The “Thriller” video — In 1983, Michael Jackson was just operating at a higher plane level than everyone else. And that’s saying a lot with the likes of The Police, Prince, Duran Duran, Culture Club, Lionel Richie, Cindy Lauper and others blazing their own star trails.
“Billie Jean” was a great peek into the MJ majesty. The “Beat It” video was even better, much better. But the “Thriller” video was the one that enabled Jackson and MTV to soar to heights previously unfathomable. So great was the impact of this 14-minute phenomenon capture on film that the MTV Awards named the biggest video after the King of Pop.