It seems you dont know, we reached the higher mountain
Every time I seem to disappear
And together we will fly, well dance up in the heavens
I can really feel it when youre near, ooh
Have we got love on, love on, love on our hands?
Got myself thinking, thinking, thinking bout you again
Have I got glitter in my eyes?
Or do you shine this bright?
Or is it love on, love on, love on our hands?
Shouldn’t let you closer, into my emotions
But, you know, I got, a little more love than that
99 yeah, 99%
kiss me one more time and I’m there
99% there
I’m afraid to fall in love
But you’re pushing it up and now I’m
99 yeah, 99% there
Now I’ve got you on, you on, you on my brain
Feelings they drive me, drive me, drive me insane
I never meant to feel this way
and it scares me everyday
I got you on, you on, you on my brain
Shouldn’t let you closer, into my emotions
But, you know, I got, a little more love than that
99 yeah, 99%
kiss me one more time and I’m there
99% there
I’m afraid to fall in love
But you’re pushing it up and now I’m
99 yeah, 99% there
Shouldn’t let you closer, into my emotions
Should have left me broken
But you got in the way
You know, I got,
Yeah you know, I got a little bit more love than that
99 yeah, 99%
kiss me one more time and I’m there
99% there
I’m afraid to fall in love
But you’re pushing it up and now I’m
99 yeah, 99% there
Producer: Ammo
Producer: Cirkut
Composer Lyricist: Adam Levine
Composer Lyricist: Lukasz Gottwald
Composer Lyricist: Jacob Kasher Hindlen
Composer Lyricist: Mike Posner
Composer Lyricist: Henry Walter
Composer Lyricist: Joshua Coleman
Lyrics
I feel so unsure
As I take your hand
And lead you to the dance floor
As the music dies
Something in your eyes
Calls to mind a silver screen
And all its sad goodbyes
Im never gonna dance again
Guilty feet have got no rhythm
Though its easy to pretend
I know youre not a fool
I shouldve known better than to cheat a friend
And waste the chance that Ive been given
So Im never gonna dance again
The way I danced with you
Time can never mend
The careless whispers of a good friend
To the heart and mind
Ignorance is kind
Theres no comfort in the truth
Pain is all youll find
Im never gonna dance again
Guilty feet have got no rhythm
Though its easy to pretend
I know youre not a fool
I shouldve known better than to cheat a friend
And waste the chance that Ive been given
So Im never gonna dance again
The way I danced with you
Tonight the music seems so loud
I wish that we could lose this crowd
Maybe its better this way
Wed hurt each other with the things we want to say
We could have been so good together
We could have lived this dance forever
But now whos gonna dance with me
Please stay
Im never gonna dance again
Guilty feet have got no rhythm
Though its easy to pretend
I know youre not a fool
I shouldve known better than to cheat a friend
And waste the chance that Ive been given
So Im never gonna dance again
The way I danced with you
Now that youre gone
Now that youre gone
Now that youre gone
Was what I did so wrong
So wrong that you had to leave me alone?
Cant Hold Us (feat. Ray Dalton) · Macklemore · Ryan Lewis · Ray Dalton
The Heist
℗ 2012 Macklemore, LLC.
Masterer: «Big Bass» Brian Gardner, Hollywood, CA
Violin: Andrew Joslyn
Mixer: Ben Haggerty
Recorded by: Ben Haggerty
Additional Recording: Benjamin Greenspan Boston, MA
Additional Vocals: Camila Recchi
Trombone: Greg Kramer
Trumpet: Owuor Arunga
Additional Vocals: Ray Dalton
Mixer, Producer: Ryan Lewis
Recorded by: Ryan Lewis
Masterer: Sterling Sound
Additional Vocals: Tyler Andrews
Additional Vocals: Victoria Fuangaromya
Writer: B. Haggerty
Writer: Macklemore
Writer: R. Dalton
Writer: R. Lewis