Michael Jackson's "Thriller": The Rankdown (COMPLETE)

[fearlessarrow]

Not that we don't know it already but the top 5 is about to be an absolute bloodbath, so many classics!

[zippy]

These bottom three songs were predictable, the single with the worst reception and then the two non-singles from this album.

"The Girl Is Mine" was an easy choice for last place although I don't hate or dislike the song. I find it decently enjoyable and a bit humorous, but it's still a cheesy duet.

"The Lady In My Life" is my favorite love song on Thriller, and I think my enjoyment of the song has been swayed by the jazz covers I've heard of this song (eg George Benson's). I thought that my #3 would be among the highest ranks.

"Baby Be Mine" is unfortunately the most forgettable song on this album. I thought that I might have ranked it last instead of the other Mine song, but only because I forgot how good it is, just not quite the best the album has to offer. Also I haven't realized it's inspired by John Coltrane.

And then we have "P.Y.T" which I agree is a cute and fun song. I really like the high-pitched vocals in this one.

Moving forward with the top 5, I think it's obvious that "Billie Jean" is coming out on top. I will say that it's not my #1 and I don't care too much about the outcome. Regardless I will share my thoughts on those songs.

[Soulsista]

Welcome back!

We kick off the Top 5 with the song that has the 2nd highest SD. Six people will be losing their #1.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Pretty Young Things}HamedM1 💔 312999 bat1990 Mayman emerald chanman God mamooshka willapted33 SabrinaFan wyckyd Mirago M5AGTS .indulgecountry khan zippy singingrulebritannia theyaintready 🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲 jenglisbe jtd Thee Stallion gonecountry @trilogy beyoncelover Active Aggressive ccarter1023 rowellfarm490 alexcuse samo🦕 divasummer Kelly's 10th Fan Gonza'90 CagedJuggalo The Third Tanker fearlessarrow B-Boy Doc Indie Party Rock Willow Rinadoobee Breakfast Glove Slap SHOOTER #LisaRinna annoymous1 @imhappy259

[HamedM1 💔]

Welp here comes the massacre.

[jenglisbe]

I think the middle 8 of "PYT" is one of the best parts in recorded music history.

I think "Baby Be Mine" is underrated. zippy noted the Coltrane/bebop influence.

[Soulsista]

Get me out
Into the night-time
Four walls wont hold me tonight
If this town
Is just an apple
Then let me take a bite



5. Human Nature

"Human Nature" was originally written by Toto member Steve Porcaro and was based on a conversation he had with his daughter. A boy had pushed her at school, and when she asked why Porcaro told her that the boy probably liked and "it's human nature". The song wasn't intended for Thriller, but when Quincy Jones heard it he thought it would fit with the overall feel of the album. He then enlisted John Bettis to rewrite some of the lyrics. Steve Porcaro would later say this:

"At the last minute, Quincy (Jones) asked me if I’d mind if John Bettis took a shot at the verse lyrics, and I said, 'No, not at all.' I didn't consider myself a great lyricist. Sometimes what just came out of my mouth when I was writing, I mean like the chorus on "Human Nature" could be keepers. But I was wide open. But with John Bettis, I didn't change a single syllable, he just nailed it. He turned my record into a song, with a beginning, middle and end. Those lyrics are amazing and I don't talk about that enough."

"Human Nature" was released in July 1983 as the fifth single from Thriller. It peaked at #7 on the Hot 100 and #27 on the soul chart, and would later be sampled in Nas' "It Ain't Hard To Tell" and the remix to SWV's "Right Here" (and by extension, Chris Brown's "She Ain't You").

Apologies to bat1990, theyaintready, 🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲, jenglisbe, Glove Slap, and #LisaRinna...


