Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ at 30: 30 unknown facts for 30 years

Thirty years ago, Thriller dropped quietly onto the musical landscape on Dec. 1, 1982. But 30 years later, it continues to color the discussion of modern music. It is more than just the biggest selling album in the history of America (30 million copies) and the world (more than 100 million copies sold) that spawned, at the time, a record seven Top Ten hits and another record eight Grammy Award wins. Thriller changed the face of music, videos, fashion, dance, racial politics and popular culture as a whole. Rolling out takes a few minutes to pay homage to a once-in-a-generation album that, remarkably, influenced a score of A-list artists of today who weren’t even born when Thriller hijacked the charts, defied conventional wisdom and captured our imaginations. Here are 30 interesting tidbits about Thriller that you may or may not know:

1. Dreams do come true: The seeds of Thriller’s intergalactic success were planted long before Michael ever became an adult. When he was 14, Michael was still with the Jackson Five when he wrote on his bedroom mirror that he wanted to create the bestselling album of all time — a bold dream for a poverty-stricken black child from Gary, Ind. He would repeat his wish everyday when he woke up. Ten years later, Jackson’s improbable dream came true.