Points: 236
Average: 4.51
Standard Deviation: 2.175 (2nd highest)

bat1990 - 1
theyaintready - 1
🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲 - 1
jenglisbe - 1
Glove Slap - 1
#LisaRinna - 1

chanman - 2
jtd Thee Stallion - 2
Willow Rinadoobee Breakfast - 2

God - 3
M5AGTS - 3
singingrulebritannia - 3
Gonza'90 - 3
CagedJuggalo The Third Tanker - 3

emerald - 4
Mirago - 4
rowellfarm490 - 4
alexcuse - 4
SHOOTER - 4

HamedM1 💔 - 5
312999 - 5
mamooshka - 5
khan - 5
gonecountry - 5
Active Aggressive - 5
Kelly's 10th Fan - 5
B-Boy - 5
annoymous1 - 5

Soulsista - 6
zippy - 6
@trilogy - 6
beyoncelover - 6
ccarter1023 - 6
divasummer - 6
fearlessarrow - 6

Mayman - 7
willapted33 - 7
SabrinaFan - 7
samo🦕 - 7
@imhappy259 - 7

wyckyd - 8
Doc Indie Party Rock - 8

.indulgecountry - 9


The next reveal has the highest SD. Seven #1s will go down.

[Soulsista]

They're out to get you, there's demons closing in on every side
They will possess you unless you change that number on your dial



4. Thriller

Written by Rod Temperton, "Thriller" was originally titled "Starlight". Quincy Jones felt that it should be the title track, but that "Starlight" wasn't a strong enough album title. They went through several title changes before coming up with "Thriller". The song was written shortly after that, with Rod wanting a spoken-word sequence toward the end. Quincy's then-wife Peggy Lipton suggested Vincent Price for that part.

"Thriller" was released as the seventh and final single in November 1983 in the UK and January 1984 in the US. It scored the highest debut of the '80s on the Hot 100, eventually peaking at #4. It also hit #3 on the soul chart and hit the Top 10 in 13 countries, reaching #1 in four of them. It has returned to the charts in recent years due to becoming a Halloween staple.

The music video, directed by John Landis, premiered on MTV in December 1983 and immediately pushed Thriller back to #1 on the album chart. It was the first music video to be inducted into the National Film Registry. The video also landed MJ in hot water with Jehovah's Witnesses; he was warned that he would be excommunicated. A disclaimer was included at the beginning stating that it didn't reflect his personal convictions.

The "Starlight" demo was later included on Thriller 40.



Apologies to SabrinaFan, M5AGTS, khan, zippy, beyoncelover, Gonza'90, and Doc Indie Party Rock...


Points: 250
Average: 4.19
Standard Deviation: 2.239 (Highest)

SabrinaFan - 1
M5AGTS - 1
khan - 1
zippy - 1
beyoncelover - 1
Gonza'90 - 1
Doc Indie Party Rock - 1

Active Aggressive - 2
alexcuse - 2
samo🦕 - 2
Kelly's 10th Fan - 2
CagedJuggalo The Third Tanker - 2
@imhappy259 - 2

mamooshka - 3
wyckyd - 3
jenglisbe - 3
gonecountry - 3

bat1990 - 4
willapted33 - 4
fearlessarrow - 4
annoymous1 - 4

Soulsista - 5
Mayman - 5
chanman - 5
God - 5
Mirago - 5
singingrulebritannia - 5
@trilogy - 5
ccarter1023 - 5
rowellfarm490 - 5
divasummer - 5

HamedM1 💔 - 6
emerald - 6
jtd Thee Stallion - 6
Willow Rinadoobee Breakfast - 6
Glove Slap - 6

312999 - 7
theyaintready - 7
#LisaRinna - 7

.indulgecountry - 8
🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲 - 8
B-Boy - 8
SHOOTER - 8


And we go from the highest SD to the 2nd lowest SD. Four #1s will be lost.

[bat1990]

Dec 20, 2022 11:49:55 GMT -5 Soulsista said:

5. Human Nature
#LisaRinna - 1

Glad to see you have some taste!

.indulgecountry - 9

> :'(

[khan]

Sigh I knew Thriller wouldn't win but it missing top three is pretty painful. Really is one of my fav songs of all time. One of the only songs where a spoken word break actually ADDS to the experience. That and the super funky beat and it literally never gets old.

[HamedM1 💔]

Now if this were based on music videos Thriller devours, but on its own the song 7s great but his best here imo. Its an eternally iconic song though and nothing can take that status away.

[Soulsista]

Billie Jean is always talkin'
When nobody else is talkin'
Tellin' lies and rubbin' shoulders
So they called her mouth a motor



3. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'

"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was originally recorded in 1978 for inclusion on Off The Wall, but was later reworked and re-recorded for Thriller. It was released in May 1983 as the album's fourth single, peaking at #5 on the Hot 100 and soul charts and hitting #1 in Canada.

The "mama-say mama-sa mama-coo-sa" line was borrowed from Manu Dibango's 1973 hit "Soul Makossa", which led to a financial settlement. When Rihanna wanted to sample it 2007 for her song "Don't Stop The Music", MJ allegedly approved it without contacting Dibango beforehand. This led Dibango to sue MJ and Rihanna, asking for 500,000 euros in damages. The case was dismissed due to Dibango receiving credit on Rihanna's song.

Apologies to jtd Thee Stallion, Active Aggressive, CagedJuggalo The Third Tanker, and fearlessarrow...


Points: 277
Average: 3.56
Standard Deviation: 1.652 (2nd lowest)

jtd Thee Stallion - 1
Active Aggressive - 1
CagedJuggalo The Third Tanker - 1
fearlessarrow - 1

312999 - 2
M5AGTS - 2
zippy - 2
singingrulebritannia - 2
rowellfarm490 - 2
divasummer - 2
Glove Slap - 2
SHOOTER - 2

bat1990 - 3
Mayman - 3
emerald - 3
chanman - 3
SabrinaFan - 3
Mirago - 3
🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲 - 3
@trilogy - 3
Doc Indie Party Rock - 3
annoymous1 - 3

Soulsista - 4
HamedM1 💔 - 4
God - 4
mamooshka - 4
.indulgecountry - 4
khan - 4
gonecountry - 4
beyoncelover - 4
ccarter1023 - 4
samo🦕 - 4
Willow Rinadoobee Breakfast - 4
@imhappy259 - 4

willapted33 - 5
alexcuse - 5

theyaintready - 6
jenglisbe - 6
B-Boy - 6
#LisaRinna - 6

wyckyd - 7
Kelly's 10th Fan - 7
Gonza'90 - 7

[bat1990]

Pleasantly surprised to see WBSS in the top 3!! I've loved this song since the first time I put my family's Thriller cassette in my little Walkman.

Beat It and Billie Jean are iconic, so I don't have a strong preference for which one wins.

[Soulsista]

And the two biggest hits from Thriller are the last two standing...



vs.




Which single will come out on top, "Beat It" or "Billie Jean"? The final two will be revealed later today!

SPOILER: Click to show

{Pretty Young Things}HamedM1 💔 312999 bat1990 Mayman emerald chanman God mamooshka willapted33 SabrinaFan wyckyd Mirago M5AGTS .indulgecountry khan zippy singingrulebritannia theyaintready 🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲 jenglisbe jtd Thee Stallion gonecountry @trilogy beyoncelover Active Aggressive ccarter1023 rowellfarm490 alexcuse samo🦕 divasummer Kelly's 10th Fan Gonza'90 CagedJuggalo The Third Tanker fearlessarrow B-Boy Doc Indie Party Rock Willow Rinadoobee Breakfast Glove Slap SHOOTER #LisaRinna annoymous1 @imhappy259

[gonecountry]

I'm thinking Billie Jean is gonna moonwalk to the top.

[bat1990]

The "Beat It" video just reminds me how much style has evolved. The fashion, the dancing, etc. by the gang members would be considered "gay" now.

[#LisaRinna]

Dec 20, 2022 12:47:21 GMT -5 bat1990 said:

Glad to see you have some taste!

Did you really doubt the R&B Poster of the Year nominee? Chile boo...

[bat1990]

Dec 20, 2022 13:37:16 GMT -5 #LisaRinna said:

Dec 20, 2022 12:47:21 GMT -5 bat1990 said:

Glad to see you have some taste!

Did you really doubt the R&B Poster of the Year nominee? Chile boo...

I am also a nominee in that category and your taste has been questionable at times...

[SHOOTER]

*looks at Soulsista and Ty *

[M5AGTS]

Thriller deserved way better than this imo.

[Ty]

Dec 20, 2022 13:52:37 GMT -5 SHOOTER said:

*looks at Soulsista and Ty *

I'm not an MJ generation person and I can't pretend to be one.

[#LisaRinna]

Dec 20, 2022 13:48:55 GMT -5 bat1990 said:

Dec 20, 2022 13:37:16 GMT -5 #LisaRinna said:

Did you really doubt the R&B Poster of the Year nominee? Chile boo...

I am also a nominee in that category and your taste has been questionable at times...

Provide examples and receipts if you wanna be taken seriously hun! Until then it's all LIES.

[Soulsista]

Time to finish off this rankdown...

They're out to get you, better leave while you can
Don't wanna be a boy, you wanna be a man



2. Beat It - Michael Jackson

Michael began working on the demo for "Beat It" in his home studio, and when Quincy Jones heard it he felt that it was perfect for the album. According to brother Jermaine, the inspiration for the song came from the Jackson family witnessing gang activity in their hometown of Gary, Indiana.

"Beat It" was released on Valentine's Day in 1983 as the third single from Thriller, rising to the top of the Hot 100 and soul charts. It also hit #1 in four other countries and reached the Top 10 in many more. It won two Grammy Awards for Record Of The Year and Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. Features a guitar solo by Eddie Van Halen.

The music video won two American Music Awards for Favorite Pop/Rock Video and Favorite Soul Video. Contrary to popular belief, it was not based on the musical West Side Story, but by director Bob Giraldi's upbringing in Paterson, New Jersey.


Points: 290
Average: 3.26
Standard Deviation: 1.814 (4th highest)

312999 - 1
Mayman - 1
chanman - 1
alexcuse - 1
samo🦕 - 1
Willow Rinadoobee Breakfast - 1
@imhappy259 - 1

Soulsista - 2
emerald - 2
mamooshka - 2
wyckyd - 2
Mirago - 2
khan - 2
@trilogy - 2
ccarter1023 - 2
fearlessarrow - 2
Doc Indie Party Rock - 2
annoymous1 - 2

HamedM1 💔 - 3
willapted33 - 3
.indulgecountry - 3
jtd Thee Stallion - 3
beyoncelover - 3
Active Aggressive - 3
rowellfarm490 - 3
Kelly's 10th Fan - 3
B-Boy - 3

M5AGTS - 4
divasummer - 4
Gonza'90 - 4
CagedJuggalo The Third Tanker - 4
Glove Slap - 4
#LisaRinna - 4

bat1990 - 5
SabrinaFan - 5
theyaintready - 5

God - 6
singingrulebritannia - 6
gonecountry - 6
SHOOTER - 6

zippy - 7
🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲 - 7
jenglisbe - 7

---

Which means the #1 is...

People always told me be careful of what you do
And don't go around breaking young girls' hearts
And mother always told me be careful of who you love
And be careful of what you do 'cause the lie becomes the truth



1. Billie Jean

The inspiration for "Billie Jean" came from experiences Michael and his brothers had with groupies who claimed to have had their child. According to biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli, it also partially inspired by letters MJ himself received from a woman who claimed that he was the father of her twins. It eventually got to the point that he started having nightmares.

When the song was submitted to Quincy Jones, he didn't care too much for it. He didn't like the demo or the bassline and wanted to cut the intro, but MJ insisted that it be kept it. Only when MJ said that it made him want to dance did Quincy back down. Quincy also wanted to change the title to "Not My Lover" as he was worried people would think the song referred to tennis star Billie Jean King, but MJ refused. MJ wanted a co-producing credit and extra royalties, but Quincy refused both of those, leading to the two having a falling out for a few days.

"Billie Jean" was released in January 1983 as the second single from Thriller. In addition to topping the Hot 100 and soul charts, it reached the Top 10 everywhere it charted, including hitting #1 in nine countries.

MTV initally refused to play the music video, claiming it "didn't fit their format". CBS president Walter Yetnikoff then pulled a boss move, telling MTV that he pull the videos from all of his artists if they didn't play "Billie Jean". MTV caved, and "Billie Jean" became one of the first music videos by a black artist to air on the channel.

When MJ performed it at Motown 25, he did the moonwalk in public for the first time. Although it had been around for years (known as the backslide), the dance move quickly became synonymous with MJ and "Billie Jean".



Congrats to annoymous1 for scoring a perfect rankdown!


Points: 322
Average: 2.51
Standard Deviation: 1.653 (3rd lowest)

HamedM1 💔 - 1
emerald - 1
mamooshka - 1
willapted33 - 1
wyckyd - 1
Mirago - 1
.indulgecountry - 1
singingrulebritannia - 1
@trilogy - 1
ccarter1023 - 1
rowellfarm490 - 1
divasummer - 1
Kelly's 10th Fan - 1
B-Boy - 1
SHOOTER - 1
annoymous1 - 1

bat1990 - 2
Mayman - 2
God - 2
SabrinaFan - 2
gonecountry - 2
beyoncelover - 2
Gonza'90 - 2

Soulsista - 3
312999 - 3
khan - 3
alexcuse - 3
samo🦕 - 3
fearlessarrow - 3
Willow Rinadoobee Breakfast - 3
Glove Slap - 3
#LisaRinna - 3
@imhappy259 - 3

chanman - 4
zippy - 4
theyaintready - 4
🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲 - 4
Active Aggressive - 4
Doc Indie Party Rock - 4

M5AGTS - 5
jenglisbe - 5
jtd Thee Stallion - 5

Billie Jean's Lover:
CagedJuggalo The Third Tanker - 9


And that concludes Michael Jackson's "Thriller": The Rankdown! Thanks again to everyone who participated!

[312999]

Someone just had to, and I am not surprised who that someone is. Regardless, no way it was going to lose whatsoever, even though I’ve always preferred Beat It to it.

[SabrinaFan]

Great winner, even if it wasn't my #1. Thanks so much for hosting, Soulsista!

[M5AGTS]

I've always found Billie Jean to be very overrated. It's good, but there's a lot better on the album imo. Not surprised it won tho. Thx for hosting Soulsista!

[#LisaRinna]

We all knew!

[CagedJuggalo The Third Tanker]

I have always preferred this version myself



Excellent RD Sista!

[Soulsista]

Perfect Rankings:

annoymous1 - 9
mamooshka - 7
khan - 6
HamedM1 💔 / willapted33 / @trilogy / Active Aggressive / ccarter1023 / rowellfarm490 / fearlessarrow / Mirago - 5
Soulsista / emerald / wyckyd / Kelly's 10th Fan / bat1990 - 4
singingrulebritannia / B-Boy / Doc Indie Party Rock - 3
God / 🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲 / jenglisbe / samo🦕 / Gonza'90 / SHOOTER / divasummer / chanman / gonecountry - 2
zippy / Glove Slap / jtd / Willow Rinadoobee Breakfast / CagedJuggalo The Third Tanker / 312999 / Mayman / SabrinaFan / .indulgecountry - 1
theyaintready / #LisaRinna / M5AGTS / alexcuse / beyoncelover / @imhappy259 - 0


I'll leave you with a couple of notes:

The Billboard #1 R&B Songs Of 1994 Rankdown is currently open. If you haven't done so yet, feel free to send in a list!

Don't forget to vote for me (Soulsista) in the following cateogories:

R&B Poster Of The Year
Game Of The Year (Billboard #1 R&B Songs Series)
Games Host Of The Year

[M5AGTS]

Ik its only 9 songs, but it's still crazy that annoymous1 had a perfect rankdown here.

[312999]

Dec 20, 2022 18:47:20 GMT -5 M5AGTS said:

Ik its only 9 songs, but it's still crazy that annoymous1 had a perfect rankdown here.

I also wonder if that’s the first time ever that something like this has happened on a Rankdown, wow.